Punch Line? Feeling Fine! The Tears of a Clown are the Saddest

Judd Apatow's Sicker in the Head hit me the same way that his first book, Sick in the Head did.  Which is to say that it's not a laugh-a-minute collection of interviews with comedians and entertainers, but an introspective look at how the comedy sausage is made.  And one of the main ingredients, unsurprisingly, is emotional damage.  Because for all its seeming frivolity, comedy is a coping mechanism.  And if laughter is the best medicine, then comedians self medicate.  Apatow puts it best in his foreword:

"I have always seen comedy as a lifeline -- which is why I've been interviewing comedians about why they do what they do since I was fifteen years old.  Without comedy, I don't know how I would survive.  When the pandemic was at full force, I grabbed my family and made a really silly movie.  I didn't know what else to do.  Is that healthy?  Is it denial?  Is it medicine?  Is it sick?  I am not sure.  But now I know that when the world seems to be collapsing my reaction is to make a movie about a group of people having a meltdown during a pandemic as they attempt to make a movie about flying dinosaurs." (Apatow XII)

Apatow picks the brains of many beloved funny people, including Jimmy Kimmel, John Mulaney, Mindy Kaling, Pete Davidson, and Samantha Bee, ending, appropriately, with Will Ferrell.  Because who better than the guy who wrote "I've got a fever -- and the only prescription is more cowbell" to close a conversation about being sick in the head?  Ferrell talks about that, how the idea for the famous Blue Oyster Cult sketch came to him because he roots for the underdog:

"Even just the notion of driving along and listening to "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," by Blue Oyster Cult and hearing a faint sound of a cowbell.  I don't know how I had that idea.  I remember, the first time I heard that song, for some reason I focused on the cowbell, and I immediately thought, What's that guy's life like?  Does he ever get to hang out?  The sad weirdo who's trying to be a part of the group really appeals to me." (451)

Me too, Will.  Me too. 

Sitcoms Say it with Silly: Flagging Down Life's Lessons in the Fast Food Lane

 Fabulous Felt Flags Barrette

Tee: Merona, Target

Skirt: Merona, Target

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Target

Fabulous Felt Cheeseburger Barrette

Tee: Hollister, Marshalls

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Belt: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Fabulous Felt Sailboat Barrette

Red blouse: Lily White, Alloy

Lilac blouse: Self Esteem, JCPenney

Skirt: Byer, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Sunglasses: Michaels

We can learn a lot from watching comedies, especially sitcoms.  Even Judd Apatow says so in his book Sick in the Head: Conversations about Life and Comedy: 

". . . most comedies  -- even if it's a Jerry Lewis movie -- start with an incredibly immature person who needs to learn a lesson." (23)  

Although Apatow is talking about full-length features, each sitcom series episode holds its own power as a microcosm of its main characters' struggles.  At the end of the half hour, the heroes and heroines have triumphed over that week's challenge, however unbelievable and zany, only to be plunged headlong into another comedic conundrum the next week.  But that's how they grow.  Just like we do.  One of my favorite sitcoms is The Big Bang Theory, and I've always particularly liked Sheldon's Fun with Flags podcast sequence in which he presents erudite facts and anecdotes about, well, flags.  He is, in many ways, at the height of his eccentricity here, unabashedly letting his freak flag fly for the masses.  Until the day, that is, when he decides that balancing his responsibilities as a physicist, boyfriend, and podcast series author are all just too much.  So he posts his last podcast only to get a comment that goes something like this: "Sorry to see it end; I kind of liked it."  The lukewarm sentiment immediately goes to Sheldon's head, inspiring him to resuscitate his barely cold series.  Part of me laughs at him, as I and all viewers are meant to in this (albeit sweet) satire on social networking.  But another part of me knows that I would do the same thing.              

I had a similar reaction to last Sunday's episode of Bob's Burgers.  Bob slips on some oil outside a masseur's shop and injures his shoulder.  At his doctor's urging, he tries to sue the masseur, Jairo.  But Jairo doesn't have any money and offers to heal Bob's shoulder instead.  Part of the healing process is to eliminate stress, and Jairo discovers that the biggest stress in Bob's life is coming up with the burger of the day.  So Bob stops doing it in an effort to embrace his new Zen-like existence.  Although his family and lone loyal customer Teddy miss seeing his latest kooky creation, Bob sticks to his new stress-free lifestyle.  Until wife Linda tricks him with a fake order.  At first he resists, but eventually his instinct to provide stellar customer service wins out, and he has a breakthrough.  Everyone rejoices (even Teddy, who, despite not liking the new burger, is happy to see Bob back in the game).  Everyone, of course, except Jairo.  But Bob doesn't back down, telling him that the stress of creating the burger of the day is worth the creative rush.    

So, what does this have to do with the flag thing?  I guess the lesson in both cases is that creativity is its own reward, no matter what it takes to get it out into the world.  Also, that flags are cool and beef is delicious.    

To that end, my Betsey Johnson burger bag seemed the perfect piece to include in this post.  Mostly because it has "Nice Buns" scrawled across the back, an inflammatory -- no, cheeky -- statement if ever there was one in this brave new gluten-free world.  

Sir Mix-a-Lot, I think, would approve.