The Comedy of Tragedy

In late 2001, I had just moved to Dublin, Ireland and was living in a hostel, going on job interviews and looking for a place to live. I wasn't even particularly sure I wanted to stay in Dublin, and considered going to the other side of the country and stay in Galway. I had moved there from London, England, where I had just finished up working for the NSPCC on my BUNAC six month work permit. I really didn't want to leave, and working in Ireland for four months was really just an attempt to extend my stay abroad.

Less than a week into my Dublin stint, I got a call from my Mom. (One of my first orders of business upon arriving in Dublin was purchasing a cell phone.) Something was wrong, I could tell. She told me my brother Brian was in the hospital. He had tried to commit suicide.

I couldn't believe it. I told her I would come home right away.


Now, just a few short years later, his name is in the newspaper for very different reasons. Brian's comedy has been taking him all around the midwest and he even had a shot at a network sitcom (it wasn't picked up). Most importantly, though, he seems to be happy. He still has a "day job" in Chicago and plays softball on the weekends and hangs out with his girlfriend. He has really learned a lot from his past experiences and does not hesitate to speak to others about it. When someone says thank you for talking with them, he laughs and says, "that's all I know about, drinking, so I might as well talk about it".

And talk about it, he does, to hundreds of people, several nights a week. He is doing something he's always wanted to do and doing it well. I admire you, Brian, and I'm so proud.