Barry Crimmins: "So Long Obes"

It was rather sudden, and shocking, to hear the news that star stand-up comic, and television game show host, Ken Ober passed away over the weekend;

Ken Ober dies at 52; host of MTV's 'Remote Control' game show

Ken Ober, ‘Remote Control’ Host, Is Dead at 52



From his Wikipedia page;

He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star Search.[4] He was most widely known for his role on the MTV game show Remote Control,[5] which he hosted for three seasons, spanning 1987 to 1989, then in reruns for an additional two years. That show also helped launch the careers of Adam Sandler, Denis Leary, and Colin Quinn. Ober was known among '90s and '00s audiences for his hosting jobs on Make Me Laugh,[6] Smush, and the ESPN game show Perfect Match.

There's plenty about Ken Ober, his life, and death, out on the World Wide Web.

However, the most moving, the most personal, the most heart-felt post you can find, is from Barry Crimmins, long-time friend of Ken Ober.

So long, Obes

Although he was an expert needler, he knew exactly how not to be a pain in the ass. During a period when I was besieged by people wasting my time by beating around the bush looking for dates, Ken never squandered a moment of my too-busy days. This was just a small part of the reason I so enjoyed his inordinately good company. I don't recall how it started, but early on Ken and I began mockingly calling each other frattish nicknames. This was not out of respect for the ludicrous campus Greek traditions we had scuffed up against in college. No, it was disdain for the dildoic that made him "Obes" and me "Cribs." This gag, which had been fleshed out over eons of sarcasm and enough drinks to swell a rhino's liver, stuck for the duration of our friendship. It personalized it and gave it a special status. While talking this summer we finally acknowledged that we had become what we had resisted since the days at the Ding: long lost frat brothers from the old Grabba Break house in Cambridge.

[snip]

Yesterday, when the horrible news of Ken's death reached me, my first thought was of Bear. As tough as it is for humans to lose Ken, it has to be worse for his dog. I've been assured that Bear is in good hands but I feel so bad for him because as unbelievable as Ken's sudden death is to his family and legions of pals, it's got to be worse for a dog who was man's best friend to one of the best men ever. Poor Bear!

I can't imagine I'll ever get over Ken's ridiculously premature death (he was 52). Ask anyone who knew him (and believe me, there won't be anywhere near six degrees of separation between you and Ken) and they'll tell you that he was such a solid and unswerving friend that it seemed like he would always, always be there. Now that he isn't, those of us who were graced by his magnificent friendship know we cannot ever replace him. What we can do is begin to pay down the debt we owe to humanity for having had Ken Ober in our lives for as long as we did. So if you loved Kenny, track down an old friend today to see how they're doing or maybe stop and encourage that taken-for-granted intern on your staff. Take your dog for an extra long walk and let her or him sneak up on the couch. Don't have a dog? Adopt one. Can't have a dog? Make a donation to a no-kill shelter near you.

Go read the entire post.

And, if you knew "Obes", leave a comment for "Cribs" when you finish reading.

Or, just give "Cribs", a shout-out ...

It Only Took One To Spoil This Soup

Fans (if there are any ...More on that below) of actor/comedian Dane Cook gasped this past week, on the news that Cook's half-brother, and erstwhile manager, ripped him off for millions.

Dane Cook's kin accused of stealing millions from comic

Darryl McCauley, 43, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Woburn District Court on charges of larceny, forgery, and larceny by continuous scheme. He was arrested at his Wilmington home yesterday by State Police.

The state attorney general's office, which investigated the case, would not identify McCauley as Cook's brother yesterday, only saying that he stole from a national entertainer with local ties.

However, Cook's friends and state documents identify McCauley as his half-brother and as an official with his company, Great Dane Enterprises, Inc.

Surprising (again, more on that coming) that Cook has earned "millions", plural.

He was paying McCauley $150G's, per year, and got caught, when he was "recently replaced by a California-based manager. Despite repeated personal requests from Cook, McCauley refused to turn over Cook's financial records ...".

Probably, a little Bernie Madoff paranoia in play, no doubt.

Essentially, this is your average, "happened-before" sob tale of big entertainer/sports hero/otherwise celebrity bringing in the bacon by the truckload and not paying attention to where was being stored.

This writer has never been a particularly big fan of Cooks' "humor".

We never fretted that Cook was over-burdened with the worrisome problem of having "too much talent".

And, it appears, a fair number of others thought likewise.

In both stories that we linked to here, in the Comments section, Cook gets absolutely roasted, with the main themes being he was over payed, and that any money recovered should go to the people who paid money to see him perform.

A few samples;

"This man should be applauded. Dane Cook stole the money in the first place by being overpaid and unfunny. It's a modern day Robin Hood story, if you ask me. McCauley was stealing from the rich and giving the money back to the poor moviegoing public that wasted their hard earned money on one of Cooks' films or CD's."

"Fitting that this has happened to the biggest joke thief in the industry!"

"I youtubed this Cook person. Is there something funny about him? I couldn't find one bit that was funny. It's all so silly and juvenile. Instead of his half-brother or step-brother...whichever, they should go after the people who over-paid him for crap comedy."

Thank God! I love the previous comments about how un-funny this hack is!! People are such sheep, if you tell them someone is funny they just fall in line and gobble up his crappy comedy. Dane must have incriminating pictures of someone that lets him keep "entertaining"

Ouch!!

You can read the comments HERE and HERE.

Good luck there, Cook, in making back that lost money.

Boston Comedy ... Funny Grown Here

That's the new Weblog of Nick Zaino, intrepid writer, reporter, and chronicler of all things Stand-up Comedy.

Nick was the long-time beat reporter for The Boston Globe (as well as other publications), covering the enormous comedy scene in, and around, Boston.

Least you forget, Boston (primarily, the old Ding Ho, in Inman Square, Cambridge) launched the careers of people such as Barry Crimmins, Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Kevin Meany, Bob "Bobcat" Goldthwait, Lenny Clarke, Dennis Leary, Steve Sweeney, Jimmy Tingle and dozens of dozens more, and continues to be a hotbed of up-and-coming talent, the new and next generation of smart alecks.

Nick, for the past 10-years+ has been working the beat, covering the local clubs, the big headliners that would blow into town, and keeping tabs on who was where. and what was going on, locally, and nationally.

However, recently, as The New York Times continues to water down, and whittle away the once strong quality, dominant Boston Globe, the Globe, much like other newspapers, continues to cut back and cut back (as discussed with a mutual friend the other day, the Globe Arts Section is beginning to look like USA Today, with 50-word articles and lots of pictures!), and ultimately, recently, gave Nick his walking papers.

So, rather than wilt away, Nick is channeling his energy into doing what he has been doing, that being covering the Stand-up comedy scene, now, working for himself.

He's open to taking donations, advertising, sponsorships, or any positive assistance you can provide.

Go over to Boston Comedy ... Funny Grown Here, say hello to Nick, and sign-up for his feed.

It will help you to remember to laugh every day ...

RIP George Carlin ... And Start The Investigation

I believe we need an immediate investigation.

Yes, conspiracy.

George Carlin dead, at the beginning of the biggest, most important election in decades?

Before the Summer TV Reality shows?

Before gasoline goes over $5/gallon?

A mere coincidence?























Strap on your tinfoil hats and here's where to start.

What was the eighth word you can't say on television doing last evening? ... Does it have a alibi? ... You might as well round-up the ninth and tenth words as well ... This would have been too big a job for just the eighth word to pull off by itself ...

It's long been rumored that they were jealous, even bitter, that Carlin didn't include them.

And, you have to look at any other words that may have been acting suspicious lately.

This has to be a pretty big operation, so, maybe, the words had some help.

Better haul in the Multiplication Tables, and Periodic Charts, for grilling, as well.

This is big!


Links

George Carlin Website

Barry Crimmins: George Carlin

Brilliant at Breakfast: Oh, God...no

Martin Lewis - George Carlin: Seven Words You CAN Say On HuffPo...

Nicolle Belle: George Carlin - 1937 - 2008 RIP

Reuters: Edgy comic George Carlin dies in L.A., aged 71

Wonkette: George Carlin Is Dead

Mustang Bobby: George Carlin has died

Louis C.K.: Goodbye George Carlin

Jesus General: I'll miss him

Larisa Alexandrovna: George Carlin RIP

And a H/T to Larissa ... Yes, this is a good one to remember him by

George Carlin Nails It

Barry Crimmins: Of Exits and Eulipions

Ah ha ... You wouldn't forget him either, if you met him where I met him ...

Talking about desolation ... Lord ... Desolation is a railroad station, around about 2AM on a weeknight ... When you walk into desolation like that, and suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a warm song, you ain't about to forget it ...

This is the first time, though, that I heard him at an airport ... I know he moves along the piers ... Ah-Haaa ... He calls himself a journey agent ... A Eulipion ... Says his friends the poets ... The artists ... The musicians are Eulipions too ...

Hey! ... Listen! ... Listen to his tune ... Calls it his Duty Free Gift For The Traveler ...

Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Betty Neal

When you get down to it, Barry Crimmins is one of the fading number of Eulipions.

Barry would often joke and tease me about my love of Jazz, but as time went on, the years passed, the routine sharper and sharper, we would talk about the parallels of what he was doing on-stage, juking and riffing, going off on long solos, or finishing off a bit with a flourishing drum roll coolness.

A few degrees, a few shades and hues of a jazz performance.

Barry announced last month that he will cease performing on stage, ground down by the baseline of chaos-as-life, perpetually-ringing telephone and the relentless harshness of life on the road.

Barry has done the railroads, the piers, airports, buses and just about all other modes of travel over his 30+ years of performing stand-up comedy and satire. He's played the "big rooms", he's done the holes-in-the-wall. A portion of the time, he did it for himself, his career.

A larger amount of time, he did for others, benefits for social and progressive causes, the Peace Abbey, anti-war, Camp Casey, or maybe just a friend, who needed some help, or had undo medical expenses. On one occasion, lending a hand to a struggling jazz festival.

For his career gigs, Barry certainly got his accolades. For the other, Barry deferred credit, no bragging, no big-ego-star turn, taking no compensation for his appearances, or giving the pay to whoever the gig was benefiting.

And Barry is a complainer.

He will give you the shirt off his back, if that was what the situation dictates, and then complain that he didn't give it to you fast enough ... Or that he didn't have enough shirts with him to give to you.

It's been a treasure and a treat to have seen many of his performances. From the old Ding Ho, to the Improv, the Punchline and the whole mishmash of places he gigged. The tours he did with Jackson Browne, or Dar Williams. His live recording sessions. Drinking at a service bar at a Venice Beach café.

And while all that was fun and great, the bigger, longer-lasting reward has been his friendship. The warmth, the trueness, the ease.

He's only trading the stage for the internet, newspaper and magazine essays. More books too.

And for that, we all get more of Barry Crimmins.

Be sure to listen to his tune ... His Duty Free Gift For The Traveler.

You won't forget it, either.

Links

Barry Crimmins Website

Barry Crimmins: My Opening Farewell

The last laugh

Adieu, a little - Barry Crimmins’s comic relief

When Stand Up Stood Out

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Website

Listen To A Clip of 'Theme For The Eulipions'

Barry Crimmins on The Garlic