Lenny Bruce and Charlie Sheen Have Something in Common
Eric Bogosian in his 1991 introduction to the republication of Lenny Bruce’s autobiography, “How to Talk Dirty and Influence People” had this to say about Bruce.
“Lenny Bruce is about Attitude. He was the genius of Attitude. If you dig Lenny, you dig the Attitude.”
I am old enough to remember Lenny Bruce and his nightclub act. Bruce was a big deal in the 1950’s and 60’s when he attacked every sacred cow of the time period. Bruce took on organized religion, government, war, and sexual mores with a vengeance. The more outrageous the material the more he liked it. He saw himself as kind of crusader against the hypocrisy and narrow minded thinking (or rather the lack of it) of the time.
Bruce also had a ‘potty mouth’ and it was the four letter words that caused the most attention and what lead to the obscenity arrests.
As one arrest followed another, Bruce began to self-destruct. His crack addiction cost him his marriage, his career, his wealth, and eventually his life.
In 1966, 40-year-old Lenny Bruce was found naked and dead of a morphine overdose in Hollywood Hills. He had been blacklisted by nearly every comedy club in America. Night clubs could not book him or they would be threatened with stiff fines or lose their licenses.
Once a brilliant performer in nightclubs, in later years he became a caricature of himself; he often used his night club audience as a sounding board for his obscenity trials and even read parts of the obscenity trial transcripts to them.
While performing he often rambled, was incoherent, and his audience began to turn on him. He was booed and heckled by people who once held him in high regard. He became a pathetic joke: no longer relevant to his time.
Sound familiar?
Let’s start over again, same play, different time, different actor.
“Charlie Sheen is about Attitude. He is the genius of Attitude. If you dig Charlie, you dig the attitude.
Charlie Sheen is a big deal with his hit show “Two and a Half Men” but is fired on March 7 following several run ins with the law and a public assault on producer Chuck Lorre.
Sheen decides that as a ‘rock star from Mars” he doesn’t need the ‘blood suckers’ over at CBS and decided to take his show (Violent Torpedo of Truth) on the road by way of Cleveland.
He is booed off the stage. It seems Sheen cannot handle a one man show that is unscripted, unfunny and according to some, it was a train wreck.
Sheen fares better in Chicago a day later and receives a standing ovation, but if you can believe what some people said after the show, the standing ovation was more for the “warlock’ with Tiger Blood Charlie Sheen than it is for the (once upon a time before drugs, sex and rock and roll) gifted actor Charlie Sheen.
The careers of Charlie Sheen (actor) and Lenny Bruce (comic) are eerily similar.
I can only hope that those ‘careers’ have different endings.
“Lenny Bruce is about Attitude. He was the genius of Attitude. If you dig Lenny, you dig the Attitude.”
I am old enough to remember Lenny Bruce and his nightclub act. Bruce was a big deal in the 1950’s and 60’s when he attacked every sacred cow of the time period. Bruce took on organized religion, government, war, and sexual mores with a vengeance. The more outrageous the material the more he liked it. He saw himself as kind of crusader against the hypocrisy and narrow minded thinking (or rather the lack of it) of the time.
Bruce also had a ‘potty mouth’ and it was the four letter words that caused the most attention and what lead to the obscenity arrests.
As one arrest followed another, Bruce began to self-destruct. His crack addiction cost him his marriage, his career, his wealth, and eventually his life.
In 1966, 40-year-old Lenny Bruce was found naked and dead of a morphine overdose in Hollywood Hills. He had been blacklisted by nearly every comedy club in America. Night clubs could not book him or they would be threatened with stiff fines or lose their licenses.
Once a brilliant performer in nightclubs, in later years he became a caricature of himself; he often used his night club audience as a sounding board for his obscenity trials and even read parts of the obscenity trial transcripts to them.
While performing he often rambled, was incoherent, and his audience began to turn on him. He was booed and heckled by people who once held him in high regard. He became a pathetic joke: no longer relevant to his time.
Sound familiar?
Let’s start over again, same play, different time, different actor.
“Charlie Sheen is about Attitude. He is the genius of Attitude. If you dig Charlie, you dig the attitude.
Charlie Sheen is a big deal with his hit show “Two and a Half Men” but is fired on March 7 following several run ins with the law and a public assault on producer Chuck Lorre.
Sheen decides that as a ‘rock star from Mars” he doesn’t need the ‘blood suckers’ over at CBS and decided to take his show (Violent Torpedo of Truth) on the road by way of Cleveland.
He is booed off the stage. It seems Sheen cannot handle a one man show that is unscripted, unfunny and according to some, it was a train wreck.
Sheen fares better in Chicago a day later and receives a standing ovation, but if you can believe what some people said after the show, the standing ovation was more for the “warlock’ with Tiger Blood Charlie Sheen than it is for the (once upon a time before drugs, sex and rock and roll) gifted actor Charlie Sheen.
The careers of Charlie Sheen (actor) and Lenny Bruce (comic) are eerily similar.
I can only hope that those ‘careers’ have different endings.
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