It’s said that comedy is tragedy plus time. In Aaron Foster’s case, it’s also depression, anxiety, grief, two restaurants, a defunct sports nutrition brand and a stint as an HGTV host—all seasoned with gallows humor and served under the banner Mostly Jokes.
The show, which lands at Sebastopol’s Main Street Theater on June 5, is a one-man dive into the deep end of mental health with nothing but a mic as a flotation device. Foster, who returned to stand-up after a 15-year hiatus, has crafted an autobiographical act that confronts—with harrowing hilarity—his family trauma, career detours and the garden-variety existential dread that festers behind curated Instagram smiles.
“The first time I told a joke about my brother committing suicide, it did not go well, to say the least,” he told me. “But, one person (one) found me after the show and said their brother had done the same thing and that it was the funniest joke they’d ever heard. That was enough reason to stick with it.”
Dark? Yep. But ultimately cathartic (for both the performer and the audience) and, above all, funny.
“I don’t think there is such a thing as ‘too dark,’ but there is definitely such a thing as ‘not funny,’ and that’s the ultimate measuring stick,” Foster said. “When you’re starting out and audiences don’t know you, it’s not always ideal to open with five (or 15) minutes about clinical depression, so you’d better figure out a way to make that stuff really funny and relatable.”
Foster does. And he’s earned his black belt in emotional jujitsu, flipping pain into punchlines with finesse honed over years—years of therapy.
“My life is pretty fantastic on paper. Unfortunately, in my head, it’s a whole different thing,” he said, candid about his ongoing bouts with imposter syndrome and a tendency to catastrophize. “An hour on stage in front of 100 strangers is more comfortable to me than 10 minutes at a cocktail party.”
Comedy is where chaos and control share a safe-word. And Foster’s set is a masterclass in owning the narrative. From strained family dynamics (a bipolar father, a schizophrenic brother, among other issues) to the psychic wounds of the career complexifier known as Hollywood.
“Turning a breakdown into material might be easier than turning it into a breakthrough, unfortunately. Unless turning a breakdown into material is the breakthrough?” he noted.
It might be. At least it’s honest. And in a culture over-attuned to performative vulnerability on TikTok and Instagram, the real deal is damn near revolutionary. That said, Foster is not deluded about the odds. Hollywood loves a comeback story—but it’s hard to get it to notice.
“Sure, it’s late in the game, but it ain’t over ’til you’re dead and buried, so you might as well keep swinging,” he said. “It’s probably as long a shot as doing it the other way, maybe longer, but at least it’s mine.”
‘Mostly Jokes’ plays at 8pm, Thursday, June 5, Main Street Theater, 104 N. Main St., Sebastopol. Tickets at mostlyjokes.com.
