Comedy Thoughts Archives - Jeffrey Gurian

Archive for Comedy Thoughts

COMEDY MATTERS ROUND-UP WITH NIKKI GLASER AT THE GLOBES, MEL BROOKS DOC, KILL TONY ON NETFLIX, BORSCHT BELT FEST, JACKIE MASON SHOW, COMEDY PARTIES AT NY COMEDY CLUB AND GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB, AND OF COURSE LOTS MORE!!!

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on January 26, 2026

**(L-R) FROM THE ARCHIVES – WITH NIKKI GLASER, RACHEL FEINSTEIN, SOME GUY, AMY SCHUMER, AND MARINA FRANKLIN – THE POWER WOMEN OF COMEDY**

NIKKI GLASER KILLS AT AT THE GLOBES … AGAIN!!!

It came as no surprise that Nikki Glaser absolutely crushed at the 83rd annual Golden Globes where she was the host for the 2nd year in a row. I have a feeling she will be the ongoing host from now on! She’s so funny, so well poised, so elegant in all of her 9 changes of outfits, and really commands the room which is not easy to do when you’re facing the biggest stars in the game. But Nikki did it! She made her entrance in a gorgeous red gown fit for a Princess! ( Click the link)

Her lines were so sharp. In particular when she came out said ” There are so many A-listers here, and by A-listers I mean people who are on “A list” that has been heavily redacted!

Then she announced the award for MOST editing goes to CBS News, America’s newest place to “C-BS News!” Such a clever line I wish I had written it myself!

And lastly when she saw Sean Penn who looked kind of wild, with his hair a total mess she said, ” I love you Sean. You’re such an original. Everyone in this town is so obsessed with looking younger, meanwhile Sean is like, ” What if I slowly morph into a sexy leather handbag! Even HE had to laugh!!!

Lots of comics appeared on the show and won awards like Amy Poehler, who won for Best Podcast, for ” Good Hang With Amy Poehler”, while Joe Rogan whose podcast is #1 on Spotify wasn’t even nominated.

**AMY POEHLER ON THE RED CARPET FOR ET NETWORK**

Kevin Hart was on the red carpet and Judd Apatow presented the award for Best Diirector and joked that he was on a “10-year quiet boycott” after his film Trainwreck lost the Best Comedy award in 2016.

Pamela Anderson and Miley Cyrus presented the award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture, and I really didn’trecognize Pam Anderson. She looked so different than when I first met her.

THE JACKIE MASON MUSICAL AT RODNEY’S

The Jackie Mason Musical”, is sometimes also known as Both Sides of a Famous Love Affair: The Jackie Mason Musical. It’s an off-Broadway production starring Sheba Mason, the real-life daughter of comedian Jackie Mason. but playing her mother GInger Reiter, who created the concept ,and wrote the dialogue, music and lyrics for the play. An incredible achievement! Jackie Mason is played by Ian Wehrle who is so much like Jackie Mason , he’s absolutely perfect for the role. I had seen it a couple of times but I went to see it again at Rodney’s because it’s so good!

Unfortunately the play is based on a true story, and you’ll see why I say that in a moment. It’s the story of how Jackie was involved with GInger Reiter in a ten year-long affair and had this wonderful daughter but never acknowledged her as his daughter throughout his entire life, despite the fact of a nasty paternity suit, and that she looks exactly like him. A fact she often jokes about!

Sheba’s a great girl and so funny. It’s definitely Jackie’s loss not to have acknowledged her. She and I once did a comedy show at a funeral, which is a crazy story for another time, and I’ve done her show at 3 Monkeys several times.

**WITH SHEBA MASON AT HER SHOW AT 3 MONKEYS**

Ginger wrote a masterful piece that truly portrays what Jackie was like and I can vouch for that because I was part of his “entourage” for many years. I knew Jackie well for more than 25 years. Jackie was one of the funniest men that ever lived but a very complicated and often stubborn, and very difficult man to get along with, and that’s putting it mildly. What kind of man doesn’t acknowledge his own daughter? Mister, you know what I’m talkin’ about???

I remember how excited my Mom was when I brought her to meet Jackie backstage after one of his 8 one-man shows on Broadway.

**JACKIE MASON WITH MY MOM, MARJORIE GURIAN BACK IN 2005**

I actually wrote a movie for Jackie which he bought, called “The Detective” in which he played a Jewish ( what else?) bumbling private eye named Harry Snavish, on the syle of Inspector Clouseau, who accidentally becomes a hero, by saving the world from a dreaded “pants virus” that would have destroyed every pair of pants in the country leaving us a nation of men in our underwear. Terororists knew they couldn’t beat us militarily so they wanted to humiliate us in the eyes of the world and Snavish manages to save the day.

**THROWING JEWISH GANG SIGNS WITH JACKIE MASON**

The musical has a really fun talented cast including producer Laura Slutsky and even Mark Yosef the owner of Rodney’s Comedy Club who was up on stage acting and singing his little heart out!

**THE WHOLE CAST WITH LAURA SLUTSKY IN THE PINK TOP**

COMEDY COMMUNITY COMES OUT FOR THE PARTIES

Comedy can often feel very lonely because it’s mostly a solo event. You write alone, rehearse alone and you’re usually on stage alone. So it’s a wonderful feeling when the comedy community actually gets together like they do for the holiday parties. Emilio Savone, owner and face of all five New York Comedy Clubs told me that I had the distinct honor of being the ONLY person he texted about the party to make sure I showed up, because as he always kindly says, ” It’s not a party unless you’re there”! (LOL)

It was at the 4th street location and I got there early to get the pizza while it was still fresh. It was already crowded with lots of my favorite people. It was so great to see my pals Joe DeRosa and Brian Quinn from The Impractical Jokers. I almost didn’t recognize Brian because the last time I saw him he didn’t have that huge beard. Joe and I are planning to do another video since the success of Mouth On My Money, and as sick as it sounds, I have been named the official dancer for Joe’s band Salsa Windfall! Besides trying to see him at parties, you can also see Joe featured in the new Kill Tony special on Netflix!

GOTHAM HOLIDAY PARTY

Chris Mazzilli always plans his annual holiday party AFTER New Years which makes it even more special. It’s another amazing event, so well attended with an open bar, and an assortment of hot and cold food, lots of sliders, and platters of sushi. One of the first people I saw was Brian Fischler who has a new seeing-eye dog named Wesley, and when I told him I’m producing a big charity event there on Tuesday 2/24/26 he told me he’s done 18 events at Gotham for his charity “Fight for Sight.”

The party not only drew comedians but also industry as Chris is connected to everyone on both sides of the camera, in particular Conan Smith from the Buchwald Agency, one of the good ones!!! (LOL)

And so glad I got to see Bonnie McFarlane who besides being Rich Vos’s wife is one of the funniest comics in the game and was also one of the writers on The Golden Globes. It was so exciting to see her name in the credits. A well deserved honor! And reuniting with Chris Roach was also cool. I made him sit down for the photo so you’d be able to see both of us, and we were photobombed by Harrison Greenbaum. I never saw Harrison and it was probably one of his amazing magic tricks that he suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

Also got to reunite with Robin Montague who writes for the daytime Emmy award winning Sherri show starring the great Sherri Shepherd, and Subhah Agarwal who many years ago started on my late night show at The Comic Strip and just moved back to NY from Cali. I saw Subhah again a few nights later when I was performing at the new comedy room Room 52 started by Adam Strauss. A really cool space on East 52nd Street.

**WITH ROBIN MONTAGUE WRITER FOR SHERRI**

KOSHER COMEDY ON AND AT BROADWAY

Thanks to Kenny Gluck Jewish comics have something to do on Chistmas Eve and I was so glad to get to do a set at the new and upgraded Broadway Comedy Club on the eve of December 24th. Since it’s founder the great Al Martin left the stage, they really updated the club and made it look much more modern. A really fun show with a great, … I would guess mostly Hebraic crowd!

BORSCHT BELT FESTIVAL CONTINUES TO GROW

Alejandro Morales is the comic/producer responsible for keeping the Borscht Belt Festival growing bigger and bigger as time goes on. This past July we celebrated it’s 2nd year with a whole bunch of shows and a special event honoring Robert Klein at the Borscht Belt Museum. So I was very glad when I got the call asking me to be the first headliner of the new year series. I did 45 minutes to a packed crowd at Shadowlands Stages.

I may be the only one around who actually worked with the Borscht Belt stars of yesteryear as well as the stars of today. Milton Berle, AKA Mr. Television was my sponsor in The Friars Club, and I got to write for him, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Mason, Pat Cooper, Joan Rivers, Dick Capri, Morty Gunty, Dick Shawn, Freddie Roman, and so many others who graced the stages of the Borscht Belt, whether it was at Grossingers, The Concord, The Nevele, The Fallsview or any of the other multitude of hotels and bungalow colonies that were up in The Catskills.

One of the weirdest and most fun experiences I ever had was this past weekend, being put into the Honors Haven Resort as literally the only guest on the premises. This huge resort which was once the Fallsview Hotel. now only books groups and somehow there were groups the previous weekend and the following weekend but not the weekend I was there.

Big thank you to Naomi Brill for arranging that for me. I brought my assistant Dave ” The Ironer” who started out ironing people’s clothes at parties and hot clubs in NY, even on the dance floor, if they looked wrinkled. So it was just the two of us in this entire huge, gorgeous resort! So in our downtime we made this little video:

MEL BROOKS THE 99 YEAR OLD MAN

Judd Apatow and Mike Bonfiglio both of whom I have the pleasure of calling friends have Exec. Produced and directed a fabulous 2 part HBO documentary on Mel Brooks called “Mel Brooks – The 99 Year Old Man” kind of a take-off on his 2000 Year Old Man that he did with his dear friend, the late Carl Reiner. It’s a masterful piece of work that must have taken years to create! The editor deserves an award of some kind as well!

And Judd must have been so excited sitting with Mel and doing the interviews,. I know how I felt sitting with legends I saw as a kid, like Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Sid Caesar, George Burns, Woody Allen and Jackie Mason. I’m glad he gave himself screentime as opposed to the docs where you just hear the interviewer speaking offfscreen.

**WITH THE GREAT MEL BROOKS WHEN HE WAS ONLY 90**

The film is filled with sound bytes and video from the comedy greats of yesteryear like Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, and Richard Pryor, several scenes with poor Rob Reiner, as well as the stars of today like Jerry Seinfeld, Nick Kroll. Sarah Silverman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dave Chappelle, Ronny Chieng and my friend Nick Brooks one of Mel’s sons. It’s a must see if you like comedy and if you’re reading this column I have to assume you do. I stayed up till 3:30 A.M. watching both parts. I tried to leave to go to sleep but I just couldn’t do it!!! (LOL)

In watching the doc I came to realize how much I had been influenced by Mel and Carl in early films I did like interviewing a woman married to a well known busimessman who turned out to be an infant, and an interview with a woman who was robbed by two men disguised as jewelry, the dreaded Masters of Disguise!

MISS BRAZIL DROPS BY THE COMEDY MATTERS CRIB

So nice of comedy fan Gizele ( Miss Brazil) to take time off from her national tour to visit me at the Comedy Matters crib!

OWNING MANHATTAN- THE PARTY

In truth it’s not a comedy, Owning Manhattan is reality TV, the Netflix hit about Serhant Realty and the exciting world of real estate, but a lot of funny stuff goes on and Ryan Serhant is definitely a force. I had met him years ago when he was doing Million Dollar Listing and then he created Serhant Realty and it’s taking over the country! The man sells $60-$100 million of real estate a month. For anyone who doesnt know, … that’s a lot of money!!! Truthfully that’s more than some people make in a year!!!

**WITH REAL ESTATE SUPERSTAR RYAN SERHANT**

So I got invited to the party for the 2nd season downtown in the beautiful Serhant townhouse that serves as his office. I got to be interviewed in a couple of videos and got to meet my favorite Serhant team member on the show, Genesis Suero a true superstar in the making! Even in this climate of high interest rates,who wouldn’t take out a mortgage to buy something from Genesis???

MIKA LORENZO ON THE RISE

Up and coming comic Mika Lorenzo will be hosting at Gotham Comedy Club on Feb. 4th and just had the honor of introducing Jerry Seinfeld to the Gotham crowd on another night he was hosting. He’ll be doing what he describes as a mini-special on Feb. 28th at Fear City on the Lower east Side, and there’s a good chance that I will be on the show!!! This column has to end somewhere and I think this is a good time for that to happen!

THIS COLUMN WILL ALSO APPEAR ON SUBSTACK AND YOU CAN FOLLOW JEFFREY ON INSTAGRAM AT @JEFFREYGURIAN AND ON TIKTOK AT @JEFFREYLGURIAN AND THANKS TO MANY SUGGESTIONS, COMEDY MATTERS IS NOW ON PATREON AFTER ALL THESE YEARS TO HELP DEFRAY THE COSTS INVOLVED. CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE THE DIFFERENT TIERS. https://www.patreon.com/c/comedymatterstv/shop?vanity=comedymatterstv

Tags: Alejandro Morales, Borsacht Belt Comedy Festival, Borscht Belt Museum, Brian Quinn, Chris Roach, comedy parties, Emilio Savone, Gotham Comedy Club, Harrison Greenbaum, Impractical Jokers, Jackie Mason, Jeffrey Gurian, Joe DeRosa, Judd Apatow, Mel Brooks, New York Comedy Club, Nikki Glaser, Robin Montague, Sheba Mason, Sherri Shepherd, Subhah Agarwal

Posted in: Celeb Photos, Celebrity Death, Celebrity Passing, Comedians In The News, Comedy, Comedy Central, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Festivals, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Comedy Videos, Entertainment News, Jeffrey Gurian News, New Films, New TV Show, Social Media, Stand-Up Comedy, Unusual News

Leave a Comment (0) →

COMEDY MATTERS ROUND-UP WITH JEREMY PIVEN, CHRIS DISTEFANO, JEFF ROSS, JOE LIST, MARK NORMAND, CORINNE FISHER, NYCF, GROSSINGERS DOC PREMIERE AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on November 24, 2025

JEREMY PIVEN – THE ONLY ACTOR WHO CAN REALLY DO STAND-UP

I’ve been a fan of Jeremy Piven since he created the iconic role of Ari Gold on Entourage. We met when he was performing stand-up at the old Stand Up NY club on West 78th Street. I went expecting to hate it because for some reason many actors and social media influencers think that just because they’re used to being on stage or seen in public, that will automatically translate to them being funny on stage! Couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of them are HORRIBLE!!!

I was invited as a guest of a friend to attend a show recently where a social media influencer was headlining, and I would never mention her name, but she was so bad that the owner of the venue called people the next day to apologize. Fortunately they had a real standup comic open for her which kind of saved the show.

In any case that night at Stand Up I was blown away by Jeremy’s performance, and stage presence. He was a natural and I was so pleasantly surprised I had to tell him when he got off stage, and we’ve been friends ever since. So when I heard he’d be performing at Sony Hall I knew I had to be there.

It was a packed house and I was seated next to my old friends Ice-T and his amazing wife Coco Austin. We were all pleasantly surprised to see each other. Sean Millea a comic I knew from Gary Vaynerchuck’s Vayner Media was one of Jeremy’s openers, and he did great. Although I asked him afterwards how he was able to do certain jokes he chose to do with his mother in the audience! (LOL) I could NEVER with my Mom!!!

**JEREMY PIVEN WITH ICE-T AND THE BEAUTIFUL COCO AUSTIN**

Anyway Jeremy did not disappoint. He’s really so funny and so likable on stage, and he does amazing impressions. His impression of Stallone was truly incredible. Many people lined up after the show to meet him and he’s exceptionally gracious to all of his fans.

We hung out backstage and shot a little video and talked about our respective Moms who we both loved and miss greatly. He’s basically the exact opposite of Ari Gold, which shows you what a good actor he is! But he’s a great stand-up too!!! ( And I’m glad to call him a friend!)

CHRIS DISTEFANO INVITES ME TO PERFORM AT THE CELLAR

November 11th was a very special day for me. Aside from the fact that it was 11/11 which is a very mystical and magical combination of numbers, it was the day I got to perform at the legendary Comedy Cellar at the invitation of Chris Distefano, whose career gets more huge with every passing day. I was with him when he made comedy history by selling out Radio City Music Hall on a Friday night and the very next night sold out MSG Theater! James Mattern, one of the best hosts, and Chris’s usual host was the host that evening and we had a blast! And right from there I ran to perform on Laura Slutsky’s amazing cancer benefit you’ll read about below!

SOHO INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST CELEBRATES SWEET 16

Hard to believe it’s been 16 years since Jorge Ballos created the Soho International Film Fest run by the incredible team of Sibyl and Carlos Santiago, and I make sure to attend every year and do red carpet interviews! Filmmakers and stars come from all over the world, and this year I even got to moderate one of the films, a comedy film called ” A Cell Phone Movie” created by a talented guy named Will Sterling who wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film shot entirely on a cell phone. And the nighttime parties, as well as the closing party were totally awesome!!! Film people definitely know how to party!!! Already looking forward to year 17!!!

**WITH MULTI-TALENTED WRITER/ACTOR/DIRECTOR WILL STERLING**

CORINNE FISHER IS GROWING UP

I first met Corinne Fisher when she was a little girl! At least it seems that way! LOL We worked together for a year when she was new in comedy. And it’s been so fun watching her become the big star, and classy lady she has become. So for her birthday at a really cool place called Pinky Swear she only invited 219 of her closest friends and I think that every single one of them showed up… and more!!!

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL GETS HER CAKE!!!

I know I did, and it was the best time! It was sandwiches from Joe DeRosa’s place Joey Roses, and a kick-ass band called the Up All Nighters which was truly amazing and got everybody going with their high energy and great musical choices!

**WITH CORINNE FISHER, … AND THAT GREEN LIGHT IS HER HEART LIGHT CAUSE SHE HAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HEART!!!**

TAMMY PESCATELLI AT THE TRIAD WITH AN AFTER PARTY AT GOTHAM

I’ve known Tammy Pescatelli for a very long time but I’ve known her husband comedian/actor Luca Palanca even longer! So I was really psyched when Luca called me to tell me that Tammy was coming to NY to tape a special, at The Triad Theater one of my favorite places, which will appear again later in this column. I wouldn’t swear to it but I think Tammy told me her special will be called ” Tammy The Bull.”

**(L-R) WITH LUCA PALANCA AND BRIAN HOLTZMAN**

The show was great, packed crowd, and the after-party was in the downstairs lounge at Gotham where I got to meet Brian Holtzman, a wild man who Luca said was the funniest guy he ever met, and who has his own show at Joe Rogan’s Mothership, a club I must get to! His show is called Holtzman and Friends and is on every Thursday night.

LAURA SLUTSKY’S CANCER FUNDRAISER AT THE TRIAD

Since I already mentioned The Triad, I may as well do the piece on producer Laura Slutsky’s show in honor of a man named Ryan Dwars, who beat pancreatic cancer. Laura met him and his wife by chance, took a liking to them, and told him if he could get to the point where he was in remission she’d produce a show in his honor. I guess that was an incentive to him, cause he beat the cancer and Laura produced the show, a 3 hour show with amazing talent and Ryan and his wife traveled up from down South to attend. I was honored to perform.

**(L-R) BOB GREENBERG, DAVE KONIG, SANDY EHLERS, AND YOU KNOW WHO!!!**

NEW YORK COMEDY FESTIVAL IN IT’S 21ST YEAR

The New York Comedy Festival can finally vote and drink legally now since it’s 21 years old! (LOL) I’m pretty sure I’ve been covering it every year, and even got to perform in two shows there the last weekend before it closed after 30 years, thanks to Jeffrey Ross who invited me to do a set on his last show.

Major congratulations to Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox as well as their hard-working team of Louis Faranda, Carolyn Gitomer and Greg Charles. I could easily do an entire column on just the shows I saw at the fest, and all the parties I attended but I’ll try and give you a taste of what it was like.

Maybe I’ll just summarize the talent I got to see and where I got to see them, which might make it a bit easier. I was excited to meet Ban Bankas who’s from Canada and came down to do an awesome show at The Gramercy Theater. Ben’s comedy is very much out there, brave, courageous and done in good spirit, where he laughs at himself sometimes, as if he can’t believe what he just said, but you can tell he’s a great guy who loves people. And as someone who had a Chinese girlfriend for many years, I can attest to the fact that his Chinese accent is on point!!! We exchanged info and I hope to see him again!

Joe List and Friends was also held at The Gramercy, … another sold out show, … and as I walked in to the green room I was greeted by Joe, his wife comedian Sarah Tollemache, Mark Normand, Sam Morril, comedy exec Maureen Taran, Liz Furiati who runs The Cellar, and who always calls me “Gurian”, Kerryn Feehan, and Matt Salacuse who was filming the backstage action. The show was amazing, the backdrop named Joe List as ” The Man of the Year” and back stage there was a delicious chocolate cake with that very inscription. Someone couldn’t wait to taste it before I got the pic, and it wasn’t ME!!!!

Right after this show Mark Normand and Matt Ruby did their own show “Shtick or Treat” where they came out dressed as Saudi princes and comics came out in different get-ups doing other comedian’s material. Jeff Ross came out with a wig as the late, great Richard Lewis! Joe and Sarah were on their way to SkankFest in Vegas!!!

Some stand-outs for me at the fest were Gastor Almonte, who has such a unique delivery coupled with clever material, Nacya Marreiro from LA, who came with her dog Oslo, and Richard Villa who were all part of a Latino show at New York Comedy Club. The backstage area was like a party with these fun people, and it was so good to re-connect with Richard who remembered me from when I was out in LA and showed up at the Refried Comedy Show. In the video we shot outside in the street he was mobbed by audience members who needed to tell him how much they loved the show and I left it in the video!

WITH RICHARD VILLA OUTSIDE OF NYCC INCLUDING RAVES FROM THE AUDIENCE

Then I got to see a club I hadn’t been to before , the new and very special Highline Comedy Club run by Tom Luciano, who I told that if the club stayed as successful as it is, they’d call him Lucky Luciano! Great show with Gary Vider, Andy Fiori my pal from Sirius XM days, Meghan Hanley who was a great host, and J.P.McDade. All very funny which is perfect for a comedy show! Really nice room with a huge green room restaurant on the floor above.

**(L-R) ANDY FIORI, GARY VIDER, MEGHAN HANLEY AND J.P. MCDADE**

Another new club I was glad to check out is owned by another guy with only two initials as his first name, my buddy P.J. Landers, who opened the new two story Comedy Village on West 44th Street. Beautiful club. P.J.showed me around and I even tried out the stage!

Speaking of new venues, major congrats to Cris and Paul Italia at The Stand who are making the Chelsea Music Hall into The Stand West. It’s a great space. I’ve been on that stage several times including Seth Herzog’s Sweet shows, and these Italia guys really know how to build a successful club. I got to see Daniel Bridge-Gadd there, hosting the Ed Bassmaster show. Daniel is an ex-football player who transitioned into comedy and is very funny.

**DANIEL BRIDGE-GADD ON STAGE AT THE STAND WEST**

**(L-R) WITH PAUL ITALIA AND LOUIS FARANDA THE HUMBLE LONG-TIME HEAD OF THE NYCF**

Daniel describes himself as a “white-talking Black Jewish guy” which basically covers all the bases, and which explained why he was able to get away with using the “N” word. He’s really light-skinned. As for me, I’m so politically correct I don’t even take the “N” train!!! (LOL)

The Stand East had one of the hottest NYCF parties and lots of fun peeps showed up.

**(L-R) COMEDY EXECS JODI LIEBERMAN, AND ZOE FRIEDMAN**

And the Hard Rock was the main base of operations where I got to see a bunch of new faces and one of the best shows was hosted by Ryan Long, who I hadn’t seen in a long time!

**WITH RYAN LONG AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL SHOWROOM**

PERIEL AND FRIENDS AT WEST SIDE COMEDY

Comedian Periel Aschenbrand put together a great show at West Side Comedy Club, with Dan Naturman, who she does the Comedy Cellar podcast with, Olga Namer and the incredible Matt Friend. I say “incredible” because on one of his Instagram posts where he literally turns into Rami Malek my comment on his amazing ability to transform himself already has over 1850 likes and climbing every single day.

I have worked with several legendary impressionists in the past like Rich Little, Frank Gorshin, Fred Travalena, and the great political impressionist and my old friend Jim Morris, and Matt Friend is up there with the best of them. It’s uncanny to watch him morph into the person he’s imitating, especially when he does Mitch McConnell! After all my years in comedy, very few things make me laugh out loud. That does!!!

**WITH RICH LITTLE AT A FRIARS ROAST-80’S**

WORLD PREMIERE OF “WE MET AT GROSSINGERS”

A world premiere of any film is always exciting, but even moreso when you’re in the film!!! The tremendous success of the Netflix hit ” The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” spurred a renewed interest in that time period, the 1950’s when the Borscht Belt in upstate New York, had gorgeous hotels like Grossingers, The Concord, Kutcher’s, The Nevele and lots more. Grossingers stood out as it had it’s own airport, a ski slope where they brought in artificial snow so you could ski in the summer, an ice skating rink, indoor and huge outdoor pools, and all the biggest comedy talent of the time.

I was at Grossingers at two different points in my life. As a child.from 10-13, singing solo in the Samuel Sterner choir, that performed there on the High Holy Days, and as an adult writing for the major comedians who performed at the hotel like Milton Berle, who was my sponsor in The Friars Club, Jerry Lewis, Allen and Rossi, Dick Capri, Freddy Roman and tons more.

**ME AT 10 YEARS OLD AT GROSSINGERS WITH MY MOM AND DAD DRESSED TO SING FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS** **( FROM THE ORIGINAL PHOTO PACKET!!! REMEMBER THOSE ???)**

That’s why I was honored to be included in this wonderful film that focussed on the life of Jennie Grossinger. Jennie, who always came out to greet me as a child, was the only woman who owned and ran such a huge hotel and was known world-wide for her hospitality, hosting heads of state as well as famous athletes like Jackie Robinson. Jackie broke the color barrier not only in sports but in hotel stays at Grossingers.

Thanks to Harris Salomon of Atlantic Overseas Pictures, who came up with the idea, and Bobby Friedman from Bungalow Entertainment, and especially thanks to award-winning director Paula Eiselt the film is a masterpiece and a very important film for our time, showing the tremendous contribution of the Jewish people to our society, and how they worked hard to include the Black community in places where they were previously not allowed. This film is a “Must See.”

**PROMO PHOTO FOR WE MET AT GROSSINGERS**

**A PANEL WE DID FOR THE FILM AT THE BORSCHT BELT FESTIVAL IN ELLENVILLE, NY**–**HARRIS SALOMON IS IN THE REAR**

Then a few days after the premiere there was a huge party and comedy show at Mr. Purple, a very hip downtown space co-hosted by Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond, and comic Judy Gold! And I got to sit with my old pal Robert Klein who was being honored with an award, and who told me he was not planning on performing, but wound up performing anyway due to popular demand!!!

COMEDY MATTERS GIRL OF THE MONTH

**HERE’S TO KATY FOR HER LOVE OF COMEDY AND SUPPORT OF THE COMEDY SCENE**

And with that I thank you all for indulging me with this very long column, but there was just so much to see and do since the last one. I had so much more, it could have been even longer!!!

Until next time, follow Jeffrey on Instagram at @jeffreygurian and on TikTok at @jeffreylgurian and we’ll see you out in the clubs!!! AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS WITH A FRIEND WHO LIKES COMEDY!!!

Tags: "Comedy Cellar", "Comedy Matters TV", "Corinne Fisher", "New York Comedy Club", "New York Comedy Festival", "NY Comedy Festival", Ari Gold, Ben Bankas, Chris Distefano, Entourage, Gotham Comedy Club, Gramercy Theater, Jacob Williams, Jeff Ross, Jeffrey Gurian, Jeffrey Ross, Jeremy Piven, Joe List, Mark Normand, Matt Friend, Nacya Marriero, NYCF, Richard Villa, Ryan Long, Sam Morril, Soho International Film Festival, T.J>Miller, The Stand NYC, Triad Theater, West Side Comedy Club, Wild 'n Out

Posted in: Celeb Photos, Charity Events, Comedians In The News, Comedy, Comedy Central, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Festivals, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Comedy Videos, Entertainment News, Film Festivals, Jeffrey Gurian News, Red Carpet Events, Social Media, Stand-Up Comedy

Leave a Comment (0) →

COMEDY MATTERS ROUND-UP WITH NICK KROLL, MARC MARON, JIM GAFFIGAN, MIKE BIRBIGLIA, HASAN MINHAJ, JIM GAFFIGAN, JEFF GARLIN, BORSCHT BELT COMEDY AND LOTS MORE!!!

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on August 25, 2025

**MIKE BIRBIGLIA AND HASAN MINHAJ AT 92Y TALKING ABOUT MIKE’S LATEST HIT SPECIAL “THE GOOD LIFE”**

92NY KILLING IT ON THE COMEDY SCENE

In this issue of Comedy Matters alone there are three killer events at the 92nd Second Street Y! So kudos to 92NY!!! As for the first event, let me say that there are very few comics who can pull off solo shows. And even less ones who can turn them into films. Mike Birbiglia is one of those guys who can!

I’ve known MIke since the early 2000’s and have the photos to prove it! ( See below) And I’ve been a big fan of his ever since I saw his first one-man show “Sleepwalk With Me”, back in 2008 at the Bleecker Street Theater. It was presented by Broadway star Nathan Lane, and it was a huge hit! Thanks to Mike, I have’t been able to get word “jackal” out of my consciousness for the last 17 years. If you saw the show, you’ll get it.

**WITH MIKE BACKSTAGE SOMEWHERE EARLY 2000’S**

The sight of what he thought was a jackal in his bedroom, while sleep-walking, caused him to leap out the window in order to escape it. Thank G-d he survived because he’s done five more solo shows since, that people needed to see, and I believe I’ve seen them all. My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, Thank G-d for Jokes, The New One, The Old Man In The Pool, and currently The Good Life which they played at the 92Y before Mike took the stage for a conversation with Hasan Minhaj,another great comic story-teller. Putting them together on the stage was a masterful choice.

**WITH MIKE BACKSTAGE AT THE CORT THEATER FOR “THE NEW ONE”**–**CIRCA 2018**

Mike has a way of tackling difficult topics like his Dad’s stroke, and making it touching and funny at the same time. He also talked a lot about fatherhood in a way you can tell how happy he is to be a Dad. It’s always interesting to me personally cause I knew all these guys when they were single and now they’re Dads! LOL The show is definitely a must-see, and is streaming on Netflix, his 4th Netflix special.

I had gotten a taste of it when Mike did a guest spot on Judd Apatow’s show at The Beacon Theater last November during the New York Comedy Festival. And when I went backstage to see Mike we talked about his Dad’s stroke and how he was doing at the time.

Hasan’s latest special, his third on Netflix is called “Off With His Head” . I’ve been at all of his other two specials as well, the first being “Homecoming King” back around 2016, and then “The King’s Jester” in 2022. Doing a one-man show is such a different medium. I too had always wanted to do a one man show, but I could never figure out who that one man should be!!! Just a few of my Hasan memories!!!

**FROM MY DANCING WITH COMEDIANS SERIES-1/8/16**

After the show as I always do, I went backstage to say hi and congratulate them both. Mike was running out to an event but kindly took a moment to run over for a quick hug, and then I got to see Hasan!

JEFF GARLIN REPS OLD JEWISH MEN

Old Jewish Men is a popular site on Instagram and for the second spectacular 92NY comedy event, Jeff Garlin agreed to be placed in that category in conversation with Noah Rinsky, the young Jewish man who wrote the book “The Old Jewish Men’s Guide to Eating, Sleeping, and Futzing Around” moderated by a real Rabbi, Rabbi David Ingber, who I’m not sure got all the jokes, since Rabbi’s are rarely known for their sense of humor!

When it comes to Judaism they have it down pat, but the number of Rabbis doing stand-up is probably very small, although I actually did see one at the Borscht Belt Fest, and more on that later on in this column!

Jeff told a funny story about his Bar Mitzvah, and how he put on a happy face for his Mom, but the truth was the only good thing about it in his estimation was the cake! And Jeff must have lost about a hundred pounds in recent years, so the memory of that cake may be the only cake he gets these days!

JEFF GARLIN ON HIS BAR MITZVAH

MARC MARON AND JIM GAFFIGAN PANICKED

The third 92NY comedy event was with Marc Maron in conversation with Jim Gaffigan, another amazing coupling of talent. It was part of the Newmark Civic Life Series at 92NY, and in each of these events I’ve known these guys for many years and I recall being at Marc’s show ” Scorching The Earth” back in 2008, mostly about his break-up with his second wife Mishna, who I also knew well.

That show left an indelible impression on me that has never left. I actually recall where I sat, 17 years ago, because I think I was traumatized by the honesty of his performance, and our traumas are deeply engrained in our consciousness. I didn’t know that anyone could be that vulnerable on stage or would want to be that vulnerable. I know I couldn’t do it!

In “Panicked” the opening was very political leading into studies of his anxieties, and relationships. like the one with his father who has dementia, and the theme of aging, all through Marc’s unique perspective. At the 92Y you get the opportunity to fill out question cards before the show, and I was wondering if I wrote something personal to both him and Jim whether they’d read it out loud, or possibly roast me in front of the entire audience so I chose not to do it!

I did get to say “Hi” afterwards when Marc stayed on the stage for a few minutes greeting fans. I had sent JIm an e-mail before the show to let him know I was coming, but he wrote back to me the next day to apologize that he didn’t see it till the day after! Oh well! ( The photos below show how long I know these guys!!! And NONE of us have aged one bit!!! LOLOLOL)

**WITH MARC AT SCORCHING THE EARTH**-2009

NICK KROLL IN FREE SHOW AT MADISON SQUARE PARK

New Yorkers got a special treat on one of the hottest nights of the year both literally and figuratively. It was 95 degrees and Nick Kroll brought his talents and his close comedy friends Rachel Feinstein, Ricky Velez, Sam Jay, and Jason Mantzoukas to do a free show for 1500 people spread out on the lawn of the beautiful Madison Square Park where Nick’s wife Lily Kwong created the beautiful installation known as “The Gardens of Renewal.”

She worked in collaboration with the Madison Square Conservancy to transform the park into a living artwork with special plantings, including a beautiful Meditation Garden and an interactive Children’s Garden. Lily was there as well.

The weird thing for me was that I was due at the same time at an event out on Staten Island which is an hour trip, but I didn’t went to miss seeing Nick perform. so I went there first knowing I could not stay for the whole thing. There was heavy security and metal stanchions closing off the space where Nick was hanging out “backstage” in kind of a tent with Jason Mantzoukas who I even recognized from the back! Some people, … like myself, … seem to be easily recognizable even from far away! (LOL)

**NICK AND JASON MANTZOULAS IN THE TENT**

You had to sign in with people in order to get to the area where Nick was hanging out, but I planned to watch the show from outside the metal stanchions so hopefully I could leave without disturbing anyone. That worked until Nick spotted me loitering at the gates and yelled out something like ” Let Jeffrey Gurian in” which I was very grateful for. So I went in and took a seat on the ground with everyone else, and got to see Rachel and Nick perform before I had to leave. A commitment is a commitment! But seeing Nick perform even for a few moments is always worth it to me!

Nick led the 1500 person audience in a guided meditation and issued an unusual challenge!!!

MARCUS RUSSELL PRICE AND THE HOMELESS PIMP BOTH VISIT THE COMEDY MATTERS CRIB

Not together but at separate times two of the most celebrated photographers and videographers on the comedy scene honored me with a visit to the Comedy Matters crib to check out my Comedy Museum, and shoot fun stuff with me! It would be hard to find a major comedy event where you wouldn’t see Marcus running up and down the aisle shooting pix of the action, and then again backstage. Even backstage at shows at places like City Winery like a recent show where Nick Kroll did a guest headliner spot!

**WITH MARCUS RUSSELL PRICE IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE WALLS OF THE COMEDY MATTERS MUSEUM**

Both of these guys also shoot and direct comedy specials, and Marcus has also produced shows, some of which I attended at Lincoln Center! ( Classy guy!!!) I think Pimp told me he directed 30 comedy specials already.

I got to experience Pimp’s talent when he filmed me on Chris DiStefano’s podcast, and for Joe DeRosa’s music video “Mouth On My Money.” He did such an extraordinary job of adding hilarious special effects, like where there was about 100 of me on the screen all doing different moves.

I neglected to say that my part was dancing like a maniac to the song played by Joe’s group Salsa Windfall. I keep meaning to ask Joe how he chose that name! When I agreed to do the part I had no idea I’d be dancing alone! (LOL) It was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done and I totally challenged myself to do it! You can see it here! ( Above!) Btw, Joe just got to perform on a Dave Chapelle live show!

Anyway I had a blast with both Marcus and Pimp. We shot lots of video, … even of me playing the piano, … which is still being edited by both of them. but which you will be seeing very shortly!!! Personally I can’t wait!!! This is a little video I shot with Pimp!

PODCAST KING COMES TO VISIT

It was truly a month for people visiting, shooting videos and recording podcasts at the Comedy Matters crib. Radio legend Buzz Knight, who produces the podcast Music Saved Me, through his company Buzz Knight Media, now also produces two other podcasts including “Takin’ A Walk” and the one most pertinent to readers of this column ” Comedy Saved Me.”

The “Music Saved Me” podcast, as well as “Comedy Saved Me” is hosted by Lynn Hoffman, a superstar radio and TV celeb interviewer, known for the intimate depth of her interviews, and It explores music’s healing and transformative power by featuring personal stories from musicians who have been impacted by their art. Now they’re doing comedy, and I was honored to be a guest! And strictly by coincidence the podcast came out this morning!

**WITH BUZZ KNIGHT IN FRONT OF TWO OF THE WALLS OF THE COMEDY MATTERS MUSEUM**

When Buzz came by to see the famed “Comedy Museum” with photos going back decades, he decided we should also tape an interview for “Takin’ A Walk”, which included an in-depth interview of my long history in comedy. Will be out very soon and the link will be posted!!!

BORSCHT BELT FEST A BIG SUCCESS

The tremendous success of Netflix’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has led to a resurgence of interest in that time, … the 50’s, when hotels like Grossingers, The Concord, and The Nevele were the place to be seen.

The Catskill mountains resorts were known as The Borscht Belt because many of he early immigrants who built the hotels and came to stay were Eastern European Jews who ate borscht. Not sure if I ever had any , but it was a soup made from beets. I may not have had any borscht but I certainly frequented the Borscht Belt. It’s where many comedians performed before the days of comedy clubs. I was there as a child, singing solo in a choir and also as an adult, meeting and writing for the various comedians that performed there.

I was recenly in several scenes of a new documentary called ” We Met At Grossingers” Exec-produced by Harris Salomon of Atlantic Overseas Pictures and Bobby Friedman of Bungalow Entertainment, and directed by award-winning director Paula Eiselt. They had their LA premiere on July 9th.

**WITH DIRECTOR PAULA EISELT AT GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB**

It’s the 4th doc on comedy I’ve been in and we shot my scenes at Gotham Comedy Club, where I was interviewed by Paula and Bennett Elliot and where I brought some photos from back in the day as well as postcards I collected as a child from Grossingers, which are still in pristine condition. The other films I was in were a doc on Robin Willams, which I think was called ” Robin Wiliams- Come Inside My Mind”, “The Business of Comedy”, and “Eat, Drink and Laugh- The Story of The Comic Strip.”

Harris and renowned writer Alan Zweibel, the man who gave me my start in comedy, have created a scripted series called “The Mountains” of which you’ll be hearing a lot about in the near future.

Now in Ellenville, NY there is a Borsct Belt Museum and for the third year in a row they sponsor the Borscht Belt Comedy Festival over a weekend at the end of July. There was an opening night party on Friday night, and a lot of fun shows over Saturday and Sunday culminating in a street fair on Sunday afternoon.

**SOME KIND PERSON POSTED THIS PHOTO OF ME ON STAGE**

Robert Klein was honored with an event at the museum, where there were posters of Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Joan Rivers and all the other people I had the honor of working with. One of the highlights for me besides headlining two of the shows on Saturday and Sunday was finally meeting comedian Jeff Capri, the son of the very first comedian who ever hired me to write for him, the great Dick Capri ,who left us so recently at 93 years of age. I also got to re-connect with Sandy Hackett the son of the legendary Buddy Hackett. He and Jeff were doing a show together.

It was a great time and I’m sending a big shoutout to Robin Kauffman from the Borscht Belt board, and comic/booker Alejandro Morales, who just announced that he’s moving to Chile!

PICK UP ON THE PICK UP WITH PETE DAVIDSON, EDDIE MURPHY AND KEKE PALMER

Next time you’re home with nothing to do, and you wanna see Pete Davidson be hilariously funny in a starring role opposite Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer, just go to Amazon Prime and look for The Pickup. It’s an action-comedy heist film where Pete and Eddie play two mismatched armored truck drivers who get involved in a crazy, wild, dangerous situation when a routine cash pickup goes awry thanks to Keke Palmer, who plays a very interesting role. Especially in the opening! So great to see Pete doing so well and on his way to becoming a Dad!!!

I’ve known Pete since he was a teen and used to come do my late night show at The Comic Strip, when I was co-hosting with Jordan Rock. I did Sunday and Monday nights, and Jordan did Tuesday and Wednesday! Pete would come in with Jordan and was funny from the jump. Then he got taken under Nick Cannon’s wing, and wound up on SNL for 8 seasons. He’s always been a great guy, and I’ll never forget when he introduced me to someone important to him by saying, ” This is Jeffrey Gurian, a guy you can trust!!!” To me that’s the most important thing someone can say about you!!!

The film also features Eva Longoria playing Eddie’s wife and Andrew “Dice” Clay playing the armored car owner/dispatcher! I hold the honor of being one of the only people ever to write for “Dice” and he says it openly cause he’s that kind of guy!!!

**TAKING AWAY A HEADACHE FROM “DICE” OUT IN LA IN 1998** AT THE ICONIC MEL;S; DINER

PLAYING A BAD MAGICIAN

I got hired to play a failed magician in an online commercial! Luckily I had a moustache collection and a derby, … cause you never know when you might need such things!!! Click the link to watch!

I think that’s enough for this column. More coming soon. In the meantime follow Jeffrey on Instagram at @jeffreygurian and on TikTok at @jeffreylgurian and I’ll see you out there Iin the clubs!!! And if you have any fun ideas or would like him to be in your show or project, you can reach Jeffrey at jeffrey@jeffreygurian.com

Posted in: Celeb Photos, Comedians In The News, Comedy, Comedy Central, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Festivals, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Comedy Videos, Entertainment News, Happiness Information, Happiness Information, Jeffrey Gurian News, Podcasts, Red Carpet Events, Stand-Up Comedy, TV Show, Unusual News

Leave a Comment (0) →

COMEDY MATTERS SUPER ISSUE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS, WITH NIKKI GLASER, KEVIN HART, CHRIS DISTEFANO, D.L. HUGHLEY, SETH HERZOG, KRYSTYNA HUTCHINSON, PAUL RUDD, ALEX MOFFAT AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on October 3, 2024

COMEDY MATTERS 25th ANNIVERSARY

It may sound strange, but it wasn’t until I started writing about Seth Herzog’s 20th anniversary of his show Sweet, and acknowledging what an amazing achievment that was that I started wondering how long I’ve been doing Comedy Matters, and realized that I had started it in 1999, which made 2024 it’s 25 year anniversary of covering the comedy scene.

It’s been a few months since my last post and if you read on you’ll see why, so I’m going to briefly fill you in on what’s been going on in NY comedy thru the eyes of Comedy Matters.

TOM BRADY ROAST IS HUGE FOR NIKKI GLASER

Everyone totally crushed on the Tom Brady Roast. Kevin Hart was an amazing host and Roastmaster General Jeffrey Ross added to the hilarity with his never-fail killer jokes. That’s why he’s the Roastmaster General! Tony Hinchcliffe, Andrew Schulz, Tom Segura, Bert Kreischer, every single one of them killed. (Sorry if I left anyone out!!!)

But as a result of Nikki Glaser’s incredible performance roasting Tom at the very non-politically correct Roast on Netflix, she’ll be hosting the 82nd Golden Globes coming up on January 5th on CBS. I remember going to the premiere of the Nikki and Sara Live show on MTV back in 2013, when she had her own show with Sara Schaefer, and it’s so cool to see her reach superstardom. Nikki is a force. Her latest special on HBO, “Some Day You’ll Die” is up for an Emmy. She hosted and Exec. Produced F-Boy Island for three seasons which led to her hosting and Exec. Producing the spin-off “Lovers and Liars.” So major congrats to Nikki!

**(L-R) BERT KREISCHER AND TOM SEGURA TEAM UP ON THE BRADY ROAST**

**WITH SARA SCHAEFER AND NIKKI GLASER AT MTV BACK IN 2013**

GROSSINGERS DOC DUE FROM BUNGALOW ENTERTAINMENT AND ATLANTIC OVERSEAS PICTURES

The popularity of the Netflix hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel had led to a resurgence of interest in that era, the 1950’s and particularly about what was known as The Borscht Belt which were the incredible hotels in upstate New York like Grossingers, The Concord, The Nevele, The Raleigh and so many more.

Bobby Friedman the head of Bungalow Entertainment is producing a documentary on Grossingers, along with co-Exec.Producer Harris Salomon of Atlantic Overseas Pictures. It features owner Jenny Grossinger who paved the way for powerful women in the entertainment business. Grossingers was one of the best known hotels, that even had it’s own airstrip to fly in the big stars that performed there. I was interviewed for the doc because I was at Grossingers at two different points in my life, … as a kid singing solo in a famous Hebrew choir that sang at the hotels for the High Holidays, and again as an adult writing comedy for many of the big stars that performed there.

My interview was to be held at a comedy club which turned out to be, where else but Chris Mazzilli’s Gotham Comedy Club where so many amazing things take place. Judd Apatow was just there doing a special show about a week ago. The doc is being directed by award winning director Paula Eiselt who interviewed me, with the assistance of Bennett Elliot and Catherine Rierson from Bungalow Entertainment. Can’t wait for it to come out!

**WITH AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR PAULA EISELT AT GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB**

UCB IS BACK WITH ASSSSCAT BETTER THAN EVER

In a never-ending list of things lost to Covid, UCB was one of them. Fortunately it’s back in a killer new location on 14th Street. Amazingly huge space. I attended the grand opening on Sept. 13th, and was pleasantly surprised to see Sasheer Zamata, Chris Gethard, and Zach Cherry among the improvisers. The host that night was James Austin Johnson from SNL. Improv may not be as reliable in terms of laughter as stand-up, but it may be the hardest thing in the world to do and they totally have my respect!

**(L-R) Sasheer Zamata with a shaved head, James Austin Johnson in front and Zach Cherry in the rear with the glasses. Other names unfortunately are unknown to me! Send them in if you know!!!**

CELEB PHOTOG MARCUS RUSSELL PRICE PRODUCING SHOWS

Marcus Russell Price is at every major comedy event shooting photos at the request of whoever is headlining the event. And it’s because he’s that good! I will always be indebted to him for shooting the two photos that appear below, at the exact second that I walked through the door at Carnegie Hall to congratulate Nick Kroll on his sold-out show, only to find out that due to Covid, they blocked everyone but me from coming backstage to see Nick, … even his family!

**NICK KROLL FILMING ME AS I ENTERED HIS DRESSING ROOM AT CARNEGIE HALL WITH MIKE BERKOWITZ LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY!**

Nick thought it was so funny that he took out his phone and filmed it for Instagram. The only other person with him was uber-agent to the stars Mike Berkowitz of WME fame who was laughing hysterically at the fact that they didn’t let anyone in but me! When it comes to super agents you would be hard pressed to find a comedy superstar not repped by Mike. To name just a few, … Bill Burr, Hasan Minhaj, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Amy Schumer and John Oliver! To see Nick’s reaction when I walked into his dressing room click the link below!

So when I heard that Marcus was actually producing comedy shows at Lincoln Center there was no chance I was not going to attend. I was almost expecting him to perform but he just introduced the evening and each of the comedians. Both shows were great and sold out and I hope he decides to do more this coming year.

**(L-R) MARCUS RUSSELL-PRICE, JOEY DARDANO, JORDAN ROCK, ROSEBUD BAKER AND THAT SAME GUY!**

NEW YORK COMEDY CLUB TAKES OVER STAND UP NY LOCATION

Emilio Savone and Scott Lindner are killing the game. I think this makes five New York Comedy Club venues, and Emilio always makes sure that I get to attend every special event he does. They totally renovated the old Stand Up NY space on West 78th Street and had a grand opening. I particularly appreciated the huge green room they created downstairs where offices used to be. It’s always nice to have a cool place to hang before going up.

It was a star-studded line-up including two of my faves, Chris Distefano and Corinne Fisher who I absolutely love! Always so glad to see how well she’s doing. Her comedy partner in crime, Krystyna Hutchinson will appear in this column a bit further down. And I just got word as I’m writing this that Chrissy scored a Hulu special! Well deserved Chris!!!

**WITH CHRIS DISTEFANO WHO JUST GOT A HULU SPECIAL**

COMEDY TIDBITS

I’m involved in something that could be HUGE thanks to the two guys you see standing with me below. No more can be said, but if it happens it will involve many of my big-time comedy friends so when D.L. Hughley was at Levity Live in Nyack, I made sure to stop off and ask him in person if he would be kind enough to participate. He said I didn’t even have to ask and that of course he’d be involved! A true friend!!!

We reminisced about the time he took me out to dinner to make sure I ate!

I was at Sheba Mason’s show one night at Three Monkeys waiting to go on when I heard them announce a comedian to the stage and I thought maybe I heard wrong. I was pretty sure I heard them say Greg Giraldo Jr. What a nice surprise to find out it was Greg’s son. I’m sure he knew already, but I got to tell him what a great, talented guy his Dad was and afterwards sent him some photos of his Dad and I from back in the day!

**WITH GREG GIRALDO JR. A VERY FUNNY YOUNG GUY**

We lost a great actor and dear friend Tony LoBianco and at the funeral service at St. Patrick’s I ran into two other old friends, comedy legend Joe Piscopo and radio legend Frank Morano!

Wound up on one of Victoria Arnstein’s shows with Mae Planert and saw what her husband Mark Normand did to her! (LOL) Such a nice girl! Major congrats to the expecting parents! I keep telling him how great it is to be a Dad!

**WITH THE VERY FUNNY MAE PLANERT WHO IS “WITH CHILD” THANKS TO MARK NORMAND!**

Got on an AA flight to Minneapolis to be a Keynote Speaker to 500 doctors on Happiness and as I boarded the flight, the main flight attendant yelled out, ” Hey Jeffrey!” Turns out it was Soo Ra a very funny comedian who’s in my new TV pilot “The Raw Side of Comedy.” I knew she was funny but never knew she was also a flight attendant for the past 7 years! I made her take photos on the plane!!!

**WITH SOO RA THE COMEDIAN/FLIGHT ATTENDANT**

Zeuses Muses an entertainment company hired me to do a show with funny comic Anna Manis at The Red Room above New York Comedy Club’s 4th Street location. It’s like a speakeasy, and it was part of a national tour. Very fun show!

**ON STAGE AT THE RED ROOM WITH ANNA MANIS**

“A Walk In The Park” the Woody Allen-ish type film I co-starred in with writer/director Noel Leon was chosen as an official selection for the NY Shorts International Film Fest slated to be shown on Oct. 14th, at the Cinema Village Theater, and if I’m lucky I’ll even get to see the final version beforehand! It’s a really sweet film about an unlikely friendship!

xr:d:DAFxoXJb-KY:13,j:2726210195446358814,t:23101918

HOLISTIC COMEDY

Everyone’s heard the saying that laughter is the best medicine. Well because of my double career as a doctor (20 years on the Board of The Assoc. for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, 12 years on staff at NYU in Oral Medicine and Oro-Facial Pain, and 25 years as a Cosmetic Dentist) and an Amazon best-selling author with 8 books, three on Happiness, mindset and changing negative thinking to positive thinking, I’m getting asked to speak at holistic-type events bringing comedy into the mix.

In July I was the Keynote Speaker in Minneapolis at the Minneapolis Convention Center to about 500 doctors and the topic they gave me was ” Surviving A Career in Dentistry Using Positive Thinking and Humor”, and about a week ago I led a weekend workshop at the prestigious Omega Institute for Holistic Studies where Deepak Chopra speaks. Big honor! The topic they gave me was ” Heal Your Heart With Humor.” The middle photo below shows the line going out the door of people wanting to say hi and have me sign a book for them. I guess what I had to say resonated with them! (LOL) ( Humble brag!!!)

To help promote the event I went on WABC radio with my buddy Frank Morano on his hit show “The Other Side of Midnight”, i-Heart Radio with the amazing Xen Sams on her hit show “A Moment of Xen”, and had the honor of being the very first guest on Krystyna Hutchinson’s new podcast “The Voices In Our Heads” in her amazing new studio, and produced by my old pal Mike Coscarelli who’s producing a bunch of podcasts now. Krystyna of course is still doing “Guys We F**ked” with her comedy partner Corinne Fisher!

Even better Krystyna asked me to release her TMJ cause she’s been getting jaw pain from grinding her teeth from stress, and that just happened to be my specialty at NYU.

Got to exchange “best-selling” books with Mick Jagger’s girlfriend Melanie Hamrick and tell her my Mick Jagger story!

SWEET CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

I swear, … this is the last item. I can’t write anymore! Sweet is almost old enough to vote! Seth Herzog has achieved the impossible and kept a comedy show running for two decades. In next month’s column I will do a deep dive into the two shows he did at Chelsea Music Hall with owner Michael Ginsberg, but suffice it to say that both shows were amazing. I’m excited to say I’ll be doing Seth’s Halloween show on Oct. 22nd also at Chelsea Music Hall telling the scary story of my heart attack!

One show was on a Sunday night and the other was on the following Tuesday night. Huge crowds, and interviews were done for an upcoming documentary. Got to re-connect with Michael Ian Black, Todd Barry, who always makes me laugh hard with his sarcastic point of view, Jeaneane Garofalo who opened her set by giving away three pair of pants from a Target bag, and Richard Kind who improvised a song about people in the audience with Seth and Michael Ian Black. Michael and I co-wrote the very first interactive film for Sony back in 1992 called “I’m Your Man.”

In the Tuesday show it was Alex Moffat, Mark Normand, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Richard Kind and more and I got to re-connect with the great Dave Hill who told me he loved my performance in Joe DeRosa’s video “Mouth On My Money”! Dave’s new one man show at the Soho Playhouse is called “Dave Hill-Caveman In A Spaceship”! Gotta see it real soon!!! Those photos in the next column coming very soon!!!

**JANEANE GAROFOLO AND HER BAG OF PANTS**

IF YOU’RE NOT TOO TIRED AFTER READING THIS WHOLE BLOG POST YOU CAN FOLLOW JEFFREY ON INSTAGRAM AT @JEFFREYGURIAN AND ON TICKTOK AT @JEFFREYLGURIAN SEE YOU SOON!!!

Tags: 77WABC, Alex Moffat, Andrew Schulz, Anna Manis, Bert Kreischer, Bill Burr, Bungalow Entertainment, Chris Distefano, Comedy Matters, Corinne Fisher, D.L. Hughley, Emilio Savone, Frank Morano, Jeffrey Gurian, Joe DeRosa, Joe Piscopo, Kevin Hart, Krystyna Hutchinson, Mae Planert, Mark Normand, Melanie Hamrick, Mick Jagger, Mike Berkowitz, New York Comedy Club, Nick Kroll, Nikki Glaser, Noel Leon, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, Paul Rudd, Paula Eiselt, Robert Friedman, Sasgeer Zamata, Seth Herzog, Soo Ra, Tom Brady, Tom Segura, UCB, WABC, WME, Woody Allen, Zach Cherry, Zeuses Muses

Posted in: Celeb Photos, Celebrity Death, Celebrity Passing, Comedians In The News, Comedy, Comedy Central, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Comedy Videos, Entertainment News, Film Festivals, General Information, Jeffrey Gurian News, New Films, Podcasts, Radio Show, Red Carpet Events, Stand-Up Comedy, TV Show, Variety Show

Leave a Comment (0) →

STAR STUDDED GARDEN OF LAUGHS RAISES 2 MILLION BUCKS FOR KIDS

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on April 15, 2019

I had been waiting for weeks to cover the biennial “Garden of Laughs” at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. It’s a star studded event that raises money for underprivileged kids and kids with disabilities. It’s produced by Rory Rosegarten of The Conversation Company and his team, and features some of the biggest comedy stars in the biz as well as many top actors. We were expecting Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, Jon Stewart, John Mulaney, Michael Che, John Oliver, Iliza Shlesinger, Tiffany Haddish, Brian Regan, and actors Debra Messing, Lucas Hedges, Ansel Elgort, Michael K. Williams, Toby Leonard Moore, Gaten Matarazzo, and all hosted by 3 time host Steve Schirripa of Sopranos fame.

WITH RORY ROSEGARTEN PRODUCER OF GARDEN OF LAUGHS

A lot of people don’t know that Steve booked some of the biggest comedy acts when he used to book talent in Las Vegas, and he’s very funny in his own right. Not every star decides to do the red carpet so we’re never really sure who’s going to come out. It was slated to start at 6:30, so I made sure to get there at 5:30 to have time to set up because there’s no real schedule with a red carpet. It’s very stressful. Sometimes several stars come out at once and while you’re talking to one, another one you would have liked to talk to walks by. It’s also all improv. Some journalists come with stock questions that they ask each person. Not me! All my stuff is improv’ed on the spot.

I specifically had my videographer show up at 4 to pack the camera bag and make 100% sure we had all of our equipment. We went over it together. So imagine my surprise at 6:10 when he suggested that we do a mic check and the shock ran through my body when we realized we hadn’t packed the microphone. I can’t describe the horror, and the icy cold feeling that ran through my body. Weeks of planning, and I’m on the red carpet with no mic.

The one thing you need to do interviews besides the camera and we didn’t bring it. I decided I’d have to run home and get it. But I live on the other side of town and it was rush hour. Perfect! I told my assistant to try and shoot some B-roll, and I ran out like a maniac, flashing my red carpet badge to security as I ran through one door after another. As I was running I tried to figure out which would be the fastest way to get home. Should I run back to 8th avenue to take the train, call an Uber, or just jump into a taxi.

I chose the closest taxi and just like in the movies I told the guy to step on it. I said I had to get across town and back in 20 minutes which was impossible. I turned on my WAZE and we got to my house at 6:26. I told him to wait in the downtown direction, jumped out of the cab, ran past my doormen, got the mic and ran back downstairs so fast that both of my shoes opened and I didn’t stop to re-tie them.

Just past 6:30 my assistant texted me that no one had come out yet. As we got closer to the Garden he texted me that John Mulaney was on the red carpet! Shoot! I was hoping he’d come out late but he came out first. Luckily my videographer had the sense to tell John he was working with me, and that I had to run home to get my mic, so John left me this hilarious message, which made it a little bit better!

Of course as we got near the Garden we got stuck in traffic, and every block seemed to take a year. Finally we pulled up in front, I gave the driver a big tip just like in the movies and ran back in, not expecting to have to go through airport-like security again. But I was wrong. Very wrong. I flashed my badge but it did no good. I told the guy I had forgotten my mic and had to run home to get it and I was missing the whole red carpet but he wouldn’t hear of it. He said he had to do his job. The only man in Manhattan who had to do his job. And of course because I was so nervous I kept leaving something metal in one pocket or another and literally had to go through the metal detector about 10 times while the people behind me waited patiently.

Finally he let me through and then I first had to re-fill my pockets. By the time I got upstairs I had missed Mulaney and Tobey Leonard Moore from Billions who I would have loved to talk to, so I finally bent down to re-tie my shoes, and then Michael K. Williams came along. I loved Michael’s characters “Omar” on “The Wire” and “Chalkie” White on Boardwalk Empire so I was excited to talk to him. He told me that working with Martin Scorcese was a dream come true for him and that he also works with kids from Garden of Dreams which is the charity itself that Garden of Laughs raises money for.

WITH MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS ON THE RED CARPET AT MSG

To tell you the truth I had never noticed that he had a scar that ran from his forehead right near his eye and down onto his cheek. Obviously I didn’t bring it up, he did. He said he was working with a young boy of 14 who also has scars on his face from an assault, and that he was able to give him some reassurance that he’d be okay. Michael told me he had been assaulted by a gang on his 25th birthday. Man’s inhumanity to man.

Rory Rosegarten came out and told me had been looking for me because he knows I always come early to these things. When I told him the mic story he said the exact same thing that John Mulaney said without having heard him say it. You can hear it for yourself in the video below. He was there with his family. I was able to congratulate him on another successful show, and it was great to see him looking so healthy again.

Michael Imperioli who played cousin Christopher Moltisante on The Sopranos came out next, and we hadn’t seen each other in years so it was so nice to re-connect. He’s got a movie coming out with Nick Cage, and an NBC TV series based on the movie The Bone Collector, and when we inquired about each other’s health and I told him I had survived a heart attack he said he was sorry, and it sounded like he said he was sorry I survived. Funny!!!

WITH MICHAEL IMPERIOLI ON THE RED CARPET AT GARDEN OF LAUGHS

Bill Burr is always a great time on the red carpet and as soon as he sees me he starts yelling out things like “Oh no”, and “This is gonna be good.” I told him I was thinking of texting him to let him know I was going to be there so he could think up some insults for me, but he said he didn’t need any advance notice because they just came naturally. He started out by asking me about my sport jacket and if I had gotten it at Woodstock, which was actually very funny.

LAUGHING WITH BILL BURR AT GARDEN OF LAUGHS

I asked him if he knew of the You Tube video called “Bill Burr Roasting People” which has over 5.4 million views and opens with he and I on the red carpet where he says he hopes I go bald so that one day we’re two old bald guys on the red carpet.” He said that not only does he know about it he hates that people think he doesn’t like me because he LOVES me, … and that made me feel really good.

I had sent him a recording that the late great Patrice O’Neal had left for me on my phone one night at 4:05 A.M. It was the first night we had done the Black Phillip Show together and Patrice was so happy with it he couldn’t wait to call me and so humbly suggested that we do a show together just the two of us. He said he didn’t want to assume anything, as if I might have said “No”, but unfortunately we never got to do it. I still get messages and e-mails from guys who track me down to give me props on my work on Black Phillip. R.I.P Patrice. Btw Bill said he listened to it, and I hope he did cause it’s one of my greatest possessions, along with the phone message that Richard Lewis left me saying that some jokes I had written for him were “hilarious” and if he was ever going to use anyone else’s jokes it would be mine!

Bill’s interview went on so long that at one point he asked me if it was still an interview or just two guys talking on the corner! Then he offered me a $700. class he was giving on how to end an interview. He’s hilarious and the very best! And he’s off on a tour from Iceland to Israel!

Just when I thought it was over, I left the red carpet but luckily didn’t pack up yet when I saw Tracy Morgan talking to Bill Burr and went over to catch up with Tracy. His new season if his TBS show “The Last O.G.” was premiering that night and we had a few laughs on camera. He always says something so nice to me and this time he said, “You ARE comedy!”

WITH TRACY MORGAN AT GARDEN OF LAUGHS

Last on the red carpet was John Oliver who was going to be the very first presenter that night. I asked him if his kids were old enough to know that he’s playing Zazu the bird in the new remake of The Lion King directed by John Favreau due out this July. He said his son is only three and he took him to a movie in which he did the voice of a porcupine named Steve. He told him that was his Dad and his son said ” No it isn’t”, just like my Too Much Tuna sketch with Nick Kroll and John Mulaney. Anyway this little video is a recap of my adventurous day on the red carpet of Garden of Laughs.

Please feel free to “Like”, Comment and Subscribe and please share it with a friend. On Twitter and IG I’m @jeffreygurian

Tags: "Brian Regan", "Nick Kroll", a dream within a dream, Bill Burr, charity, Comedy, comedy night, Darryl McDaniels, Debra Messing, dream, Garden of Dreams, Garden of Laughs, HBO, Hilarious, iliza shlesinger, Jerry Seinfeld, Jill Martin, John Mulaney, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Just For Laughs, Justin Tuck, kids, kids with disabilities, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Laughing, Lucas Hedges, Manhattan, michael che, MSG, MSG events, New York City, NFL, night life, NYC, red carpet, red carpet events, SNL, sports, the garden, The Giants, Toby Leonard Moore, Tracy Morgan, underprivileged kids, victor cruz

Posted in: Breaking News, Celeb Photos, Charity Events, Comedians In The News, Comedy Central, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Comedy Videos, Entertainment News, Featured, Jeffrey Gurian News, New TV Show, Nightlife Events, Red Carpet Events, Social Media, Stand-Up Comedy, TV Show

Leave a Comment (0) →

My Night With Leslie Jones

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on January 6, 2019

I think that everyone agrees that Leslie Jones is funny. Not just because she’s on SNL but because she’s genuinely funny. So when Comic Strip owner Richie Tienken told me she’d be appearing at The Strip I changed my plans and made it over there to catch her. It was a 10:30 show, and when I arrived at 10:30 the line was so long and the entrance was so packed I could barely make it to the little office where Richie lives.

Richie Tienken and Leslie Jones in “the office”

That little office was at one time the coat room, but since I know it everyone in comedy has been in there, like Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Jim Gaffigan, and one time we had Ray Romano in there with five other guys and I think we stretched out the room to it’s capacity. It really only accommodates approximately 2 people, and probably about a hundred something coats.

I fought my way to the office but Richie wasn’t in there and I was trapped by myself for a while until the crowd was seated. Then I found Richie and he told me to come outside with him where I found him standing with manager Tom-E and Leslie Jones. It was raining and she had a hood on and I couldn’t see her hair and for a minute I wasn’t sure it was her. It was definitely her!

Leslie, Richie and I went back into that little office to chat before her set. Ruperto Vanderpool was hosting and I was thrilled to see the club so packed. There was literally not a seat to be had. It was like when Jerry Seinfeld taped his Netflix special this past year. That kind of crowded. As a matter of fact that’s what rejuvenated the club. Ever since that time, and then when Adam Sandler followed up taping his Netflix special there, the club has found a new life.

Jerry decided to come back to his original home where he spent the first four years of his career, from 1976-1980, and where he achieved the rank of permanent MC faster than anyone else had ever done. Adam’s taping was a secret kept from Richie until he arrived at the club that same night! Nice surprise!!!

The club had been Jerry’s home and where he met his best friend George Wallace who happened to be in town this week and was hanging out with Jerry. I know this because I ran into them the night before this all went down.

Anyway there’s only room for two chairs in the office so Leslie sat, and I stood and we all took turns regaling each other with stories from the past about the club, about Eddie, and how he discovered Chris Rock one night around 1986, and how Leslie started out as a short order cook, and waitress, and started doing stand-up in a place in LA that Eddie used to frequent.

She recalled a story of seeing him years later and humbly telling him she never thought she did that well when he came in, and he told her that he thought she was ALWAYS funny!

Leslie told great stories of how she’s gotten everything she wanted. Through a lot of hard work! She also shared stories of how she got SNL, got to be a regular cast member, and how much fun she has doing the show.

She prayed for the manager she wanted and got him and she prayed for a writer and got Lenny Marcus who she’s thrilled with. She and Lenny met down at The Comedy Cellar and she thought he was funny, so she invited him out to a baseball game, and then REALLY thought he was funny. Then he started giving her detailed notes on her act that made sense to her, and now they work together on the regular.

They just did a big outdoor gig together in Times Square for New Year’s Eve. We also talked about how you can be doing stand-up for many years and still feel nervous before going out there, especially if you’re not on stage every night. Leslie’s duties on SNL take up so much time that she doesn’t get a chance to perform that much and she LOVES doing stand-up. I shared the story that Jim Gaffigan shared with me that for the first 6-8 years of his career he got physically sick every time before he went on stage. Finally it went away.

So when Leslie went up to HUGE applause, (the room really went nuts), she went out there with some notes, and did her thing. She started out using some 20 year olds sitting in front as her foils, and worked into a smooth half hour of material. Great physicality. She moves and jumps around the stage which really builds the energy in the room. She keeps a towel handy to wipe off the sweat that builds up from the energy she puts out. She said she had only planned on doing 20 minutes but once you’re up there and it’s flowing and the audience is loving it, it’s hard to stop yourself.

At the end she closed with a new bit about a Time Machine, and how she wishes she could go back and talk to her 20 year old self, and how her 80 year old self would come back and talk to her 51 year old self, and it may have been new but it was masterful. Most comics like to leave the stage with a big laugh. This was more powerful than just a big laugh. She left the audience laughing but with a very positive message about appreciating and enjoying whereever you are in life, and the applause she got validated that they got it and appreciated it.

Afterwards we got to hang out a bit at the bar and she and Ruperto reminisced about all the gigs they had played together in different places around the country. It was a very special night and she’ll be back next week before SNL goes back on the air.

I told her I’d bring her a copy of the book I wrote with Richie on the history of the club. The latest version is called “Laughing Legends” and it features a foreword by Chris Rock, lots of cool photos from the past, and interviews with Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Colin Quinn, Jeffrey Ross, Jim Gaffigan, Susie Essman, Lisa Lampanelli, and so many more of the big stars that came out of this iconic club.

WITH D.L. HUGHLEY

WITH CHRIS ROCK

WITH DAVE CHAPPELLE

WITH JUDAH FRIEDLANDER

WITH HANNIBAL BURESS

Posted in: Book Reviews, Books, Celeb Photos, Comedians In The News, Comedy Clubs, Comedy Events, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Entertainment News, Jeffrey Gurian News, Nightlife Events, Stand-Up Comedy

Leave a Comment (0) →

My Take On Bullying

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on July 6, 2014

Bullying seems to be a hot topic these days. Not a day goes by when you don’t read an article in the paper about the effects of bullying, from a student committing suicide to a school shooting blamed on the shooter having been bullied. What is it about us as human beings that causes us to be bullies?

The dictionary defines “bully” as “a person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.” That makes sense until you consider that last October, of 2013, football player Jonathan Martin, at 6’5 and 300 plus pounds, walked away from his team for being bullied by teammate Richie Incognito. If a 6’5″ 300 pound guy can be bullied I guess that ANYONE can be bullied!

And Incognito’s explanation mirrors what all bullies say, “I was just kidding around!” He went on to say ” Jonathan’s lawyer says he experienced “a malicious personal attack,” but again, that’s because he doesn’t understand how our locker room relationship was. We’d carry on. We’re big, physical guys. I would put my hands on him, just messing around. Like head-butting. Give him a belly shot. Normal stuff, that’s all.”

We’re “big, physical guys?” Is that an excuse for acting like a moron? You get a pass based on your physical size? Why does your size allow you to head butt someone? Is that really a game? That’s not even allowed in some forms of MMA, because it can be so damaging. “A belly shot?” I’ve always known that that’s how those guys think, but to hear them actually say it is still shocking to me.

Former Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde talked about “bullying” and “hazing” of new players, and what goes on in the locker rooms, in an article in the NY Post, and said “When Chad Pennington was a rookie with the Jets, we made him wear his helmet to breakfast, lunch and dinner in the cafeteria one day. That was kind of our prank or joke on him to welcome him into the NFL.” Now MY question is what would have happened if you had just said ” Welcome to the NFL, we’re really glad to have you.” Would he have been disappointed? Would he have felt unwelcome? Would he have felt like ” Boy I really wish they had done something mean to me, or at least made me look stupid!”

In all honesty I experienced the same “Jock” mentality entering Dental School! And all these years later I still can’t figure out why. It should have been a great honor to be accepted to a professional school and the doctors on staff should theoretically have gone out of their way to make the students feel that way. Instead they did everything in their power to humiliate us, demean us, and take away any amount of self-esteem we might have had.

I was bullied from my very first day when the Dean made a speech to “welcome” the incoming students and said, ” We don’t want any hippies with guitars here. If you want to be a hippy with a guitar go to Dental School in California!” Then a certain Dr. Lantz , with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent, came over to me and told me to get a haircut, and continued telling me that for the next four years, until literally the very day he handed me my diploma. As I approached the podium to receive my D.D.S. degree after four grueling years of work, all he could manage to say was ” Gurian, get a haircut!”

And if you saw the length of my hair in those days you’d know they were out of their minds. I also had grown a moustache which was in style in New York in those days and that really threw them over the edge. In those days in Philadelphia, if you wore a turtleneck sweater you were considered a radical, … an anarchist! I was not allowed to see patients for three whole weeks which put me in danger of not being able to complete my clinic requirements, and therefore not be able to graduate.

Because I grew a moustache I was told by my faculty advisor that I was “a disgrace to the profession.” Meanwhile the halls bore the paintings of the school’s founders all of whom had huge mutton chop whiskers and plenty of facial hair.

The only saving grace was that Dr. Lantz and Dr. Mingeldorff ( I’m not kidding, that was his name!), who actually had a Confederate flag in his office that said ” The South will rise again” found out that my father had served in World War II. And the way they found out was because my Dad had come down to Philly for me to do some work on his teeth and to speak to them about not letting me in the clinic, and they refused to let me work on my own father, until he had a talk with them and it came out that he had been in the O.S.S. ( Officer’s Strategic Service). Dr. Lantz’s exact words which were seared into my brain were, ” Your Dad served us well in World War II.”

That still didn’t get me back in the clinic but they did let me work on my father, since he had driven down from New York City to see me. My Dad told them that he didn’t feel he could tell me how to look because I was almost a doctor. It took my mother buying me a wig, with short hair and a part, in order for them to allow me to see patients again. And I had to appear in Dr. Mingeldorff’s office , and slowly turn in a circle so that he could examine my hair from every angle. He seemed to have no idea that it was a wig, because several weeks later, he showed his true nature by telling me it was time to get a haircut again because my “hair” was once again getting too long!

This was the length hair that got me banned from Dental School, and forced me to resort to wearing a wig in order to graduate!

The bullying in Dental School got so bad that in the class where we were being taught how to give injections in the mouth, I was in the middle of giving an injection to a patient over the upper front teeth. I was doing my best to make it painless. The needle was already into the gum, and some moron instructor came by and said to me, “Put it in further, don’t be afraid”, and he actually pushed my elbow so that the needle went in too far. I remember the horror of that till this day, and if it happened now he would have been fired. In those days we were too afraid to speak up. Today I would have.

The torment I faced for those four years definitely changed me as a person. I know it and I try and fight it on a daily basis. To be openly humiliated by the very people you’re trying your hardest to join , is not something you ever forget. I wrote on my apartment walls with crayon that they would NEVER break me. I told myself that I would have the last laugh, and I did. I had a very successful practice and I never participated in any of the alumni events or had anything to do with the school , or any of the other students, since the day I graduated.

I’ve been bullied throughout my life. By construction workers who didn’t like long hair when it started back in the 60’s. By random strangers who’d make remarks to me on the street about my appearance! By neighborhood gangs growing up in The Bronx! By powerless insignificant people who Tweet mean things to make themselves feel important. I know how it feels to be made to feel like you don’t fit in.

Fortunately the entertainment world is a lot more inclusive. They are used to free thinkers, and encourage that as it’s a sign of your creativity. When you go into the Army the first thing they do is to shave off your hair because your hair is a symbol of your identity, and they don’t want you to have your own identity. They want everyone to be the same. Crosby, Stills, and Nash said it best a long time ago when they advised, “Let your freak flag fly!” To this day if I hear them sing “Almost Cut My Hair” it can still bring tears to my eyes. That’s how much I was bullied about my appearance.

In recent weeks a 10 year old Brooklyn boy ran away and rode the subways all night to try and escape the constant bullying he experienced at school. He was terrified to ride the trains all night alone, but it was preferable to the terror he experienced daily being bullied. The NY Post reported that a 6′ tall high school female senior had her face slashed with a razor, just two weeks before graduation, for the audacity of being pretty enough to be a model. Where she went to school that was enough to deserve a slashed face. She already had a promising modeling career that was cut short by the jealousy of a bully that attended her school. She said they made fun of her for her height, but she tried not to let it get to her. She was the only model in her school.

And another football player at Rutgers has accused one of the coaches of bullying him, which is the same school where men’s basketball coach Mike Rice was fired for bullying HIS players. The sporting field seems to be ripe with bullying since lots of sports guys have that same “jock mentality” I mentioned above, that belittles anyone without the right genetics. Too many people take credit for their genetics, when it was really just a roll of the dice.

If you were ever one of the kids who got picked last when other kids chose up teams, you know the feeling. I was considered a popular kid, and played a lot of different sports, but I often felt left out.

And the media bullies people too, as evidenced by the NY Post headline of May 7, 2014 about Monica Lewinsky, who is still trying to make a life for herself after being humiliated on a worldwide basis for being seduced by the President of the United States. The headline read “After 10 years Monica breaks her silence”, and then it said “My life sucks” as if she said that. I read the article. Nowhere does she use the term “sucks.” The clever press person who came up with the title thought it would be cute to continue the humiliation, while the guy who seduced her goes on to ignore an impeachment and is looked at as some great hero who makes millions of dollars giving speeches.

Bullying is bad enough when you’re a kid, but you’re supposed to outgrow it. When you’re still bullying people as an adult maybe you’re just sick and need help!

Tags: Bullying, jock mentality, media bullying, model slashed, school shooting, school violence

Posted in: Breaking News, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, General Information, Jeffrey Gurian News, Point of View, Politics, Self Help Information

Leave a Comment (0) →

The Most Horrible Parts of the Body

Posted by Jeffrey Gurian on June 29, 2014

Early in June, 2014 the world went wild with stories about Rihanna, who on June 2, 2014 walked into an event in a see-through dress. It was an event at Lincoln Center and she was there to receive a Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, presented by no less than the editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour! Rihanna’s gown was created by designer Adam Selman with over 216,000 Swarovski crystals. Her critics, including Andrea Peyser of the NY Post, felt it should have had at least 216,002 crystals, with the other two crystals covering her nipples which could be seen through the sheer material. ( I tried unsuccessfully to upload the photos from The Post but WordPress didn’t let me!)

On Wednesday June 4th the NY Post wrote an article about the occurrence, with a photo of Rihanna with the area showing her nipples blocked out. Two days later Andrea Peyser of the NY Post, ( same paper) wrote an article she called ” Hey, nip this nonsense”, with an unblocked photo of Rihanna’s nipples, but the “nonsense” she was referring to was not the nonsense of making a big deal out of seeing Rihanna’s nipples, but the nonsense of her doing such a dastardly thing as exposing them to public view!

What is it about the nipple that is so horrible that you’re allowed to exhibit and expose every other single part of the breast but that part? How can such a small patch of skin with a little bump in the middle inspire such insanity in people? Who was it who made that part of the breast so taboo, that it’s considered a sin for anyone to see it? is it because that’s the part of the body that Moms feed their children with?

In Europe, toplessness is considered kind of normal. European men must be geniuses! Somehow they managed to convince European women that they could go to the beach topless, and no one would notice! Maybe they just promised not to look! That makes European women either the most gullible women in the world or the most relaxed and enlightened!

There are some people who still haven’t gotten over the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson “Nipplegate” thing that happened back in 2004 during the Super Bowl in Houston, when 143.6 million people were titillated by the sight of Janet Jackson’s pasty covered nipple. It was blamed on a “wardrobe malfunction!” More than half a million people complained and some haven’t slept well since. Most were women without nipples who were just jealous!

Back in the old days, burlesque queens and strippers wore pasties to cover their nipples. Actually they still do! And back when I was doing comedy videos for Playboy TV, I had to audition girls from the strip clubs, and there was actually a time when they were letting them use clear, latex pasties that you’d spray on from a can. You could actually see through them, but just the fact that there was something over their nipples was enough to get past the “no nipple” rule!

In this so called age of “equality” between the sexes, it seems there’s a real double standard! You’re allowed to actually see men’s nipples, probably because they don’t do anything. It’s a wonder that we have them at all. I don’t think anyone’s ever found a real use for them. But on a man the penis is the most horrible part that no one is ever allowed to see. Now I’m not advocating that you should be allowed to see it or to show it to anyone, but it just seems strange from a comedic point of view, that there is a part of our body once again that is so horrible, disgusting, and obscene that you can actually be arrested for showing it to anyone. It’s literally a crime to show someone your penis. Unless they request a viewing!

Women have low cut tops, showing off most of their breasts. At any fashion gala or even some spectacular event like the Academy Awards you see women with their breasts pushed up so high, they look like they’re about to pop out. It looks more ridiculous than sexy! But again, there’s such a double standard. Men don’t have low cut pants. Fortunately there’s no such thing. It’s not like you can show off the entire length of the shaft of your penis except for the tip, which would be the equivalent of a woman showing off her entire breast except for the center!

It’s funny that the two parts of the male and female anatomy used to either make children or feed them are the two parts people are shamed by and are illegal to show. Where did that start? Maybe back in The Garden when Eve ate the apple because the snake told her to, and man was given shame! We’ve been paying the price ever since, but for us comedy writers, it’s really just a big joke!

Tags: censorship, nipples, Nudity, penis, sex.

Posted in: Breaking News, Celeb Photos, Comedians In The News, Comedy Matters, Comedy Thoughts, Entertainment News, Fashion Events, Featured, General Information, Hot Models, Jeffrey Gurian News, Point of View, Stand-Up Comedy, Strange News, Unusual News, Weird News

Leave a Comment (0) →