A bitter joke
Art is not normal nor complacent; it is shocking and offensive. At least, we hope it is. It means we live in a free society.
Guy Earle - September 26, 2008
It is said that everybody has a story. Every pair of eyes you randomly encounter comes with a tale of woe and wonder. Everyone has intrinsic worth. No matter who we are, there is a diamond buried inside all of us. This gem is a key to a life mystery that could potentially bring an open mind closer to true human enlightenment. If we free ourselves from ego and prejudice, and really listen to all the new people we meet, every moment we share on this blissful planet, we can better ourselves.
I met some new people on May 22nd of last year. These three chicks in comfortable shoes relocated from the patio to a booth closest to the stage I was on during the edgiest weekly comedy show in Vancouver, Canada. Officially, our first meeting was not recorded in the history books of human enlightenment as a pleasant exchange.
This triad of wet sticks had no interest in any life lessons I was preaching from my pulpit. You see, I am a stand-up comic, the host of an open stage, a purveyor of ideas and concepts designed to create some small effect in the progressive mind of an enthusiastic patron looking to question his or her own status quo.
This cool Tuesday night show, ended up in a spat between three lesbian hecklers and my amplified sarcasm. Now, I find myself the target of an HRC (Human Rights Commission) tribunal. Apparently, dealing with a heckler, in a mutually abusive and rude verbal volley, is tantamount to discrimination of service. Surely, the HRC has extended their jurisdiction, finally, too far.
Art is not normal nor complacent; it is shocking and offensive. At least, we hope it is. It means we live in a free society. But, it is one thing to be offended by a painting and quite another to be offended in person. The special nature of a stand-up comedy show, connects the artist with their critics, live, in real-time. (Gee, isn’t that curious? A brand of art is known as "stand-up"...)
How did this art form come to be called stand-up comedy in the first place? Is it because we stand on stage, with no backup band or script, alone and bearing our souls to an unknowing audience, so that they might, for one moment, think that their life is not so bad? No. It’s called stand-up comedy because it is the most visceral, in-your-face form of free expression there is, and for the last 45 years, it has been the very canary in the coal mine for freedom of thought and speech.
Stand-up is called stand-up because a guy by the name of Lenny Bruce gave his life to stand up for free speech.
I suppose this would be a good time to remind people that Stand-up Comics are number two on the suicide list. After dentists. Everybody hates going to the dentist. Sometimes getting people into comedy clubs is like pulling teeth. Pouring your guts out to an adversarial crowd can be the most humbling, lonely experience you can have.
Page 1 of 3