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Thread: wonderful and important things I learned from comedian Garry Shandling @GarryShandling about comedy, writing, mentoring, professional life balance (it’s hard), and love.
1- Send flowers. To anyone for any reason. Everyone appreciates flowers.
1- Send flowers. To anyone for any reason. Everyone appreciates flowers.
2- Comedy isn’t words, it’s where you’re coming from inside yourself.
3- Get out of your head. Be in the moment. Train to be in the moment. Garry boxed. I surf. Find your thing that helps you.
4- It’s all about the work.
5- Be present for the human interactions that are possible with everyone. Try and make people laugh when they’re not expecting it. Like if they’re at work, or in uniform.
6- Everyone is wearing a mask. Those moments where people tell the truth are rare. See them when they happen, if you can.
7- Let your pain inform your perspective to the degree you need it to in order to tell the truth. And be funny, or it also won’t go over.
8- If you have what Garry liked to call “a low flying sense of humor” you should to tell people that you’re joking if you’re joking. Or they might not know. And they won’t get the joke.
9- The only thing that really matters- on TV or anywhere- and to anyone- is Love
10- Be available to mentor talent. Keep an eye out for it. If you write comedy, write with other comics. (Garry always had writers over at the House)
11- Keep a list of journalists who write about you or your show favorably and stay in touch with them. Keep all the clippings.
12- Garry often called comedians he didn’t know after he saw them on The Tonight Show (especially. He rang them afterwards at the hotel, which he said was the loneliest moment for them. He told them he watched and they did great. Boy did they appreciate it!
13- If you’re filming, start on something low energy and then move to the high energy thing. You need to leave yourself somewhere to go. In a set on stage, in life.
14- Don’t ever order the shrimp. You’ll always regret ordering the shrimp.
15- Your personal space is your space and no one can enter that without your permission. Defend your boundaries, politely, if needed, also powerfully if needed. Use your power.
16- Trust - and whether you can trust someone with your reputation, your career, your time, matters to your health. A lot. Be careful who you trust.
17- Spend time at the beach, it will always make you feel better
18- Express your gratitude, acknowledge the hard work of others- at every level, from the waiter to the movie star. Show your appreciation.
19- Be generous. Give. Give what you didn’t get.
20- If you write comedy, don’t assume the joke is funny. Try it on people. On an audience. That’s the the work. Stay humble. Keep performing new stuff. Push where you think it can go.
21- Trust the weave, stay on The Path.
Garry’s archive is on his awesome website you can read his curated journals http://www.garryshandling.com and watch also The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling on HBO which is legend thanks to @JuddApatow !
Garry’s archive is on his awesome website you can read his curated journals http://www.garryshandling.com and watch also The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling on HBO which is legend thanks to @JuddApatow !
I typed up the best of my journal entries from knowing Garry, his jokes, spending quality time with him, and those can be found in my archive here free: https://kaiaalexander.com/garryshandling/
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PS Watch- or rewatch- the genius that is The Larry Sanders Show. On HBO. Which defined HBO. You’ll be glad you did and it would make Garry happy wherever he may be now. We’re lucky he left a piece of himself with us:)
