19: Comedy = Tragedy + Time
In this episode, Tricia is looking for fun and laughter, but Rob is struggling emotionally. Why? Because they recorded this episode on June 3rd, which is the anniversary of the day that “Billy Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge,” immortalized in the 1960s by the song Ode to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry. This mournful ballad became a Lott family tradition that is celebrated in a pretty strange way every year on or near June 3rd. In this episode, Rob wins the annual battle on who would be the first to mention it on the anniversary of this sad (and also fictional) event.
With this memorable silliness as an introduction, Rob and Tricia talk about grief, loss, and ask the questions, “Does humor have a role in bringing healing? When is it acceptable to find any humor at all in a life experience that has been unspeakably hard?”