Comedy and Satire
  • Home
  • Blog

I Am Comic, a documentary about stand-ups

10/14/2010

0 Comments

 
I Am Comic looks like an interesting documentary about the stand-up comedy life. It has many interviews with many leading American comics. Some of them seem to confirm the stereotype of comedians as desperately needy people whose priorities are a bit out of whack. As this article states:

The hard-core practitioners say there is no greater feeling than winning over a room – not sex, and not having children. (Roseanne Barr immediately doubts the wisdom of putting that last comparison on the record.) “I need it,” says Roy Johnson, working as an emcee at the Tampa Improv. “My wife and I split up, and more than I need that love and attention and affection, I need that stage.”

That last comment in particular is a bit of a worry. I suspect he was exaggerating for humorous effect, as comedians so often do. (Even if he were, there's definitely a kernel of truth and honesty there.)

In any case it certainly shows that comics are generally a bit more screwed up than most people. And it's that emotional imbalance that compels them to get up in front of complete strangers and risk traumatic rejection for maybe half an hour of approval and something vaguely approximating affection. It's a very strange profession, no doubt about it!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Comedy Resources
    Killer Standup Online Course
    Standup Comedy Clinic




    Author

    My name's Matt Hayden. I'm a blogger and writer in Perth, Western Australia. I have a lot of experience in live comedy and maintain a keen interest in the subject.

    Archives

    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All
    Australia
    Comedians
    Jokes
    News
    Politics
    Psychology
    Satire
    Stand Up Comedy

    RSS Feed