The Comedian
The Comedian
The comedian's job is to make us laugh until we cry, at things that would make us cry all the time, if we only approached them head-on, with searing honesty, brilliant clarity, steadfast integrity and a biting, relentless sense of humor, like those insanely talented, deeply troubled, frequently self-medicated, well, you know the type, like those fucking wonderful east and west coast comedians, whose job is to make us laugh until we cry, at things that would make us cry all the time...
and there are just so damn many of those things, and so few of us and so many of you, and we are driven to see, do, say, be, more and more and more, and more, because it’s our gift, our curse, our personality type, our destiny, our duty to god and country, to our friends and families, to truth, to systemic change, to social justice, to the muse, the poetic voice, the theatre…
and it’s our duty to the fans, the millions of fans that we used to love, and to our peers, the true pros, and the army of wannabes, and to the media, the networks, and the producers, brokers, agents, lawyers, merchandisers, critics, bloggers, weirdos, stalkers, and the fierce competitors who take advantage of the wellspring, drink constantly, demand more and more, push harder, restructure the deal, add clauses, force us to become producers, backers, bankers, and then there’s the book deal, and the talk shows, and the overseas appearances, the relentless shooting schedule, the business team, the body guard, the publicist, the accountant, the profit and loss statements, tax schemes, money laundering, payola, drug trafficking…
and it’s our duty to the fame machine, that is also the fog machine: rehab, relapse, rehab, relapse, and we’re so, so tired, and always super wired, and we look rich, feel rich, act rich, but we’re actually broke and broken, and we just want you to fix something, fix anything, so we don’t have to work so hard to make you laugh until you cry at things that should make you cry all the time…
if we only approached them head-on, with searing honesty, brilliant clarity, steadfast integrity and a biting, relentless sense of humor...
Jeffrey Michael Bowen. "The Comedian" Facebook Notes. 2014
Image by Sam Taylor-Johnson