What Is THAT?

Slapstick Humor -
a)  Comedy characterized by horseplay and physical action.

b) a flexible pair of paddles bound together at one end, formerly used in pantomime to strike a blow to a person with a loud clapping sound but without injury

Slapsticks, old and new...

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Dr Reginald MacNitt - Psycholaxation

Dr Reginald MacNitt	Birth name	Birthplace
Born/Died	Official Site	Wikipedia

 

"Now, let's check your breathing..." Today I have a lovely little bit of self-help that should be useful to one and all;  step one of learning 'Psycholaxation', which is all the rage these days. You didn't know that you could learn something about it for free from WFMU, did you? Well, worry no more. Relaxation can be yours.

Some time ago, rummaging through some dusty old cassette tapes that my mother owned but hadn't played in years and years I came across one entitled "Dr. MacNitt - Psycholaxation", hand-written in someone else's hand, most likely given to my mom as a helpful tool of some sort.  It was clearly copied from a vinyl record, which I've been unable to locate a picture of, or any detailed info about. Upon playing it for the first time, I fell in love with the fellow's voice - he sounds almost like a cartoon character. No insult to the guy - even compared to lots of hypnosis and sleep-training records that I've heard over the years, his pipes and his delivery are priceless!  I think you'll hear what I mean. A more marble-mouthed and nebbish-ey spoken style I can barely accomplish myself - but he's a fun model to imitate.

Here's some things that I did manage to find out about this technique: The good doctor apparently published a lot of small-press self-help books and articles, including this one attributed to his wife, Mildred L. MacNitt - "Psycholaxation: A New Dimension for Living", as told to Mildred L. MacNitt, 93 pages, published by the Living Arts Foundation in December, 1955. On the record he mentions the book "Three Steps to Better Living", and he also worked up a "Personality and Vocational Guidance Test" course in 1943, which fits him.  

I think you'll find his dialog and vocal style as charming as I did, despite the low-grade old cassette and the scratchy record it was sourced from. Settle back - don't cross your legs or arms - and enjoy the flow of the wonderful Doctor MacNutt. Ooops - I mean MacNitt. ~Listener Mindwrecker on WFMU       

01 Side 1

02 Side 2

	Offbeat	* * *
Enjoy!

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Groucho Marx - You Bet Your Life 1949 - 1957

Groucho Marx	Julius Henry Marx	New York City, New York, USA
Oct 02 1890 - Aug 19 1977 age 86	Marx Brothers Tribute Website	Wikipedia

Groucho Marx was an American comedian and film and television star. He is known as a master of quick wit and widely considered one of the best comedians of the modern era. His rapid-fire, often impromptu delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers and imitators. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born. He also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game show You Bet Your Life. His distinctive appearance, carried over from his days in vaudeville, included quirks such as an exaggerated stooped posture, glasses, cigar, and a thick greasepaint mustache and eyebrows. These exaggerated features resulted in the creation of one of the world's most ubiquitous and recognizable novelty disguises, known as "Groucho glasses", a one-piece mask consisting of horn-rimmed glasses, large plastic nose, bushy eyebrows and mustache.

01 1949-10-05 4901 Secret Word Chair
02 1949-10-12 4902 Secret Word Smile
03 1949-10-19 4903 Secret Word Clock
04 1949-10-26 4904 Secret Word Radio
05 1949-11-02 4905 Secret Word Shoe
06 1949-11-09 4906 Secret Word Ink
07 1949-12-21 4912 Secret Word Chair
08 1949-12-28 4913 Secret Word Name
09 1949 Head Unedited
10 1950-03-15 4924 Secret Word Water
11 1950-03-22 4925 Secret Word Money
12 1950-04-12 4928 Secret Word Floor
13 1950-04-19 4929 Secret Word Name
14 1950-04-26 4930 Secret Word Chair
15 1950-05-03 4931 Secret Word Bread
16 1950-05-10 4932 Secret Word Door
17 1950-05-17 4933 Secret Word Foot
18 1951-01-24 5017 Secret Word Walk
19 1951-02-28 5022 Secret Word Nose
20 1955-01-14 Paper
21 1955-10-26
22 1956-07-02 10th Year Celebration
23 1957-03-16 Secret Word Chair
24 1957-11-04 Street
25 1957-12-06 People
26 1958-02-10 Hand
27 1959-03-16 Paper
28 Edgar Bergen
29 Ernie Kovacs
30 Sammie Kahn

	Radio	* * *
Thanks Dr Forrest's Cheeze Factory!

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George Carlin - When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops 2004 (Audio Book)

George Carlin	George Denis Patrick Carlin	New York, New York USA
May 12 1937 - Jun 22 2008 age 71	Official Site Life Timeline	Wikipedia

There's no better way to enjoy one of Carlin's books than to hear him read it himself. With his gravelly voice, Carlin sounds like a foul-mouthed, grumpy grandfather as he riffs on everything from politics and the improper use of language to plane-boarding etiquette and the differences between the sexes. He's alternately crude ("Every evening at seven-thirty, citizens and consumers get a chance to sound off and air their complaints. Don't miss Blow It Out Your Ass!...") and outrageously funny (such as when he compares people of faith to UFO believers), and he's always irreverent ("A children's museum sounds like a good idea, but I would imagine it's not very easy to breathe inside the little glass cases"). The one topic that gets under his skin is euphemisms and, related to that, political correctness: "I can remember when I was young that poor people lived in slums. Not anymore. These days, the economically disadvantaged occupy substandard housing in the inner cities. It's so much nicer for them." Needless to say, Carlin has his comic timing down pat. His energetic reading is punctuated by conversational bits ("Hah? Whaddya think? Maybe?") and enhanced by his deft vocal variation (such as when he's narrating the "Continuing Story of Mary & Joseph"), making listeners will feel as if they've got a front-row seat at one of his comedy shows. This text refers to the Audio CD edition. Publishers Weekly

The latest book by longtime stand-up comic Carlin will undoubtedly join his previous "acts" in book form on the best-seller lists, so expect demand. Here are more of his irreverent, hilarious takes on contemporary social and political issues; as anyone who is familiar with his routines and books knows, Carlin doesn't let current notions of what is politically correct stand in the way of his taking a jab. So this series of short observations, one flung at the reader right after another, encompasses the Ten Commandments ("a padded list"), an anti-plastic surgery stance ("Ugliness should be a permanent condition"), body maintenance ("Every time you clip [a toenail], the little clipped part flies several feet away. You notice that?"), and euphemistic language (the first instance was being instructed to call his aunt's mole a "beauty mark"). The book is not meant to be read straight through but, rather, dipped into here and there. The language is explicit; therefore, this is not recommended for readers advocating propriety in speech on every occasion. Brad Hooper. This text refers to the Hardcover edition. Booklist

 

01 - 94 Chapters 1-94 from 6 audio CDs

plus

PDF format file of the book.

	Humorous Audio & Text	* * *
Thanks DAK!

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Bob Newhart - Very Funny Bob Newhart 1970s

Bob Newhart	George Robert Newhart	Oak Park, Illinois, USA
Sep 05 1929 -	Official Site	Wikipedia

With his first television show officially under his belt, Bob Newhart was free to return to his first love, accounting. Thankfully, he chose to go back to his standup comedy career instead, and this is his first post-television release. That foray into TV provided him with some more raw material for his bit, including an amateur show and an extended look at commercials (and how he'd rewrite them if given the chance). The most manic bit here is "Nudist Camp Expose," which envisions reporters in a nudist camp and what happens when they try to get back home. One really nice break from his usual shtick is when he tells the story of the birth of his first child and the trip to the hospital -- it's a touching look at the man himself, something you don't often get to see much of on his standup albums. It's not quite a return to the form of his first couple of albums, though; while the material is good, there's a slightly uncomfortable feel to some of it, especially on "The Man Who Looked Like Hitler.

01 Reflections On TV Commercials
02 Amateur Show Contestants
03 Nudist Camp Expose
04 The Expectant Father
05 On Poodles And Planes
06 The Man Who Looked Like Hitler

	Standup	Harmony HS 11344
Enjoy!

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Bill Barner - Bill Barner's Warm Patter For A Hot Platter 1960s

Bill Barner	Birth name	Fairmont, North Dakota, USA
Born/Died	Official Site	Wikipedia

Yes friends, it's our old pal Bill Barner who we met a while back with his hee-larious mirth-quake Trolley Bar Party, recorded live in Ft. Wayne Indiana (so you KNOW it's quality stuff). Today's was recorded in Fort Lauderdale, no club named (though the liner notes say he played regularly at Pal's and the Bahia Cabana Motel, so take your pick).

As I said for the first Bill Barner album, I find these live nightclub act recordings irresistible, but there's really no reason to listen more than once.

Bill Barner's Warm Patter for a Hot Platter - Duo Records D-1 (sorry about the skips on the beginning of side 1!) ~Musicsnatcher

01 Side 1 19:18

02 Side 2 19:39

	Standup	Duo Records D-1
Enjoy!

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Les Barker - Probably The Best Album Ever Made By Anybody In Our Street 1997 (UK)

Les Barker	Birth name	Manchester, England
Jan 30 1947 -	Official Site	Wikipedia

Les Barker writes strange poems and comes originally from Mancheste and was an accountant before he became a professional idiot. He's written 77 books in English and one in Welsh, which sell in large numbers at his gigs because people don't quite believe what they've just heard. His poems have spawned a number of folk heroes: Jason and the Arguments, Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife Thrower, Captain Indecisive and Spot of the Antarctic, to name but two.
Les began his career as assistant to Mrs Ackroyd, a small hairy mongrel who lay around in folk clubs, bit people and became famous. Mrs Ackroyd was the only dog ever to own her own record label. Since her sad demise, Les is mainly a solo performer, though he has taken to working with humans from time to time. The Mrs Ackroyd Band gradually evolved from an ever-changing who's who of the folk scene into a tightly knit, well-rehearsed group.
Les has several solo albums to his credit: 'Dogologues', An Infinite Number of Occasional Tables', 'A Cardi and Bloke', 'Up the creek without a poodle', 'Arovertherapy' and 'The War on Terrier'. He has travelled the length, breadth and height of Great Britain, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and - both solo and with the band - the United States and Canada, and has won prizes at the National Eisteddfod.
The Mrs Ackroyd Band - supplemented by guest members such as June Tabor and Martin Allcock - has released five albums;Oranges & Lemmings', 'Gnus & Roses', 'Tubular Dogs', 'Yelp!'. and 'Dark side of the mongrel'.
In addition there are five highly acclaimed albums of his serious work; the folk opera 'The Stones of Callanish', 'Some Love', 'The Wings of Butterflies', Airs of the Dog' and 'Twilight of the Dogs', all involving a galaxy of talent. His serious songs have also featured on albums by Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, and by June Tabor. June invariably includes a smattering of Mr Barker's serious and comic songs in her live performances. The Kingston Trio and Tom Paxton have also recorded Mr Barker's songs'.
Les and the Mrs Ackroyd Band burst furtively onto national radio with a series of six programmes for BBC Radio 2 entitled 'Mrs Ackroyd explores up her roots'. A new, and much larger audience were led in ever decreasing circles by Mr Barker's strange mind. A growing number of radio programmes worldwide are featuring his recorded work. Dr Demento has included the Mrs Ackroyd Band's performance of 'Dachshunds with erections can't climb stairs' on one of his compilations, and 'Will the turtle be unbroken?' on another; and 'Reinstalling Windows' on the next one.
There is also a double CD of Mr Barker's work performed by a vast number of TV & radio personalities, 'Guide Cats for the Blind' and a sequel, 'The Missing Persians File'File', and a third ‘Top Cat, White Tie and Tails’. And a fourth, 'Catnav'.
And 'The Mrs Ackroyd Occasional Table Book'; a collection of his greatest hits (up to about 1998) mixed with a selection of his photographs taken on his travels, followed by 'The Mrs Ackroyd Periodic Table Book'.
What else can one say about Les Barker? He was Old York Victoria's footballer of the year in the season when they finished top of the Altrincham League. He has run a marathon in two hours forty one minutes; but he was younger then. He's very difficult to describe. But there's only one of him. Go and see him (and buy some of his books).

01 Cosmo Revisited 4:17
02 Dachshunds With Erections 3:13
03 Jason and the Arguments 11:37
04 Weddell Waddle Penguins 3:03
05 Martin Carthy - Hard Cheese of Old England 2:53
06 King Harold Was a Ventriloquist 4:13
07 Eliza Carthy - Everything Glows 3:17
08 Stay, Go and Fetch 3:35
09 Earwigo 5:41

	Standup	* * *
Enjoy!

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Richard Pryor - Evolution Revolution The Early Years 1966-1974 2005

Richard Pryor	Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor	Peoria, Illinois, USA
Dec 01 1940 – Dec 10 2005 age 65	Official Site	Wikipedia

Richard Pryor was seemingly funny right out of the womb, but it took him a while to become the best and bravest standup comic of his generation. Released in 1974, That Nigger's Crazy helped make the world aware of his pungent brilliance, and 1976's Bicentennial Nigger and 1979's Wanted: Live in Concert captured him at the very peak of his game, but Pryor had been knocking around for years before doing standup and acting, and Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974) is a two-CD set that attempts to make sense of the earlier stages of Pryor's recording career. Pryor released his first album in 1968, and the earliest material here finds him in surprisingly toothless form, though there's an undertow of bitterness and rage that struggles to rise to the surface; as much as he tries to be Bill Cosby, there's an edge here that doesn't quite permit it (especially when he does bits about his childhood), and the truest moment comes when he answers a heckler asking for less improv and more straight jokes by saying, "Why don't you go to Las Vegas? They got millions of comics doing that." It's near the end of disc one that the Pryor we know begins to come out, in a long bit about his old neighborhood that rings of the funny but corrosive truth that would become his hallmark. Disc two is dominated by material from Pryor's first album for the underground "party record" label Laff, 1971's Craps (After Hours), which offers a crude (and crudely recorded) variation on the full-blown genius of That Nigger's Crazy; if it isn't Pryor at his very best, it's the first full-bodied expression of the genius that was to come. This set also includes much of the material from early tapes that leaked out in fits and starts over the better part of a decade on low-budget albums for Laff and similar labels, while the discography in the liner booklet attempts to sort out the confusion these albums have always caused for Pryor completists. If you want to hear Richard Pryor when he was the greatest standup comic on Earth, you should pick up Rhino's superb The Richard Pryor Anthology: 1968-1992, or dig deep for the nine-disc box set ...And It's Deep, Too!: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings. But if you want to hear how Pryor got there, Evolution/Revolution documents the journey very well indeed, and it's very funny and revealing stuff.

Disc One: Evolution (1966–1968)
01 Peoria
02 Improv, Pt. 1
03 Heart & Brain
04 Taxi Cabs & Subways
05 Playboy Club
06 Rumpelstiltskin
07 Slippin' In Poo Poo
08 Birth Control
09 Nigger Babies
10 Faith Healer
11 Black Power
12 I Feel
13 Jail
14 Prison Play (aka Black Ben The Blacksmith)
15 Directions
16 Movie Stars In The Bathroom
17 War Movies
18 The Army
19 Hippy Dippys
20 Hank's Place
21 Improv, Pt. 2
22 Mankind

Recorded live at:The Hungry I, San Francisco, CA, February 1966 (Tracks 1, 2)
unknown venue, July 15, 1967 (Tracks 4, 5)
P.J.'s, Hollywood, CA, May 24 & 25, 1968 (Tracks 7-11)
The Troubador, West Hollywood, April 1968 (Tracks 14, 15, 21, 22) and July 26-29, 1968 (remainder)

Disc Two: Revolution (1971–1974)
23 Prelude
24 Gettin' High
25 Fuck From Memory
26 Big Tits
27 Gettin' Some
28 The President
29 Asshole
30 The Line-Up
31 Masturbating
32 Religion
33 Black Preachers
34 Being Born
35 Blow Our Image
36 Blackjack
37 I Spy Cops
38 Sugar Ray
39 White Folks
40 Indians
41 Ass Wupin'
42 Got A Dollar
43 Pres' Black Baby
44 Doope
45 Wino Panthers
46 After Hours
47 280 Pound Ass
48 Crap Game
49 Insurance Man
50 Black And Proud
51 Gettin' The Nut
52 Fuck The Faggot
53 Jackin' Off
54 Snappin' Pussy
55 Fartin'
56 Wattstax Monologue: Niggers, The Handshake, Rummage Sale/Stylin'
   Whitey, Justifiable Homicide, Super Nigger, Marijawani
57 Whorehouse, Pt. 1
58 Whorehouse, Pt. 2
59 Niggers & Italians
60 Jim Brown (alternate version)
61 Black Films
62 Jesus Saves
63 Street Corner Wino (Wino & Junkie intro)
64 Wino & Junkie
65 Interview

Disc Two recorded live at:
The Redd Foxx Club, Hollywood, CA, January 1971 (Tracks 24-55—the entire Craps (After Hours) album)
Laney College, Oakland, CA, February 25, 1971 (Track 57)
Basin Street West, San Francisco, CA, February 26, 1971 (Tracks 58, 64)
unknown venue, Los Angeles, CA, May 30, 1971 (Track 23)
The Summit Club, Hollywood, CA, October 8, 1972, for use in the motion picture Wattstax (Track 56)
The Comedy Store, Hollywood, CA, October 29-November 1, 1973 (Tracks 59-63)
unknown location in San Francisco Bay Area, Fall 1974 (Track 65)

	Standup	* * *
Enjoy!

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John Valby - Scratch 'N Sniff 1995

John Valby	John Valby	Staten Island, New York USA
Nov 22 1944 -	Official Site	Wikipedia

Now to explain why there is not much more then 45 minutes, the instrumentals, why they are here, I don't know, who wants to hear a piano with a bit of crowed noise edited in like (they're) watching a stripper? And the last track "Audio Enema" is not funny, it is just girls constantly singing that word, not in a good way, more like an announcement, it's not funny, it just makes you think why is that even on here?
I probably would rate this album 2 and half stars, but I'll give it 3, as "Somebody Snitched" has become an instant favorite and the rendition of the Beverly Hillbillies theme was pretty good. And the first track is a classic as well. However, he has done Brady Bunch before, and it sounded better on the other album it was on. -Amazon comment

01 If I Only 1:37
02 Hillary & Bill 1:11
03 Joy To The Girls 1:03
04 Somebody Snitched 1:07
05 The Most Famous Races 2:10
06 16 Tons 1:23
07 Wabash Cannonball 1:50
08 Who Gives A Fuck? 7:34
09 The Stripper 1:30
10 Addams Family :36
11 Beverly Hillbillies :52
12 Brady Bunch 1:09
13 Red Light Lounge 1:28
14 Ya-Ya 4:34
15 Big Butt Boogie 2:03
16 Audio Enema 0:49

	Novelty & Standup	* * *
Enjoy!

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Ivor Cutler - An Elpee And Two Epees 1959-1961 2005 (Scotland)

Ivor Cutler	Birth name	Glasgow, Scotland
Jan 15 1923 - Mar 03 2006 age 83	A Site Another	Wikipedia

Ivor Cutler's very earliest work was very hard to find in the decades after it was first issued. This compilation does an exemplary job of restoring it to wide availability, its 28 tracks combining everything from the 1961 LP Who Tore Your Trousers?, the 1959 EP Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup, and the 1961 EP Get Away from the Wall. Cutler's material would become more outrageously surreal on later recordings, perhaps, but these efforts are very much in step with the style for which he's beloved. With almost equal doses of spoken word and warbly singing with harmonium, these pieces take gentle pokes that subtly transform everyday experiences into something nearly surreal. It might be too gentle and subtle for those who like their comedy brash, or for Americans not attuned to his very British brand of humor. Still, it's easy to hear elements that the likes of the Bonzo Dog Band and Monty Python would take to more vivid (and more internationally accessible) extremes. And if it's not often laugh-out-loud funny, or too musically diverse, there's plenty of weird wordplay to generate amusement, such as his ode to a "Muscular Tree" and "Stick Out Your Chest," whose exhortative lyrics are totally undercut by Cutler's knowingly silly tone. - AMG
Ivor Cutler plays "11 musical instruments including the harmonium, guitar, recorder, bamboo flute and 6 pianos". He has written 38 songs that might be described as a combination of Franz Kafka and the Goons.

   Ivor Cutler Of Y'Hup (1959)
01 Here's A Health To Simon 1:30
02 Size 9½ 2:57
03 Pickle Your Knees 2:02
04 Mary Is A Cow 1:30
05 Gravity Begins At Home 2:22
06 A Cowpuncher And A Bird 1:21
07 The Boo-Boo Bird 3:54
   Who Tore Your Trousers? (1961)
08 Steady Job 3:15
09 The Obliging Fairy 0:53
10 First Love 4:48
11 Who Tore Your Trousers James 2:23
12 Are You Alright Jack 3:55
13 A Red Flower 2:28
14 Do You Ever Feel Lonely 1:14
15 A Warning To The Flies 1:28
16 Grass Seed 2:24
17 The Market Place 2:52
18 A Tooth Song 1:29
19 Egg Meat 3:24
20 Muscular Tree 2:28
21 The Handymen 4:01
22 Sh Chi 2:51
   Get Away From The Wall (1961)
23 Stick Out Your Chest 0:45
24 Turkish Bath Play 3:49
25 There's A Turtle In My Soup 3:11
26 Gruts For Tea 2:34
27 Get Away From The Wall 2:00
28 The Tureen 2:33
 

	Standup	Decca – 982 660-6
Enjoy!

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Jonathan Winters - Jonathan Winters Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 1963

Jonathan Winters	Jonathan Harshman Winters III	Bellbrook, Ohio, USA
Nov 11 1925 - Apr 11 2013 age 87	Official Site	Wikipedia

Jonathan's 6th LP on the Verve label.

The recordings contained in this album were previously released on the following Verve albums: V6-15009 (The Wonderful World of Jonathan Winters), V-15011 (Down To Earth), V6-15025 (Here's Jonathan), V-15032 (Another Day Another World), and V-15035 (Humor Seen Through the Eyes of Jonathan Winters).

01 Oldest Airline Stewardess--Maude Frickert 6:12
02 Moby Dick & Captain Arnold 4:30
03 Football Game 3:23
04 Chief Running Fox 2:36
05 Hip Robin Hood 6:02
06 Marine Corps 7:09
07 Used Pet Shop 2:51
08 Great White Hunter 4:24
09 My School Days 2:10
10 Prison Scene 5:14

	Standup	Verve LP V 15041
Thanks Harry Speakup & PCThunderfoot!

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