The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post
The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post -
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
We all use expressions like “It drives me nuts!”; “He/She make me crazy!”; “If I don’t take a holiday soon I think I’ll go mad!” without really meaning we need psychiatric treatment.
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
We all use expressions like “It drives me nuts!”; “He/She make me crazy!”; “If I don’t take a holiday soon I think I’ll go mad!” without really meaning we need psychiatric treatment.
Why do we cavalierly use such expressions connected with mental illness? We never say “Those noisy neighbours are going to give me a nasty chest infection!” Or “That annoying man gives me arthritis !”
It’s not as if we’re unaware of the many faces of mental illness in 2014. There are countless documentaries on TV; regular newspaper articles and TV news items that discuss breakthroughs in treatment or conversely, the rising number of young suicides caused by depression; and, as one in four of us will suffer from mental illness at some time in our lives, we’ll more than likely have personal experience. Anyone who’s had a family member or friend go through a period of post-natal depression or heightened anxiety that needed a long period of medical treatment will agree it’s no laughing matter.
However, in the 18th Century people paid a penny to be allowed into Bethlem Royal Hospital in Moorfields, London to laugh and cruelly poke fun at the hundreds of unfortunate mental patients weeping and wailing in their fetid cells. In 1841 alone, 96,000 people visited the hospital to stare and giggle at the inmates. You’ll probably know the Bethlem Hospital in Moorfieflds by its better-known name....Bedlam.
If you think we’re come a long way since then, tell me what the difference is between 18th century bullies, doubled-up at the sight of a confused ex-foot soldier with shellshock and the audience at The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent auditions, hooting with laughter at some deluded unfortunate without one iota of talent, who the producers thought would ‘liven up‘ the show? And I bet you’ve sat at home watching and enjoying these moments too, even if you did feel a little guilty.
There are varying degrees of mental illness. People with OCD, who wash their hands and clean their house over and over, have a slight mental illness. But people who clean their cars inside and out every Sunday morning and meticulously mow their lawns and trim their garden hedges are merely regarded as ‘ neat ‘. It’s a thin line.
Life’s more dramatic ups and downs can affect us in many ways, possibly sending us hurtling towards the door marked “Nervous Breakdown “. It could be pressure of work, marital problems or money worries. Some people are strong enough mentally to deal with these matters and come through unscathed. If I had a hat, I’d take it off to them.
But if the majority of us have a run of really bad luck, starting with, say, a family bereavement, followed by a car accident, a kitchen flood, a sick child, redundancy, being overdrawn...it would take a very strong person not to be sent mentally reeling by such a relentless pummelling. And these things can happen, believe me.
Prescribed medication can see you through these stressful times. But when you’re under a seemingly permanent black cloud of depression, being surrounded by positive, understanding, uplifting people is vitally important. Whether it’s your partner, family member, colleague or a good friend, you need someone who can take the long view and assure you that better times are ahead. You many not believe them at first, but as things do get better, you’ll remember their words and be grateful for them. And if it ever happens to me, I hope that someone will say “Phil. This will soon pass and you’ll be okay.”.
Comedians are particularly vulnerable to mental fragility as they face rejection every time they stand on a stage or in front of a television camera. Like every comedian, there have been occasions when I’ve stood in front of an audience and delivered a routine that got big laughs in another venue the previous week...but was greeted by silence. Same jokes. Different audience. Indifferent response. Pure agony for a comic.
I’ll finish with a suitably apt story.
In the 18th Century an old man went to his doctor and with tears streaming down his face, he said “You must help me. I’m continually depressed. I can’t remember the last time I smiled. Life just doesn’t seem worth living and I’m at the end of my tether”. The doctor said “My dear fellow. All you need is cheering up. I recommend you go to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to see the great clown and pantomime entertainer, Mister Joseph Grimaldi. I guarantee you will leave the theatre refreshed, with a bright new outlook on life”.
And the old man slumped in his chair, sighed and said “Doctor. I am Grimaldi!”
..............................................
Being Welsh does have it's advantages. Don't you think?
I haven’t lived here all my life, well, not yet anyway.
We live in a country of culture, have a coloured history over the centuries and have distributed our genes globally. Yes we have been known to be adventurous.
Mind you there are towns in north Wales that are so dull that the local shops sell picture postcards of other towns.
By the way, never ask a man if he’s from Rhyl. If he is, he’ll already have told you. If he isn’t, why embarrass him?
There’s no shame in being from Rhyl, I might add. The only shame is having to go back there.
Last week I went out and about researching, carefully avoiding 'pot holes', for the Evening Post, and came up with the following:
The Welsh can get better hands at Scrabble.
The Welsh accent is sexy.
You can only get a Cwtsh in Wales. Ohhhhh, cawl and welshcakes too!
The above are a few of the replies that are 'printable'. I'm sure you can think of a few more. If yes, please write in or send me a message.
-------------------------------
For the record ‘I am a’ fan on the Eisteddfod and truly believe that each and every one of us should support and encourage welsh culture and tradition. Now, I’m not a snob. Ask anybody. Well anybody who matters....
However, the Eisteddfod team MUST get the pricing right. They are clearly way off the mark on this. They are excluding so many people, families, young and old.
They are not making it easy for people to try out, buy in, or check out what goes on in this wonderful event, which is one of the main events in the welsh calendar.
The entry fees alone are far out of reach for the majority of the population, and I have witnessed two families this week turn and walk away from the ticket office having discovered the entry cost alone.
I’m informed that the majority of the Llanelli population, who host this year’s event can’t afford the entrance fee.
Who makes these pricing decisions? It's time for change, which is long overdue. Time to make it easy for families and people to buy. At this rate, in a few years time the Eisteddfod will end up like a secret society, where only the few who have inherited wealth can afford to attend. The rest of us will have to re-mortgage the house every year to attend.
In the meantime, will someone please sit down with and help me understand how this current business model brings people together for the benefit of long term good and sustainability. I'm keen to learn about the other side of this argument, if there is one.
----------
You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales
It’s not as if we’re unaware of the many faces of mental illness in 2014. There are countless documentaries on TV; regular newspaper articles and TV news items that discuss breakthroughs in treatment or conversely, the rising number of young suicides caused by depression; and, as one in four of us will suffer from mental illness at some time in our lives, we’ll more than likely have personal experience. Anyone who’s had a family member or friend go through a period of post-natal depression or heightened anxiety that needed a long period of medical treatment will agree it’s no laughing matter.
However, in the 18th Century people paid a penny to be allowed into Bethlem Royal Hospital in Moorfields, London to laugh and cruelly poke fun at the hundreds of unfortunate mental patients weeping and wailing in their fetid cells. In 1841 alone, 96,000 people visited the hospital to stare and giggle at the inmates. You’ll probably know the Bethlem Hospital in Moorfieflds by its better-known name....Bedlam.
If you think we’re come a long way since then, tell me what the difference is between 18th century bullies, doubled-up at the sight of a confused ex-foot soldier with shellshock and the audience at The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent auditions, hooting with laughter at some deluded unfortunate without one iota of talent, who the producers thought would ‘liven up‘ the show? And I bet you’ve sat at home watching and enjoying these moments too, even if you did feel a little guilty.
There are varying degrees of mental illness. People with OCD, who wash their hands and clean their house over and over, have a slight mental illness. But people who clean their cars inside and out every Sunday morning and meticulously mow their lawns and trim their garden hedges are merely regarded as ‘ neat ‘. It’s a thin line.
Life’s more dramatic ups and downs can affect us in many ways, possibly sending us hurtling towards the door marked “Nervous Breakdown “. It could be pressure of work, marital problems or money worries. Some people are strong enough mentally to deal with these matters and come through unscathed. If I had a hat, I’d take it off to them.
But if the majority of us have a run of really bad luck, starting with, say, a family bereavement, followed by a car accident, a kitchen flood, a sick child, redundancy, being overdrawn...it would take a very strong person not to be sent mentally reeling by such a relentless pummelling. And these things can happen, believe me.
Prescribed medication can see you through these stressful times. But when you’re under a seemingly permanent black cloud of depression, being surrounded by positive, understanding, uplifting people is vitally important. Whether it’s your partner, family member, colleague or a good friend, you need someone who can take the long view and assure you that better times are ahead. You many not believe them at first, but as things do get better, you’ll remember their words and be grateful for them. And if it ever happens to me, I hope that someone will say “Phil. This will soon pass and you’ll be okay.”.
Comedians are particularly vulnerable to mental fragility as they face rejection every time they stand on a stage or in front of a television camera. Like every comedian, there have been occasions when I’ve stood in front of an audience and delivered a routine that got big laughs in another venue the previous week...but was greeted by silence. Same jokes. Different audience. Indifferent response. Pure agony for a comic.
I’ll finish with a suitably apt story.
In the 18th Century an old man went to his doctor and with tears streaming down his face, he said “You must help me. I’m continually depressed. I can’t remember the last time I smiled. Life just doesn’t seem worth living and I’m at the end of my tether”. The doctor said “My dear fellow. All you need is cheering up. I recommend you go to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to see the great clown and pantomime entertainer, Mister Joseph Grimaldi. I guarantee you will leave the theatre refreshed, with a bright new outlook on life”.
And the old man slumped in his chair, sighed and said “Doctor. I am Grimaldi!”
..............................................
Being Welsh does have it's advantages. Don't you think?
I haven’t lived here all my life, well, not yet anyway.
We live in a country of culture, have a coloured history over the centuries and have distributed our genes globally. Yes we have been known to be adventurous.
Mind you there are towns in north Wales that are so dull that the local shops sell picture postcards of other towns.
By the way, never ask a man if he’s from Rhyl. If he is, he’ll already have told you. If he isn’t, why embarrass him?
There’s no shame in being from Rhyl, I might add. The only shame is having to go back there.
Last week I went out and about researching, carefully avoiding 'pot holes', for the Evening Post, and came up with the following:
The Welsh can get better hands at Scrabble.
The Welsh accent is sexy.
You can only get a Cwtsh in Wales. Ohhhhh, cawl and welshcakes too!
The above are a few of the replies that are 'printable'. I'm sure you can think of a few more. If yes, please write in or send me a message.
-------------------------------
For the record ‘I am a’ fan on the Eisteddfod and truly believe that each and every one of us should support and encourage welsh culture and tradition. Now, I’m not a snob. Ask anybody. Well anybody who matters....
However, the Eisteddfod team MUST get the pricing right. They are clearly way off the mark on this. They are excluding so many people, families, young and old.
They are not making it easy for people to try out, buy in, or check out what goes on in this wonderful event, which is one of the main events in the welsh calendar.
The entry fees alone are far out of reach for the majority of the population, and I have witnessed two families this week turn and walk away from the ticket office having discovered the entry cost alone.
I’m informed that the majority of the Llanelli population, who host this year’s event can’t afford the entrance fee.
Who makes these pricing decisions? It's time for change, which is long overdue. Time to make it easy for families and people to buy. At this rate, in a few years time the Eisteddfod will end up like a secret society, where only the few who have inherited wealth can afford to attend. The rest of us will have to re-mortgage the house every year to attend.
In the meantime, will someone please sit down with and help me understand how this current business model brings people together for the benefit of long term good and sustainability. I'm keen to learn about the other side of this argument, if there is one.
----------
You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales
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