Let The Buyer Beware Disc 2: I Wanna Pour Gas On You!

(this is the second in a box-set of six that I am currently cleaning up for radio play)

Nothing I could write here would do justice to Lenny Bruce. You’ve heard the name; if you aren’t familiar with him then heres your chance (and chances are 98% of your listeners aren’t either). Real quick: Lenny was a controversial comic in the late 50’s, early 60’s who broke all the rules and gave birth to modern standup comedy. Though “blue” comics existed (e.g. Redd Fox) Bruce launched every day taboo into his act, subjects like racism, homosexuality, stereotypes, venereal disease, drugs. Stuff that we take for granted today in comedy but at the time was the equivalent of Larry Flint first showing pink in Hustler Magazine in 1974 (“hey, you cant do THAT!”). Bruce spent a lot of time on San Francisco stages and got thrown in jail for his act more than once and spent time in the courts defending the First Amendment. Unfortunately he croaked in 1966. Doubt he’d be doing Vegas today. Hanging out with Bill Hicks right now.

1) “testing the new sony dynamic microphone”, gets distorted and intense
2) recording of Lenny on old radio show, a talent contest, doing impersonations, twisted, paints a mustache on “comedy” of the era w/o anyone even realizing it
3) standup commentary, on his routine, performed in San Fran with refs, rips a Chronicle review
4) continuation of previous (but stands alone), great improv with some girls in the audience, hecklers, good stuff, tears into hecklers after taking only so much
5) one minute spoof of a “song skit”, Lenny sings w/ piano accompaniment
6) poke at religion, spoof, Oral Roberts sermon, a meeting of religious leaders of the day
7) interview with Lenny, about his comedy, Lenny talks about the industry, TV, radio, why it selects for “second rate” crap
8) Glue jokes and musicians!
9) phone company jokes, 411, long distance, fantasies about operators
10) flying to Miami, tourists, shark attacks
11) a run down of films at the time which are now all classics, movies as propaganda/stereotypes
12) a skit with Eisenhower, Nixon, genuine “Ike jokes”…
13) “anyone who blows up a plane with 40 people and their mother cant be all bad”: a skit about the event, dragging a whining “jewish mother” onto the plane