I love humor. I grew up with Bill Cosby. Bill could sit down and dominate an entire auditorium. I love the new guys: Louie C.K., Patton Oswalt, Hannibal Buress, John Mulaney. They bring absurdity and polish in varying degrees.I respect the old guys: Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, the pioneers of stand up. There are solid female comedians: Margaret Cho, Sarah Silverman, Maria Bamford. I love what they do. I appreciate the, arguably, mediocre: Dane Cook... well, he was the only one I could think of. There is something that even he can bring to the game. They all shape my every-day humor. When I saw that Robin Williams died, I was affected in a large way. I didnt know why. I was so confused until I started watching all the videos about his early stand up. I watched his guest appearances. I watched the ones about his battle with depression. Until now, I never thought of him as a good comedian. I liked his serious work in movies well enough, but I just never thought of him as funny. I never GOT him, but that changed.I know now that he was, truly, the greatest. He was quicker than anybody Ive ever seen. He could change accents, thought processes, and could adapt to any situation a crowd could throw at him, instantly and without having to think. He was kind and gentle and even when he put a heckler in his or her place, it was never mean spirited. He had demons, but the only way you would ever know is if you share his condition: the need to make people laugh. It hit me: Im a very similar person. I use humor to cope with everyday life. For those of us who use humor to conquer all, there is a reason why we can not help but use it: without it, we would be dead. This is no exaggeration. Our sense of humor is bulletproof. It can get us through ANYTHING, anything at all that can be thrown at us. We are empowered, bolstered and enlightened more than most people because we know that, no matter what, we can see the best in life. We know whats funny. So, I thank Robin Williams for showing us all, through his death, the miracle of life.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 21:35:45 +0000
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