If you think of Lenny Bruce, you probably think of the guy who took on censorship and was a martyr for the cause of free speech. Maybe you’ve seen the movie “Lenny” and associate him with Dustin Hoffman’s huggable heroin addict. Your first thought might not be that Lenny Bruce was a guy who told jokes. And that’s why we’re here.
Luckily, this week we’ve got backup, in the form of Matt Besser, master improviser and brilliant comedic actor. Though he might not point you to this album to discover Lenny Bruce, this is the album that clearly blew his mind and was integral in his understanding of his own craft. Listen in, listen up, and check this album out.
Subscribe to Comedy on Vinyl on iTunes (And please leave your comments and rate us.)
Host: Jason Klamm
Producer: Mike Worden
This Week’s Guest: Matt Besser
Matt’s Podcast, Improv 4 Humans
Follow Matt: https://twitter.com/mattbesser
Comedy on Vinyl is recorded at Fort Awesome Studios in beautiful downtown Burbank. The samples played in these non-commercial (see: free) podcasts are used without permission, and are intended to sell more albums, not to endorse Vinyl Piracy. Follow us on Twitter or at the Facebooks.
Lenny Bruce’s Official Website: http://www.lennybruceofficial.com/
Buy “I Am Not a Nut, Elect Me!” on Vinyl: http://goo.gl/nxzCb
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Happy New Year and happy satire. Sure, that’s an expression. One of the great, energetic musical comedians, Tom Lehrer is a must-listen (again, another real expression) for those bent on listening to comedy made by intelligent people.
We waited too long to get to this album, since its among the first albums I ever listened to, and it simply blew my mind. What’s disappointing is its the first one I simply have not been able to find locally on vinyl – despite having it in the secret Comedy on Vinyl Vaults somewhere deep in the woods of Upstate New York at my mom’s house (it also explains why we’re pointing to an image of the album cover on my phone). THAT said, this is going to be one of those albums I absolutely DEMAND you purchase immediately. I choose to sample these tracks without killing the value of purchasing the album, but believe me, it was very tempting to give you “Seven Words” in its entirety, as this is the greatest version there is. That said, I didn’t – so go buy it.
Mel Brooks may have made the name he has today with a unique brand of parody, but Young Frankenstein is arguably his masterpiece, and is no doubt the beginning of a brand of pastiche that has informed the work of every great filmmaker of the last four decades. Self-awareness without having to mug, genuine drama without a sly wink, and real, stone-faced, honest acting make this more than just what Mel Brooks calls a “spoof.” 
They’re back, and this time we cover the second album that made Jason and Dan become best friends while hanging out in a broken Ford Fiesta. Yep, that’s Upstate New York for you. This is, in fact, our first quadrilateral New York episode.
It’s taken much too long to get to Monty Python, given our collective love for the group, perhaps best demonstrated by how many Holy Grail references make their way into this podcast. This is a great primer album, though it makes little sense to listen to this until after watching the series and, of course, Holy Grail and Life of Brian.