The meaning of Life? By Harry Freedman
What is the meaning of life? That’s probably not what you expected in a blog promoting myself as a corporate comedy put-on artist, roaster, emcee, and hilarious onsite video creator. Like many others, I sat up long nights in college having philosophical discussions with my peers. But at 18-22 years of age, it’s hard to see beyond the need to get a degree, and a career. However, I recently had a big birthday and while I still haven’t fully gotten all the answers, I do have some thoughts.
When, I lived in Manhattan, I saw immigrants working 80-90-hour weeks in their small grocery stores. They sacrificed their lives for the sole purpose of giving their kids a better life. That might be the purest example for someone’s meaning of life. Of course, we all create our own little reality, so the meaning of life is unique for each of us. We also begin from different starting points. Elon Musk, for example, was born rich. He can fly anywhere in the world on a private jet, eat at the finest restaurants and has had a life of luxury.
Where You Start Out In Life Doesn’t Fully Determine Where You End Up
But, while that sounds incredible, it must also be tedious. Because every day, he has to decide where to fly, what restaurant to eat at, and which spaceship to use. And when you’re that wealthy, everyone wants a piece of you. So it’s hard to tell who is real and who is fake. Of course, for many of us, attaining such a lifestyle could be the meaning of life, in and of itself. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the necessary drive to be born into a wealthy family. So, my dreams of being a billionaire were crushed at birth. Instead, I have had to work my way up from the serious disadvantage of starting in an upper middle-class family.
I was lucky. I had choices. But they came with expectations. My dad was a lawyer and a judge and pressured me to follow in his footsteps. And even though he was a terrifically talented public speaker himself, he considered comedy to be an unrealistic lifestyle. But I had comedy in my blood. When I was in high school, I ran for office and made a funny speech about school policies that rocked the auditorium of 600 classmates. In college, I performed skits and roasts which gave me further encouragement that I had a skill.
Nevertheless, I did go to law school in Miami Florida, but I was so miserable I quit halfway through. Being a lawyer was definitely not meant to be my meaning of life. I quickly landed a managing editor job with a humor magazine. We put out 100,000 issues and then folded up after 6 months. Nevertheless, the experience gave me the momentum to try to doing standup. On Friday, April 13th, 1979, a comedy club opened up in Hollywood Florida. I went up last out of 8 inexperienced comics in front of 250 people. The audience and comics were all nervous. I was beyond nervous. I have never been much of a drinker, but I had 4 white Russian’s and they barely made a dent.
The Big Break. Finding My True Meaning of Life.
Then magic. While the other comics had frozen smiles as they were understandably trying too hard, I approached the mic with an expression of genuine terror. The audience immediately began laughing. My jokes matched my fears. I played the ultimate nebbish and got 5 ovations in 12 minutes. I even introduced a character called Meekoman, which is the opposite of a Macho Man. And, when I pulled off my shirt to reveal a Meekoman t-shirt which wasn’t for sale, cause you could just go up to any Meekoman and rip it off his back, I had the audience in my hands. Once I got my first few laughs, I seemed to know exactly how to ride each laugh like a wave. It was like my high school auditorium all over again, only this time there were 250 strangers. And it was a real comedy club.
For the next 3 months, I had some good shows, some bad shows and a lot of meh. Thankfully, I had recorded that first show to remind myself that if I could do it once, I could do it again.Then, I tore up another crowd at a local talent contest and won the $50 prize, which in today’s money is approximately $9,000.00.
During my first year, I got some positive reviews in the local papers, got to roast Freddie Roman, and hang out with Lonnie Shore from the Dean Martin Show. Even better, Joan Rivers caught my act, and I sat in her dressing room at the Diplomat Hotel before her next 2 shows. I sat in awe while she was dishing about show business and telling me that I had what it takes. Later, I sold her a few jokes.
After 2 years in Florida, I moved back to New York. I became a regular at the Improv, The Comedy Cellar, Catch, Caroline’s, and Dangerfield’s. 10 years in, I became a corporate comedy put-on artist. It turns out, I have the rare ability to keep a straight face while I’m lying. And, I seem to play other people better than I do myself. I know of only 2 people who have more of this skill. Sasha Baron Cohen, and my actual Congressman, George Santos.
So, finally, after all this time, I believe I figured out the meaning of life. I think it’s to make the most of what you have from where you started. And while I didn’t follow my father’s wishes to become a lawyer, I have always taken something else he once told me to heart. That a good reputation is more important than riches. Ultimately, my personal meaning of life was there all along. Cause, I’m still doing what I did in that high school auditorium, which is to make people laugh. And who knows, maybe one day, I’ll get that own private jet. Or at the very least, become a congressman.