Paul Weiner Takes Mental Health Break
Comedy as a Passion
Paul loves making people laugh. It feels like giving back to him. He believes in laughing at the most life threatening. In fact, he encourages people to laugh about it. Even though he can feel downright awful in the middle of performing a set, stand-up comedy is still an opportunity to escape the self.
Paul feels similarly about helping someone in their sobriety journey. He might bomb, and they might relapse, but everyone will certainly grow from the love and empathy of the all-consuming experience. “They might not stay clean, but the important thing is that I do.”
Paul does not believe in censorship. He thinks it’s toxic. He thinks comics “are a huge service to the world. To the mental health of the f****** world!”
Paul wants the laughter of an audience to feel like an explosive orgasm. He comments, “Where you lose yourself. You forget who you are.” Being clean and sober and still having an out of body experience is profoundly important because Paul believes in feeling the full range human emotions.
Paul concludes, “Comedy for me is, for the most part, taking my sadness and giving it the middle finger.”
Paul Loves Female Comedians
Paul Weiner loves female comedians. He credits the women in his life who opened up about their own sexual assaults with paving the way for him to open up in order to begin his own path of healing. He is tired of female comics being judged and bullied because society feels threatened by them and of their power, but he also admits that the “man-child-ness” of most men does make him more “f*ckable”.
Paul has found love in the comedy community in Austin, TX. He has witnessed people transform their lives through creativity, but he has also seen even successful comedians continue on in misery. Paul trusts that this is all like any recovery program meaning, the steps work if you work it!
I agree with the other poster: Great follow up piece on Paul.
I also love this quote from Paul: “Comedy for me is, for the most part, taking my sadness and giving it the middle finger.” Paul, thank you for supporting female comedians as well!
Nice follow up piece on Paul. All the love in the world to you Paul. May your successes outweigh your sorrows!