The 4 Types Of Comedians: Tamed, Dead, Paranoid, and Trickster

Richard Pryor, circa 1982

Richard Pryor, circa 1983

Is there a "conspiracy" to "kill" Comedy? The video in question, from The Stench Of Truth video blog, is not actually saying there is a "real" conspiracy to suppress really funny, cutting-edge humor and comedians...but it's also not 100% saying that there isn't.

Look at the evidence:

Richard Pryor: Used to be cutting-edge, then did light comedies and children's movies
Robin Williams: Used to be cutting-edge, now does light comedies and children's movies
Eddie Murphy: Used to be a cutting-edge, now does light comedies and children's movies
Mike Meyers: Used to be a cutting-edge, now does light comedies and children's movies
John Leguizamo, Jim Carrey (sorry, Jim), Adam Sandler, Damon Wayans, Steve Martin, etc. etc. etc.

Robin Williams, circa 1987

Robin Williams, circa 1997

Note that when I say "cutting-edge," I mean somebody that people -- even their own peers -- were absolutely in awe of. There's an old stand-up video of Robin Williams way back in the beginning, where you can see people like Henry Winkler and John Ritter just look up at him from the audience with their mouth hanging open. Not just funny, but downright subversive.

Robin Williams, circa 1978 "Live At The Roxy"

And that's another key word to keep in mind here: SUBVERSIVE.

Is it simply a matter of aging?

No, I don't think it is.

Bill Hicks

Now, consider those comedic geniuses who choose largely not to go down the route of watered-down comedies, children's movies, and basic buffoonery:
Bill Hicks: dead
John Belushi: dead
Andy Kaufman: dead
Sam Kinison: dead
Bernie Mac: dead
Mitch Hedberg: dead

Andy Kaufman

Really, it got to the point where if there was a comedian I really liked, he was either going to die young or provide a voice in a Disney movie (never both).

Ever notice how the only other "edgy" comedians that turn away from the Hollywoodification route -- but also haven't died young -- inevitably turn to the world of conspiracy theories and other esoteric interests?

Roseanne Barr:

Has claimed to be victim of incest and MK-Ultra mind-control, as well as accusing others in Hollywood of being victims/abusers (Michael Jackson/Joe Jackson, for instance). Once stated that she believed the CIA was controlling her via chip in her head. Also tweeted that "reptile like criminals in control of our government":

Richard Belzer:

Wrote the recent guide to political assassinations and cover-ups, "Dead Wrong"

Amazon.com description of "Dead Wrong":

"For years, the government has put out hits on people that they found “expendable,” or who they felt were “talking too much,” covering up their assassinations with drug overdoses and mysterious suicides. In Dead Wrong, a study of the scientific and forensic facts of various Government cover-ups, Richard Belzer and David Wayne argue that Marilyn Monroe was murdered, that the person who shot Martin Luther King Jr. was ordered to do so by the government, and examines many other terrifying lies we've been told throughout our country’s history."

Dave Chappelle:

Mysteriously dropped out of sight at the height of his career, first taking a trip to Africa. Explained his decision to "drop out" of Hollywood as follows:

"Coming here I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man.

Chappelle has also complained about being shoe-horned into the exact type of "light" comedy stuff as the "edgy" comics before him have done -- going so far as to suggest to Oprah that there was a conspiracy to emasculate actors of color in the movies:



In an "Inside The Actor's Studio" interview, he also questioned why so many people in Hollywood like Martin Lawrence were having mental breakdowns, going on to ask if conspiracy theorists are really that crazy:




George Carlin:

George Carlin's stand-up routines became far more darker, cynical, and political over the years -- this despite the fact that he took occasional "lighter" gigs over the years like the Bill & Ted movies and "Shining Time Station."

Here is how he defined "conspiracy theorists":



Dan Aykroyd:

Aykroyd considers himself a "spiritualist" and UFOlogist. In his DVD "Dan Aykroyd: Unplugged On UFOs," he had the following anecdote (via IFC) concerning him, Britney Spears, and "The Men In Black" (not the movie):

"The most fascinating (read: batshit) revelation, however, relates to the time that some “Men in Black” monitored Aykroyd’s phone call with Britney Spears. As Aykroyd spoke to his “Crossroads” co-star, he noticed the conspiracy theory mainstays observing him, but looked back a moment later to realize that they were gone. Shortly afterward, the producers of the program he was taping were ordered to shut it all down, a seemingly unremarkable coincidence until you realize that the show itself was about to totally blow the lid off this crazy UFO thing."

And there are other comedians, most notably Randy Quaid, who became a fugitive with his wife and told tales of the "Star Whackers," and Joe Rogan, who has suggested that the moon landing might be a hoax and is an outspoken proponent of psychedelics.

Now, one can certainly suggest that the common thread that links all of the above "conspiracy" comedians, including the dead ones, is that it is assumed they might have/had mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. Perhaps it was too many drugs, maybe the rigors of constant touring -- maybe something organically wrong with their brains (Barr, for example, had a traumatic brain injury as a teen). They obviously show signs of what might be interpreted as marked paranoia. Maybe if they just did that "Flubber" sequel and took their meds on a more regular basis, everything would be fine.

But even if it is that they are truly paranoid, and suffering some sort of mental malady -- and we do not know that to be the fact in every case -- could their years in a Hollywood system that on one hand praised them for their uniqueness and subversive humor, but then turned around and "drained" that unique quality out of them in favor for something more generic and "acceptable"...could this have played any role at all in their angst, in their "dropping out" of mainstream society?

Could they have successfully existed both as commercially successful Hollywood comedians AND held their integrity?

I believe there is only one way to do that, and that is to be a Trickster:

Notice that a number of these "tricksters" aren't even traditionally "comedians." No, they are not -- to actually admit it, to admit you're a comedian...no. Tricksters don't admit it. They are Adaptable. They're enigmas. They're going to make you work for it. They will tell you quite calmly that there is no conspiracy to kill comedy, or to do anything else -- they will tell you this quite calmly, looking intently in your eyes, painting your hand with whatever sticky condiment that might be available...