Street Roots caught up with comedian Richard Lewis in advance of his performances at Helium Comedy Club this weekend. The veteran stand-up performer and now actor on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” leaves no neuroses unturned, from his life in recovery to his relationship with death. Here’s an excerpt from the interview available now in Street Roots:
“Comedy is a boon to my psyche. I don’t go on stage ranting and talking about stuff like (the work) Street Roots does. I do know this: it seems like those who don’t need help, get more help. Maybe it’s just the nature of the beast. Maybe it’s just the way people are. It takes more than a handful of Nobel Peace Prize winners to change society’s viewpoints.
“I never went into the arts to make any money. I went into the arts because I was on a mission to express myself. Most artists will tell you that. Then when the money comes, I never thought about how much I wanted to make. I just thought about my next show, but I always wanted to pay the bills.
“I felt like a millionaire, every night, exhausted after two or three part time jobs, living in shitholes. My father had died right after I graduated Ohio State and never saw me perform. And my brother and sister were much older than me and they weren’t around. My mother, she had all sorts of stuff — things that didn’t make us great friends, to put it mildly. So I really was sort of tethered to no one and really had no support. Understandably, it made it easier for me to latch onto drugs and alcohol. I’ve been sober almost 20 years. One day at a time. It’s really true.”
Read the complete interview by Sue Zalokar in the current edition of Street Roots, now available from your friendly neighborhood vendor!
