Timothy Norris, known to his comedy fans as Big Daddy Tazz or the Bipolar Buddha was an easy target for laughter as a kid. He was short and stout, and knew that to survive he would have to get people to laugh with him, not at him. After he had fell one day in class, the teacher asked what he was trying to prove. Tazz quickly replied, “Gravity!” Since then, Tazz has continued to make others laugh while remaining down to earth, and making light of his own life, even on its darker days.
Tazz grew up in Saskatoon. His childhood had its fair share of overcast days, between his ADD, the teasing, and his rocky relationship with his parents. “My parents shouldn’t have had kids. They didn’t know how to handle me,” he says. When he was 15, he left home to begin his journey of self-reliance. Today, at 43, Tazz is in the process of forgiving and rebuilding a relationship with them.
With his short, round stature, bald head, and goatee, Tazz gives the appearance of an animated Buddha. His crow’s feet and facial lines tell tales of laughter, tears, and struggle from his uphill battle with life and mental illness. His personality is as colourful as his bright red living room. Tazz talks about how he used to see that same color as he battled his anger issues and Bipolar disorder. “I was a compulsive liar, I was violent and just needed to be the centre of attention all the time,” he says. “I still feel that way sometimes, but I have to rein it in and just say let it be.”
At age 34, Tazz decided he needed to deal with his issues. He contacted a psychiatrist and was put on medication. This allowed him to take a step back and really look within. He was first diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 1994.
Looking back, he sees what a long and winding road his life has taken. “I would get into these deep depressions, and manic episodes that would turn into months and months of manic activity,” says Tazz. “My mental illness and anger issues have shaped who I am.”
Tazz has managed to make an impact and to encourage others to help themselves. He does this through his comedy, which is often a reflection of his own journey. Tazz remembers that when he was eight years old, he saw Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin on the Johnny Carson show. He loved the effect laughter had on the TV audience; this was the moment he decided he would be a comedian. Tazz is scared every time he steps out on stage, but says there is nothing like making people laugh. “It gives my life meaning.”
Tazz has been doing comedy for the past 21 years. Every year for the past nine he hosts a fundraiser to raise awareness for mental illness, and has raised $120,000 so far. In the audience at his last show was Judy Dunn. She had recently suffered a massive stroke and was physically unable to laugh or weep. There was nothing the doctors could do. But Tazz’s humour made her laugh. “I didn’t realize I could still laugh,” Dunn told him after the show.
“Hearing this made me feel ten feet tall,” says Tazz. “Knowing I’m on the right path, being effective through silliness, it brought tears to my eyes.”
“It’s not a fundraiser unless dad cries,” adds Tazz’s 15-year-old son Josh.
“Helping people is fulfilling,” says Tazz. “That is what life should be.”
“Right now, my main focus is to be a positive role model for both of my boys,” he says. "Never worry about who your children are going to grow up to be, but who your children are going to grow up to be like.”
Tazz also tries to be a role model for those who live with a stigma of mental illness or anyone else who “doesn't fit in the puzzle.” Tazz knows his own struggles are far from over: he still fights an ongoing battle with depression, manic episodes, and anger. These days, the difference is he wins more battles than he loses.
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