Happy birthday to the late comedian Lenny Bruce, who would have been 84 years old today, had he not overdosed himself off this mortal coil back in 1966. His daughter, Kitty, runs The Official Lenny Bruce Website, and today marks the beginning of a two-week auction of Bruce memorabilia.
The actual list — with suggested minimum bids — can be seen here. It includes a note to his accountant (“Get me an American Express card O.K.?”), signed photos of Lenny (in court, on stage, at home) and donated articles from celebrities (Jay Leno, Carl Reiner, Hugh Hefner and others).
For a good radio program on Bruce and his many legal troubles, go to this 2003 profile from National Public Radio.
And here’s a direct link to an audio file of one of his routines from 1963.
And here’s another gem from 1963 — a patient Canadian interviewer lets Bruce wrestle with coherence:
From the Who2 blog:
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