Introducing "Take Your Pills, Psychopath!"
The comedy podcast that exploits mental illness for personal profit. (TM)
Hi Friends!!!
1. I recently moved back to NYC from DC. If you’re in the city, drop me a line. Let’s hang! Also, you can find me here every Friday night.
2. If you don’t wanna be on this list, it’s all good. Unsubscribe at the bottom.
3. I’ve got a new podcast that uses comedy to try and destigmatize mental illness. I’m very proud to be doing this. It would be so cool if you listened here.
4. This is going to be a twice a month newsletter that provides information about not only shows I’m doing and guests on the podcast, but also new and interesting developments and resources in the world of mental health, like this.
5. I’ve got an hour stand up special here. And a stand up album streaming here.
I know some of us haven’t been in touch in quite a while, but everybody on this list means something to me, whether we know each other personally or you’ve been wonderful enough to dig my comedy over the years. The truth is I’ve had some successes with comedy, but I’ve also really struggled with Bipolar 1 Disorder for almost 20 years now. If you don’t know, Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder which is believed to be due to chemical imbalances in the brain. The way the disease manifests for me is that I’ll have these extreme highs, known as manic episodes. When I’m manic my thoughts will be racing, I’ll sometimes become very agitated, my judgement will be way off, I’ll act recklessly, I’ll push away and alienate people I care about, and, ultimately, I’ll burn my life and self-worth to the ground. All of that will then be followed by a very dark and painful depression. And then I’ll have to dig deep to find the fortitude and will to rebuild and move forward. I’ve had to do that many, many times. Honestly, being able to use comedy to cope with all of this, in my opinion, is part of why I’m still alive. Also, of course, there’s the loving support of my family and friends that I’m eternally grateful for, as well as medication, therapy and lifestyle choices. Wow, it sure does take a village to keep a Johnny sane. Hahaha…
BUT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I finally think that I have a complete health and wellness plan in place and that I’m mature enough to stick to it. So now it’s time to stay well for the long haul and to give back. Now it’s time for me to find some redemption and a road to self-forgiveness by helping other people who are struggling with mental health issues. I’ve decided to get involved with an amazing organization called NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). I’m working on becoming a volunteer with their helpline and a presenter with their ‘In Our Own Voice’ program.
In 2014, I moved out of New York City to Washington, DC to work on ‘Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp.’ It took me nearly 14 years to get a steady gig in comedy, and I’m very proud of the work I got to do on that show. Unfortunately, I had some major episodes during that time. The most recent one was actually in early 2019. The year started off great. I hosted ‘50 First Jokes’ in both NYC and DC. Both shows were super fun. But by February I was manic and off the rails. By March I was in and out of both the hospital and jail. Yeah, it was crazy. I ended up losing my job on ‘Redacted Tonight.’ At the time, of course, this was incredibly disappointing. But these days I really think it’s okay. I’m so happy to be back in New York. I’m so happy to be feeling well. I’m so happy to be in a good place creatively. I’m having fun developing this new hour of stand up that is, essentially, entirely about my experiences with Bipolar Disorder. And I’m equally excited about the ‘Take Your Pills, Psychopath!’ podcast. I’m really leaning into the mental illness comedy space. Hahaha… And I actually think I have a shot to do something worthwhile and contributory here. And I’m going for it.
Oh, and you know how I mentioned I was in jail? It ended up that all of my charges got moved to ‘Mental Health Community Court,’ which is a wonderful thing that exists in DC and in a few other states around the country. It really should be in every state. It legitimately would make a serious dent in mass incarceration. Nearly 15% of men and over 30% of women in jails have a serious ALREADY DIAGNOSED mental illness. That’s depressing and infuriating.
However, this certificate I got for graduating from ‘Mental Health Community Court’ is OBJECTIVELY HILARIOUS!!! And it’s your sweet, sweet reward for reading this newsletter all the way to the bottom.
Love,
John