According to this article, comedian Lenny Bruce was pardoned posthumously by New York Gov. George Pataki.
Bruce, who died in 1966 of a drug overdose, was arrested for giving an obscene performance during a 1964 show in Greenwich Village. He was convicted after a six-month trial and died with the conviction still on his record.
His legal battles made the careers of people like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Robin Williams possible. Williams, in fact, was part of the campaign to pardon him.
I’ve listened to some of his material, and while it’s not as racy as some out there in terms of language, it is pretty subversive for its time.
It’s wonderful, IMO, that he’s finally vindicated.
Hooray for Lenny Bruce, a hero to all foul-mouthed satirists everywhere! Like Galileo, his pardon is a day late and several hundred thousand dollars short, but some vindication is better than none.
On the other hand, Rep. Doug Ose (R-California) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) have introduced a bill to make it illegal to say eight specific words on broadcast television. Silly cunts.
Any of you ever watched Swear to Tell the Truth? An interesting documentary. It makes a case for Lenny’s troubles really kicking in after he went to the media to expose his lawyer trying to settle a narcotics possession case with a bribe to the judge. The obscenity cases were more or less follow-ups to that.
In any case, damn glad to hear his name’s finally been cleared!
Well isn’t it just like those do-gooder cunts to wipe the shit from our assholes for us. It pisses me off that those mother fucking cocksuckers and ass holes are trying to fuck with the English language to appease the fundies.
PS if you were counting that was all eight words they want to ban.
“You may have heard that the cops busted me the other night, they got me for saying the word blah-blah. Now, I don’t get the problem here, blah-blahing is a wonderful act, and I think if there’s anyone in here who doesn’t think I should be allowed to say blah-blah, then you’re nothing but a bunch of blah-blahers and I hope you never get your blahs blahed.”
In celebration, everybody join in a rousing chorus of the First Amendment Anthem:
I bet you they won’t play this song on the radio,
I bet you they won’t play this newBEEPsong
It’s not that it’sDINGor so controversial,
Just that theQUACKing words are awfully strong.
HIGHLY recommended: “Lenny,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Valerie Perrine. Excellent movie, and clearly points out exactly what all the fuss was about. Has Honey Bruce in it, too – she was a consultant, and played a bit part in the film.
Be that as it may, it wasn’t something that a lot of people were clamoring for, so Pataki didn’t get any real political benefit out of it. It took him five minutes of his time to do this.