Friends star Matthew Perry dead of apparent drowning (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Haha, indeed. Sans pickleball. I'd rather have my own bowling alley and bowl with a few friends.

Agreed, i mentioned earlier i think pickleball is evil, i was just using it as an example.. id be playing real tennis , given a choice .

 

[CapitalCitySaint]

The key to living in L.A. , as i did when i was much younger- is similar to living in any big city- you just sorta find ur bubble and stay there as often as you can.. when i first moved there i lived close to Hollywood and rarely ventured too far out of that area.. later, i lived in Marina del Rey- that was a little trickier since a lot of times id have to work in Hollywood or the Valley- but you find alternative routes (looking at you Venice Blvd) and you try to time things out .. this was before GPS was in heavy usage , so i imagine it’d be a little easier now .. but when not working, i rarely ventured east of the 405, everything i could ever need was in MDR, Venice or Santa Monica… the only real downside was seeing some of my friends- most of them were broke and struggling like i was, so they lived a good 45 min to 1 hr drive from where i lived (i had a sweet deal on a small studio without a kitchen or AC about a half mile from the ocean) so it took a lot of effort and planning to get together - but we did it, and some of those people are still my best friends to this day .

The key to living in LA is to not live in LA. It’s a terrible place.

 

[nolaspe]

 

[Bayouboy]

Just finished Matthew Perry's audiobook, which he narrated. Very sad tale of a super-talented actor that could not shake his demons. Drugs and alcohol may not have been in his system when he died, but they killed him. It has made me look at my drinking habits a bit closer.....

It was also crazy to hear that he could not fall in love or get close to anyone. Whenever things got too serious, he would end the relationship so that other person could not hurt him. Wild stuff when you think about it all. Ended up basically dying alone when many people truly loved him. Really sad story for one of the funniest guys on the planet.

 

[Sailorsaint]

Just finished Matthew Perry's audiobook, which he narrated. Very sad tale of a super-talented actor that could not shake his demons. Drugs and alcohol may not have been in his system when he died, but they killed him. It has made me look at my drinking habits a bit closer.....

It was also crazy to hear that he could not fall in love or get close to anyone. Whenever things got too serious, he would end the relationship so that other person could not hurt him. Wild stuff when you think about it all. Ended up basically dying alone when many people truly loved him. Really sad story for one of the funniest guys on the planet.

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

 

[Bayouboy]

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

I thought of Robin Williams while typing my reply!

 

[Optimus Prime]

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

the depression/personal trauma ratio in comedians seems very high

Someone (Mike Epps maybe?) talked about using his trauma for comedy fodder and it works both as a coping mechanism and self therapy but also as self punishment, even though you're the one telling the jokes people are still laughing at your pain, so you'd enjoy the laughs on stage and feel wounded by them off

the drug/alcohol abuse ratio is also high in comedy which I'm pretty sure isn't a coincidence

 

[Sun Wukong]

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

Because well adjusted people have no need to be funny.

 

[Madmarsha]

The first time I remember of hearing the sort of "sad clown" phenomenon is Jonathan Winters. He pretty notably suffered from nervous breakdowns and bipolar disorder and was in a few psychiatric hospitals. I sort of wonder now what he and Robin Williams might have discussed on the set of Mork & Mindy.

 

[Jeff]

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

“Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he's depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, "Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up." Man bursts into tears. Says, "But doctor...I am Pagliacci.”

-Alan Moore, Watchmen

Credit goes to Moore but it’s been around using different names for a century or so.

 

[DaveXA]

Because well adjusted people have no need to be funny.

Well, sheet. I'm forked.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Why does it feel like the funniest people lead the saddest lives.

Most any ‘elite’ person is going to have some pathology
Think of the insanity it must take to be an Olympic wrestler or weightlifter or gymnast
(pro player, concert violinist, theoretical physicist researcher)
There must be some fuel that propels that person forward and makes them able to shake ALL of the emotional, societal, physical, financial, et al obstacles they find in front of them

Some negative motivation is going to a better fuel source than most
Positive motivation can work, but positivity can lead to a sense of well-being/calm and eventually comfort (and comfort is the opposite of motivation)

Some sense of trying to fill a giant emotional/psychological can be a type of perpetual motion machine until the (almost inevitable) self destruction OR they eventually process the issue or just get numb/tired

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Because well adjusted people have no need to be funny.

‘need’ is a tricky word
It’s like saying well adjusted people have no need for sex

If someone has a affable sense of humor it’s highly likely they’ll get positive feedback which will encourage them to keep trying to be funny
So they might chase the high, but it doesn’t necessarily make them an addict

What we’re probably talking about with the sad clown is someone in a fair amount of emotional distress AND a keen insight into society AND a way to frame it in a way that positively engages others

 

[Sun Wukong]

‘need’ is a tricky word
It’s like saying well adjusted people have no need for sex

If someone has a affable sense of humor it’s highly likely they’ll get positive feedback which will encourage them to keep trying to be funny
So they might chase the high, but it doesn’t necessarily make them an addict

What we’re probably talking about with the sad clown is someone in a fair amount of emotional distress AND a keen insight into society AND a way to frame it in a way that positively engages others

No, that's not it.

I'm talking about a literal need.

I'll explain in more detail later.