Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live fame has written a tell all book titled, God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: Tales of Stand-Up, Saturday Night Live, and Other Mind-Altering Mayhem. I wouldn’t write about a book with such an uncouth title if not for the fact that I know there are so many people that need to know about the negative effects of childhood, alcohol and drug abuse.
Darrell, known for impersonating celebrities like Bill Clinton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger shared on how he had an abusive childhood thanks to an abusive mother, sought refuge in the bottle, indulged in drug use and cut himself. This just goes to show that the cliché that the people that make us laugh are going through the most pain themselves is very true.
He was once taken out of the building in a straight jacket showing he also had mental issues. The good news is that as he says, “I needed a lot of help and I got it.”
He says he was on 7 medications when he was working on Saturday Night Live. Now he’s only on one. This again shows the pressures people are put under working on these TV shows that are so easy to watch but take an inordinate amount of time and effort to produce and the actors employ different coping mechanisms including drugging themselves up. Another thing they deal with is coping with the fame of a life in the public eye. All people aspiring to such positions especially in the entertainment industry or any other industry, should remember that all that glitters is not gold and there’s often a price people pay for their success.
As he said, “I realized I was responsible for myself.” This is what everyone needs to realize. In show business, the saying is, “The show must go on,” however people need to remember that the show will go on with or without you. So, never jeopardize your health or sanity for any job including those that give fame and fortune, because when you die, you take nothing with you.
If you are faced with these type of challenges, pick up the book. You will learn a lot.
A word is enough for the wise…
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