I was thinking earlier today about how great comedy is and how in a small way it makes the world we live in a little better and a little happier. That’s what inspired me to want to be a writer and even to give the art of standup comedy a shot. I can recall at several points in my life having a terrible day and somehow landing on one of my favorite TV shows like The Office, 30 Rock, Friends, or most recently Modern Family and feeling better after laughing. I feel like there must be a hormonal release in our bodies, like dopamine or something, because I’ve felt and experienced the physiological, mental and emotional affect that a little laughter can bring to a painful situation. As a beginner that is what I’m hoping I will eventually accomplish through the topics I write about, my persona, and style.
One thing I can’t stand to watch on TV is standup comedy. I feel like television comedy outlets like Comedy Central, Showtime, and HBO have taken away from the live experience of standup comedy. It’s very different to sit and watch a performance on your couch verses in a dimly lit smokey room, surrounded by hundreds of others who are also there to laugh. It’s a magical experience and the environment the performance is being viewed in makes a tremendous difference. I’ve been lucky enough to see many live shows and my favorite live shows and performers to date are the classic and clean Louie Anderson, “Mike and Molly’s” Bill Gardell, and Brian Callen who impressed my with his simplicity and determination to make an audience laugh without ever ostracizing a specific demographic or attacking any one type of person for the sake of a joke.
I’ve tried watching standup shows at home or on my computer but I can never seem to keep my attention on the show. Even though I don’t like the disconnected experience of TV standup, I have come across several specials and performance by Wanda Sykes, Bill Cosby, and Brian Regan that have left me equally baffled and inspired. The six aforementioned comedians are an inspiration to me and make me smile and laugh on regular days and also on the worst of the worst. I hope that one day my dumb little jokes will have the same value to somebody and change the course of their day. That would be amazing! So below I’m leaving you a couple of my favorite clips from the TV specials I like and hopefully you all, all three of you (thanks mom for reading), will also enjoy them!
Cheers,
Adrianna
