Jonathan Winters

There are people who exist in their own space, at their own level, people far above the rest of us with no one else to relate to.

Jonathan Winters was one of them.

Wrirers' writers. Actors' actors. Musicians' musicians.

Comedians' comedians.

These are people revered by their professional peers and never quite appreciated by the rest of us.
It is a meaningful comment for a professional guitar player to say to another "You are exquisite on that instrument."

It is a meaningless comment for a common man like myself to say "Wow, you really rock, man."

Winters made a name for himself on the Jack Paar show. He was an absolute original - a comedian who did not tell jokes. Unheard of at that time.

He did characters, switching from one to another with ease and improvising hilariously. He was so good at it, the talk show hosts would challenge him on the spot. Hand him a prop and set him loose.

He always delivered. If you go back and look at footage from Paar, footage from Johnny Carson, you will see them laughing uproariously. That laughter is the textbook definition of a comedian's comedian.

He is now widely considered to be one of the greatest improv comedians ever.

His career was erratic. That is the price paid by someone so talented. Their peers worship them but the public doesn't get it. It is a sad commentary to know the supremely talented fly under the radar, never getting the rewards they so richly deserve.

Groucho said of Jonathan Winters "There's a giant talent." Comedian's comedian.

He battled alcoholism and psychological problems. Had a nervous breakdown and spent time in a mental institution. Too much creativity for this world, too much sensitivity for this world.

Robin Williams said "My father's laughter introduced me to the comedy of Jonathan Winters." There is a lot wrapped up in that line, a lot said. Williams also said that Winters performed legendary improv on the set of Mork & Mindy, that the sound stage was packed on the nights they were filming Jonathan Winters. Williams said he sometimes joined in but felt like a "kazoo player sitting in with Coltrane."

This scenario came up time after time as I read about Jonathan Winters. The after show stuff, the between takes stuff on movie sets, the in the bar stuff. People congregated around him to soak up his creativity, to bask in the sweet release of the laughter he provided. To touch up against genius, against pure originality; an opportunity too rare to be wasted.

Winters had handicapped plates and was challenged by a woman who said "You don't look handicapped to me." His reply "Madam - can you see inside my head?"

Dick Cavett, reminiscing about Winters said "Greatly talented performers don't know, often spectacularly, what's best for them. " This leaves them subject to the decisions of bad advisers and management who end up hurting their careers rather than promoting them.

Cavett also speculated "The worlds of pleasure he gave to us, far, far outweighed any he was able to have himself."

Geniuses exist in a place between deity and humanity. Maybe that is why they are vulnerable, maybe that is why they can give pleasure but not experience it.

They have no way to relate. They don't respect, maybe don't understand, the rules laid down for the rest of us. Their minds cannot comprehend our general inability to recognize their uniqueness.

These people are the very ones we should emulate, at least in spirit. Fiercely individual, creative, possessing an inner beauty. Jonathan Winters has been described as sweet as much as he has been called a genius.

Jonathan Winters once hosted the Tonight show for a full week with a live owl perched beside him as his co-host.

Beautiful.