Your regular speaking voice is slightly higher that I usually remember. I haven't been here for a spell as work has been consuming the crap out of me. From a neurophysiological perspective I wonder if there is really any connection. You know the right people to ask, so lemme know.
I don't think I've heard about any of those comedians having that problem other than Owen.
Chris Farley might have, but I can't remember since it's been awhile since I saw that show on tv about him.
Maybe it's to cheer themselves up, cover up how they feel in front of others either because they don't want to talk about it or they think people might not like them because of negativity, they feel like they have a purpose by making others happy, or some or all of those.
Those who deal with depression are really not 'permitted' to speak about it in our culture. It remains a taboo to admit it. As inadequate as our health care system is today, those with mental illness of any kind have never been afforded the attention or care they deserve. A person can admit to almost any other health condition or affliction without fear of reprisal. We have a long way to go in allowing people the freedom to come forward for treatment. Thanks Sandie, for talking about it!
I think there is much more to this life than what we are able to perceive. The need to express, to CREATE, be it comedy or a painting or a poem, or song, is the birth of Art. That instant, that moment in time, is our freedom. The angst, the depression, and turmoil, exhilarating highs and the lows, painful struggle for balance...merely takes us to that moment. Birth of art. To be truly free. To be Ourselves. I know. I'm weird. ~ HUGS!
Very interesting. I am known among my pears as having a great sense of humor and being funny. And, I am always dealing w/depression, to where it is almost a comfortable place for me. I also feel that my downs are up compared to most people I deal with. So as low as I am I find it is positive and optimistic and enthusiastic compared to other people. Humor is reality and serious is the illusion.
Fear of silence is the cause of all ego behavior, of which comedy is one variant of many, depression is another. That fear is of the unknown that will be found in the silence. Those who go into the silence, going through all their deepest fears, come out liberated and with a powerful sense of humor that few obtain. This humor is not about escape, but about liberation, and begs us to follow the path the comedian has taken.
That's very kind, and I feel great because with your blessing i experience a connection with you that was not there until you made this comment, and how I value connection. Thanks for that.
I know for a fact that most comedians make fun to compensate for the darkness. The darker it gets, the more light they make. Fighting the darkness is WHY they became comedians. I have been to a psych-ward and never laughed nor cried so hard as there.
Laughter is the greatest anti depresant there is....... but it is so fleeting. Once the laughter stops the effect wears of in minutes if not seconds. No audience and you are fucked.
THere is a connection!I CAN feel it. The most "crazy clown" I was in an event, the more down I would feel later. It could be related in how Energy is managing in human beings? Too much for making people smile..and then... need and adjusting time? Maybe is it related like crazyness with real artist? Like Artist who let themself go free their mind to express themself are in the edge of mental illness? I have tought about it a lot!
It is possible for someone who never has had a manic phase to have it be brought on by a medication, the wrong one, so it is important to have the right diagnoses. I don't think you have any manic tendencies whatsoever btw.
I had kept this private because I think people took it the wrong way, worried about my state of mind. I am not depressed, if I were, I would not have the desire to make videos or reach out to folks, like you. I am very sorry about your neighbor, it is a shocking thing.
Good question. I view you and your comedic skills much differently than my own brand. You seem to take your craft seriously, where I just goof around. That said, I can see how a "funny person" could be very lonely when not "on stage".
I think being on stage or inhabiting another character is a way of escaping one's nature, or a way to channel one's nature or someone else's character that one has observed.
Very interesting question ! Yeh, many of the 'great' comedians turned out to be depressive or manic depressive, and comedy can be a way to compensate or over compensate for this, thats for sure.
Good question. I need to think about it, but here's my first take: I see the comedy of many YT comedians as a mask to conceal the very deep pain that they are trying to avoid facing. The only way out of deep pain is through it. This is the voice of experience. Too often comedy is an escape from reality.
I know many performers who have a fear of being boring-myself included- and putting on the clown outfit is never boring- but you can be called a freak quite a bit. I should know.
I think a lot of comedians are very sad people. Many battling hard times in their lives and/or depression. And at a young age they learn to deal with feeling bad by laughing and even surrounding themselves with the laughter of others to push the pain away for a little while.
Comedy definitely is a defense mechanism. I see it as a mask. No one ever believes me, but for me it is a mask for incredible shyness and insecurity. There is a pressure to always be on to be interesting. Maybe it cures boredom as well.
thanks eddie, ;-) me first vlog..I was curious about what people think cuz I often gravitate toward and meet funny people, and they are often quite shy- often I've found that their comedy can stem from a place of pain. Maybe a lot of art stems from that, I don't know.. But I also know that if the artist doesn't do their art, they can get down as well.
I found out at an early age that if you laugh at yourself you beat others to the punch...so for me comedy was a defense mechanism, now it is just so much a part of me that I can't separate the comedian form the person...and I always say as long as I have the ability to laugh, I am doing okay :P
Now let's go to Morocco and do some shopping and getting a taste of the local fair....what do you say Pats?
I think it's because funny people are smart and smart people that are able to see the things that make us laugh are also able to see the things that make us cry.
For me, sometimes comedy can also suck the life out of you. There is always a balancing or juggling act going on between playing a funny or strange character, and being yourself- whatever that is. Comedy is a mask of sorts. A mask for something or someone.
I find there is a Link between Depression and April 15 (payin Taxes). My Clients and I get really depressed around tax time. Some of 'em I tell 'em, "Look, just go jump. Its really not going to get any better." Others I say, "If you are going to jump, please pay your bill first."
I think comedy is used as a coping strategy by a lot of people. If you suffer from depression what better way to try and combat it that working as a comedian.
I remember you mentioning this one at SouthTube. I think everyone deals with depression on some level. Comedy is a means by which people cope with it - both those who create it and those who enjoy what others create. Next time we talk I'd like to give you more thoughts on this.
Yeah, I agree with what some people here have said. Being funny and making other people laugh is a way of temporarily escaping and covering up how a person really feels inside--depressed, alone, and miserable. Often times, being funny is the only way these people feel liked and accepted. I think Owen is a perfect example of this. He's been depressed for so long, but no one knew of the pain he felt. Poor guy : (
I'm sure the incidence of depression isn't that much higher in comedians than the general population, but maybe it's just a more interesting fact- since it is unexpected.
i think there is definately a link between comedians and depression. I think comedians use comedy to try and self medicate the depression they already feel. I don't think being a comedian actually causes depression i think most of them already had it to begin with
I think being a comedian is a compensation for depression. Its always the one that makes everyone else laugh that is miserable. Can't tell if youre joking or serious though.
Many comics aren't really seeking laughter at all, but love and approval. They confuse laughter with love and will become anyone's fool to get it. They often suffer from a deep sense of personal isolation. This dynamic often stems from the insensivity of others during critical stages in their childhood development. When the lights go down, the curtain closes, and the laughter goes away; a lonely child is left standing in the dark with the realization that he's still just anyone's fool.
Very insightful. Look at Chris Farley's life. He was always acting like a fool to get attention. Rodney Dangerfield said he was only happy when he was performing. When he wasn't he was always high and drunk. But I don't think many comedians are in this situation. There are lots of them that just hate working for a living! It sure would be one lonely gig though. Bad motels, shitty food, no one to talk to. Driving hours on end if you suck, flying everywhere if you didn't. No thanks.
Sometimes I think celebs get a little self-indulgent. On the other hand, who gives the comedians the catharsis of the gut busting belly laugh? It seems kind of sad and lonely at the top.
Was it Wordsworth who said "laughter is the best medicine?" In the 10,000 years of civilized history, comedy has always been an important social element, and what better thing than to laugh at the miseries we feel ourselves? And to have been a comedian, always provoking ridicule . . . I guess that brings some obvious baggage. Mr. Wilson is just lessening his burdens.
What makes us laugh. Isn't it usually because of a percieved 'wrongness' w/ a situation, person, etc.? Or something we are glad happened to someone else instead of us? And if you can recognize that, you can either laugh or cry about it. Maybe the people with the keenest insight pay a price by being depressed about their perceptions? Maybe comedy is a way to keep that depression at bay?
Well its a natural part of ying and yang its the price you pay for natures way. When for example you see the image of at least then for the all American hero of the past. What do you see: Ojay, Michael Jackson, heroes of past now villains. J Edgar Hoover a vicious homosexual, yet the named a building after him and yet middle America, Church groups hates the gays (I am not gay)Its a paradigm of hypocrisies actually. Dont feel bad its the price one pays for what we do.
The question of why so many comedians suffer from depression is an interesting and valid one, and it does make you think. Perhaps jebouchard is onto something: comedians reach such a range of emotional depth in their art, in finding what makes us laugh and in exposing the idiocies of life, that perhaps they are more in touch with a deeper range of emotions--and when that occurs, that can cause some stress, angst and depression.
I have no idea who Owen Wilson is..., so I cannot say anything about him. But I think comedians are just playing the role of being amusing and gay, they can be depressed in their real life like everybody else. Appearances can deceive.
Humour is one end of the wide spectrum that people navigate. Truly funny people have a wider spectrum - which means that the dark end is also darker than most.
Your regular speaking voice is slightly higher that I usually remember. I haven't been here for a spell as work has been consuming the crap out of me. From a neurophysiological perspective I wonder if there is really any connection. You know the right people to ask, so lemme know.
Alexander
forensiceyes 3 years ago
Btw, I think you look like Penelope Cruz with blonde hair. :)
FateEternal 3 years ago
I don't think I've heard about any of those comedians having that problem other than Owen.
Chris Farley might have, but I can't remember since it's been awhile since I saw that show on tv about him.
Maybe it's to cheer themselves up, cover up how they feel in front of others either because they don't want to talk about it or they think people might not like them because of negativity, they feel like they have a purpose by making others happy, or some or all of those.
FateEternal 3 years ago
Those who deal with depression are really not 'permitted' to speak about it in our culture. It remains a taboo to admit it. As inadequate as our health care system is today, those with mental illness of any kind have never been afforded the attention or care they deserve. A person can admit to almost any other health condition or affliction without fear of reprisal. We have a long way to go in allowing people the freedom to come forward for treatment. Thanks Sandie, for talking about it!
tjkoz22 3 years ago
Comedians are nuts!
I've been a class-clown all my life?
Where does that put me? (oh, for the love of Allah!)
badboypoet 3 years ago
I'v just realized that you have extremely proportionate features! I know this statement has nothing at all to do with you video mama, but tis true.
I do however think that a lot of REALLY HAPPY ppl, myself included, aren't REALLY HAPPY!
bless
Proshka
Proshka 3 years ago
I think there is much more to this life than what we are able to perceive. The need to express, to CREATE, be it comedy or a painting or a poem, or song, is the birth of Art. That instant, that moment in time, is our freedom. The angst, the depression, and turmoil, exhilarating highs and the lows, painful struggle for balance...merely takes us to that moment. Birth of art. To be truly free. To be Ourselves. I know. I'm weird. ~ HUGS!
MelodyElize 3 years ago
Very interesting. I am known among my pears as having a great sense of humor and being funny. And, I am always dealing w/depression, to where it is almost a comfortable place for me. I also feel that my downs are up compared to most people I deal with. So as low as I am I find it is positive and optimistic and enthusiastic compared to other people. Humor is reality and serious is the illusion.
jefgain 3 years ago
Fear of silence is the cause of all ego behavior, of which comedy is one variant of many, depression is another. That fear is of the unknown that will be found in the silence. Those who go into the silence, going through all their deepest fears, come out liberated and with a powerful sense of humor that few obtain. This humor is not about escape, but about liberation, and begs us to follow the path the comedian has taken.
tcaruso2 3 years ago
What a beautiful way of putting it. Very thoughtful.
sandieblack 3 years ago
That's very kind, and I feel great because with your blessing i experience a connection with you that was not there until you made this comment, and how I value connection. Thanks for that.
tcaruso2 3 years ago
I know for a fact that most comedians make fun to compensate for the darkness. The darker it gets, the more light they make. Fighting the darkness is WHY they became comedians. I have been to a psych-ward and never laughed nor cried so hard as there.
Laughter is the greatest anti depresant there is....... but it is so fleeting. Once the laughter stops the effect wears of in minutes if not seconds. No audience and you are fucked.
PuppyZwolle 3 years ago
With most 'most comedians' I really meant 'most depressed comedians'. They are not all comming from depression.... I hope.
PuppyZwolle 3 years ago
I actually think comedians can't do it when or if they are depressed. If I ever am feeling low, it sucks the creative energy out of me.
sandieblack 3 years ago
Ah yes... but there is a big difference between being creative and doing your routine. Doing your routine gets those endorphines pumping.
But you are right. A true depression keeps you indoors and in bed. That's where the 'accidents' happen.
PuppyZwolle 3 years ago
you haven't been married enough times to have that diagnoses ;-)
sandieblack 3 years ago
THere is a connection!I CAN feel it. The most "crazy clown" I was in an event, the more down I would feel later. It could be related in how Energy is managing in human beings? Too much for making people smile..and then... need and adjusting time? Maybe is it related like crazyness with real artist? Like Artist who let themself go free their mind to express themself are in the edge of mental illness? I have tought about it a lot!
batatakley 3 years ago
The more creative...the moRe crazy things you dare to say, feel and experience. You ecperience the high of life higher and the low lowers!
batatakley 3 years ago
the sad clown. It is a theme in Fellini movies.
sandieblack 3 years ago
Don´t u see yourself as him San?
I do a lot.
batatakley 3 years ago
como Fellini, or the sad clown?
sandieblack 3 years ago
The sad clown..
batatakley 3 years ago
hola amorsh, I actually don't see myself as a sad clown, but I do see myself as a sad vlogger. just too much for me. lol.
sandieblack 3 years ago
back atcha NWM, you got a friend in me for life.
sandieblack 3 years ago
It is possible for someone who never has had a manic phase to have it be brought on by a medication, the wrong one, so it is important to have the right diagnoses. I don't think you have any manic tendencies whatsoever btw.
sandieblack 3 years ago
Manic-Depression is interesting in that those afflicted with it don't like to take the medication because they enjoy the highs too much.
sandieblack 3 years ago
I had kept this private because I think people took it the wrong way, worried about my state of mind. I am not depressed, if I were, I would not have the desire to make videos or reach out to folks, like you. I am very sorry about your neighbor, it is a shocking thing.
sandieblack 3 years ago
Good question. I view you and your comedic skills much differently than my own brand. You seem to take your craft seriously, where I just goof around. That said, I can see how a "funny person" could be very lonely when not "on stage".
bowlingballout 3 years ago
I think being on stage or inhabiting another character is a way of escaping one's nature, or a way to channel one's nature or someone else's character that one has observed.
sandieblack 3 years ago
Very interesting question ! Yeh, many of the 'great' comedians turned out to be depressive or manic depressive, and comedy can be a way to compensate or over compensate for this, thats for sure.
johnnymoondog 4 years ago
Good question. I need to think about it, but here's my first take: I see the comedy of many YT comedians as a mask to conceal the very deep pain that they are trying to avoid facing. The only way out of deep pain is through it. This is the voice of experience. Too often comedy is an escape from reality.
anon2U224 4 years ago
But Own Wilson isnt funny! So he should be happy!
alannigelmarshall 4 years ago
Yes, I think comedy is our fight through the darkness of depression.
robertpina99 4 years ago
There is no comedy if there is no drama
NewestNuma 4 years ago
I know many performers who have a fear of being boring-myself included- and putting on the clown outfit is never boring- but you can be called a freak quite a bit. I should know.
sandieblack 4 years ago
I think a lot of comedians are very sad people. Many battling hard times in their lives and/or depression. And at a young age they learn to deal with feeling bad by laughing and even surrounding themselves with the laughter of others to push the pain away for a little while.
1938superman 4 years ago
Comedy definitely is a defense mechanism. I see it as a mask. No one ever believes me, but for me it is a mask for incredible shyness and insecurity. There is a pressure to always be on to be interesting. Maybe it cures boredom as well.
sandieblack 4 years ago
I saw this vidoe a few days ago and was thinking about my friends, so I am glad you posted this to this video :)
mylilsin 4 years ago
thanks eddie, ;-) me first vlog..I was curious about what people think cuz I often gravitate toward and meet funny people, and they are often quite shy- often I've found that their comedy can stem from a place of pain. Maybe a lot of art stems from that, I don't know.. But I also know that if the artist doesn't do their art, they can get down as well.
sandieblack 4 years ago
I found out at an early age that if you laugh at yourself you beat others to the punch...so for me comedy was a defense mechanism, now it is just so much a part of me that I can't separate the comedian form the person...and I always say as long as I have the ability to laugh, I am doing okay :P
Now let's go to Morocco and do some shopping and getting a taste of the local fair....what do you say Pats?
mylilsin 4 years ago
I think it's because funny people are smart and smart people that are able to see the things that make us laugh are also able to see the things that make us cry.
binsk 4 years ago
For me, sometimes comedy can also suck the life out of you. There is always a balancing or juggling act going on between playing a funny or strange character, and being yourself- whatever that is. Comedy is a mask of sorts. A mask for something or someone.
sandieblack 4 years ago
I find there is a Link between Depression and April 15 (payin Taxes). My Clients and I get really depressed around tax time. Some of 'em I tell 'em, "Look, just go jump. Its really not going to get any better." Others I say, "If you are going to jump, please pay your bill first."
USALawyer 4 years ago
lol, I admit I get blue during tax time cuz I gotta see my lawyer;-)
sandieblack 4 years ago
I think comedy is used as a coping strategy by a lot of people. If you suffer from depression what better way to try and combat it that working as a comedian.
xcurvyliciousx 4 years ago
I remember you mentioning this one at SouthTube. I think everyone deals with depression on some level. Comedy is a means by which people cope with it - both those who create it and those who enjoy what others create. Next time we talk I'd like to give you more thoughts on this.
nHisImage 4 years ago
Yeah, I agree with what some people here have said. Being funny and making other people laugh is a way of temporarily escaping and covering up how a person really feels inside--depressed, alone, and miserable. Often times, being funny is the only way these people feel liked and accepted. I think Owen is a perfect example of this. He's been depressed for so long, but no one knew of the pain he felt. Poor guy : (
7july15 4 years ago
I'm sure the incidence of depression isn't that much higher in comedians than the general population, but maybe it's just a more interesting fact- since it is unexpected.
sandieblack 4 years ago
i think there is definately a link between comedians and depression. I think comedians use comedy to try and self medicate the depression they already feel. I don't think being a comedian actually causes depression i think most of them already had it to begin with
davetherave22 4 years ago
I think being a comedian is a compensation for depression. Its always the one that makes everyone else laugh that is miserable. Can't tell if youre joking or serious though.
sonicflyingmachine 4 years ago
I was being serious.
sandieblack 4 years ago
Well that's just a testament to your talent. Peace.
sonicflyingmachine 4 years ago
more like sometimes depressed
klunky 4 years ago
that's horrible news about Owen.
witzkeyman 4 years ago
Many comics aren't really seeking laughter at all, but love and approval. They confuse laughter with love and will become anyone's fool to get it. They often suffer from a deep sense of personal isolation. This dynamic often stems from the insensivity of others during critical stages in their childhood development. When the lights go down, the curtain closes, and the laughter goes away; a lonely child is left standing in the dark with the realization that he's still just anyone's fool.
CovertSpirit 4 years ago
Very insightful. Look at Chris Farley's life. He was always acting like a fool to get attention. Rodney Dangerfield said he was only happy when he was performing. When he wasn't he was always high and drunk. But I don't think many comedians are in this situation. There are lots of them that just hate working for a living! It sure would be one lonely gig though. Bad motels, shitty food, no one to talk to. Driving hours on end if you suck, flying everywhere if you didn't. No thanks.
BrewsAndHerb 4 years ago
Sometimes I think celebs get a little self-indulgent. On the other hand, who gives the comedians the catharsis of the gut busting belly laugh? It seems kind of sad and lonely at the top.
steviezine 4 years ago
Was it Wordsworth who said "laughter is the best medicine?" In the 10,000 years of civilized history, comedy has always been an important social element, and what better thing than to laugh at the miseries we feel ourselves? And to have been a comedian, always provoking ridicule . . . I guess that brings some obvious baggage. Mr. Wilson is just lessening his burdens.
seanieblue 4 years ago
What makes us laugh. Isn't it usually because of a percieved 'wrongness' w/ a situation, person, etc.? Or something we are glad happened to someone else instead of us? And if you can recognize that, you can either laugh or cry about it. Maybe the people with the keenest insight pay a price by being depressed about their perceptions? Maybe comedy is a way to keep that depression at bay?
klunky 4 years ago
Well its a natural part of ying and yang its the price you pay for natures way. When for example you see the image of at least then for the all American hero of the past. What do you see: Ojay, Michael Jackson, heroes of past now villains. J Edgar Hoover a vicious homosexual, yet the named a building after him and yet middle America, Church groups hates the gays (I am not gay)Its a paradigm of hypocrisies actually. Dont feel bad its the price one pays for what we do.
Love
Johnny
barriocubalindo 4 years ago
The question of why so many comedians suffer from depression is an interesting and valid one, and it does make you think. Perhaps jebouchard is onto something: comedians reach such a range of emotional depth in their art, in finding what makes us laugh and in exposing the idiocies of life, that perhaps they are more in touch with a deeper range of emotions--and when that occurs, that can cause some stress, angst and depression.
thefrontpage 4 years ago
I have no idea who Owen Wilson is..., so I cannot say anything about him. But I think comedians are just playing the role of being amusing and gay, they can be depressed in their real life like everybody else. Appearances can deceive.
Manfred1971 4 years ago
Take a prozak crazy!!
Comedy makes people laugh thats what its there to do
micbastid 4 years ago
Don't u know they already put it in the water ya bastid.
sandieblack 4 years ago
OMG She VLogged! You missed the middle, cutie.
desheik 4 years ago
Humour is one end of the wide spectrum that people navigate. Truly funny people have a wider spectrum - which means that the dark end is also darker than most.
jebouchard451 4 years ago
Perhaps some comedians do the funny thing to cover up reality... the depressed side of their life.
Then again, depression is very real for many of us!
itchymoche 4 years ago