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Tim Minchin on Quitting Comedy
- ashtonkem 5y agoFame is a fascinating thing. Tons of people desperately want it, those who get it are often destroyed by it. Tangentially it’s also fascinating watching those in my age cohort slowly realizing that they’ll never be famous, not even “instagram famous”. Some of them settle into a more relaxed pattern, and others rage quit their social media of choice.
- BurningFrog 5y agoI think fame is on average a truly great thing, though it can of course also destroy you, in rare cases. This is speculation, as I am not famous.
- aidenn0 5y agoI live near a town where everybody is rich, but only some of them are famous. I've spoken with several people and they pretty much all agree with the Bill Murray quote that being rich without fame is, on average, nicer than being rich and famous. On the other hand, it's also a place people move (at least partly) to get away from some of the negative side-effects of fame, so there may be some selection bias there.
- tcbawo 5y agoThe point he makes about eschewing fame to stay grounded could probably be applied to modern society and social media in general. I have only a passing familiarity with Tim Minchin from the past, but he seems like a thoughtful and introspective guy with a timely message.
- TheOtherHobbes 5y agoHe's also talented and very funny. I respect his reasons, but I'll miss his comedy.
- sltkr 5y agoHe has not quitting. He's making a comeback. The title refers to the ten-year break he took. This is clear if you don't comment on just the headline but take the time to read literally the first sentence below it.
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- villasv 5y agoBut he’s Back
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- mmusson 5y agoFor mean one of the most appealing parts of his comedy is that he is very clear that it is one thing to be insightful and quite another to actually make the better choices. He plays with that dichotomy a lot. Even here. An essay on the corrupting and addicting influence of fame that basically announces a return to seeking fame.
- busyant 5y agoA long time ago, I heard Bill Murray say something to the effect of, "If you want to be rich and famous, try 'rich' first. You will probably be happier."
- DominikPeters 5y agoTim Ferris has a blog post underscoring this point quite forcefully: https://tim.blog/2020/02/02/reasons-to-not-become-famous/ https://tim.blog/2020/02/02/reasons-to-not-become-famous/
- hihihihi1234 5y agoThis post is great. It made me realise that not only do I not want to be famous, but that I want to live as privately as possible. I'm now much more wary about (say) using my real name online or making it easy for strangers to find out where I live and work. What's the point? In the internet age, it's never been easier for a sociopath with a vendetta to destroy my reputation and career (or worse), no matter how little I did to deserve it.
- hn_throwaway_99 5y agoMeh, I know plenty of miserable rich people.
- jrochkind1 5y agoBut also being famous could still make them even MORE miserable!
- delecti 5y agoMaybe it's easy to be miserable despite being rich, but it's even easier to be miserable because of being poor.
- tcbawo 5y agoThat reminds me of another Bill Murray quote: "When you become famous, you've got like a year or two where you act like a real a**. You can't help yourself. It happens to everybody. You've got like two years to pull it together — or it's permanent."
- agumonkey 5y agoThe thing is, I assume that fame is somehow a need. Or a distorted bias on a real need. We all kinda want to be joy to others and receive their welcome too. A strong and warm connection to a lot of people is probably wired in our brains. There, fame would just be a pathologically high kind of bond both in count and intensity.
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- scrozier 5y agoMr Minchin is spot on. I was fortunate enough to realize the same thing at age 2. From then on, I steadfastly refused to become famous. It wasn't always easy, but when--as a toddler--you clearly see the devastation that fame can bring, it clears the mind and makes the required discipline bearable. It's bittersweet, but in the long run, I'm glad I have had a relatively normal life.
- ngc248 5y agoAt age 2 pah .... I realized it while inside and refused to come out at the end of term, they had to cut me out.
- polishdude20 5y agoPshh, inside? I realized when I was just a twinkle in my dad's eye.
- op00to 5y agoIf you’re a twinkle in your dads eye, he’s doing it wrong.
- rory 5y agoI had a similar realization at a similar time. Unfortunately, by that age, my novel "Little Winky" had already afforded me some acclaim.
- scrozier 5y agoI did dabble in writing. In junior high, my book, "Marvin, the Shy Elf," threatened to bring me fame not only amongst my classmates, but in the wider town of 1200 where I lived. At the last moment, I cleverly sabotaged the work by including many childish illustrations.
- hedberg10 5y agoNovel? Ho, ho, how quaint. If you'd made a dent in the hard sciences by then, I'd be impressed.
- Jedd 5y agoIn 1993, a(nother) famous Australian, Clive James, provided us with Fame in the Twentieth Century [0]. Seemingly it's hard to find now, but my memory is one of poignancy, regret, squandered opportunities ... plus some brutal observations about the stark differences between US versus EU attitudes towards fame. I have no doubt at all that it would be insanely difficult to cautiously back away from the promised lifestyle teasingly dangled in front of you, and so the utmost respect to Tim for doing so. [0] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128875/reference https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128875/reference
- bbsimonbb 5y agoGlad you mentionned that. I bought it at the time, read it, loved it, and decided to not become famous !
- l30n4da5 5y agoTim Minchin seems like a very grounded individual, and very genuine. I really enjoyed his keynote speaker address to UWA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoEezZD71sc
- nomilk 5y agoAnother great one is 'Storm': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U
- endymi0n 5y agoWith all due respect, I like him best the times he's the least grounded :) I've rarely heard a piano solo as badass this one, much less from a comedian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xQmJ_vxHB4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xQmJ_vxHB4
- hanche 5y agoYou might enjoy Hiromi Uehara playing I’ve got rhythm. Granted, she’s not a comedian, but boy can she play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY5dTBhRxOA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY5dTBhRxOA
- xorfish 5y agoThere is also this nearly 5 minute music video that is one single shot, it is also a very beautiful song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48bfKs5p4Ik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48bfKs5p4Ik
- arprocter 5y agoNot Perfect is quite something https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg3PberzvXo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg3PberzvXo
- mcintyre1994 5y agoThat was a great read, thanks for sharing it! I saw his Back tour in 2019 and it was amazing, would definitely recommend his live shows to anyone. He also wrote and starred in a 2019 TV show called Upright which I'd definitely also recommend. One of my favourite TV shows for sure.
- Consultant32452 5y agoTim wrote my favorite Christmas song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q
- mdoms 5y agoMy favourite Minchin song is Prejudice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVN_0qvuhhw
- foobarbecue 5y agoMinchin is a genius. Here's a good starter song for anyone who is new to his work https://youtu.be/bTf3SqL81aE https://youtu.be/bTf3SqL81aE
- shantnutiwari 5y agoI read sometime ago that this is why voice actors enjoy their career-- they get the fame/money, but they can go into a bar and not be recognised.
- randycupertino 5y agoHave you seen the movie In a World? It's pretty funny and about a bunch of voice actors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuxApRnekWc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuxApRnekWc
- smt88 5y agoI don't think they get much money though...
- hihihihi1234 5y agoSome of them do - look up how much the voice actors on the Simpsons are paid.
- unicornfinder 5y agoOh of course, but they're very much in the minority. Most voice actors earn very little - it's really just a side-gig for most.
- gremIin 5y agoMost voice actors are not working on shows anywhere near as successful as The Simpsons.
- OldHand2018 5y agoThe woman that does the voice of Bart Simpson is frequently asked if she has ever met the guy that does the voice of Bart Simpson. How's that for not being famous?
- NotAnOtter 5y agoMost actors aren't either. But the top 5% take home millions
- tartoran 5y agoReminds me of Mark Hollis from a band called Talk Talk. He was riding a surging wave in the 80s and he simply stepped off, he did it for a normal, simple common life. He succeeded in it quite well. [.] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFH5JgyZK1I&t=24s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFH5JgyZK1I&t=24s
- ziggus 5y agoI saw one of Tim Minchin's performances once. I think he quit comedy quite a while ago.
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- paulpauper 5y ago"‘There is a reason why famous people are often screwed up’" If famous people seem screwed up wait until you see 'regular' people. The opioid addiction epidemic in America is not just limited to the wealthy, that is much is true
- hihihihi1234 5y agoThe book Everyone Loves You When You're Dead has some interesting thoughts about this. It's a collection of interviews with rockstars and other celebrities that the author did throughout his career at Rolling Stone. One of the common themes he points out is that fame and money seem to act as multipliers. People who were happy and well-adjusted before they got rich found that money made them happier. People who were miserable to start with found that money and fame only compounded their miseries.
- xixixao 5y agoI wonder how many engineers (and others) are “pigeon-holed” in their careers. Change is scary and exciting, rewarding and risky. Tim can be an inspiration, or an outlier we can enviously watch from our seats. The latter will at least be hella amusing.
- mcintyre1994 5y agoIt's a word I've used a lot when trying to explain to recruiters the sorts of jobs I'm looking for - trying not to pigeon hole myself into a particular technology/stack. I guess any single programming job is still a lot narrower than what Tim Minchin is referring to when he uses the term, but he's a genius.
- therealdrag0 5y agoThere was an interesting episode or series on Freakanomics years ago about the virtues of “quitting”. Very thought provoking.
- ByThyGrace 5y agoQuoting for remarkable insight: > “Fame” takes that internal camera we call the “self” and puts it on a massive selfie stick, so when you are in public a percentage of your brain is always occupied by observing yourself in the third person. And eventually you don’t know how to reel that camera back in, even when you’re at home with your partner and kids. You start to believe that you are an entity. You learn to like yourself as much as you are liked, which means, when the trolls come trolling, you tend to hate yourself as much as you are hated.
- hnbad 5y agoIt's worth noting that this is not only true for fame but also more generally for power. Power literally corrupts the mind. So in a way, hierarchical power structures are a mental health crisis.
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y agoI really enjoyed that. He's a great writer. Says a lot, without getting prolix (unlike Yours Truly). I sincerely wish him luck. He sounds like a really decent chap. Unfortunately, today's culture doesn't reward "decent chaps." It never really has, but it seems much worse, today, than at any other time in my (admittedly, sketchy) memory. I am not aware of his work, but that is something that I can change.
- dm319 5y agoFunny enough I read this, and the article, and then looked him up. Found he was on tour in UK and passing through my city this weekend. I bought the last two tickets available to see him this Saturday.
- zuminator 5y agoHe said he quit because fame makes you a wanker. I'm not even famous and I'm pretty sure I'm ten times the wanker he ever was
- ska 5y agoHe didn't say fame was the only way to become a wanker.
- mckirk 5y agoI absolutely adore Tim Minchin. Every now and then I'll go down a YouTube rabbit hole rewatching everything I can find of him. And despite clearly being a genius, he's not taking himself (or anything for that matter) all too seriously, and I very much appreciate that. Here's a perfect example of that, also of his critical look on fame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdtCuC5mLeQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdtCuC5mLeQ
- aidenn0 5y agoStepping a bit away from the spotlight seems to only happen when people get famous for something other than what they wanted to get famous for. While Minchin definitely wrote songs for his acts, he was not famous for being a composer. He stepped away from comedy to write music professionally (likely leveraging his comedy fame), which was what he wanted to do all along.
- mym1990 5y agoI always wonder what its like to be the Messis and LeBrons and Ronaldos of the world. For a relatively short amount of time they get to be the best in the world at what they do but for the rest of their life they can't walk down a sidewalk in peace(obvious perks excluded).
- ourmandave 5y agoTim Minchin’s Back tours the UK 16 October to 28 November. He's been all over Australia and NZ. Now going to the UK. Maybe there's a streaming option for the US?
- vmilner 5y ago"Our musical, Groundhog Day, despite awards and five-star reviews, took a bit of a battering on Broadway (I promise it will be back!)." Definitely worth seeking out the soundtrack to this.