Comedians used to tell a joke that goes like this:
“A comedian walks into a psychologist’s office. The psychologist says, ‘lie down and tell me everything you know.’ “
The punch line: “I haven’t been able to get an appointment since. He’s been doing my act in Philadelphia.”
The material that comes from a counselor’s couch often makes great fodder for a comic’s act. It’s the sad clown paradox: The men and women who make people laugh for a living often struggle with mental health challenges offstage that are hardly a laughing matter.
It’s unclear how many comedians struggle with mental challenges such as depression, but many of the most familiar names have talked and joked about the issue: Robin Williams, Sarah Silverman, Stephen Fry, Spike Jones, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Ellen DeGeneres. It’s no accident that the Laugh Factory in Hollywood has an in-house psychologist.
In “Spark of Madness,” one hour of the eight-part CNN documentary series “The History of Comedy,” comics talk openly about their mental struggle and how it fuels their work.
The sad clown: The deep emotions behind stand-up comedy – CNN.com: “”
(Via.)