The world has lost another humorist giant. There's too much hypocrisy and too few warriors, especially now. I saw him in the '90s, and he still had it. RIP.
I was a tad young to experience "The Sweater" during his 50s/early 60s heyday, but I do remember him popping up now & then on talk shows in the late 60s & early 70s. My favorite Sahlism: "Very impressive — if you're twelve." Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that I was 12 years old when I first heard this, it definitely resonated with me. Have even been known to use the line myself on occasion. RIP
The only comedian I've seen live twice . . . and almost 40 years apart at that! Oh, and I have all of his albums (even At Sunset). Nevertheless, it's time for a Mort Sahl box. Favorite line: "In the United States, if you maintain a consistent political position you'll eventually be tried for treason."
I met Mort twice, three times, actually. First, as a kid when Topanga Plaza opened up, he was strolling around with his babe (China Lee). He said hi to my dad and I shook his hand. Second time was at KPFK during the Watergate mess. He did a live segment that I got to engineer. He told us that he had a vision of the station just being driven around in the back of someone's trailer all day. Last time I met him was in the 2000's. He liked to eat at that deli in Beverly Glen. I was in there one morning with Tami Shad, talking about releasing more Amboy Dukes stuff and I spotted him eating in the back with some people. I walked over to him, told him I was a big fan. He paid for our breakfast. Not much of an interaction but good memories of a great guy..
Chicago is not the most corrupt of cities. New Jersey has a couple. Need we mention Las Vegas? Chicago, though, is the Big Daddy. Not more corrupt, just more theatrical, more colorful in it's shadiness. Louis "Studs" Terkel
Wow, thank you so much for sharing. I'd love to hear any thing else... There aren't many people who have done what you have. This is history.
Mort had a TV show here on channel 11 in the late 1960's, didn't he? I was more impressed with his girlfriend when I saw her in Playboy.. I can't really remember the first time I saw him. It must have been on some TV show because when I saw him at Topanga Plaza in 1964 I knew who he was. On his "Watergate" comedy album from 1973 or so he told that great story about being with the press pool on Air Force 1 with Kennedy that almost went down. When it was over (turb., prob.) JFK looked at Mort and said something like "That was close. If we had gone down you know what? In the newspapers, your name would be in very small print." Loved that story... He contrasted it with being with Nixon and the same thing happened. Nixon wanted the press to pray with him..
Yes, and he had a radio show. But unfortunately, there has been no trace of them. I just keep checking on YouTube every hour for something new (90% of it are bot videos)
I don't know what else to add about Mort that hasn't been said except I've been a fan all ny life and he was the template for all the stand up comics who followed him. Going to listen to some of his records today. RIP Mort.
Then you might love this page. Over 200 videos, many very rare. https://www.youtube.com/c/loyalopposition
Thanks for posting that documentary from the late '80s or early '90s @MortSahlFan ... I did see it or part of it once but had forgotten so much! I'll want to collect the LPs if I can as well, and hopefully I'm old enough now to understand more of them. I have most Bob Newhart, Smothers Bros., Lenny Bruce, Pat Harrington, Peter Sellers and Peter Cook albums. He had a way of putting across a lovely perspective about politics in general that was smart but kept it in relation to reality, even where he was personally involved. We could use a lot of that now. But it does surprise me that early at the Hungry i there are stories of outraged people throwing things or confronting him off stage... I didn't agree I suppose with any of his JFK assassination position, but it was as fine with me as David Crosby saying his piece on the stage at Monterey. Then again, I suppose with some of those very clever dark humor moments of brilliance re the anti-communism hysteria, while it was happened no less, he could hit someone's bullseye and set them off (more fool them). He made a great contribution to America, he got people to think as well as laugh. Jon Stewart excepted perhaps, we'll likely not soon see the like again.
Thanks for watching! All his records are on that channel or on Mort's official YouTube page. They are wonderful. It took me 10 years to "get it", having to know the zeitgeist of the country at any given time, and to understand Mort and how his mind worked.
I met him at Cantor's once. I had him sign a napkin to put under the shrinkwrap of one of his albums. I think Monroe said he was her favorite comedian.
Listened to The New Frontier today, which included another favorite joke sequence. (Mort didn't do jokes. Less stream of consciousness than Lenny Bruce, but nevertheless extended mini-monologues.) According to Mort, after Kennedy was elected he (Mort) continued to poke fun at the new president as he had with Eisenhower. Apparently this upset the pompous Democrats who assumed Sahl no longer would be critical of the president because of his (Kennedy's) political affiliation. Mort's said that the Democrats felt "completely misled" by him. (Mort's response: "I could say the same about them.") The Democrats didn't know what to make of him, saying they were "appalled" and "we thought that's what you wanted!" Mort's response : "You didn't have to do it for me." The second time I saw Mort perform, backstage visitors included Woody Allen, Elaine May and Dick Cavett. Mort was introduced by Cavett (who did not identify himself). Too bad the others didn't come out to pay tribute.
My favorite Chicago quote was by a long-forgotten boxer (I've forgotten his name), who said "I got out of the taxi, set down my suitcase on the sidewalk, looked up at the skyscrapers and said 'Chicago, I'm gonna conquer you'! When I looked down, my suitcase was gone."
More than a comedian or humorist or satirist. A great thinker. He was friends with Sam Peckinpah. I imagine their conversations would have been fascinating.
