A real grouch

摘要

Making jokes for a living is the most demanding of show-business skills, and the record shows that it can harm the psyche of those who aspire to it. Many outstanding comedians have suffered from combinations of recklessness, self-delusion and social inadequacy that have created turmoil in their personal lives. There are two possible explanations: that to make people laugh you need to be a misfit in the first place; or that the emotional damage may stem from the stress of the job.