“Why am I doing this?”
That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately. Not only about stand-up but about a lot of things. You know, life, am I right?
So far though, I can only provide an answer for why I do stand-up. The other life stuff is way too complicated and I get a nose bleed every time I think about hard decisions. So let’s just ignore those for now.
But why do I do stand-up? Lately, I’ve had the wind taken out of my sails at a few shows. Some shows, there wasn’t an audience. Other shows, I felt like I could have done better or prepared a little harder.
But the real reason I do comedy? It’s because hearing someone laugh makes me happy. If I can make one person smile or laugh, then I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. Look man, life sucks sometimes. Your cat runs away, your girlfriend dumps you and won’t take you back, your boss hates you, you get sick, and the depression hits. Is everyone sad now? Good.
But the point is that laughter can help heal some wounds. For me, making people laugh has helped get me out of a dark place. I may not be happy, smiling or laughing, but if I have the ability to make someone else experience those things, then I feel like I’m accomplishing something.
So sure, money, fame, and hot babes would be nice. But for me, comedy is about making people laugh. I have no idea what people are going through. But if laughter can help distract them from whatever it is, then I’m glad I can help. That’s why I do comedy.
