Comics
The history of stand-up comedy in the United States can be looked at in terms of before and after Lenny Bruce. Before Bruce comics were family friendly nice guys such as Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Milton Berle. Mort Sahl started kicking it up a bit in the 1960’s by adding elements of real world issues into his act. A few years later Lenny Bruce … Keep Reading → changed the landscape with his use of vulgar language. He was arrested in 1964 for uttering obscenities in public. After Bruce came a number of other comedians who used language in new and creative ways. Two of the best were Richard Pryor and George Carlin. Though they became known for their liberal use of language ultimately it was their creativity and intelligence that made them both comic legends. The 1980’s and 1990’s brought both observational comics such as Jerry Seinfeld and Steven Wright, and more manic types such as Robin Williams and Sam Kinison.
