The Dark Side of Comedy

There has always been a fine line between comedy and tragedy and that line was agressively crossed recently with the death of comic, Greg Giraldo. Giraldo, most recognized as a visceral comedian from multiple celebrity roasts, fell into a coma after accidentally overdosing on pharmaceutical medication.

This isn't the first case of celebrity abuse of prescription drugs. Heath Ledger suffered a similar fate as he was fighting depression from everyday life or as a result of detoxing evil from his body after his role as the Joker.

The most disturbing part of Giraldo's passing was that he represented an additional entry into the book of comedians that died prematurely. Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison, and George Carlin immediately come to mind. All these men, and it's almost always men, suffered from a similar poison of some inner demons whose antidote was always comedy.

But somewhere in between their movies, shows, specials, and sitcoms, these comics found plenty of time for alcohol, cocaine, pain killers, anti-depressants, and in the case of Sam Kinison, fast cars. The same people who were harbingers of the comedic art form, the ones who split our sides and hurt our stomachs from their humor, were humorless actually inside.

Could it be that comedy attracts the depressed and the self-destructive? The season finale of "Louie", starring comedian, Louis C.K. actually explores the very subject. He plays a comic, divorced with two kids. He hires a babysitter, and goes out by himself. He wanders off to a few bars, strikes out with the ladies, and eventually finds himself in front of his mainstay comedy club. He asks if he could jump on stage for a five minute set, where he goes on to speak about divorce and how it's akin to being let out of prison after many years and having to assimilate back into society. Once again, pain meets comedy.

It's been well documented that a good portion of the psychiatric profession is filled with people who still can't solve their own problems, and through analyzing others, they go through a period of self exploration. Maybe being a comedian provides a similar catharsis for the troubled and self-deprecating.

Of course, this doesn't apply to all comedians. In fact, for Jewish comics, the profession serves as a mystical fountain of youth. Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, Robert Klein, and Jackie Mason are all going strong and performing regularly. Rivers and Rickles were the focus of successful documentaries, Klein just completed another HBO special and Jackie Mason is making yet another comeback. In the Jewish culture, laughter has always been a function of coping. Tell a joke, and you'll feel better.

Similarly, not every Irish and Italian stand-up is on the brink of suicide either. But it is an alarming trend that has had a long history. The court jester, the clown, is great fun for a short time. However, when the costume and make-up come off, we see faces that are unrecognizable; decidedly different personas.
And in some respects we don't laugh with them or at them.

Comedy and tragedy will continue to intersect. So the next time you're at a comedy club, watching a series of young comedians, lend your support. Because to most of them, life isn't purely a laughing matter.