"I needed to memorialIze my dad and let people know it's ok to laugh at the worst things in life."
Virginia stand up comic Winston Hodges knows a thing or two about loss. Last year Hodges lost his father, J.B.Hodges to stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
It's worth repeating, especially this year.
"I needed to let people know it's ok to laugh at the worst thing in life."
And so began an almost year and a half journey between the passing of his Dad and the release of Grieving Productively, a forty minute comedy special doing just that. Filmed, edited, and produced all by himself, Winston takes the audience on quite a journey.
Creating laughter out of the macabre, Winston has created a series of interwoven bits guaranteed to entertain and bring tears. With an inate ability to make sense out of tragedy, Hodges pieced together stand up (via Zoom and live comedy) starting from the day his Dad was diagnosed, while weaving in and out of segments after his father passed away.
Winston starts the special driving to his father's grave exactly a year after his passing, flowers in hand. A sped up film shows the long journey Winston is partaking in from both a literal and figurative sense. He's come a long way in his grief. As the viewer hears beautiful, heartfelt music courtesy of Winstons brother's band Avers, the four minute segment ends with a long shot of Winston getting out of his vehicle and approaching a headstone in a bucolic cementary.
He's arrived at his father's grave to deliver a comedic-like eulogy like no other, lawn chair included with microphone.
"You're really missed" Hodges says, not holding back tears as he's speaking to father.
From this moment the viewer is ready to take this vulnerable journey with Hodges.
From a few seconds talking to his late father at the cementary to a Zoom comedy mic, Hodges tells the laughing observers,
"We went green when he passed away. He was a Republican he wouldn't have been happy about it, but we did it anyway."
From bursts of genuine laughter the production segways to the date his father was diagnosed as Hodges is doing live stand up indoors.
"My Dad got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer today."
You can hear the shock and surprise in the young comic's voice.
This is where the editing takes an even more brilliant turn as the Virginia native fast forwards to 2020, performing safe socially distanced stand up during the pandemic about the loss of his father. One such segment shows Winston on the loading dock of a local cidery business performing stand up with such an ease about the difficult subject.
"Right before we took our Dad to the hospital we found a lucky penny. Uh, they do not work."
There's moments in the special that really make you reflect on the type of man J.B. was and kind of relationship his son had with his father. One moment in particular is when Winston tells a joke that his father wrote (watch the special).
As hilarious as this special is and how inherently effortless Winston is in his comedic abilities, for me, the best moment came in pure honesty as Winston talked to his Dad's headstone.
"I just want you to be proud of me."
One can't help but feel that not only would his Dad be proud, but he'd be laughing along with us as we make sense, and grieve productively.
Not only did he memorialIze his father, but he also offered us introspection of our own relationships with family and to cherish those moments we have.
Mission accomplished Winston. Thank you
Here is the link to watch Grieving Productively
