Monday, September 11, 2006
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
I shouldn't write posts like the one immediately below. I start thinking about stuff, and one thing leads to another. You know how it goes. Anyway, thinking of the JFK assassination reminded me of Mort Sahl, whose career took a header when he became obsessed with the assassination and the supposed conspiracy surrounding it. Sahl's still around. It's just that his career died a long time ago. Or if it didn't die, it more or less disappeared. Anyway, I was reminded of one of Sahl's jokes: "Senator McCarthy doesn't disagree with what you say, so much as he disagrees with your right to say it." Change the name (you can probably think of a few to substitute without even trying), and you've got a joke you could use right now.
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2 comments:
I recommend Gerald Nachtman's account of the New Comedians of the latter '50s and early '60s, SERIOUSLY FUNNY...Not only Sahl, but several others (Dick Gregory, Lenny Bruce most obviously) found themselves caught up in matters too, well, personally Serious to continue to be as popularly funny about...though I did enjoy Sahl's 1990 or so Monitor Channel show, as long as it (and Monitor Channel) lasted (it was a model for the likes of Dennis Miller's recent series or Keith Olbermann's, if not quite as elaborated as THE DAILY SHOW or its ancestor, THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS).
I think you mentioned that book once before, and I bought a copy. I've read the chapters on Lenny Bruce, Tom Lehrer, and Sid Caesar so far, and they're great. I'm going to read the one on Sahl soon.
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