I didn't know Mitch Hedberg, whom I approach thanks to your post, @honeydue. From the quotes you transcribe and the videos of his performances you give us, I can appreciate that he was undoubtedly a great comedian. His play with words and his senses, as well as the use of absurdity and a certain surrealistic effect stand out a lot in his style.

The life of many artists in different fields is marked by the intensity and, sometimes, some inner torments that lead them to excesses (in drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.); we know this only by looking at the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is the inoculable truth of the difficult relationship between everyday life and art.

Grateful for your post, @honeydue.