I just saw him in concert last year, when he accepted an award given to him by WQED. It was one of the funniest things I’ve had the pleasure of ever watching, and the same can be said for the tape of his performances that I own.
Not only was he a hilarious man, but one of the great modern pianists. His ability to combine both of those talents was truly amazing, and he will be sorely missed.
I saw him in concert as well a few times at the Warwick Musical Tent. I was going to mention the “Phonetic Punctuation” thing myself. Funniest thing you ever saw.
Rest in Peace, Victor. You brought us a lot of laughs.
Victor Borge was quite simply one of the funniest men alive. My sides ached from nearly uncontrollable laughter every time I saw him. The Danish people are sure to be in universal mourning at the passing of this gentle soul.
Victor Borge made his start as Borge Rosenbaum playing in the Danish night clubs. My Grandmother would go to see him perform in Copenhagen before the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Because of the irresistible target for his japes and jibes that the Germans provided him, he was quickly made aware of how uncomfortable things would be if he did not relocate. The Danes’ loss was our gain.
Borge had the longest running one man comedy show in Broadway’s entire history. I doubt that this statistic has yet been eclipsed. His humor was wicked without being nasty. He could make the merest facial expression into a riotous punchline. Sadly, the audience would rarely, if ever, get to hear him play an entire piece on the piano. His continual highjinks and shenanigans prevented the completion of a single piece at so many of his shows. His skills at the keyboard could have landed him in many of the world’s finer orchestras.
His tongue in cheek attitude towards the puffery and pomposity of the classical music world endeared him to anyone who has ever had to endure an evening’s performance by some pretentious over-hyped flash in the pan. His tormenting of musical chestnuts was a wonder to behold. Whether playing with the sheet music upside down, or chasing someone around the piano bench while performing a duet, you could count on your money’s worth for your ticket that evening.
It was one of the prouder moments of my life to take my Grandmother to see Borge at the Marin Civic Center for another time. Although the years had dimmed her sight, she too laughed herself hoarse at his routines. I’ll leave you with a quick one.
[Victor Borge]
I was standing in line at the airport when a kindly gentleman in front of me turned to his wife and said; “My dear, I really wish that we had the piano here right now.”
I thought to myself, how wonderful, this man has recognized me and wishes that I could entertain them.
His wife then responded to him; “Why do you want the piano dear?”
He replied; “Because the airplane tickets are on top of it.”
::rimshot::
The world is now a less funny place for some time to come.
How sad! He was truly one of a kind. Fortunately, his performances are available on videotape. It’s quite a tribute to any artist to say they can make a 74-year-old man, a 41-year-old man and a 7-year-old boy laugh at the same time at the same thing. Mr. Borge has done that for my father, me and my son. He truly spoke to everyone in the universal languages of music and laughter.
Victor Borge was one of those great comedians who could make you laugh without ever being crude, or even being overly suggestive. Just the way he zapped classical musics more pompus traditions was more than enough, add to that the other areas of his humor and you have one of the greats.
I’ll never forget the first time I saw Victor Borge. It was a New Year’s Eve TV show, where an excerpt from one of his most famous concerts was shown.
He sat down at the piano to ostensibly accompany a young soprano, who was a rising star in the opera world. I nearly wet my pants when he fell off his stool when she launched into the first note of her solo. Then, having dusted himself off, he lifted the lid of the stoll and brought out a seat belt! From there on I was hooked.
Because of the way the Warwick Musical Theater was set up, he always had people in back of him. Whenever he did, he’d turn around, very gentlemanlym and say “Pardon my back.” he’d then turn to the people who could see him and say “Pardon my front!”
Another good Borge line : “The makers of Baldwin pianos have asked me to announce that this is a Steinway.”
Add me to the list of people sad to see him go. I never had the please of seeing him live, but every time I saw him on television, he literally brought me to tears. He will be sadly missed…
Mr. Borge will be sorely missed, and for another reason:
Yes, he was born Borge Rosenbaum; he was Jewish. One of the targets of his humor was Adolf Hitler–and Borge was fortunately in Sweden when the Nazis invaded Denmark. According to a profile of Mr. Borge in Parade, he was involved with the efforts of the Crown, the Lutheran church, and the Danish people in general to sneak the country’s approximately 8000 Jews across The Sound from Sjaelland into neutral Sweden.
I went to see him once in 1984, shortly before I turned 35. I had a front-row seat when he performed in Marsee Auditorium, at El Camino College, Torrance, CA. At one point I laughed–at the wrong time!–and I got his attention immediately! Rather flustered, I said, “Sorry about that!” He calmly asked, “Vhat and vhere did you eat?” That was priceless…
We may never see his like again. :(:(:(:(
Oh this is so sad! I really should get my hands on some of those tapes. I will always remember his punctuation routine, as well as his one-man opera (“and he stabbed her right there in between the two big trees”). He was truly a talented musician and comedian. RIP, Victor.
