I was in a store yesterday, and as I wandered by the music section I noticed what I think was a Neil Diamond collection. It might have been one of those CDs that includes a DVD of his concerts, because the box was much larger than your typical CD case.
I do have a point here, just hang with me.
As it was, it took me a few seconds to recognize what it was because I didn't read the case, I just noticed the picture. The picture was a profile shot of Mr. Diamond in front of a microphone, set against a black background, with him apparently singing. Except that as wide open as his mouth was, and as sweaty as he appeared, I thought it was a man screaming into the mike. Which made me think it was one of those DVDs of a standup comic routine, with the comic in question being one of those angry types, who is always pissed off about everything. Then I noticed the words on the case, and things made a bit more sense.
Except part of my mind latched onto the "angry comedian" thought. Are they as angry as they appear*? If they so, wouldn't it be horrible for their anger to produce laughter in others? Sure, they're comedians, so I guess they're trying to evoke laughter, but the idea that all one's fears, concerns, and irritations would be treated as jokes for some mass audience you can possibly only dimly see, but whose voices might seem to come from everywhere. Well, that sounds like a slice of Hell, doesn't it? It sounds like an awful experience, but I was never big on standing up in front of others and speaking, in any format, so perhaps it's just me.
* Why is it that people, myself included, will sometimes react to people being angry by laughing? Is it because we think they're being silly, or because it angers us to, but we think laughing about it is better than getting up and going to attack the source of our frustration? or maybe it's laughter of relief, because at least this person on stage understands what we feel?
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