Science of Breath Radio 75: the Milk’s Gone Bad
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Comedy is one of my favorite things in the world. It enables us to smile at the dark sides of ourselves, thus accepting situations and ideas, that would otherwise cause internal turmoil in many cases. In fact, I’ve heard enlightenment described as being a “lighter” humorous state of being constantly. As if one never takes things too seriously and is thus able to handle challenges and stress without batting an eye.
Most comedians definitely pull from real life experiences, and are able to make fun of themselves and laugh at the very things that hurt them. This is what comprises the true strength of comedy. It allows us to be with the pain, and come to understanding that this thing which once hurt, can indeed be laughed at without experiencing more pain. It is a form of emotional alchemy in this way.
Skimming thru Netflix, I often find myself viewing stand up comedy more than anything else. I enjoy the improvisation and crowd interaction of it all. It may very well inform my own performance practices. I am always fascinated by the way that certain comics are able to handle hecklers, whilst others fall into their clutches, their life being sucked away by the negative energy.
Recently, I watched a clip of Katt Williams, a remarkably funny dude, be reduced to a shit talking chihuahua onstage by a heckler. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, seeing as though its been a news story for the past week or so. The heckler was of Mexican heritage, and the show was in Phoenix, AZ. Now, what happened to get Katt all wound up, I don’t really know. But, what transpires is a emotional tirade poured in the direction of this heckler for nearly 8 minutes straight. Initially, its comical, but eventually it just turns into a personal vendetta. It’s as if Katt is really scared or hurt, and his defense mechanism is to continue to berate this man based on the fact that he is from Mexico.
I heard one writer try to compare this to Michael Richard’s n**** outbursts a few years back. But, I think that assessment is incorrect. Michael Richard’s obviously harbored racism in his heart. Katt Williams on the other hand doesn’t seem to be racist in my opinion. I just think the dude is losing his grip on reality. An example is another clip of Katt at a Young Jeezy show when a fight breaks out. There’s a huge scuffle, then the two sides are separated and everything calms down a bit. Suddenly, Katt Williams saunters into the scene with his shirt off? Huh? I didn’t know comedians were so gangster? He proceeds to jump around and act as if he’s going to steal on someone, but somehow we know that it’s all an act. It’s actually a bit embarrassing, as the big fools who were actually involved in the fight barely notice Katt’s prancing around. It feels like Katt is trying to prove something to everyone, or is it to himself.
This is in no way a diss to Katt Williams, as I still respect his talent and his grind. But, it feels like homey is about to go way overboard, and that’s not what I would like to see of such a talented brother. It’s true, fame and the media have a way of bringing out the best and the worst in people, it just depends on who you are, and what part of your career you are in. I don’t want to see him disappear for awhile, as we saw from Dave Chappelle. Here’s to hoping that Katt reclaims his center and returns to being the funny man we love, and not the rude little guy on stage that disrespects an entire people. Church..Rapsodia Stellare-Piero Umiliani
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One Response and Counting...
hey Zumbi man i love hearing your point of view on things..i think its real cool u do this blog!!
other than music haha
Comedy is one of the best things
idk Micheal Richards nor did i see Katt on his tangent but whats up with Dave Chappelle? he straight booked it like hes running from someone or something!! i wish he would come back and start doing his thing how he wants to not cc’s ways