He does Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Dick Gregory, Goldwater Talks to Negroes, Las Vegas Tits & Ass, The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), Schmuck, Flashers, and Custody/Get Even and Deny It. Lenny Bruce Robert Pinsky I saw him in San Francisco at the Purple Onion When I was still at Stanford, a Teaching Assistant Getting the "Ode to a Nightingale" by heart. He reads from the transcript of his trial for obscenity in San Francisco earlier that year. A discussion of Jackie Mason speaking out against censorshipin response to Bruces arrest for obscenity at the Gate of Horn days earliercontinues. Bruce performs his bit about the history of obscenity law and Entrapment by Cops. The Purple Onion is a nightclub in San Francisco, opened in 1952. Worn down by the repeated arrests and trials, Bruce turned away from general satire and talked more about his personal battles with the law and society. Bendich is impressed by the thoroughness of Bruces research. Bruce died in his home in Hollywood Hills in 1966. He then talks about Lyndon Johnsons southern accent. (2) 15-minute section of a Gate of Horn show on December 9, 1962. He says that in light of this, his upcoming gig in Detroit was canceled. Remaining free while appealing his Chicago conviction, Bruce attempted to do a show in Britain. The recording starts with the show in progress. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search. He turns his back to the camera this way, you dont know who said, the band said it, hes timing himself, preparing to say that shocking, obscene, foul, four letter wordhe immediately turns around to the camera. He does Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Goldwater Talks to Negroes, Men Are Carnal, Bestiality Law, Custody/Get Even, Deny It and Hotels Are Dirty. (3) The last section is a series of commercials, and possibly outtakes from commercials, for the Los Angeles mens clothing store Zeidler and Zeidler. The recording abruptly switches to a different performance, in progress, that most likely takes place in 1964, because he mentions Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater. He does Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight? Bruce speaks about and reads from documents associated with his February 1962 arrest for obscenity in San Francisco, including Bruce's own letter to Judge Clayton Horn and tells how it resulted in his being charged with contempt of court. Reading law books and other commentaries on free speech now took up most of Bruces time. A new set begins. Bruce then makes his own comments about what is in the letter. He talks about an article attorney Melvin Belli wrote for Fact magazine and segues into his bit about Jack Ruby (for whom Belli served as defense attorney). Performance by Lenny Bruce. ), Bruce was introduced at this famous appearance as the most shocking comedian of our time, a man who is skyrocketing to fame. He began his routine with a wry smile and the line, Will Elizabeth Taylor become bar mitzvahd?, The Marine Corps is goyish. Most of his acts took place in the underground scenes; jazz bars, strip clubs etc. The Purple Onion is another great release from Art of Life. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House and his bit on Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots. But this isn't. A bravura performance of wordplay and innuendo. The recording ends abruptly. He mentions his obscenity trial in New York (the Caf Au Go Go trial). He does the bits We Killed Christ, Flashers, Christ & Moses, Are There Any Niggers Here Tonight?, and Black Black Woman White White Woman. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul). Since a tape of the performance was played at the trial, its in the public record and he plans to release it as an album, but with a warning that whoever sells it may be subject to the obscenity laws of his locality. But it comes down to society and yourself as an individual to take that powerful word that is currently suppressed, and change it so that it becomes normalised, just like the word shit. The recording continues with the first part of a Lenny Bruce performance at the Gate of Horn on December 9, 1962. He does some of his bit How to Relax Your Colored Friends at Parties, to prove that Boyar misinterpreted it as racist. The trials for both violations resulted in deadlocked juries. At The Purple Onion Lenny Breau, Don Francks & Eon Henstridge 10 SONGS 1 HOUR AND 7 MINUTES NOV 16 2004 Play Purchase Options 1 Introduction 02:29 2 A New Electric Chair 03:14 3 The Surrey With The Fringe On Top 05:27 4 The Newspaper Song 09:17 5 Gum Addiction 04:09 6 Tea For Two 13:18 7 A Gentile Sings The Blues 21:04 8 Work Song (Feat. [2] The comedy of Lenny Bruce was changing. Bruce seeks Bendichs advice. and People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. Lenny Bruce died in August of 1966, but you can still hear his voice online. Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 - August 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and screenwriter. He reiterates what Allen stated, that his current litigation was surrounded by a four letter word that started with an S and ended with a T. Bruce contends that he was framed, and that the heroin reputed to belong to him was planted by White. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. Also known as The Midnight Concert. Conspiracy to interfere with the fourth amendment const Lenny Bruce. Bruce begins the set (possibly the first set) by saying Happy Friday and talking about the clubs owner, George Andros. Names like Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Bob Newhart, and Phyllis Diller, either got their starts or made their debut at The Purple Onion. On August 3, 1966, he died of a morphine overdose in his home. Please contact the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University. Bruce speaks of his agent, Jack Sobel, does The Palladium, Bronchitis, talks about doing doctor bits, does Nightclub Owners, speaks of not stealing from other comics. In March 1964, Steve Allen invited Lenny Bruce to make his 3rd appearance on his show. Bruce is known to have had engagements at The Den in April and during the fall of 1959. The truth is what is, and what should be is a fantasya terrible, terrible lie that someone gave to the people long ago. Lenny Bruce. He says an obscenity circus has been going on around him for the past five years. By Philip Eil Their interaction in Nat Adderley's soulful "Work Song" is amazing, with Breau providing a bit of percussion on his instrument as well. He does his bit about Jack Ruby and Melvin Belli. Fundamentally, everything we have created, came from nothing thus, meaning that nothing has a meaning. (2) The bit The Reason We Left England is in progress. Religion. The tape ends during a passage in which the band is playing and Bruce is interacting with an audience member. Once again Bruce was hauled off and arrested. He mentions anti-integrationists Ross Barnet and General Edwin A. Walker and wonders what Christ would think about them. As comedy relief, Bruce tells an anecdote, using a W.C. Fields voice, about the judge. Even up to his last moments, Bruce never backed down from fighting for what he believed in. He says three guys at the previous nights show were obviously law enforcement. Why did you call him that? The first clip captures Bruces piece about doctors in old Hollywood movies, and continues with his bit Fay Bainter. This didnt phase him. Bruce was watched closely in New York as well. He says he was hip to the Bay of Pigs before most people. He was walking on to that stage, knowing that his shocking four letter word could land him behind bars the moment he walked off stage. He mentions that journalist Dorothy Kilgallen is in the audience and talks about her. He does Fatboy, Filipinos, Midgets, Communism/The Phone Company, and We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. He talks about when Norman words took over for Anglo-Saxon ones, providing euphemisms (such as mutton for the meat of sheep). Join Vimeo He played engagements at the club in February and August of 1965. There is an unknown third man present who makes a comment and asks some questions. The tape ends during an exchange between Bruce and Gate of Horn owner Alan Ribback about Jackie Mason having just criticized censorship (this was witnessed by Ribback, but its unknown whether it was live or on television or radio). Bruce recounts how he got the label sick comic. He talks about the cover of his album The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce and says he has a new album (I Am Not a Nut, Elect Me, which was recorded in 1959 and released in 1960). Bruce starts by joking that hes living on a boat thats outside the three-mile limit. He then tells Gleason about his arrest the previous night, at his home, for having given obscene performances at the Trolley Ho nightclub in Los Angeles (under California Penal Code 311.6). The Air Force is JewishKool Aid? However, that episode of the Steve Allen Show was eventually shelved by the censors, it was never aired. The prosecution used the testimony and notes of the city license inspector, as well as from police officers who attended some of Bruces other performances. In 1964, a city license inspector attended one of Bruces shows. But you already knew that, didnt you? He points out that the California statute 288a calls criminal many sex acts that he assumes the audience has practiced. Shop The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. He does Las Vegas Tits & Ass. Bruce does The Act Is Hugging & Kissing. On Capitol Hill, there are 20,000 mostly young men and women who have tremendous influence but are rarely seen, they work in the background, without recognition and often for long hours with low pay. He does his bit on Southern accents and Lyndon Johnson. Then, as is the case today, you had to network, deal with the power-brokers, hold meaningless jobs and share . He says, Im really paranoid about getting busted so much (he had been arrested for his Gate of Horn show during the early hours of December 5). After deliberation, the jury acquitted Bruce. Bruce is introduced by booker Don Friedman. And nobody paid a higher price for alleged obscenity crimes. Language. The police had recorded two of the performances. In these voices he makes reference to beatniks on the Sunset Strip, a used car salesman who has a dog on the hood of a car in commercials (most likely Chick Lambert), a Senate investigating committee, Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul), Custody/Get Even, Deny It, Are There Any Niggers Here? The next section is a montage of very short clips of bits involving drug use. He does Communism/The Phone Company. Conversation among Lenny Bruce, Phil Spector and Allen Ginsberg. He loses his place, then continues to Custody/Get Even, Divorce, and Deny It. He discusses New York sportscaster Bill Stern, and talks about a jazz show he went to. The recorder is shut off, then turned on again and Ginsberg identifies the time and date of the conversation at the embattled, barbed wire household of Lenny Bruce.. He talks about his fans and obscenity. He does his bits Custody/Get Even, and Stag Film vs. King of Kings. Towards the end of his life, Lenny was constantly caught up in bust ups with the authorities. 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As Bruce gained fame and popularity, he moved on from doing stand-up comedy at small strip clubs to performing in larger mainstream halls. Bruce in 1963, after having been arrested in San Francisco. Lenny Bruce - Equality (1961) - YouTube From Lenny's Carnegie Hall show, February 1961.http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Hall-Concert-Explicit/dp/B001VIK60E/ From Lenny's Carnegie Hall. When the police arrived, they found a kettle of water turned on and an electric typewriter with an unfinished sentence. Bruce King, "From the Editor: How to Lose Customers," Gay Scene 5, no. He does Religions, Inc., and starts Father Flotsky. Of more interest is the extended interplay between Breau and Henstridge, as Francks' silliness quickly wears thin. The man brought a civil suit against him. Via a dramatization of how his father used to hit him, he says he became acutely attuned to his fathers moods, and this in turn made him very sensitive to the moods of audience members (I know when youre bugged, I know when Im boring, I know when Im offensive). Other Versions (5 of 9) View All He does his bit on Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots. He does I Picked on the Wrong God. Talks about segregation, Perry Como. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt and Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. He refers to the fact that the previous Sunday hed only sold 500 tickets for a show at the Curran Theater in San Francisco, leaving 1100 empty seats. Class. For example, the word nigger, represents a time of slavery, extreme racism and social injustice at a basic human rights level. In the '90's things were changed from comedy to music. He gives a rundown of persecuted groups, does Ten Thousand Asses (Tigers & Lions), then Shelley Berman & Chicago Shtarkers. He talks about how the Yiddish approach to language is different. Bruces bit People Dont Talk That Way to Judges is in progress. The singer tells a joke between songs, and for an instant it is 1961. The file ends during the bit. He lists his favorite painters, says he writes columns for Rogue magazine and The Realist, and lists magazines he reads and books hes read recently. (1) The first recording is from June 26, 1964 and captures Nassau County New York Assistant District Attorney Norman Levy warning Lenny Bruce not to violate the obscenity laws of the state of New York during his engagement at The Cork N Bib Restaurant. From Indecency, he goes into the bits Custody/Get Even and Stag Film vs. King of Kings. Lenny Bruce, head-and-shoulders portrait. "A New Electric Chair" is a stream-of-consciousness narrative about a warden deliberating a purchase. A new set starts. Bruce does his bit about Barry Goldwaters Jewish roots, which suggests that it is 1964. He does The Best Man in the Tribe (St. Paul). Here are a few clips that show the range, depth, and volatility of a man Complex magazine calls the most. But at that time of recording, Lenny Bruce was under litigation for obscenity by New Yorks [then] District Attorney (D.A. He talks about the double standard in depicting sex vs. violence. Bruce talks about doctors and says hes done a lot of hospital time in the last couple of years. "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" has a bluesy flavor, along with Francks' improvised dialogue and a brief scatted detour into "On the Trail" (from Grof's Grand Canyon Suite). Judaism. He does Thank You Masked Man, We Killed Christ and Christ & Moses. He does short jokes about Liberace, Richard Nixon, Paul Robeson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sophie Tucker. The recording ends in the midst of his bit To Is a Preposition, Come Is a Verb. Goldfarb Library, Mailstop 045 Final show at The Purple Onion in San Francisco on 9/24/12Event Producer: Dan DionVideo Producer: A.D. Liano & Frazer BradshawThe famed San Francisco comedy . He does We Did It to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars. But for all their obscurity, nothing gets done in Congress without these aides. He does Flashers, then Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies are midgets, and imagines Gov. Information about and brief clips of the majority of these recordings can be found below. Tim Allen has spoken out in defense of the Roseanne Barr he once knew. Bruces bit about Barry Goldwater is in progress. Lenny Bruce - The Legendary Lenny Bruce The Famous 1961 Performance Live From The Curran Theater In San Francisco More images Tracklist Notes Originally issues by Fantasy Records (Fantasy 34201) as "Lenny Bruce Live At The Curran Theatre" Murray Hill re-issue produced by arrangement with Fantasy Records. 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