Shelley Berman, R. I. P.

The New York Times: Shelley Berman, whose brittle persona and anxiety-ridden observations helped redefine stand-up comedy in the late 1950s and early ’60s, died early Friday morning at his home in Bell Canyon, Calif. He was 92.  

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

I saw Berman on the evening of JFK's election in 1960.  When he came back on stage after the intermission, he announced that JFK was leading, and there was a big round of applause.   Though the headline calls Berman a "stand-up" comic, he sat on a stool for his entire show.