Laughter Hereafter: The Comic Struggles
()
About this ebook
LAUGHTER HEREAFTER
The Comic Struggles
By Steven Kent McFarlin
(The Comic)
While studying in the Far East I was taught an ancient Japanese proverb: “Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods.” This insight resonated with me until I began to ask myself the question, or rather, the question asked itself of me: no one can prove the existence of heaven and hell in an afterlife, but who among us has not experienced moments of heaven and hell in this life? This led to the epiphany that serves as the cornerstone of this book: when we are laughing we are experiencing heaven on earth.
Humans need humor almost as much as they need food; one provides sustenance for the body, the other provides sustenance for the soul. Learning to harness the power of laughter provides the lubrication needed to roll through life, and although the un-greased wheel will still turn, it makes for a very unpleasant journey. The unprecedented stress of modern life, with economic worries and ongoing wars, has many people seeking relief; the use of antidepressant medications have tripled in the last twenty years; today one in ten Americans deal with life by popping a pill. I like to think of laughter as an all natural antidepressant prescribed by Dr. God (side effects include: tears, shortness of breath, slapping of knees, clothed urination, and the possibility of falling down). For the cost of a half-day’s dosage of Prozac, which can make you feel good for eight hours, you can buy this book, which can make you feel good for a lifetime. LAUGHTER HEREAFTER is a psychological bargain!
Over two decades ago I began to think that I should capture my struggles in print to let others who also struggle know they are not alone, but it took many years to work up my courage. But as a wise man once said “You have to take the bull by the horns” (then people no longer thought he was wise) so finally, here is the end result: eight chapters of my bull.
THE COMIC STRUGGLES
with:
FAITH
“To me, God is like a female orgasm; I believe in it, but I can’t prove it exists.”
TRUTH
“I remember asking my parents what the boy-dog was doing to the girl-dog, and they said they were dancing. That was a lie... that got me kicked out of prom.”
LOVE
“I really don’t understand White Supremacists who tan! (I can't tan; I just freckle. In fact, I go to a freckle booth; it's like a tanning booth, except I hold a colander over my head.)”
GRACE
“I was thinking 13 million people are feeling this earthquake, and the funny thing is: you know out of 13 million people, right before this quake hit, somebody’s dad said ‘Pull my finger.’
That would mess up a five-year-old for life!”
DEMONS
“An ugly girl and a bottle of whiskey is much better... than just an ugly girl.”
HOLY MATRIMONY
“My wedding ring didn’t even last throughout my marriage; I lost it in a bar, but it wasn’t my fault...I had a hole in my pocket.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA “Spanky”) is an award-winning performer, published author, magazine columnist, recording artist, and television writer & producer. He has performed in all 50 states and 23 countries, twice voted “Comedian Of The Year,” once “Campus Performer Of The Year,” and winner of a “Cable Ace Award.” He has over 50 TV appearances, including: THE LATE SHOW, SHOWTIME, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, as well as popular dramas such as ER and PROFILER. McFarlin’s comedy writing experience involves everything from Joan Rivers stage act, to VH-1’s Rotten TV (featuring Johnny Rotten), to a monthly magazine column for Campus Activities Today (distributed to 4,000 colleges nationwide). As a television writer & producer, he has developed comedy for Spike-TV, World Theatre, and Infinity Broadcasting. He also created humorous advertising for Gillette, Mini Cooper, Lone Star Beer, National Football League, Burger King, and others.
Steven Kent McFarlin
Steven Kent McFarlin (AKA “Spanky”) is an award-winning performer, published author, magazine columnist, recording artist, and television writer & producer. He has performed in all 50 states and 23 countries, twice voted “Comedian Of The Year,” once “Campus Performer Of The Year,” and winner of a “Cable Ace Award.” He has over 50 TV appearances, including: THE LATE SHOW, SHOWTIME, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, as well as popular dramas such as ER and PROFILER. McFarlin’s comedy writing experience involves everything from Joan Rivers stage act, to VH-1’s Rotten TV (featuring Johnny Rotten), to a monthly magazine column for Campus Activities Today (distributed to 4,000 colleges nationwide). As a television writer & producer, he has developed comedy for Spike-TV, World Theatre, and Infinity Broadcasting. He also created humorous advertising for Gillette, Mini Cooper, Lone Star Beer, National Football League, Burger King, and others.
Read more from Steven Kent Mc Farlin
Men Are Sluts: For the man that wants to know how and the woman the wants to know why Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYour Team Makes Me Laugh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Laughter Hereafter
Related ebooks
Unburied Wrath Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGoing Crazy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPsychic: My Life in Two Worlds Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Embracing the Inevitable:Encounters With Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hey! What The Hell's Going On Out There!!?? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Extra Life: 8 Minutes in Heaven with My Father Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom A Grieving Mother's Heart Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You are not that funny: Stories from Cleveland Stand-Up Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChaotic Simplicity: Addressing Everyday Mental Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsÌRÌN: The Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Soul of an Eagle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSnap out of It: An Unexpected Caregiver’s Way to Self-Care, Stability, and Survival Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsExpressions on a Leaf: Poetry, Verses, and Tiny Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonbeams and Melted Spoons: A Collection of Poetry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silence of My Soul...: My Last Will and Testament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWander Lust: The Chocolate Made Me Do It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Therapy Journal: A Journey of Healing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhere Are We Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Can't Make This Stuff up Really! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilent Muse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGunky's Adventures: In the Land of Must Believe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems, Rhymes & Real Heartfelt Stuff Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProgress of Reality of Insanity the Second Coming: The Mind on Fire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSilent Screams Silent Joy: Poems and Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWebs That Bind Book 2: in the Heart of an Illusion… Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCurtains Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack Mountain: A Collection of Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems, Rhymes & Real Heartfelt Stuff Ii Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreaking the Cycle of Hatred: When Self-Help Conquers Self-Hate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom That Place in My Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Humor & Satire For You
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Fun Personality Quizzes: Who Are You . . . Really?! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Best F*cking Activity Book Ever: Irreverent (and Slightly Vulgar) Activities for Adults Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The 2,320 Funniest Quotes: The Most Hilarious Quips and One-Liners from allgreatquotes.com Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Joke Book (Period): Hundreds of the Funniest, Silliest, Most Ridiculous Jokes Ever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51,001 Facts that Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mindful As F*ck: 100 Simple Exercises to Let That Sh*t Go! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 2,548 Wittiest Things Anybody Ever Said Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tidy the F*ck Up: The American Art of Organizing Your Sh*t Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love and Other Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing to See Here: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious People: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln: A Nutty Story About Edwin Booth and Boston Corbett Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Go the F**k to Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Soulmate Equation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swamp Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5John Dies at the End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Swiss: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Laughter Hereafter
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Laughter Hereafter - Steven Kent McFarlin
LAUGHTER
HEREAFTER
The Comic Struggles
With Faith, Truth, Love, Grace,
Demons and Holy Matrimony
By
Steven Kent McFarlin
(The Comic)
© 2010 – All Rights Reserved
Published on Smashwords
Formatted by eBooksMade4You
* * *
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to wherever you bought it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
* * *
CONTENTS:
FOOL'S PRAYER
MY INTRODUCTION
I am nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, I must be perfect.
CHAPTER ONE: MY APOLOGIES
Forgive me; for I know not what I do.
CHAPTER TWO: MY STRUGGLE WITH FAITH
I doubt, therefore I might be.
CHAPTER THREE: MY STRUGGLE WITH TRUTH
I plead contemporary insanity.
CHAPTER FOUR: MY STRUGGLE WITH LOVE
Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead.
Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow.
Do not walk beside me either.
Just leave me the hell alone.
CHAPTER FIVE: MY STRUGGLE WITH GRACE
From SOL to LOL.
CHAPTER SIX: MY STRUGGLE WITH DEMONS
A fool and his money are soon partying.
CHAPTER SEVEN: MY STRUGGLE WITH HOLY MATRIMONY
I do. I don’t. I do. I don’t. I’d do it again.
CHAPTER EIGHT: MY CONCLUSION
The place where I got tired of looking at this damn computer.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CONTRIBUTOR INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
* * *
FOOL’S PRAYER
By Rev. Edward M. Hays
Father and God of Fools,
Lord of Clowns and Smiling Saints,
I rejoice in this playful prayer
that You are a God of laughter and of tears.
Blessed are You, for You have rooted within me
the gifts of humor, lightheartedness, and mirth.
With jokes and comedy, You cause my heart to sing
as laughter is made to flow out of me.
I am grateful that Your Son, Jesus,
who was this world’s master of wit,
daily invites me to be a fool for Your sake,
to embrace the madness
of Your prophets, holy people and saints.
I delight in that holy madness
which becomes the very medicine
to heal the chaos of the cosmos
since it calls each of us
out of the hum-drumness of daily life
into joy, adventure,
and, most of all, into freedom.
I, who am so easily tempted to barter my freedom
for tiny speckles of honor and power,
am filled with gratitude that Your Son’s very life
has reminded me to value only love,
the communion with other persons and with You,
and to balance honor with humor.
With circus bands and organ grinders,
with fools, clowns, court-jesters and comics,
with high-spirited angels and saints,
I too join the fun and foolishness of life,
so that Your holy laughter
may ring out to the edges of the universe.
I am nobody. Nobody is perfect.
Therefore, I must be perfect.
* * *
MY INTRODUCTION
In this introduction I suppose I should do just that, introduce myself; my name is Steven Kent McFarlin, they call me The Laff Guru.
The dictionary defines guru
as a recognized leader in some field or movement, or a spiritual teacher.
My only field of expertise is laughter, having spent the last quarter-century traveling various avenues of the comedic life. As a stand-up comedian I have performed in all 50 United States, almost two dozen countries, and (as of this writing) appeared on television over fifty times. As a television writer/producer I have worked on a handful of comedy programs—none of which I am proud of enough to mention by name. As a humor writer I have filled a shelf with my screenplays, three books, and over a decade of monthly magazine columns. Mine is a life spent in search and in service of laughter, a force as powerful and persistent as gravity.
Laughter, like love, takes many forms. Laughter is an emotion, a behavior, and a physical response, often all at the same time. We laugh to express joy and delight. We laugh when we are pleasantly surprised. We laugh when we are relieved. We laugh when we recognize ourselves in others. We laugh at disbelief and amazement. We laugh when we are embarrassed. We laugh when we are comfortable and uncomfortable. Virtually anything, in the right circumstance, can generate laughter.
Have you ever been walking down the street and a car races through the gutter and splashes mud all over your clothes, then some asshole behind you starts laughing?
That would be me.
I am so sorry. I really am. I can’t help myself.
I discovered early on that I have absolutely zero ability to restrain laughter. No matter how inappropriate the time or place, if something strikes me as funny my body is compelled to let the world know it with involuntary muscle spasms that produce loud rhythmic noises, a red complexion, and often tears. When I say I laugh uncontrollably I mean just that; I have no control over my laughter. Fortunately, I am not alone.
My brother-in-law once worked at a mortuary and told me the story of the funeral for a veteran of World War One who was in his late nineties when he died. The man was survived by his widow, also in her nineties, and their mentally disabled son, who was in his sixties. Because the deceased was a veteran, there was a twenty-one gun salute arranged for the graveside ceremony. When the first shots rang out, the widow was so startled she briefly fainted. At which time the son jumped up and began yelling, They shot Momma!
All others tried to restrain their laughter... without success. Such is the power of laughter; even the tragedy of death is no match. As George Bernard Shaw observed, Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
I’ve been touching people since I started my