Submit Your Own Column to Mangy Dog Today!

Why I Watch Comedy

by an Anonymous Comedy Fan

Jesse has explained why he performs comedy. Now let me give you another perspective and explain why I watch live comedy. There are about a hundred reasons that can be summarized into three main themes. Live and interacting is always better than being a distant observer. Comedy is an art form and art allows your mind to expand. Finally, comics are generally pretty cool people who are fun to be around.

Okay let's take them one at a time. Live is better. This is pretty straightforward. The more technical clutter and distance between the entertainer and the viewer, the less entertaining the event. This principal explains why going to a hockey game is better than TV, why minor league baseball can be more interesting than major league and why watching Nashville comedians in a small venue is better than tuning into Seinfeld or Letterman. Same thinking holds true for a trip to Spain vs. a travel documentary or watching porn vsàà..ok you get the idea. Let's just say the closer you are to the action the better the experience will be.

Comedy is an art form. At the risk of being all girly and gushy here, art in any form expands your mind and feeds your soul. We may need food, shelter and clothing to sustain life but we need art to truly live. Sure some of us struggle to survive, most notably starving comedians, but for the rest of us we get to live and therefore need art in our lives. Comedy is a pure art form that provides immediate gratification. The comic is reinforced with the attention, and at the same time the audience member gets to laugh. There may be some props but generally it is the comic, his/her thoughts and the audience members' response. Live comedy is art being conceived, and sometimes dying, right there on the stage. It's an honor to be present and participate in the experience. Twisting words, reshaping thoughts, presenting the unexpected and sharing the strange, bizarre and extraordinary of the human experience forces us all to think differently. Sure it is planned, the material is written ahead of time, the comic might even practice various expressions and delivery. Even so, anyone who watches live comedy knows that the comic takes a risk and shares a piece of their soul with the audience. Without a doubt, comedians are artists.

Finally, comedians are generally a great group of people. I'm not a fan of stereotyping, however, while there is plenty of variability, comics as a group seem to have some pretty well defined traits. Most are not materialistic (not a chance given the low pay, however I digress). They view the world in a unique way and are willing to share that view. Most are happy to sit and share a beer with you and even happier if someone buys that beer for them. They travel a lot and may not always know where or what their next meal will be or even where they will sleep on any given night. Now it is true this describes most homeless schizophrenics as well as aspiring comedians but for the comic it is a choice. Wait--who's crazy? Just kidding, actually I don't think the comic is even close to crazy. I think they are brave and talented, and a gift to us all.

There's no denying that life is funny and for some reason we don't always take the time to laugh. If you take the time and find yourself walking around laughing in a park you might get locked up. Laugh too much at work and your boss gets suspicious. Laugh in church and people get annoyed. It is much better to sit in a bar or club, watch a comedian and laugh. So for me when I feel the world closing in, when life seems unfunny, when I feel like I'm surviving instead of living, I choose to see live comedy. To all the comics out there that have the courage to go on stage and the willingness to share your art, thank you. Know that you are making the world a better place and your effort and talent is appreciated.