May the Farce Be With You

The Very Funny Writings of Cary Bayer

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

I have the great good fortune of knowing a lot of funny people in my life — quick-witted, off-the-wall, insanely whacky souls who not only see the world through a different lens, but also know how to make me laugh my ass off.

I treasure these dudes — not just because they are delightful, irreverent, wise and witty, but because being around them lightens my spirit, opens my heart, and takes me completely out of my mind.

And here they are:

Val Vadeboncoeur, Stuart Hoffman, Billy Salmansohn, Fuzzbee Morse, Barry Birnbaum, Scott Cronin, Jon Jeffers, and Cary Bayer — the magnificent eight.

“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” — Peter Ustinov

I don’t know why and I don’t know how, but whenever I’m around these guys I find myself being transported to an altered state — one that is catalyzed by something we all need more of these days — laughter.

But don’t just take my word for it.

“Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress…. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner,” explains three researchers at HelpGuide.org.

“If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Of the funniest people I know, two are extraordinary musicians, one is a podcaster, one is an ex-lawyer who helped me survive 14 hours of Bolero, one used to sleep in my closet when I lived in an ashram, one is an artist, and the other is a writer.

That’s who I am dedicating the rest of this article to — not that the other guys don’t deserve to have their own articles: in fact, two of them already do — (Scott and Stuart )— but because the writer friend of mine has found a simple way to share his sense of humor with the rest of the world — books.