And therein lies the problem. Posterity just doesn't care much for humorists these days, and the marketplace is almost equally fickle. Just try to remember the last time a pure comedy film won the Oscar. The n see if you can find a James Thurber collection on the shelves of your local bookstore. Clowns, it seems, are bankable in short term, but ultimately pass from memory.
Laughter is transitory, misery endures.
Wainwright's career trajectory would seem to support that notion. My guess is, Wainwright's comedic abilities probably do help him fill the seats for his concert appearances, and doubtless play a big part in that damn good living he talks about. But they don't seem to be doing much for his back catalog or his reputation with the under-40 crowd. Wainwright's practically a nonentity. Or that he's capable of penning a stanza so breathtaking it makes you wonder why other songwriters bother.