Hemingway wrote something about bullfighting as the only tragic spectator sport, where those watching know no good will result and that as a result were particpating in something of a morality play. I was listening to a bad talk on stand-up comedians this morning and wondered why there are no stand-up tragics, tragedy clubs that leave you feeling profoundly unimportant and even sad at the consequences of errors in human judgement. OK - sure it would not work and that is why there are not any but what would these look like? Given that millions (me not among them) go to horror movies every week to watch teens run, scream and get chopped up senselessly by Jason and the other guy in the Gerry Cheevers era hockey mask, why is it so odd that we do not have a medium for seeking order and meaning in the tragic? Is terror ok but tragedy not?
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Comments
portland - November 20, 2004 2:17 PM
cause all you gotta do is stand on the street corner in any town or city and just look at the people going by and think a little bit about what thier stories are.
Alan - November 20, 2004 2:18 PM
I thought we were looking at the cool cars when we did that.
NYCO - November 20, 2004 2:54 PM
It seems as if George Carlin is becoming a "stand-up tragic" if the review of his latest show in the Los Angeles Times is to be believed.
Johnny Nemo - November 21, 2004 12:03 AM
I can think of only one such club: Parliament.