Lenny Bruce

Continuing on from last week, I've taken an old picture of Lenny Bruce what I done a few years back and recoloured it. Once again, I was a joy to collaborate with.

I thought that, seeing as Lenny Bruce lived his life standing up for one of the most fundamental American rights - freedom of speech - and challenging the hypocrisy of a society that denied it, and that this fight would cost him his career and (arguably) his life, it would be appropriate to present him in a way that showed him exposing this hypocrisy embedded so deeply in a society that professes one thing while doing another. But I wanted to do it subtly, you know?

Of course, subtlety is difficult and takes brains. So instead I just emblazoned him with the American flag... Even though he is on record as stating that Old Glory has been rendered meaningless thanks to the people who use it as a coffee table and the bigots who hide behind it when attacking a viewpoint that conflicts with their own. He would have hated this.

Anyways, in his introduction to The Carnegie Hall Concert Don Friedman says this:

   "The one thing I'd like to say about the label of 'sick comedian', which I think is a misnomer... What Lenny does perhaps as a, uh... as a short explanation to the people who don't understand what he does - it is not that Lenny Bruce per se is a 'sick comedian', but that Lenny Bruce comments, reflects, holds up the mirror, so to speak, to the sick elements in our society that should be reflected upon and that should be spoken about."

For more information on Lenny Bruce please visit your local library.