Any Lenny Bruce fans here?

[CatWoman]

No Joke! 37 Years After Death Lenny Bruce Receives Pardon
By JOHN KIFNER



Published: December 24, 2003

Lenny Bruce, the potty-mouthed wit who turned stand-up comedy into social commentary, was posthumously pardoned yesterday by Gov. George E. Pataki, 39 years after being convicted of obscenity for using bad words in a Greenwich Village nightclub act.

The governor said the posthumous pardon — the first in the state's history — was "a declaration of New York's commitment to upholding the First Amendment."


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/24/nyregion/24BRUC.html?ex=1072846800&en=ddb0be623f340a86&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[Bertha Venation]

1. He said BLAH blah blah!

He said WHAT?!

Let's hear it for Lenny. :toast:

[Zomby Woof]

2. read that in my paper!

Great news! Lenny was THE pioneer of modern stand up comedy, and like me, unafraid to tell the truth in its harshest terms! ;-)

[Melodybe]

4. Lenny Bruse was a true champion for the 1st ammendment, it is about time!

I love Bruce's stand up, he truely is the grandfather of modern comedy. George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock all have benefited from his work. I am so glad that after way too long his name has been cleared.

[madrchsod]

3. ya ,i think the" bio "channel

had a very good program on him ,lots of film. this new York case pretty much killed him. today no one would find his comedy or "potty" talk really offense. what happened was that he won a case against the catholic church in Philly from that day on he was a marked man. after the new York conviction he became obsessed with over turning his conviction,it finally killed him. great social commentator who died way to young

[Zomby Woof]

5. Dylan wrote a song about him

Back in 1981...

"Lenny Bruce"

Lenny Bruce is dead but his ghost lives on and on
Never did get any Golden Globe award, never made it to Synanon.
He was an outlaw, that's for sure,
More of an outlaw than you ever were.
Lenny Bruce is gone but his spirit's livin' on and on.

Maybe he had some problems, maybe some things that he couldn't work out
But he sure was funny and he sure told the truth and he knew what he was talkin'
about. Never robbed any churches nor cut off any babies' heads,
He just took the folks in high places and he shined a light in their beds.
He's on some other shore, he didn't wanna live anymore.

Lenny Bruce is dead but he didn't commit any crime
He just had the insight to rip off the lid before its time.
I rode with him in a taxi once, only for a mile and a half,
Seemed like it took a couple of months.
Lenny Bruce moved on and like the ones that killed him, gone.

They said that he was sick 'cause he didn't play by the rules
He just showed the wise men of his day to be nothing more than fools.
They stamped him and they labeled him like they do with pants and shirts,
He fought a war on a battlefield where every victory hurts.
Lenny Bruce was bad, he was the brother that you never had.

6. thanks for posting that

great song.
I heard Dylan sing it once in concert.
Brings back memories and I can hear it right now inside my memory while I'm typing.

[psychopomp]

7. Yeah

There is a good bio on film, "Lenny Bruce: Without Tears" and a good book, "Ladies and Gentlemen: Lenny Bruce!"

I think that's what they are called. Of course, he was an exceptional talent/American/man who never held back.

[peekaloo]

8. Was 'Without Tears' the one narrated by Robert DeNiro?

Excellent account of Lenny's life story.


A big ole FUCK YOU to the NY obscenity laws that pretty much helped to destroy his career.



"Lenny Bruce is not afraid......." r.e.m.

[flamingyouth]

9. My husband, upon hearing of this, said...

"When are they going to apologize for having the FBI kill him?"

Holiday Greetings from the capital of conspiracy theories - our home! LOL

[NightTrain]

10. Amy Goodman did a piece on Lenny Bruce on today's "Democracy Now!"

Since I had already read Bruce's memoirs, "How To Win Friends and Influence People," the piece didn't tell me too, too much that I didn't already know. But it was nice to hear the man's memory being kept alive.

[no_hypocrisy]

11. Go to a vintage vinyl record shop and try to find Lenny Bruce albums.

You have to listen over and over to his bits. He goes fast and you don't always catch everything the first time or so. His timing and inflections are hysterical. He was avant garde for comedy.