Do many standup comedians impress you as "sad"?

[Thudlow_Boink]

@Stranger_On_A_Train

I wouldn’t say that all stand up comedians are “sad” or depressive, but it is almost universal that they are generally angry

Common, yes, but hardly universal. I’m not having any trouble thinking of examples of standup comedians who do not seem to have much anger, either in their comedic personas or in their “real life.”

@Stranger_On_A_Train

What is surprising is just how many stand-up comedians are really introverted people who put on a persona on stage but really don’t like personal interactions outside a small group otherwise, even when they are specifically in what you would think is an extraverted role, and in general are not ‘funny’ when not performing. Johnny Carson…

It’s not surprising at all to me that many standup comedians, or other onstage performers, would be introverts. Performing for/at people is such a different activity from interacting with people one-on-one or in small groups. As @raspberry_hunter said in another thread:

@raspberry_hunter

I can “turn it on” for an audience – it seems to me that part of what’s going on is that the rules for dealing with groups of people in a presentation-like venue are much simpler and more codified (and easier to rehearse!) than the social rules for dealing with an amorphous group of people where there’s no strict agenda or presentation that unites the meeting.

Why Johnny Carson’s introversion is perhaps surprising is not because of his role as standup comedian but because of his role as talk-show host who who sat around chatting easily with celebrity guests.