EDINBURGH 2016: BWW Q&A - Chris Gethard

BWW speaks to Chris Gethard about his 2016 Edinburgh Fringe show CAREER SUICIDE.

What can you tell us about Career Suicide?

Career Suicide is by far the most honest, raw stand-up I've ever done. It's a really frank look at my time dealing with depression, alcoholism, and suicide attempts. But I promise you - I aggressively try to make that stuff super f**king funny. I don't want it to feel like a public service announcement or some kind of preachy nonsense - it's really and truly an attempt to put some hard-hitting comedy into this world that also happens to deal with some of the darker things some of us go through from time to time.

Is it difficult to balance comedy with the serious subjects touched on?

With this show I feel like I'm constantly walking a line of trying to get huge laughs while not being disrespectful to the subject matter at hand. I want to make a show that is universally funny, that anyone can come out to and have a great laugh at. Pretty often, my ideal situation unfolds, which is that the show kills and also other people who have suffered from some of these mental health issues come up to me afterwards and say "Good job, man, that was funny and you really got what the experience is like right." That always means a lot. The nightmare scenario is that it's too dark to be funny, or funny in a hollow way that disrespects people who have dealt with some really hard stuff. That's a scary proposition, but I'm happy to say that the feedback for this show has made me feel like I've got a funny, heartfelt thing on my hands.

Do you think you know what to expect from the Fringe?

Absolutely not. It's a huge honor to be a part of the Fringe at all, but I have no idea how my show will do up against literally hundreds of fascinating acts from every corner of the performance world. I know I have to hustle hard to get people out there and I really plan on putting every ounce of energy and effort into giving these crowds a good time.

Tell us a little about your career so far.

My career has been a very strange series of getting knocked down and getting back up again. I was walking a pretty traditional track for a while, and actually got booked as the lead actor on a very traditional sitcom. Luckily but horrifically, it bombed really hard. That really made me examine my priorities and what I want out of life. Instead of pursuing more jobs I didn't want, I went underground and have become a bit of a cult guy in the American comedy scene. I spent years with a public access television show, which is basically a homemade TV show on an outdated system that's largely regarded as obsolete and sad. Luckily I really thrive on feeling obsolete and sad. Now The Chris Gethard Show is on a tiny cable network in the States, I have a podcast that's pretty popular, and I'm proud to say I've been doing things my own way for years now. This has definitely made me remain in the underground, and as an underdog, but I'm much happier that way than I ever would have been as the star of a shitty sitcom that didn't mean anything to anyone.

Who would you recommend comes to see your show?

Anyone who wants to laugh should come see my show. Furthermore, if you've ever felt depressed or suicidal or misunderstood, this show might hit you in the gut. Most of all, if you have a loved one who fits that description I'd love for you to see it - I have a feeling it might make some people understand how to navigate the worlds of depression and mental illness a little bit more than you can understand if you're not in the thick of it.

Ticket information and timings for Career Suicide are available on the edfringe website.