Anybody remember dis guy...?
The Magician
70's, like Laugh-In, Ed Sullivan, etc. and see standup, sketch comedy, and variety shows.
I remember watching a black comic, who did standup...but mostly did impressions of people like Nat
King Cole, Bill Cosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and other singers & celebrities.
But for the life of me...I can't remember his name, and I've searched the internet and can't find a
single reference to this comic.
My memory is sketchy...but I seem to remember him getting into trouble, and being on drugs,
arrested, and jailed in the late 70's or early 80's.
He was kinda built like Godfrey Cambridge...kinda husky... and had a killer smile.
Can you help me stop racking my brain, and searching endlessly for this guy...and shed some light on
who he was, and what his story was...?
Also, whilest on the subject of missing black comics...whatever happed to Flip Wilson. He could do
no wrong, and was at the top of his game in the early-mid 70's...then just disappeared. I know he
died...but where did he go after his hit tv special?
Thanks a bunch!
eddie
steve
>I remember watching a black comic, who did standup...but mostly did
impressions of people like Nat
>King Cole, Bill Cosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and other singers & celebrities.
>But for the life of me...I can't remember his name, and I've searched the
internet and can't find a
>single reference to this comic.
>My memory is sketchy...but I seem to remember him getting into trouble, and
being on drugs,
>arrested, and jailed in the late 70's or early 80's.
>He was kinda built like Godfrey Cambridge...kinda husky... and had a killer
smile.
>Can you help me stop racking my brain, and searching endlessly for this
guy...and shed some light on
>who he was
George Kirby.
Great impressionist, appeared on Sullivan many times, had his own variety
show in 1972 that featured a young Steve Martin, went to Vegas and succumbed to
pressure and drugs, charged with trafficking cocaine and heroin in '78,
sentenced to ten years in prison. When he was released he peformed shows
warning of the dangers of hard drugs. Don't know anything beyond that.
Hope that helps.
steve gelder
http://www.stevegelder.com
The FAQ for alt.comedy.standup is currently located at:
http://members.aol.com/comedyfaq/faq.html
The Magician
>
> George Kirby.
>
> Great impressionist, appeared on Sullivan many times, had his own variety
> show in 1972 that featured a young Steve Martin, went to Vegas and succumbed to
> pressure and drugs, charged with trafficking cocaine and heroin in '78,
> sentenced to ten years in prison. When he was released he peformed shows
> warning of the dangers of hard drugs. Don't know anything beyond that.
>
> Hope that helps.
HEY!!!
DATZ DA GUY!!!
Watta help you've been!
Thanks!
eddie
LeifSkyving
>
> George Kirby.
>
> Great impressionist, appeared on Sullivan many times, had his own variety
>show in 1972 that featured a young Steve Martin, went to Vegas and succumbed
>to
>pressure and drugs, charged with trafficking cocaine and heroin in '78,
>sentenced to ten years in prison. When he was released he peformed shows
>warning of the dangers of hard drugs. Don't know anything beyond that.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
>
>
>steve gelder
>http://www.stevegelder.com
>
>The FAQ for alt.comedy.standup is currently located at:
>http://members.aol.com/comedyfaq/faq.html
Good call Steve! I couldn't think of who the guy might be asking about, but I
sure remember George Kirby. As a matter of fact I remember that he did "time"
at Terminal Island, 10 minutes from my home in San Pedro California at the
time. I actually did a benefit show there in the late seventies when I was
still an open micer, and was told, Kirby might be in the audience.
Leif Skyving
world's funniest man
http://www.funnyswede.com
Tommy Joseph
> Good call Steve! I couldn't think of who the guy might be asking about, but I
> sure remember George Kirby. As a matter of fact I remember that he did "time"
> at Terminal Island, 10 minutes from my home in San Pedro California at the
> time. I actually did a benefit show there in the late seventies when I was
> still an open micer, and was told, Kirby might be in the audience.
>
> Leif Skyving
> world's funniest man
> http://www.funnyswede.com
Just my opinion, Skyving, but I remember Kirby well, from TV only - but
he was sort of like Rich Little in that he wasn't very funny, seemed more
concerned with nailing the impersonations. Of course mabye off TV he was
something else, or maybe he improved, but my recollection was that he just
mainly did impersonations (which can be entertaining), but I didn't find him
very funny. Just my own opinion, but I always preferred guys who weren't so
concerned with being accurate with their impersonations. I never cared if a
guy's impersonation was off, as long as I knew who he was trying to be. In
fact in was always a little funnier to me when the impersonation wasn't
quite so accurate. Do you agree on this? Of course there may be exceptions
(there usually are), but the funniest guys to me were the ones who were just
funny and didn't seem to work so hard on being accurate. By the way, maybe
I'm misusing the word 'impersonator'. Maybe it's 'impressionist'. Either
way, you know what I mean.
Tommy Joe
Tommy Joseph
> Good call Steve! I couldn't think of who the guy might be asking about, but I
> sure remember George Kirby. As a matter of fact I remember that he did "time"
> at Terminal Island, 10 minutes from my home in San Pedro California at the
> time. I actually did a benefit show there in the late seventies when I was
>
> Leif Skyving
You are correct. Kirby was in the audience. I spoke with him months
later when he got out on parole. He told me he thought your act stunk. I
wamted to argue with him about this, but I didn't because convicts have
always scared the hell out of me. He was especially perturbed with your
impersonation of Johnny Cash. He told me, "Hell, I can do a better Johnny
Cash than that dude, and I aint even white." Kirby is now out of jail and
is impersonating a free man.
Tommy Joe
Tommy Joseph
> Good call Steve! I couldn't think of who the guy might be asking about, but I
> sure remember George Kirby. As a matter of fact I remember that he did "time"
> at Terminal Island, 10 minutes from my home in San Pedro California at the
> time. I actually did a benefit show there in the late seventies when I was
> still an open micer, and was told, Kirby might be in the audience.
>
> Leif Skyving
Spoke with Kirby just the other day and he's working on some new
impressions. He's got Ralphie May down pat and he does a pretty good Eminem
too.
Tommy Joe
Ollie North
I had a dream last night about going to Jail. In it I discuss the
fact that jail seperates the men from the boys. You may be a real
toughie on the outside but go to jail and see how tough you really
are. I was scared straight in my dream.
Ollie
Semper "I bought a vacuum cleaner from Kirby" Fi
Bozo de Clown
> > Good call Steve! I do sure remember George Kirby, matter of fact I
> > remember that he did "time" at Terminal Island, 10 minutes from my home in > > San Pedro California
> >
> > Leif Skyving
>
> I Spoke with Kirby just the other day and he's working on some new
> impressions. He's got Ralphie May down pat and he does a pretty good Eminem
> too.
>
> Tommy Joe
Wow! What a surprise, Tommy doesn't think somebody's funny, you don't
hear hat too often anymore. I knew kirby before he was black. Back
then I taught him everything he knew about being funny and doing
impressions, which probably explains why Tommy doesn't think kirby's
funny. Back then I taught him how to do an an impression of a total
social misfit with nothing more than a keyboard and a mouse, and I did
it before the introduction of the personal computer too! But back
then you could do it with just a driver's license and a taxi cab.
-Bozo-
Tommy Joseph
>> You are correct. Kirby was in the audience. I spoke with him months
>> later when he got out on parole. He told me he thought your act stunk. I
>> wamted to argue with him about this, but I didn't because convicts have
>> always scared the hell out of me. He was especially perturbed with your
>> impersonation of Johnny Cash. He told me, "Hell, I can do a better Johnny
>> Cash than that dude, and I aint even white." Kirby is now out of jail and
>> is impersonating a free man.
>>
>> Tommy Joe
>
>
> I had a dream last night about going to Jail. In it I discuss the
> fact that jail seperates the men from the boys. You may be a real
> toughie on the outside but go to jail and see how tough you really
> are. I was scared straight in my dream.
>
> Ollie
>
> Semper "I bought a vacuum cleaner from Kirby" Fi
I didn't need a dream to tell me that. Jail is one place I do not want
to be. Who knows, maybe one day the jailhouse population will outnumber
those on the outside. Of course plenty of people on the outside are in
open-aired jails. The jailhouse industry in this country is frightening. I
don't care what someone does to wind up there, it's a method that cannot
work and never will.
Tommy Joe
(J. Edgar Hoover sucked Kirby's hose, then they cleaned up the cum with a
Dirt Devil)
Tommy Joseph
Ya know, it's really funny, Bozo, how people accuse me of being negative
when I mention that I don't find some comics funny, yet I think it's the
accusers who are negative because I have on many occasions mentioned comics
I do find funny, even right here in this newsgroup. I had a guy in my cab
one time (just an example, a true one), who was ranting on and on about the
Beatles and a few other rock groups of that time. Then he asked me what I
thought of these groups and I told him I didn't care much for any of them.
Then he starts to get specific with his questions, asking me which song by
the Beatles I liked the most, to which I replied, "I don't care a lot for
any of them, not enough to buy them and put them in my collection, anyway."
He keeps asking me what I like, but he's only asking about the people he
likes. I mentioned a few people he had never heard of, jazz guys and so
forth from the 30s through present time. He goes on asking these questions
until finally he throws up his hands and screams, "Man, you don't like
anything, do you?" It's no different with comedy. I happen to like very
few comics, but I also like some of them, even unkowns types. So, if you're
being serious, sarcastic, or something I can't define, your message doesn't
hit the mark with me. I am not negative. I like what I like, just like
most people.
Tommy Joe
Ollie North
I am not a jazz aficionado. But I appreciate what jazz is and those
who like it. It is like abstract art which I do like. It isn't that
I don't like jazz but I do perfer pop, rock, R&B and especially the
blues. If I was a musician tho I would want to be a jazz musician. I
think just palaying pop, r&B etc would get boring.
Ollie
Semper "The Jackson pollak of shit" Fi
Bozo de Clown
Tommy, trying to deny you're not TOTALLY negative and unsupportive
(especially of comics) is a little like reading OJ Simpson's jailhouse
book "I Want To Tell You" without rolling on the floor laughing, that
and the fact that OJ sounds more sincere than you. I think the trick
here is whatever preposterous thing you want folks to believe, you
have to believe it yourself.
-Bozo de "If you believe-it it ain't a lie" Clown-
Tommy, trying to deny you're not TOTALLY negative and unsupportive
(especially of comics) is a little like reading OJ Simpson's jailhouse
book "I Want To Tell You" without rolling on the floor laughing, that
and the fact that OJ sounds more sincere than you. I think the trick
is whatever preposterous thing you want folks to believe, you have to
believe it yourself.
-Bozo de "If you believe-it it ain't a lie" Clown-
Tommy Joseph
> I am not a jazz aficionado. But I appreciate what jazz is and those
> who like it. It is like abstract art which I do like. It isn't that
> I don't like jazz but I do perfer pop, rock, R&B and especially the
> blues. If I was a musician tho I would want to be a jazz musician. I
> think just palaying pop, r&B etc would get boring.
>
> Ollie
>
> Semper "The Jackson pollak of shit" Fi
A lot of jazz really sucks. I'm not claiming to like jazz exclusively,
only mentioning that in my album collection (which I gave away when I left
L.A.), were many jazz types, most of them singers from the 30s and 40s.
Some of these people would be considered 'pop'. But the pop of those days
was in my opinion better than the pop of today. I like a lot of rock and
roll and other forms of music. It's just that this guy in the cab was
concluding that I like 'nothing' because I didn't like what he liked, and
what he liked was more narrow in scope than what I like. He had no idea who
the people were that I mentioned to him, yet I knew and had heard everyone
he mentioned. Still he refused to accept that I was open to anything simply
because I didn't like anything he liked. The same applies to these comic
jerks who assume that anyone who is famous must be good. I see where Dat
Phan is suddenly a great comic, according to a few posts in here. Funny how
this guy improved in such a short time. The same idiots in here who blasted
him as an amateurish nobody will be at his feet the minute he appears on
Leno or Letterman and gets a 'standing O'........ As for jazz, I really
dislike the psuedo intellectual types who analyze it all over the place.
Guys like Winton Marsalis and so forth make me sick. When I lived in
Hollwyood I took some of the great radio stations for granted. Some of the
good college stations had DJs that really knew their stuff and there were
shows lasting an hour or two in which guys would bring in their own albums
and stuff sent in from others and these guys would play something by Rudy
Valley or someone else out of the twenties, then follow it up with a
screaming poet or some rock tune. Yet it all made sense. There was a
common thread between all that was played, and it was the DJ who made it
work. Anyway, I like what I like. Some people I think don't know what they
like. There was a guy in Hollywood who was a joke writer and I used to ask
him who he liked as a comic and he'd always respond, "Well, 'so and so' is
hot right now." Unfortunately that's the way a lot of these so called
comics in this newsgroup feel about things. What good are opinions if
you're afraid to share them?
Tommy Joe
Tommy Joseph
>> I happen to like very
>> few comics, but I also like some of them, even unkowns types. So, if you're
>> being serious, sarcastic, or something I can't define, your message doesn't
>> hit the mark with me. I am not negative. I like what I like, just like
>> most people.
>>
>> Tommy Joe
>
> Tommy, trying to deny you're not TOTALLY negative and unsupportive
> (especially of comics) is a little like reading OJ Simpson's jailhouse
> book "I Want To Tell You" without rolling on the floor laughing, that
> and the fact that OJ sounds more sincere than you. I think the trick
> is whatever preposterous thing you want folks to believe, you have to
> believe it yourself.
>
> -Bozo de "If you believe-it it ain't a lie" Clown-
You're the one who sounds negative, Bozo.
Tommy Joe
Comturn1
JBT
i go now