Category: History

Lenny Bruce is Not Afraid

Lenny Bruce Carnegie Hall

On February 4, 1961, Lenny Bruce performed before a full house at a midnight show at Carnegie Hall. Outside that cold night, a blizzard was blowing through the city, and there was also something powerful going on inside.

The Carnegie Hall Performance

Although Lenny Bruce’s career had been slowly building, the performance at Carnegie Hall launched him further into a career of breaking comedy and language barriers that would bring fame, legal troubles, and ultimately his death on August 3, 1966.

Below is the beginning of his performance at Carnegie Hall.

Persecution and Death

Before the end of the year, Lenny Bruce was arrested in San Francisco for obscenity for one of his performances. Although he was acquitted in that case, police officers in other cities began monitoring him more closely.

Here is part 2 (and you may continue listening to the concert on YouTube):

The close scrutiny led to other similar arrests and arrests for drug possession. In 1964 after a performance in New York, Bruce was again charged with obscenity. This time, he was sentenced to four months in a workhouse.

While out on bail during the appeals in 1966, he died of an accidental overdose. Phil Spector said it was an “overdose of police.”

Five years after Lenny Bruce’s death, a similar story would be repeated. Another star would face an indecency conviction, dying while the appeal was pending from an apparent death by drugs: Jim Morrison, who died in exile in Paris on July 3, 1971.

It would be almost 50 years after Bruce’s death before New York Gov. George Pataki pardoned Bruce in 2003.

Lenny Bruce’s Influence

Lenny Bruce influenced many performers who came after him. Richard Pryor said, “Lenny changed my life,” noting that “[i]t was him who said comedy wasn’t about telling jokes – it was about telling the truth.”

George Carlin has often discussed how Lenny Bruce was his hero. One may see the Bruce connection to Carlin’s famous “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bruce also has been mentioned in a number of songs, including R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and Bob Dylan’s “Lenny Bruce” from his Shot of Love album:

They said that he was sick ’cause he didn’t play by the rules
He just showed the wise men of his day to be nothing more than fools
They stamped him and they labeled him like they do with pants and shirts
He fought a war on a battlefield where every victory hurts
Lenny Bruce was bad, he was the brother that you never had.

A bio-pic about Lenny Bruce was made in 1974 starring Dustin Hoffman, who gives an excellent performance. Lenny, which was directed by Bob Fosse and was based on a Broadway play by Julian Barry, appears to be out of print on DVD, but you may watch it streaming on Netflix.

Although Lenny leaves out some background about Bruce’s tragic life, the movie is a good introduction to Bruce.  And Hoffman presents what Bruce’s “shocking” performances were like.

It amazes me that Lenny Bruce was constantly harassed and faced prison for using words we hear all the time today. But I still remember seeing the Dustin Hoffman movie when I was a kid when we first got cable in our house.

I had never heard anyone speak like that. My education on movie profanity would continue with Al Pacino’s performance in Dog Day Afternoon. But Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of Lenny Bruce was quite eye-opening. Many of Bruce’s intelligent points about censorship have stayed with me throughout my life. So, thank you Lenny and Dustin (and Richard Pryor and George Carlin).

Bonus Website: The Official Lenny Bruce website, approved by his daughter, also sponsors a link to donate to Lenny’s House, a non-profit charity for women recovering from drug and alcohol abuse.

Bonus Quote and Movie Reference : One of the Lenny Bruce quotes on the website is: “Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers, will allow you to satirize it which is rather ridiculous, when you think about it.” In one of Woody Allen’s best movies, Crimes and Misdemeanors, a character played by Alan Alda says, “Comedy is tragedy plus time.” Allen was a supporter of Bruce and even signed a petition on Bruce’s behalf after an arrest, so I wonder if the line was inspired by Bruce?

What do you think about Lenny Bruce and his influence? Leave a comment.

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    A Pop Culture Tribute to the End of the Terror Color Levels

    Terror Threat Colors
    Starting last Thursday, the U.S. Homeland Security Department began phasing out the color-coded terror-threat system that was created after September 11, 2001. The system will end completely by April 26, 2011. The national level has been at yellow (elevated) since 2006, with air flights being at orange (high risk).

    Hopefully, in the future, anyone born after today will not know anything about this system. For posterity, here is a popular culture explanation of the meaning behind all of the colors:

    * Red: severe risk: When we are at this level, it is like the days when we thought the communists were taking over and were going to attack. Panic time. (The movie Reds, starring Warren Beatty.)

    * Orange: high risk: This level is like being locked in prison. You cannot go anywhere.  (“Orange Blossom Special” at San Quentin, by Johnny Cash.)

    * Yellow: Elevated – significant risk: When you are at this level, it is a little bit better than being in prison, as you may leave your room, but you still cannot go out. It is like being in a submarine.  (“Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles.)

    * Blue: Guarded – general risk: It’s better than the options above, but you’re still a little sad.  (“Blue” by the Jayhawks.)

    * Low (green): low risk: This is a happy level, like living with puppets. But it’s not easy to get this green level.  (“It’s Not Easy Being Green,” by Kermit the Frog.)

    In all seriousness, I recommend the movie and the songs above. But if you only watch one, check out “Blue” by the Jayhawks. It is a great song with an introduction by a very young Jon Stewart.

    Here’s to hoping we never hear anything more about terror levels again.

    Will you miss the terror colors? Leave a comment.

    Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday to MLK

    As part of the campaign to have a day honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, in 1981 Stevie Wonder released the song, “Happy Birthday.”

    Martin Luther King Jr.On January 15 in 1929, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  Today we celebrate that birth.

    A generation has grown up with the third Monday in January being Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Thus, it may be difficult for some to understand why there was a debate about whether or not to have a day of celebration for the great man.

    The Work for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    A campaign for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day started not long after King’s assassination in 1968.  But the day did not become a federal holiday until 1983 when Pres. Ronald Reagan signed it into law.   Even then, some were opposed to the holiday.  Pres. Reagan initially was opposed to it, citing cost concerns.

    But the matter did not end in 1983, and it took time for some states to get on board to make it a state holiday. In the early 1990s, Arizona received much criticism for its failure to have an official paid holiday after Gov. Evan Mechan rescinded an order from the previous governor, Bruce Babbit, who had made the day a holiday.

    Eventually, Arizona recognized the day through a popular referendum (after an earlier one lost in 1990). New Hampshire was the last state to have a day named after MLK, adopting it in 1999 (the state had adopted the day as “Civil Rights Day” in 1991).  South Carolina was the last state to adopt the holiday as a paid holiday for state employees, and that occurred in 2000.

    Time marches on. Just as kids today may not understand how MLK Day was even an issue in the 1980s and 1990s, it is hard for me, born in the 1960s, to comprehend the violent discrimination that went on in the 1950s and 1960s. And I’m sure most of the kids who were alive in 1911 did not understand how people kept a race of people in slavery just fifty years earlier.

    Humans can be pretty stupid, but fortunately, a lot of times we start to figure things out, even if it takes a long time. And we still have a lot to figure out when it comes to discrimination against others.

    Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”

    One person who does have great perception of human beings is Stevie Wonder. In 1980, when people were debating whether MLK Day should be a federal holiday, Stevie Wonder recorded a song asking why something so logical was taking so long.  He released “Happy Birthday” in 1981.

    In “Happy Birthday,” Wonder reminded people why Martin Luther King Jr. deserved a special holiday.

    The time is overdue,
    For people like me and you,
    Who know the way to truth,
    Is love and unity to all God’s children.


    It should be a great event,
    And the whole day should be spent,
    In full remembrance
    Of those who lived and died for the oneness of all people.


    So let us all begin
    We know that love can win
    Let it out don’t hold it in
    Sing it loud as you can,
    Happy birthday to you.

    So, crank it up and take some time to celebrate the birth of a great human being. Sing it loud as you can. Happy Birthday to You! And thanks.

     

     

    Bonus MLK Songs: See a discussion of 15 songs inspired by MLK.

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    Will Gov. Quinn Sign the Death Penalty Bill?

    Yesterday, the Illinois Legislature passed a bill to abolish the death penalty in that state. In order for the bill to become law, the governor must sign it. The bill now sits on Governor Pat Quinn’s desk, and he has said that he does not yet know what he will do.

    Lethal Injection ChamberIllinois has been a leader in the death penalty debate in recent years, so it will be interesting to see if the governor has the courage to accept the role in abolishing the death penalty. After several Illinois death row inmates were found to be innocent in the 1990s, then-Gov. George Ryan ordered a commission to review the criminal justice system and he ultimately commuted the sentences of everyone on Illinois’s death row. The results from the commission, and studies by other states inspired by Illinois, in effect, found that there are so many flaws in the criminal justice system, that we can never be sure that we will not execute an innocent person.

    Fifteen states and the District of Columbia do not have the death penalty, and there has been a strong worldwide trend for decades to get rid of the death penalty. Yet, when we hear about a violent crime, like the recent tragic shootings in Arizona, our first reaction is to reach for the lethal injection needle. That quest for revenge is normal and human, but it is also normal and human to act out of rational thought instead of anger. And rational thought and experience tell us that the death penalty is more expensive than life in prison, ineffective, racist, inaccurate, and discriminates against the poor.

    Steve Earle touches on several of these themes in his excellent song, “Billy Austin.” The stark tale is narrated by a death row inmate who is part Native American. He does not claim to be innocent, and he describes committing a murder during a filling station robbery. The song then addresses the trial, referencing the poor representation often given to those charged with capital crimes. Earle seems to be telling us that the death penalty is not given based on the worst crimes, it is given based on what happens in a courtroom.

    But my trial was over quickly
    And then the long hard wait began
    Court appointed lawyer
    Couldn’t look me in the eye
    He just stood up and closed his briefcase
    When they sentenced me to die

    The narrator then describes the wait on death row, touching on the racism in the system.

    I ain’t about to tell you
    That I don’t deserve to die
    But there’s twenty-seven men here
    Mostly black, brown and poor
    Most of em are guilty
    Who are you to say for sure?

    And the song ends with another question.

    Could you take that long walk with me
    Knowing hell is waitin’ there
    Could you pull that switch yourself sir
    With a sure and steady hand
    Could you still tell yourself
    That you’re better than I am.

    And those are the questions that face Gov. Quinn. If he does not sign the bill, he will be the one pulling the switch on everyone executed in Illinois from this day forward. And that is a heavy responsibility to bear. Because the death penalty ultimately is not about the person being killed, it is about who we are.

    Bonus Governors’ Dilemmas in Other States: In the past week, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen granted clemency to men on death row. Meanwhile, also in the last week, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter granted a posthumous pardon to Joe Arridy, who was executed in 1936, because evidence now shows Arridy was innocent.

    Bonus Discussion of Another Steve Earle Song on the Death Penalty:  Justice Stevens and Steve Earle’s “Ellis Unit One.”

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    Rosie the Riveter RIP

    In the middle of holiday celebrations, many may have missed that Geraldine Hoff Doyle, the inspiration for the famous poster of “Rosie the Riveter,” died on December 26 in Michigan. Doyle’s memorial service will be held this weekend on January 8, 2011.  [2018 Update:  See update at end of article about another woman credited with inspiring the famous poster.]

    Rosie the Riveter

    When Doyle was 17, a photographer took a photo that was apparently of her working at a metal-stamping machine in Ann Arbor. Artist J. Howard Miller used the United Press photo as the basis for a famous World War II poster that praised contributions made by working women. The poster, encouraging women to enter the work force, featured a strong independent woman flexing her muscle saying “We Can Do It!” Others named the woman in the poster “Rosie the Riveter,” after a popular song about women contributing to the war effort.

    Norman Rockwell also created his own painting of Rosie the Riveter used for a 1943 cover of the Saturday Evening Post.  The Four Vagabonds sang the song “Rosie the Riveter.”

    A little-known fact about the woman in the poster is that Doyle only worked at the plant for a couple of weeks. She quit the job after she learned that her predecessor injured her hand in the metal press machine. So, the woman who inspired the poster with the flexing muscle was not flexing her muscle in the job for long.

    Still, her brief work at the plant inspired other women to do the work. She contributed to the continuing long journey toward obtaining equal rights for women as well as to helping defeat the Nazis. And that’s pretty cool. “Making history, working for victory,” just like in the song. Thanks Rosie, and thanks Geraldine.  Rest in peace.

    2018 Update:  New research indicates that it probably was not Doyle in that original photo that inspired the Rosie the Riveter poster.  A researcher concluded that the woman in the original photo was Naomi Parker Fraley.  Fraley died at the age of 96 in January 2018.  Either way, Fraley and Doyle both did important work for the war effort and womens’ rights.

    Bonus Song Information: Although Doyle became associated with “Rosie the Riveter,” another woman, Rosalind P. Walter, inspired the song. Walter worked a night shift building fighter planes. Another woman, Rose Will Monroe, who worked as a riveter in Michigan during WWII, appeared in a promotional film during the war. Many at the time saw Monroe as the real Rosie the Riveter icon.

    Bonus New Video: Pink’s new video for her song, “Raise Your Glass,” features her impression of the Geraldine Doyle poster.