In the summer of 1994 I was working as a feature with Twin Cities headliner Alex Cole at the Knuckleheads club in San Jose. One day Alex said he got a call from his friend Tom Arnold who was working on a movie sound stage across the bay in San Francisco, and he wanted to know if we would like to come by and watch some of the shooting. The movie was 9 Months with Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore. When we got there, Tom excitedly introduced us as his comedian friends from MN. Robin Williams, who had a small, but hilarious part as a doctor, came over and was really genuinely pleased to meet other comedians. He was very humble, and even a little quieter than I would have imagined...until they were ready to roll. Then he became vintage Robin, cracking jokes, doing voices, right up to the word action. It was inspiring to watch, and the memory of his energy that day has stayed with me ever since. Its often said that comedy comes from some very dark places. I cant pretend to know what pressures he was facing that would drive him to this end, but as someone who struggles with Bipolar Disorder, I have been in my share of dark places. I have felt lost and alone, and wondered how I would make it through the night, let alone do a show that night. Im sure Im not the only one in our comedy community that faces the struggles of mental illness on a daily basis. Know that youre not alone. I will talk to anyone, anytime if you can find the strength to reach out. Please be good to each other...it could all be over tomorrow.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 22:34:21 +0000
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