Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Rules and the People Who Comment on Them

Justice is finally served, although cold enough to qualify as a frozen dinner. Lenny Bruce was pardoned by Governor George Pataki for a conviction stemming from an "Obscene Performance:"

During a November 1964 performance at Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, Bruce used more than 100 "obscene" words. Undercover police detectives attended the show, and later testified against Bruce. The charge was Giving an Obscene Performance

The police were probably laughing along with everyone else.

I can recommend both the Curran Theater CD/Album and the Berkeley Performance, and, while it isn't his best, I have a tape called The Law, Language, and Lenny Bruce.

Example: "As smart as any Southerner could be--if Albert Einstein (adopts fake Southern accent) tawked lak thayatt--there wouldn't be no bomb." (Continues as Southern Albert Einstein) "Folks, I wanna tell y'all 'bout nukulur fissyion. Man, I'm talkin' some STUFF, buddy."

I take no offense...because it's funny, for chrissakes. Besides, intelligent Southerners who DO sound Southern scare the shit out of northerners--I speak from experience.

More on Lenny can be found here. Hard to believe it's been almost thirty-eight years since he passed on.

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