Post V: Deflective Comedy
While listening to Soloman Georgio’s comedy album “Homon*gro Superior,” I found myself surprised at how mentally tense I was. Not at the subject matter, of course: his delivery was fantastic and I really enjoyed hearing about the experiences he infused into his comic material. Even without being able to relate to most of it, his tone and enthusiasm were enough to get me fully entranced in the performance. But after learning so much about comedy as a form of deflecting trauma, I found myself wondering the entire time: is he okay? Is this truly a lighthearted night out with an audience or is there a hidden message here? Is he at peace with the subject matter or is he simply laughing through the pain?
I promise I’m not just a paranoid sad person who doesn’t know how to laugh. My distrust in the mental health of comedians dealing with touchy subject matter stems from a deep appreciation of Bo Burnham’s comedy when I was in high school. I watched each of his full shows several times because I loved how much he revolutionized comedy performances and how unique and nuanced his setups were. I thought nothing of it; I just liked to laugh at the shows.
That changed, however, when I started paying attention to the finales of his shows. While every single one is deeply nuanced in its own way, the finale of “Make Happy” changed my entire perspective on comedy and mental health.
The unexpectedly introspective and concerning second half of the song came as an extreme shock after the lighthearted tone of the rest of the show. I realized I’d never considered the toll that fame and success could have, and how that could directly relate into deflecting stress or trauma through comedy.
Perhaps that revelation was partially self-damaging, though. I listened to the entirety of “Homon*gro Superior” with caution, taking every joke with a grain of salt. I was concerned the entire album was one such deflection, when in actuality, as he made clear in the final subsection of his album, he’s content and proud to be himself, and is more than happy in his own skin. The album served as a nice reminder that not all potentially touchy subjects or topics necessarily do have dark undertones, and sometimes it’s okay to accept art for what it is. It’s okay to not make the assumption that a performance is a coping mechanism, and save that concern for when it’s really applicable. Sometimes comedy is simply a means for the performer and audience to find humor in shared experiences, as a positive expression of the self, not a deflection.
