Comedian Gary Gulman gets candid about childhood in new book

Welcome back, everyone. We're tracking several headlines around the world. Human rights organizations are warning that contaminated water supply in Libya could spark a second crisis in the wake of flooding that killed thousands of people. Thousands more remain without clean water, especially in the hard-hit Derna region. And officials say at least 55 children have already been sickened. And a phenomenon known as the spring tide is pounding the South Africa coast with dangerous surf, leaving at least two people dead and injuring several more. Officials say they've recorded waves as high as 30 feet with some crashing onshore and damaging buildings and property. And a soccer spectacle in Iran. Soccer fans stormed the Tehran hotel where Cristiano Ronaldo is staying with his Saudi teammates ahead of an international match against an Iranian club. Ronaldo became one of the first big names to take massive money to play for a Saudi team despite human rights concerns. Notably, women in Iran have been banned from stadiums for live soccer matches until a recent easing of restrictions. With decades of comedy already under his belt, you may recognize our next guest from his HBO comedy special The Great Depression, where he gets real about the trials and tribulations of mental health. Let's take a look. It was a long time since I shot my last special. I got very sick with the depression. I grew up in the 70s. And the only antidepressants we had access to was Snap Out of It. And what have you got to be depressed about? That was the second leading brand of antidepressants. And now Gary Goldman is here to discuss his new book, Misfit, Growing Up Awkward in the 80s, where he continues to open up about depression and anxiety through a nostalgic nod to his upbringing. Gary Goldman joins us now. Welcome to the show. Lindsay, thanks for having me on. I'm excited. The studio looks fantastic. Oh, thank you. You picked up for me, and I appreciate it. We're excited to have you here. So let's start with your stand-up, because you really share a lot about your personal struggles, mental health, and otherwise. So why did you decide to write a book? Money. Got it. They threw some money at me. No, I've always wanted to write a book, because I love to read, ever since I was five years old and I learned how to read. I've been reading books nonstop. And so I thought that I had enough fans at this point after the Great Depression. And some publishers came to me, and they said, do you have any ideas for a book? And I said, well, I've spent the past 45 years reflecting on my childhood and telling stories from then. And I do a lot of those in my stand-up. And I thought, I would like to do a memoir of kindergarten through 12th grade and kind of look at some of the origins of my worldview, but also tell some funny stories from my childhood that don't really translate that well to stand-up. And so that was sort of the impetus by which I came to write the book. I imagine it was cathartic. Yes. I advise anybody who has memories of childhood or hasn't kept a journal over the years to maybe write down some of their favorite stories or some of their trauma or some of their comedic stories. And it's really a creative outlet. And you can just put it into a desk drawer, or you can show it to friends who are generous. And I found it so exciting. And there were revelations. And I had a great time with it. How did you remember? I mean, because you chronicle each chapter based on each grade, starting with kindergarten, as you just said, K through 12. How did you remember kindergarten, first grade, second grade? I do kind of remember my teachers' names, but not really much about my thoughts and feelings in kindergarten. I have an unusual memory I've come to find out, because most people say, oh, I don't even remember who I had for third grade. And I can remember things that teachers wore and said and be able to quote them. So I think partially there were traumatic things that would happen, which will make you remember things if you're in the right frame of mind. And then there was a lot of joy that I would remember. And I would say, as they were happening, I would say, oh, I will remember this for the rest of my life. Talk about how, at an early age, you enjoyed making people laugh. Can you remember some of those moments when you were like, oh, I have a knack for this? Oh, yes. I just remember being in first grade, and I had seen the Pink Panther with Peter Sellers, where he speaks in this exaggerated French accent. And I remember going into class and doing an impression of the Pink Panther, the detective, Inspector Clouseau. And I would make the kids laugh in the class. And it was euphoric. And any time I could make a wisecrack during class, and the kids would laugh. And I didn't consciously say, I'm going to devote the rest of my life to getting this feeling. But I think subconsciously, I thought, oh, this is really the only way to go through life, which is so up and down. This was, again, a therapeutic thing. And I remember getting this charge of probably dopamine or serotonin whenever I made people and strangers and classmates laugh. Do you still feel that? Yes. Every time I get on stage. I also was a basketball player. And I'm very tall, so I could dunk a basketball. And the best comparison I can make to dunking a basketball is making a room full of strangers laugh. It is so euphoric. And it's a high I've been chasing since I was a little kid. What would you like people to get out of this book? And who would you say is your target reader? I think my target reader is anyone who has been a child. So everyone. Because one thing that I learned, and I should have learned this long ago, and I'm sure I will tell young people this for the rest of my life, there are so many things, as you look back along the way, that initially were overwhelming. And you thought, how am I ever going to learn how to tie my shoes? How am I ever going to learn how to read? How am I ever going to get over my first breakup? How am I ever going to get through all these essays I have to write to get into college? And without exception, we've done these things. And yet, every time there's something new that seems challenging, we think, oh, this is going to be the thing that proves that I'm a fraud, that I'm not going to overcome. So I think that's one thing people will get out of the book, but also a great deal of laughter and nostalgia. Because I have this great, specific memory for things that happened that were funny, and also the time period I grew up in, which was the 70s and the 80s, which is a very unusual time period. Like, I'm in that Gen X. We're the last people who carry cash and know what a busy signal sounds like. So we're a different group of people. I'm right there with you. Gary Goldman, what a pleasure to have you here. Thank you, so nice to talk with you. Want to let our viewers know, Misfit, Growing Up Awkward in the 80s hits bookshelves tomorrow.