A lot of people don’t remember Bob Newhart as a standup comedian.
And a lot of people don’t remember comedy albums period!
But Bob Newhart actually won one of the first Grammies ever given out for Best Album, for the record you allude to: The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, from 1961.
I’d love to see him. A coworker once said my deadpan demeanor reminded him of Bob Newhart, which I took as high praise.
I heard an old routine of his on one of the XM channels, and it was hilarious. I checked later based on his comment during the routine that he’d got married AND had his first child that year. That year was 1963.
Fifty years later that shit’s still funny. If he came to the Bay Area I’d go see him.
I was on a long drive and got to hear his interview on XM. He was asked how he came to be friends with Don Rickles. He said that the casino manager came to him and said, “Mr. Rickles has no friends. Please be Mr. Rickles friend.”
I still have my LP of that and Behind the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart and The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back and The Windmills Are Weakening.
I used to perform Driving Instructor regularly; even young folks who had never heard his stand-up loved it.
Holy shit that’s funny! Made me Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there even!
That’s why I qualified it. Comedians are really territorial about who did what bit first, but I think they get really annoyed when someone else does it better. For the life of me, I can’t recall a Shelly Berman phone bit.
I still have and listen to The Button Down… LP.
This. Absolutely brilliant.
Let it go, Bo. This is really getting old.
Sssh. It just encourages him.