For 16 years, you may recall him as the co-host of Dinner and a Movie on TBS and before then, he was a frequent guest on the Bob & Tom Show (an Indiana-based syndicated FM morning zoo show like Howard Stern). Paul is a pretty successful stand-up comedian in his own right. He just may not ring a bell in your mind because he doesn’t have a schtick like Steven Wright (slow talking) or Rita Rudner (staple of Las Vegas).
Last year, Paul started his own podcast but unlike many hosted by comedians he chose to go in a different direction. He took his recent experiences combatting depression and used it as the foundation for a show called The Mental Illness Happy Hour. Comedians fighting their inner demons is nothing new but Paul has a wider range of guests, sometimes they’re non-entertainment people. He sums it up best in the opening with what feels like a mission statement: this isn’t a substitute for professional treatment, get it if you need it; think of the show as the waiting room to see the doctor; and (here’s what hooked me) remember you’re not alone.
Anyway, I was touched by his story on Marc Maron’s WTF and chose to subscribe; besides, I too suffer from anxiety and a low-level depression, I can relate to Paul’s sense of doom and fear of failure. Since 2012 is the Maggi Republic’s experiment in charity, I found a way to send Paul some money to help his operation (I plan to send more when his turn comes up again). Then I found a link to write an e-mail. I told him, hey thanks for your show, I recommended it to my doctor and please come to Austin, I would love to thank you in person. Left it that. These people have Webmasters to filter out the crap/spam/nutjobs. Besides, I didn’t write to Paul with the expectation of a reply. Being human though I would always wonder if he did read my e-mail and thought, “Cool! Here’s one more person who likes my work and I’m helping the world be a better place.” Again, I’m comfortable with the unknown on an e-mail.
Within a couple hours I received a thank you message from him. Pretty nice! Regardless, I am going to do my damnedest to Paul should he come to Austin. He’s a Midwesterner so I know I will laugh due to our shared DNA.