This week we sadly lost Greg Giraldo. A New York lawyer turned stand-up, he was one of the few who managed to take a really, really hard life dedicated to an art and turn it into a straight job. A very smart writer with a rock solid delivery, he became the epitome of post-Seinfeld stand-up comedy; never a household name, but the go-to guy when a tv show needed a scruffy-looking stand-up comedian. Whether it was his gig as a judge on Last Comic Standing or any of the dozen or so spots he held on shows for Comedy Central, he always worked as the quintessential professional comedian of the early 2000s.
He died this week after an overdose of prescription medication left him in a persistent vegetative state and his family took him off of life support. Good-bye Greg, and thanks for all the laughs.
- The Feast Of Saint Peter
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend would have been Peter Cook's 75th birthday. One of the leaders of the new radical comedy of the 1950s and 60s in Britain. His first troupe was a four-man outfit that performed under the name "Beyond the Fringe" and...
- The Feast Of Saint Martin
My Fellow Comedists, This weekend, we celebrate the feast of Saint Martin. Martin Lawrence turns 45 today. There is a long tradition of African-American stand-up comics who were major players in every generation, from Moms Mabley to Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory...
- The Feast Of Saint Pigmeat
My Fellow Comedists, This week marks the feast day of Dewey Markham, better known as Pigmeat from one of the characters he played in his routine, "Sweet Papa Pigmeat." Born in Durham, north Carolina, he started in show business as a tap dancer, but quickly...
- Feat Of Saint Sid
My Fellow Comedists, This week brings us the feast of Saint Sid. Sid Caesar turns 88. His Your Show of Shows took comedy from Vaudeville into the suburban world of grey suited middle managers of the 1950s. He could do the slapstick, he could do the highbrow...
- A Comedist Request
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, This weekend, I, the Irreverend Steve, come to you for advice. I am in need of pastoral counseling from my flock. We stand a mere eight weeks from April 1, Saint Shecky's Day, the holiest...