|
We lost a great one on Saturday. My father was my hero and mentor. He did not have an easy life growing up, but he made one easy and happy for me and my family. He saved so many lives and helped so many people including thousands of patients during his tenure as an orthopedic surgeon and so many family members and friends in their times of need. He worked harder than anyone else I know and never rested, until he was forced to with his Parkinsonism. His wisdom and selflessness had no limits and his ability to strive personally and professionally was only matched by his love for his family, especially his grandkids, no thanks to me. He was not perfect, but he did more good on this earth than most of us will do in our lifetimes. We were all better for having him in our lives and on this planet. The Farahvar (Farhavar) symbol, which I tattooed on my back, means wisdom, experience and the eternal journey of the human soul. My dad embodied all that and what he left us all is eternal. I thought we would have one last Father’s Day together dad, but it wasn’t in the cards. F*ck Parkinsons. He will be missed dearly but never forgotten. Thats all I can say right now. I love you, dad. 
0 Comments
I overheard this recently, when I was the headliner. LOL. Sometimes the version of it I would hear was, “You were the best one!” when I was headlining or opening. It’s funny because I used to hear it often when I was an opener for other comedians, and sometimes I believed it and it always felt good, unless the headliner was within hearing distance.
It was always nice to hear and I would always just say “thank you for saying that” or, if I knew I wasn’t as good as the headliner I would say “Everyone has different tastes” or “No way.” On a showcase show or any show, its always nice to hear, as opposed to overhearing it said about someone else, not you. When you are the headliner, it becomes analytical time. If I had a bad show, it would make sense and just reinforces the need to be better and work harder. In this recent case, however, I had a great show and it was said to the host, who was only on stage for 10 minutes, as opposed to me for 50 minutes. This comedian did well and was clean. Chances are, I offended this person with my comedy, which will happen, especially since I sometimes bring up political issues and darker topics. I also know the host was clean and I happened to swear a few times. The feature comedian was filthy and ended up “walking” a few patrons (which means they left the show during the feature’s set) because of his dirty material and if we are being honest, his material in general. But again, everyone has different tastes and are entitled to their opinion. Because this person said the comment, knowing I was nearby, my guess is my political jokes upset her and she wanted me to hear. At least that’s what I tell myself. LOL #comedy #headliner #bettercallpaul My past personal insecurities play a role in my comedy as they are the subject of my sets. For example, I clearly have insecurities about not being as successful as my brother (a neurosurgeon) and my skills as a musician and lawyer, which are all part of my comedy. Failed relationships, being old, gaining weight are all topics of my stand up comedy. But thinking I am a comedy fraud, or “imposter syndrome” is real and it often affects my comedy on stage. When a joke isn’t working or comedians are in the audience that I respect, that imposter feeling creeps in. Or if a reel I post fails or a joke I post on social media doesn’t do well, it creeps back in. I spoke to some more seasoned comedians and heard some on podcasts saying that never goes away. But I do notice the days I don’t feel it out number the ones I do now.  Why not? For one, I have time late at night when I sleep and I am a contrarian. If you say I suck, I am gonna to show you that I don’t or give you more reasons to not like me. And if they are gonna take the time to sh*t on my art from their mom’s basement in between Warcraft games, I should make the time to respond. I like a good fight. More importantly, picking a fight with a seasoned comedian who happens to have been a trial litigator is a battle I am favored to win. And I like to win. It is also important to note that ANY engagement, negative or positive, helps my algorithm. So I have a thick skin and can respond to the haters. Especially if it helps my career. #comedy #standup #formerlawyer #hater  Anyone who pursues the arts is taking a huge risk, in my opinion. But the misperception about me is that I am a huge risk taker, since I left a well paying stable career to pursue a career that is neither well paying nor stable. Also, I first went to law school, which is considered the "safe route" and then practiced law for years instead of solely pursing my passion at the time, which was music. I only left law completely to pursue comedy full time in March of 2020 when I had many things solid locked up in my comedy world. I had a dream comedy writing job, I was touring nationally in theaters as an opener and my podcast was accepted into the prestigious SXSW festival. Ironically all of it went away within two weeks because of Covid. That being said, I still like to take chances with new jokes and decisions but I also believe that my legal training automatically makes me think about results and consequences of all decisions, almost subconsciously and innately. I think I am measured in my decision making process. I try not to let emotions drive my decisions and use logic more often than not. That being said, I will sometimes throw caution into the wind on stage just to have some fun. #comedy #standup #formerlawyer  |
AuthorPaul Farahvar is a comedian hailing from Chicago, Ill. Archives
May 2026
Categories |
Paul Farahvar Comedy
All From Paul
RSS Feed
SUbscribe TO WHy ARE YOU AWAKE on YOUTUBE! |
Buy My Merch |
SHOWS |
clips & Press |
WHY ARE YOU AWAKE? |
MIXTAPE PODCAST |