Hey guys,
A recent conversation with a good buddy of mine had left me thinking...
We shared a few mid-day beers and some laughter and then she hit me square in the face with a... prodigious statement.
"You know funny people are actually really sad or moody. Usually. What's your malfunction Naathan?"
Though the statement was rather cliche and she never really got a real answer, the train ride back home did set me thinking. Its not that her words struck home or anything of that sort. I'm too much of a megalomaniac to align myself with a stereotype like that. It wouldn't do anything to my psyche anyways. But there is a certain truth to what she says. I'm not saying that I go all bi-polar when nobody's around, everyone sets into a particular, neutral mood when their thoughts are alone. Comedians don't laugh 24/7 and I'm quite sure Hitler wasn't eating Jewish babies in-between public appearances. Morbid? Moving on...
See, there isn't a set template that people operate on. Everyone's exposed to a unique set of experiences and to each response there is a reaction. Regardless of how much I lie to myself, my six packs don't exist and though I'd totally beat that Shia LaBeouf guy, I'm a grade average on the looks department. I'll admit. But I've known from a very young age that I was a funny guy. That's something I've always been, almost arrogantly proud of. Its a gift born of intelligence (see what I did there?) and an ever analytical mind.
But there are inherent reasons. I'm going to entertain the cliche for just moment and tell you that it is indeed a defense mechanism. Self esteem was a major issue for me when I was young. I was a geeky, dark skinned, fat kid with asthma. Yes. I know. Sad. I was made fun of, bullied and rushed to the A&E and not always in that order. In those days my dad was the pilot light. He would make a tiny joke about being fat or made fun of himself (being a big guy most of his life) just to make me laugh a little. That started it. My dad was a well loved guy and he made everyone laugh effortlessly. That was what I was going to be.
Though my humor was born out of a cliche, it does not nurture in it. Secondary School was a new playing field. That's when I started being liberal with my humor. I'd make classmates laugh and teachers would pop a nerve. That, as academically destructive as it was, garnered a certain report with my fellow mates and weirdly, my teachers. I made fun of myself and basked in the laughter i'd spread. With each laugh I grew more confident and comfortable. My image (and physique unfortunately) was shielded under a thick wall of confidence. I grew uninterested in accolades like "good looking", "Sexy" or "ass like a grapefruit" and instead reveled in the exclusive term of "He's Hilarious" . It became an identity and a stamp that I made on the world around me.
Sure, I'm no stand up comedian and I don't have this long list of jokes memorised (seriously, how do people remember all that shit) but after a while you get a certain confidence. You tend to pick out what's funny and you work your audience and its like a drug. Life has never been smooth for me. Money, peace of mind, love, health. Nothing ever works out. I suppose all of us have similar qualms with the big man up in the sky. Humor is my answer. I find it everywhere. Humor is indeed a way I deal with the shortcomings of life but that's not to say it's the sole function. Humor is apart of me as much as my six pack (its in there somewhere Okay?) my dashing girl-magnet looks and my ridiculously average bank account, but unlike the above mentioned I just think being the funny guy is much more of a mirror into my soul.
That having said,
We need more beer...
A recent conversation with a good buddy of mine had left me thinking...
We shared a few mid-day beers and some laughter and then she hit me square in the face with a... prodigious statement.
"You know funny people are actually really sad or moody. Usually. What's your malfunction Naathan?"
Though the statement was rather cliche and she never really got a real answer, the train ride back home did set me thinking. Its not that her words struck home or anything of that sort. I'm too much of a megalomaniac to align myself with a stereotype like that. It wouldn't do anything to my psyche anyways. But there is a certain truth to what she says. I'm not saying that I go all bi-polar when nobody's around, everyone sets into a particular, neutral mood when their thoughts are alone. Comedians don't laugh 24/7 and I'm quite sure Hitler wasn't eating Jewish babies in-between public appearances. Morbid? Moving on...
See, there isn't a set template that people operate on. Everyone's exposed to a unique set of experiences and to each response there is a reaction. Regardless of how much I lie to myself, my six packs don't exist and though I'd totally beat that Shia LaBeouf guy, I'm a grade average on the looks department. I'll admit. But I've known from a very young age that I was a funny guy. That's something I've always been, almost arrogantly proud of. Its a gift born of intelligence (see what I did there?) and an ever analytical mind.
But there are inherent reasons. I'm going to entertain the cliche for just moment and tell you that it is indeed a defense mechanism. Self esteem was a major issue for me when I was young. I was a geeky, dark skinned, fat kid with asthma. Yes. I know. Sad. I was made fun of, bullied and rushed to the A&E and not always in that order. In those days my dad was the pilot light. He would make a tiny joke about being fat or made fun of himself (being a big guy most of his life) just to make me laugh a little. That started it. My dad was a well loved guy and he made everyone laugh effortlessly. That was what I was going to be.
Though my humor was born out of a cliche, it does not nurture in it. Secondary School was a new playing field. That's when I started being liberal with my humor. I'd make classmates laugh and teachers would pop a nerve. That, as academically destructive as it was, garnered a certain report with my fellow mates and weirdly, my teachers. I made fun of myself and basked in the laughter i'd spread. With each laugh I grew more confident and comfortable. My image (and physique unfortunately) was shielded under a thick wall of confidence. I grew uninterested in accolades like "good looking", "Sexy" or "ass like a grapefruit" and instead reveled in the exclusive term of "He's Hilarious" . It became an identity and a stamp that I made on the world around me.
Sure, I'm no stand up comedian and I don't have this long list of jokes memorised (seriously, how do people remember all that shit) but after a while you get a certain confidence. You tend to pick out what's funny and you work your audience and its like a drug. Life has never been smooth for me. Money, peace of mind, love, health. Nothing ever works out. I suppose all of us have similar qualms with the big man up in the sky. Humor is my answer. I find it everywhere. Humor is indeed a way I deal with the shortcomings of life but that's not to say it's the sole function. Humor is apart of me as much as my six pack (its in there somewhere Okay?) my dashing girl-magnet looks and my ridiculously average bank account, but unlike the above mentioned I just think being the funny guy is much more of a mirror into my soul.
That having said,
We need more beer...
