Comedy specials that tackle mental health have become so ubiquitous in recent years that Netflix now puts out compilation videos with titles like “14 Minutes of Comedians Reaffirming Mental Health Struggles” and “4 Jokes to Validate Your Constant Anxiety.” All things considered, this is a sign of positive societal progress — proof that earlier endeavors to use comedy to destigmatize mental illness by comedians like Maria Bamford and Gary Gulman have been effective.
But for all its importance, not all comedy about mental health is equally engaging. This is the premise that kicks off one of the best bits of Australian comedian Jack Druce’s recent special Rat Paradise, released on YouTube on November 30. “I think it’s cool it’s easier to talk about now,” he says. “One generation ago, you couldn’t really talk about it at all. Now it’s totally fine to talk about it enough to ruin most comedy nights if you want to.”
In setting his bit up this way, Druce, a stand-up and sketch comedian who has written and performed on Australian television shows like The Project and Tonightly With Tom Ballard, implicitly raises the bar for himself. He goes on to explain that, while he believes society has to continue down this path until “mental health is the most boring, generic small talk” imaginable, there are a few things we might lose in the process. “In a society where everyone can talk about their feelings, no one is spending ten years fixing up an old truck,” he jokes.
But the biggest casualty of this destigmatization in his eyes is his favorite variety of television commercial. “There was this TV ad that used to be really popular, and they don’t do it anymore,” he sighs. “Basically, the ad would be: A guy comes out and he’s like, ‘It’s Crazy Steve’s Bargain Warehouse! These prices are insane!’ The premise is that the guy who runs our company is severely mentally ill, and if you want to take advantage of that, you can.” Druce then launches into an extended and frenzied act-out imagining what a modern version of these ads might look like:
It’s Crazy Steve’s Bargain Warehouse! These prices are as crazy as I am. But you better get in quick, because I am working on myself every single day! I am meditating. I am journaling. My capacity to love myself has never been stronger. So you better believe these low, low prices are not gonna stay this low for very long! My wonderful therapist, Suzanne, says that these low prices are a perfect metaphor for my ongoing struggle with self-worth. Everyone abandoned me when I was younger, and now I think I have to keep my prices low or you’re going to abandon me as well! But that is not fair. That is not how this works. I can set the price to whatever the fuck I want! I’m still a human being deserving of love and dignity. I haven’t seen my father in seven years, but last night, I called him up and said, “Dad, I know you were doing your best,” and he said he was proud of me and — microwaves: $30!
Druce assumes a shared understanding on the part of the audience about what proactive mental-health strategies look like, then twists that understanding for laughs. He doesn’t aim to be confessional, inspirational, or inadvertently giving great weight to the subject matter instead of normalizing it. He just treats it matter-of-factly, chipping away at any lingering stigma that may exist by treating it as fodder for silly jokes. In the process, he brings society one small step closer to eradicating his favorite commercials forever.
