Tim
Harmston is a name you’ll want to remember. Although he is originally from
Wisconsin, Tim got his start in the Minneapolis comedy scene. Tim won the Twin
Cities Funniest Person in 2003, within a year of his first time being on stage.
He has since appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and most recently
appeared on “Late Show with David Letterman.” I’ve had the pleasure of
performing at a few of the same open mics as Tim, and he’s one of the funniest
comics I know.
For
this post, I asked Tim to talk more about why he does comedy. It sounds so
simple, but I think it’s interesting to find out what draws people back on
stage time and time again.
--When people ask, the first thing I tell them is that
I do comedy because I'm basically a screwup. Not that being a screwup is a prerequisite for being a
comedian, but it sure helps. Let's face it: If I were good at academics or had
some predominant skill that allowed me to advance into a professional,
respectable occupation (i.e. “big boy” job), a career in comedy wouldn't have
even crossed my mind.
But there I was, 30 years old, staring at a dead end
job, without motivation to pursue the American Dream (i.e. 9 to 5 job, wife,
alcoholism). That's when comedy appeared, like a Sunday morning cable access
faith healer, preying on my weak, destitute soul with its promises of healing
and good fortune. It remains to be seen if any of comedy's promises will be
kept, but it won't bother me if they aren't because I don't have anywhere else
to turn.
That's the business end, the practical, bill-paying
explanation of why I do comedy. The internal, emotional reason that I do comedy
probably can't be explained. Okay, well, maybe it can, but I don’t like trying
to. It's like when a person gets diagnosed with a terminal disease. Some people
will let their friends and family know; some people will keep it a secret, not
wanting to trouble anyone with such grave news. I'm kind of like the latter—I
don't want to trouble anyone with the dark details. But here's a muddled attempt.
I'm guessing I struggle to explain why I really
do comedy because I might have to admit that I have an ego. That's hard to
accept since I was raised to not have one. Maybe the acceptance of the laughter
is an implicit validation of my ego. Or, maybe it just feels good to make
people laugh. The real answer probably lies somewhere in between.--
I love Tim’s words here because this is an extremely
relatable way to talk about comedy for me personally. Tim talks about comedy in
a similar way that people have heard Louis CK and Marc Maron in that they
describe comedy as something to turn to. It’s something that is there for them
when they need it.
He also brings up that doing comedy was what he did to
get out of rut that he was in. There are many people that will take their
dead-end job, and live paycheck to paycheck until they die or if they’re lucky something
better falls into their lap. Other people do something dramatic. Some people
buy a car, some people get a divorce, some people get on stage and talk about
poop. Now, as far as I know, Tim doesn’t have any poop material, but you get
the idea.
The final point he makes is a terrific encapsulation of
what gets comics addicted to the stage. Comics can often be described as
self-loathing narcissist, and to come to terms with the fact that the addiction
very well could have to do with the ego boost we get when we hear laughter.
Like Tim, I’d rather not admit that I have an ego, but the sensation you get
rolling down your spine when you get a huge laugh very well could be your brain’s
way of telling you “you’re awesome, you’re the king, you’re the funniest dude
on the planet.” And there’s no way that sensation isn’t addicting.
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