I was never comfortable in front of a camera, and just about every photo of me I was there with my awkward ass smile, and this stupid goofy look on my face. Usually if you were close enough to me, you could listen to me talk under my breath, spewing my disdain for being in front of the camera.
But now that I wanna devote more of my time behind the camera, is it really important for me to be comfortable in front of the lens, as I am behind it?
I just think it might be. To me at least, you would think that if you had some experience in front of the camera, you can better relate to what you want from behind the camera later on. I mean, it makes sense. For you to be good at anything you wanna do,you’re gonna have to relate what you want/need to someone. And to a photographer, how can you be any good with models, if you don’t/can’t relate/describe what you want/need.
When I have a free moment, I toy with the idea of me actually getting in front of the camera and just having several small series done. Few headshots, general shots, but a small set, by different photographers. Mostly to see how they act and relate, but also you can only do so many “MySpace” shots. Those don’t count, they *never* do. 
But, I’m also very interested in what others say:
A) Is it important to know how to relate what you want as a photographer, and how much?
and
B) Who would be willing to take photos of me with the risk of their lenses breaking?
i dont think you have to be comfortable. take actors for example. some great actors can communicate a character better than the way they actually live their own life.