Lenny Bruce
Overview
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian
, social critic and satirist
. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity
trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in New York state history.
Lenny Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola
, New York
, grew up in nearby Bellmore, and attended Wellington C. Mepham High School
.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, social critic and satirist
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity
Obscenity
An obscenity is any statement or act which strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time, is a profanity, or is otherwise taboo, indecent, abhorrent, or disgusting, or is especially inauspicious...
trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in New York state history.
Lenny Bruce was born Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola
Mineola, New York
Mineola is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 18,799 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a Native American word meaning a "pleasant place"....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, grew up in nearby Bellmore, and attended Wellington C. Mepham High School
Wellington C. Mepham High School
Wellington C. Mepham High School is a high school located on a campus in Bellmore, New York. It is the oldest of three high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District...
.
Quotations
You can't put tits and ass on the marquee!...Why not?...Because it's dirty and vulgar, that's why not!... Titties are dirty and vulgar?...Okay, we'll compromise. How about Latin? Gluteus maximus, pectoralis majors nightly...That's alright, that's clean, class with ass, I'll buy it...Clean to you, schmuck, but dirty to the Latins!
: in The Carnegie Hall Concert 1961,
