Mitch Hedberg was one of my favourite comedians – like Steven Wright, his off-center takes on the seemingly drab minutia of everyday life were always a good tonic for those times when reality and daily routines were closing in (not to mention, the pure benefits of laughing out loud). Sadly, Hedberg died in 2005, aged just 37.
So I was fascinated by the short documentary posted above, in which his wife Lynn Shawcroft discusses Hedberg’s writing process. The following excerpt in particular resonated with me, as I’ve been contemplating a lot lately how much my life is dominated by ‘inputs’ – the constant stream of of phone, internet and TV content – and whether that type of lifestyle has had a deleterious effect on my own ability to enjoy the act of creation:
One thing I learned from Mitch about writing, and which probably attracted me to him, was he was a huge proponent of day-dreaming. I think he considered hanging out and thinking an extremely valuable way to spend your time. Like just hanging out and thinking, or allowing your thoughts to drift. Setting up your life so that you can have that time to use your imagination.
It’s a wonderfully personal and touching look at Hedberg from the point of view of his long-time partner, well worth watching.
(via @MattStaggs and Splitsider)
