Ep. 54 - Mental Illness Ft. Brendan Eyre

TRIGGER WARNING: this episode deals with attempted suicide.

We're incredibly grateful to Brendan Eyre for sharing his story about how he found humor in a pretty dark place. Brendan is a Cleveland-based comedian who has appeared on Seth Meyers, SiriusXM, and his podcast, The Rad Dudecast, who has dealt with some pretty heavy mental health issues.

Sure, our show can get a little silly, but this episode dives into the parts of us that can unfortunately remain unspoken, and the power of being able to find humor within them.

Because no matter how lost you may feel, realizing you CAN laugh is a step toward seeing a more complete picture, helping you pull yourself out of it.

In this episode, we talk about:

-Performing a bit about attempting your own suicide in front of different audiences.

-Having a conversation with someone who doesn’t think a comedian should talk about THEIR OWN attempted suicide.

-Awkward transitions between lighthearted and heavier mental health material.

-The TikTok joke that made the entire country of Greece hate Brendan.

-World record for highest attempted suicide jump.

-The time between the tragedy of an attempted suicide and comedy.

-Adding a relatable silliness to alleviate the heaviness of a dark bit.

-Finding peace and happiness in doing comedy.

-Brendan’s start in comedy and the Cleveland comedy scene.

-Getting thrown to the wolves of the NYC open mic scene.

-Comedy as validation, rather than therapy.

-When people offer unsolicited advice on dealing with mental illness.

-Electro shock therapy.

-Gary Gulman’s "The Great Depresh."

-How the stigma of mental illness has been reframed in recent years.

AND MORE!

Additional bonus footage available if you become a Patron. Visit patreon.com/youcantlaughpod for exclusive access.

Produced by Golden Ox Studio | Music: Producedbyzip

Visit brendaneyre.com to learn more about Brendan

Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @eyrebud

Follow on TikTok @realbrendaneyre

Subscribe to his YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandInBrooklyn

Listen to Brendan's album, "Desiree:" https://www.amazon.com/Desiree-Explicit-Brendan-Eyre/dp/B07SPWL1WB

patreon.com/youcantlaughpod

twitter.com/youcantlaughpod

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Brought to you by Water Cooler Comedy - watercoolercomedy.org