At The Purple Onion Lenny Breau, Don Francks & Eon Henstridge 10 SONGS 1 HOUR AND 7 MINUTES NOV 16 2004 Play Purchase Options 1 Introduction 02:29 2 A New Electric Chair 03:14 3 The Surrey With The Fringe On Top 05:27 4 The Newspaper Song 09:17 5 Gum Addiction 04:09 6 Tea For Two 13:18 7 A Gentile Sings The Blues 21:04 8 Work Song (Feat. He calls the Johnsons the biggest non-Jews in the world. The second set begins. Bruce himself became ill during the trial, which was forced to adjourn while he recovered in hospital. Brandeis University Third part of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. Bruce talks about the mixed reaction he got during the first show. He ends with joking comments, reading from a law book about regulations regarding kosher meat, and then about a law against aiding a suicide. He mentions Judge Clayton Horn from his second San Francisco obscenity trial and Judge John Murtagh from his current New York trial (the Caf Au Go Go trial). He was renowned for his open, free-style and critical form of comedy which integrated satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. Description He refers to a gig he did in Milwaukee, then does his bit about playing at small-town venues. Throughout his career Lenny Bruce said whatever he wanted on stage. Bruce speaks of his agent, Jack Sobel, does The Palladium, Bronchitis, talks about doing doctor bits, does Nightclub Owners, speaks of not stealing from other comics. Bruce asks the lighting man to turn out all the lights, and says its fun in the dark when were together, but not alone. Mentions Leopold and Loeb. The Village Purple Onion employed topless female dancers and served as a performance venue for up-and-coming musicians such as Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. However, that episode of the Steve Allen Show was eventually shelved by the censors, it was never aired. It contains the routines Jackie Kennedy Hauled Ass, To Come: The Verb Instransitive and Deny It. Race. Bars and theatres were either cancelling his gigs or not booking him at all, out of fear that the police will storm in, arrest Lenny and close the location down indefinitelyhe had no income, and whatever money he did have, was spent towards his legal fees obsessively defending his basic right to freedom of speech. Joey Hollingsworth, Tap Dancing & Vocals) 1:43. This collection contains sixty-five recordings on reel-to-reel audio and compact cassette tapes, all of which have been restored and digitized thanks to a grant from The GRAMMY Foundation Grant Program. (2) 15-minute section of a Gate of Horn show on December 9, 1962. A community dedicated to those who are passionate about film. August 5, 2016. The tape ends during an exchange between Bruce and Gate of Horn owner Alan Ribback about Jackie Mason having just criticized censorship (this was witnessed by Ribback, but its unknown whether it was live or on television or radio). Second part (of three) of a conversation among comedian Lenny Bruce, attorney Albert Bendich and journalist Ralph J. Gleason. This show is known as The Bust Show. He talks about when Norman words took over for Anglo-Saxon ones, providing euphemisms (such as mutton for the meat of sheep). The recording begins with the show in progress. (3) The last section is a series of commercials, and possibly outtakes from commercials, for the Los Angeles mens clothing store Zeidler and Zeidler. Bruce mentions protesters demonstrating against policemen, and does How the Law Started/Craphouse. The recording ends during this bit. Material in this collection (including the images and audio on this site) may be protected by copyright and other rights. November 16, 2004 10 Songs, 1 hour, 7 minutes 2004 Art of Life Records. In fact, this bit might be riskier today than it was in the 1960s. A new set begins. (Bruce was then arrested, as was audience member George Carlin, who refused to show police his ID). However, in 1961 Lenny Bruces career began to unravel, when he was arrested in San Francisco for violating state obscenity laws. Bruce speaks of his arrests in Los Angeles both for obscenity and for possession of narcotics. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. He begins a bit about a "chick singer.". A new set begins. Ginsberg recorded the conversation. Performance by Lenny Bruce. Bruce holds up a magazine with a picture of a nude or scantily clad woman and asks, how can that chick be indecent? Bruce refers to the fact that the previous Sunday hed only sold 500 tickets for a show at the Curran Theater in San Francisco, leaving 1100 empty seats. (2) Bruce is in the midst of the bit We Killed Christ. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. From Indecency, he goes into the bits Custody/Get Even and Stag Film vs. King of Kings. Bruce then makes his own comments about what is in the letter. (1) Final 16 minutes of the show on the night of December 4-5, 1962, known as The Bust Show (midnight performance). Since a tape of the performance was played at the trial, its in the public record and he plans to release it as an album, but with a warning that whoever sells it may be subject to the obscenity laws of his locality. Bruce says that he was arrested for obscenity for using the word "fressing" (fress in Yiddish means to eat, but its slang use implies oral sex). In it, Bruce acts out multiple roles including host of a late-night radio show and an irate senior citizen caller. The tenth clip is truncated, ending during the bit. He does Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House. I know words have power. Bruce discusses women's breasts, lipstick and powder, dating advice, does No Guy Ever Cheated on His Wife/Guys Detach, Custody/Get Even, Divorce, Deny It, and a bit about Alaska. Why did they choose that word?. There is an unknown third man present who makes a comment and asks some questions. He directs remarks at the police in this shows audience. The truth is what is, and what should be is a fantasya terrible, terrible lie that someone gave to the people long ago. Lenny Bruce. He does The Romans Segregated Christians with Lions. He goes on to talk about prejudices about British accents vs. Southern accents, and does his bit on obscenity law. Guitarist Lenny Breau, vocalist/comedian Don Francks, and bassist Eon Henstridge were a brand new trio (later calling themselves Three) when they were recorded in 1961 at the Purple Onion, a Toronto nightclub. Among the items recorded by the inspector was Bruce describing the famous Jacqueline Kennedy photo of her crawling on to the trunk of the car after her husband had been shot. He uses the word shit and says the Supreme Court ruled that its not obscene if youre talking about narcotics. Guitarist Lenny Breau, vocalist/comedian Don Francks, and bassist Eon Henstridge were a brand new trio (later calling themselves Three) when they were recorded in 1961 at the Purple Onion, a Toronto nightclub. The audience reacted positively. In 1964, a city license inspector attended one of Bruces shows. He relates the details of his arrest on a narcotics charge in Los Angeles, the trial, his "Department 95" hearing to determine whether he was a narcotics addict, and the subsequent criminal behavior of the arresting officer. He points out that the California statute 288a calls criminal many sex acts that he assumes the audience has practiced. In the third section, he plays the roles of the host of a radio talk show called Nightline, and of some callers. The primary goal of the meeting was for Ginsberg to hear Bruces experience with being arrested for giving performances that contained obscene material, and his views on what legal steps can be taken to fight those charges. Bruce begins by using the microphone in a gesture of benediction; in his New York obscenity trial that was interpreted as being a masturbatory gesture. In the early 1960s, the raunchy comedian was at the height of his career. He tells Catholics theyre lucky to have confession. He then talks about Lyndon Johnsons southern accent. He discusses aspects of his trials. Filmmaker, Advertising, Social Specialist. The prosecution used the testimony and notes of the city license inspector, as well as from police officers who attended some of Bruces other performances. Free-form bits recorded by Bruce in the days before his death on August 3, 1966. With the bit We Killed Christ he explains how his arrests are really for talking about Christianity. Bruce does his bit The Clap, gets indignant about the hypocrisy regarding the disease. Most of his acts took place in the underground scenes; jazz bars, strip clubs etc. Jimmy Hoffa, Jewish bigotry, Would You Sell Out Your Country (Francis Gary Powers), Custody/Get Even, Stag Film vs. King of Kings, Transvestites Posing as Police, We Did it to Their Mothers for Chocolate Bars and Bad Toilet Training, Australia, Thank You Masked Man, Ivan Bunny, Bobby Kennedy. (1) Bruce continues the bit Flashers, then does Midgets, wonders whether Pygmies are midgets, and imagines Gov. He does his bit The Christian God Has a Face, the Jewish God Doesnt. Its clear that his demographic audience existed, people who wanted to see him and listen to what he had to say. It all comes down to context, not the word. George Wallaces reaction to Pygmies. John L. White, who made the arrest and Robert Coogan, Jr., who owned the Grand Prix Hobby Shop and sold drugs there. After Lennys death, never would a comedian stand trial for the use of obscene language. Bruce continues the bit Divorce & Motels, inserting a comment about his difficulties acting like a father to his daughter. Another bit described men as oversexed beings willing to have sex with anything that moved, including a chicken. Lenny Bruce Robert Pinsky I saw him in San Francisco at the Purple Onion When I was still at Stanford, a Teaching Assistant Getting the "Ode to a Nightingale" by heart. I speak of a personal experience. He talks about his San Francisco obscenity trial. Bruce contends that he was framed, and that the heroin reputed to belong to him was planted by White. He does Barry Goldwater and his Jewish roots, Ive Never Been Inside a Negros House, Goldwater Talks to Negroes, Men Are Carnal, Bestiality Law, Custody/Get Even, Deny It and Hotels Are Dirty. Squalor has never guaranteed success; chain smoking at the Purple Onion never guaranteed creativity and ingenuity. He expresses frustration with the police. Were happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. Lenny Bruce wanted to point out that your interpretation of that word, will be different from another persons. He riffs on the TV series The Millionaire. He speaks fondly of an Atwater-Kent radio he had, and sings the theme song from the Uncle Don show from Detroit. and People Dont Talk That Way to Judges. A great example that comes to mind that backs Allens statement, is of one of the first skits I listened to when I discovered Lenny Bruce. He lists his favorite painters, says he writes columns for Rogue magazine and The Realist, and lists magazines he reads and books hes read recently. Opened in 1952, the Purple Onion ran for roughly 60 years before closing its doors in 2012. He does Thank You Masked Man, We Killed Christ and Christ & Moses. He does his bit on blind pianist George Shearing. While Breau and Francks had worked together over the previous month, Henstridge literally had only about an hour of rehearsal with the others prior to the making of this recording, though the trio's emphasis was more on spontaneity than set arrangements. The set is in progress. Before introducing him on stage, Allen spent four minutes explaining and warning his viewers on what they were about to witness on his show. The sixth section is Tim Hardins song Lennys Tune, a.k.a. There are things you . til nigger didnt mean anything anymore, then you could never make some six-year-old black kid cry because somebody called him a nigger at school. Lenny Bruce. He refers to his 1962 obscenity trial in San Francisco, and that he was acquitted. To find out more about these recordings, please contact us! He says he shouldnt talk politics because thats the domain of Mort Sahl and Phyllis Kirk, the Vic and Sade of show business. The next section begins as the set is in progress, with Bruce imagining that Pope Pius XII would sneak in one night to see him. According to The JC, his body was found in his bathroom with a syringe in his arm. I'm a veteran comedian for 38 years and I've never seen it, like Lenny Bruce said at the Purple Onion, 'We've gone backwards.' There are things you can't say. Bruce is fed up with people saying hes too concerned about integration, in the Shakespearean vein of you protest too much. He says non-Southerners are bigoted regarding people who talk Southern, like Lyndon Johnson. Goyish. Bruce makes comments about the man "stuck up there in the booth" and talks about the jacket he has on. He does his bit about wanting to give the audience members lie detector tests about infidelity and homosexuality. 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