Favorite Lenny Bruce bit?

[Westegg]

I heard "Thank You, Mask Man" the other night on the radio (WBAI---NYC), and marvelled again at Lenny's brilliance. The man was WAY ahead of his time. Not sure that's my favorite---just the only one I've heard in a long time.

Can anyone recommend a great Bruce album/CD? Thanks!

[lucidmadman]

1. Lenny Bruce quote...

" They arrest me for saying f__k because they say it's obscene. You want to know what's obscene? Compare the salary of a High School English teacher and an oil company executive. Now, THAT'S obscene."

[Westegg]

3. Reminds me of Brando in "Apocalypse Now"...

To paraphrase: "...They drop jellied gasoline on people, but they won't let soldiers write 'fuck' on their airplanes, because they say it's obscene."

[lucidmadman]

4. Interesting...

...I know that Bruce also 'riffed' on the diference between naked teats vs napalm soaked burning teats. I doubt if Frances was unaware of that. I almost got to see Lenny in '65. They wouldn't let me in...drat! THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION and THE GREAT SOCIETY were also on the bill. Lenny Bruce, Frank Zappa and Grace Slick...the mind boggles...

[Westegg]

6. Wow! What a show.

Oh, to have a recording of the entire thing. Grace AND Frank AND Lenny? The mind boggles indeed. Where was this? I'm assuming L.A. or San Francisco... Well, hey, at least you TRIED.

[lucidmadman]

7. SF...

...I came into the city freezing my ass off in the back of a jeep from...well...North of there. I was 14 but looked older. I just couldn't resist trying because I'd heard the Bruce records on "free-form" FM radio(KMPX) and KPFA. Some us got in, some didn't. Those of us that didn't wandered around the Fillmore District probably at great risk of life and limb, though it didn't seem like it at the time. Pictures of a Gone World...

[Loonman]

2. "Frankenstein"

Classic.

[bif]

5. "We're up to our asses in crutches..."

Jesus comes back and starts curing people in New York. That line is from a phone conversation the Cardinal of Ny has with the Pope complaining about how many crippled people are showing up at the cathedral. Funny bit. Don't know what album it's on though.

[tigerbeat]

8. bet you've got mascar-ee under that mask!

have you ever seen a brilliant cartoon that was done with "thank you mask man?" it's at the end of the "lenny bruce performance film". the concert itself is lackluster but the cartoon is surreal greatness.

[Westegg]

9. Yep. It's great! Need to see it again.