Every real great comedian is conflicted at best. They are like the greatest artists, or musicians. Look at rock music. How many of the really creative ones were just Fubar'd. John Phillips, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison. Notice how the Monkees thrive today. You don't think John Lennon was tormented?
same with Carlin. I was watching his stuff a couple weeks ago, and had to turn it off. But in the seventies, he was cutting edge.
My heart was broken when Richard Jeni offed himself. He was brilliant, and consistant to his dying day. He must have been in horrible pain, mentally. Lots of comics the same way, except the lame ones. But Jeni, on Religious wars, "........like fighting over who has the best imaginary friend."
That theme is consistant throughout comedy. Maybe it's because Jeni and Carlin were raised Cathollic. Wanna hate relligion? Catholics can do that to you. Who was the comic who commented on eating meat on Friday being a mortal sin for so many years, then they changed it. This guy, lost to my sieve of a memory laments, "but what about all those people doing time on a meat rap?"