When you were young, other than your immediate family members, who were your heroes?
I imagine most people will say their teachers, or policemen, or members of the military. Others might have idolized actors or famous sports stars.
Other than members of my family, and a few teachers, the people who had the most impact on my life were comedians. Yeah, yeah, I know. Some of you rolled your eyes so loud I could hear it all the way over here. I probably should ask, “Is it weird in here, or is it just me?”
I’m writing this on May 14, 2019, the day Tim Conway died. In my opinion, he’s one of the five funniest comedians I’ve ever seen, right up there with the likes of Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Red Skelton, and the Three Stooges.
And yes, I know I counted the Three Stooges as one person, which they obviously weren’t. There were actually around six of them in total, and three of them were brothers, but only two brothers were in the same episode at the same time, and then one of them had a stroke and had to quit, and then they found a couple of replacements after they started getting old, and…Aw, heck. You know what I mean. The point is they were one entity that belongs in my top five.
Now look at all that space you made me waste. But I digest. Or something.
Anyway, I grew up watching Red Skelton on TV. When I was five years old I would imitate his “Gertrude and Heathcliff” routine. As I got older, I watched the Carol Burnett Show and listened to George Carlin and Richard Pryor, with all their foul language and insights into things I had never considered.
I looked up to these icons because they were insanely funny and smart, and they allowed a nerdy kid like me to join their inner circle without judging me. I mean, they didn’t exactly know I was there, but at least they didn’t kick me out. They allowed me to be weird.
Comedians made me happy. Isn’t that the only thing that matters, out of all the things in life? Being happy? No matter how awful my life would get, comedians allowed me to forget about my problems for awhile and enjoy a good belly laugh.
They also told the truth. Sometimes that truth was difficult to accept, but because they made us laugh while telling us, it seemed less abrasive.
Maybe that’s why court jesters in days of old were the only ones who didn't get beheaded when they told the king he was full of crap, because it seemed like they were only kidding while doing so. And that’s the way comedians are still today. They tell us the truth and make us laugh about it. Usually, we also learn a thing or two along the way.
So yeah, family members and teachers have been extremely important to me during my life, but if I ever decide to grow up, I’m gonna do my best to be weird and make people laugh, just like my heroes did.
That way, I can tell them they’re full of crap without them realizing it.