| What's
so Funny? The Astrological Essence of Comedy ~
Shelley Ackerman |
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A Singing Waitress Observes...
In July of 1971 at the (under) age of 17 years, I began working
as a singing-waitress at the about-to-become-world-famous Improvisation
on West 44th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan’s Hell’s
Kitchen. (Astrologically, Hell’s Kitchen translates into
Pluto in Cancer, the generation that permeated the first wave
of television comics).
Hell’s Kitchen was both the name of the neighborhood as
well as an accurate description of the less than pristine working
conditions at the club. But hey, who cared? Life was good, it
was a party every night and I was working and playing with a
group of creative crazies that I could truly relate to. For
the first time in my young life, I was home.
I got to The Improv by way of a comedian named Jimmie Walker,
who I met while singing at a “showcase” club in the
city. (Jimmie went on to become TV’s “J. J.”
on “Good Times”, one of the first Black “breakthrough”
sitcoms.)
I’d graduated from The HS of Music and Art at age 16 the
year before, and was living in a group home for teenagers from
“troubled” homes. I would later learn to appreciate
that a “troubled” home (Uranus in Cancer) was often
the prerequisite for comic genius and the turbulence that feeds
creativity in general. It was when Uranus was in Cancer (1949-56)
that sitcoms were born on television (Uranus). At that very
group “home”, in early spring 1971, I caught a Channel
13 special on The Improv, and was mesmerized. I knew I had to
be there. The show was emceed by impresario and club owner Budd
Friedman (born June 6, 1932). It featured Jimmie Walker, Robert
Klein, Steve Landesberg, David Frye, Rodney Dangerfield, David
Brenner, Liz Torres, Marvin Braverman, Bob Altman: a/k/a Uncle
“Dirty”, and a couple of singing waitresses. The producer
of that broadcast omitted then Improv regular, Bette Midler
from the line-up. He thought she was too “off-beat”.
Ha!
I was awestruck. Jimmie introduced me to Budd and I auditioned.
Though I had never served a drink or held a tray, (and was under-age)
Budd liked me, and I was hired as a replacement for Libra Liz
Torres, who opted for a gig that Saturday night at The Continental
Baths. I was in heaven.
At the time, I was not aware of the hidden treasure encased
in that 9-year stint. In retrospect, I was not at The Improv
(and later Catch a Rising Star) simply to hone my craft as a
performer and position myself for a break. Though unconscious
about the turn my professional life would take some 20 years
in to the future, I was in fact, a budding astrologer: observing
behavioral and celestial patterns and collecting data. It’s
interesting that I began there in July (when the transiting
Sun was on my MC). I’ve since begun many wonderful work
situations in July, the time of the Sun’s journey through
Cancer. I soon noticed that many comedians have an emphasis
there as well. Why is that?
Funny You Should Ask...
When astrologers think of laughter, we first think of Jupiter.
And while Joviality and Joy may be derived from the same word
(and planet), experientially, laughter comes from many other
spots. More often then not, comics are very sad and even tortured
inside. Legendary drama teacher, Stella Adler, once remarked
in class: “A true artist is born with such a wound, that
it takes a lifetime to express it”. With that in mind,
I have noticed that comedy has its roots in Cancer. The astrological
sign that has everything to do with wounding, as well as the
need for security, motherhood, the breast, food, and the stomach.
The aforementioned subjects are and always have been reliable
fodder for countless jokes, monologues, and sitcoms and are
responsible for many successful careers and even entertainment
empires. (What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, funnier,
and sometimes very rich!)
The list of Cancerian born comedians, comic actors, and comedy
writers is staggering. They include: Milton Berle, Bill Cosby,
Jon Lovitz, Robin Williams, Richard Lewis, Neil Simon, Mel Brooks,
Jimmie Walker, Fred Gwynne, female impersonator Charles Pierce,
Don Knotts, Gilda Radner, Phyllis Diller, Freddie Prinze, Red
Skelton, and Seinfeld creator Larry David (July 2, 1947) to
name a few.
While all have very different charts, the unifying theme can
be reduced to vulnerability and wounding in childhood blended
with an uncanny ability to reflect their wounded inner world
back to the outer world with impeccable timing and panache.
Go (Con)figure!
But what exactly makes us laugh and why? I was walking down
the street and saw the remains of a bicycle chained to a post
with a very expensive and intricate lock. You could see that
the owner of the bike went to great lengths and spared no expense
to protect it. There was but a few pieces of the bicycle left,
and I got hysterical. When I analyzed this astrologically, I
thought: Jupiter conjunct Neptune (blind misguided faith) squared
by transiting Saturn (hard reality). When you think of it, it’s
pretty sad. But what a funny sight that stripped bicycle was
against the backdrop of 2nd Ave!
Is laughter merely a defense against that which truly upsets
us? Yes and no. There’s joyful Jupiterian Laughter, Plutonian
“schoddenfreud” (spelling?), Uranian Shock, and a
lot of planetary configurations that one would expect in the
creation of jokes, impressions, and theatrical set-ups that
produce laughter. Not surprisingly, they include plenty of squares,
oppositions, quincunxes, and even yods (as will be sited further
on). But more often than not, it is Stern Saturn (the straight
guy) who almost always plays some role in the delivery and you
should pardon the expression, execution of a gag. Saturn, as
we all know, rules timing. And if the timing’s off, so
is the joke.
What a Team!
If we analyze the great comedy duos: Abbott and Costello, Laurel
and Hardy, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Lucy and Desi, we
see that one usually plays the role of Saturn, while the other
plays the Sun, the Moon, Neptune, Venus, or Jupiter. With Dean
Martin and Jerry Lewis, Martin was Venus (a singing Adonis)
and Lewis was Crazy Uranus. In the Odd Couple, written by Cancerian
Neil Simon, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau portrayed the now
standard archetypes of “Oscar and Felix”. Lemmon played
Virgo/Saturn, against Matthau’s unmanageable composite
of Mars/ Uranus/ Pisces. Mostly though, it’s the Moon vs.
Saturn (The struggle to balance the axis of houses 4 and 10).
Lots of great comedians and comic actors singularly embody the
dynamic of the aforementioned teams, and that makes for terrific
standup. A good example of that is the late legendary British
Comic Genius: Benny Hill (data: Jan 21, 1924 @ 8:15 AM UT Southampton,
England*). Mr. Hill’s 12th house Aquarian Sun squares Saturn
in Scorpio in the 8th (hardship and even torture); Venus in
Pisces squares Mars in Sagittarius (quite a conflict). His Mercury
at 13 degrees Capricorn opposes Pluto at 10 Cancer (penetrating
insight), and bi-quintiles Neptune at 19 Leo (unusual perception).
The quintile series has much to do with creativity and alchemy.
Great comedy is alchemy for it often involves the transmutation
of painful circumstances into abandon and joy.
Comic genius George Carlin (May 12, 1937 @ 11:45 AM EDT NYC)
has had a career that has spanned nearly 40 years and is going
strong. He’s what I refer to as a “Taurus Titan.”
If Taurus rules physical pleasure and creature comforts, what
better argument for astrology is there than Carlin’s signature
routine about a place for all my “stuff”? Carlin’s
horoscope features Uranus in the 10th close to the midheaven
(could have been an astrologer) and the Moon in a square to
Neptune Biquintile Jupiter. Other Taurus Titans include Jay
Leno (April 28, 1950 @ 2:03 AM EST NYC) (married to an astrologer),
Jerry Seinfeld (April 29, 1954: no time available), Jack Paar,
Mort Sahl, and Carol Burnett (April 26, 1933 @ 4 AM CST San
Antonio, Tx). All have had careers that have stood the test
of time, and many have grand trines in earth (observational
mastery of the physical plane?) as do Mary Tyler Moore, Lily
Tomlin, Lucille Ball, Bill Cosby, and Peter Sellers.
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Was it in
The Water?
Certain years bred great comics. There was something especially
funny about The Autumn of 1925. Peter Sellers was born Sep
8, 1925; Lenny Bruce: Oct 13, 1925; Johnny Carson: Oct 23,
1925; and Jonathan Winters: Nov. 11, 1925. All have a grand
trine in water and the knee-slapping placement of Saturn in
Scorpio. Many fine comics have the moon in Capricorn or in
hard aspect to Saturn. They include Andy Kaufman (Sun in Capricorn,
Moon conjunct Saturn in Virgo), David Letterman Sun in Aries
Square the Moon in Capricorn, Richard Pryor: Sun in Sagittarius,
Moon in Capricorn, Lucille Ball: Sun in Leo, Moon in Capricorn,
and Tracey Ullman, Sun AND Moon in Capricorn. Late night erudite
great Bill Maher (Jan 20, 1956 @ 10:32 PM EST NYC) has the
Moon in Taurus quincunx a Saturn Mars conjunction. His chart
has a fixed grand cross between the Sun, Moon, Uranus, and
Neptune. With that cross, everything is fair game; hence “Politically
Incorrect”.
But ultimately, I think it is the simple act of being born
and trying to make it on this planet that is truly funny.
It’s the human comedy. What IS the human comedy? It’s
the ridiculous reality of being. It’s the fact that we
are each a huge and holographic multidimensional soul squishing
our way through the narrow birth canal to settle for a spell
here in the limited confines of three dimensional earth. At
heart, comedy is the clever portrayal of how wacky an experiment
it is.
Shelley
Ackerman is a New York based astrologer and frequent on
air commentator. She heads the NY affiliate of the American
Federation of Astrologers. Her website is www.KarmicRelief.com.
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| ©
Shelley Ackerman, 2001. No parts of this article may be used
or reprinted without written permission from the author. |
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