CHILD OF TELEVISION: Comedy Grievances was originally posted on Friday, March 18, 2005. Recorded Friday June 24, at "Laugh Lines hosted by Dan Farren" as part of the ongoing shows at the STORY SALON. "Laugh Lines" is an evening where comedians tell stories about comedy. Friday, March 18, 2005 Comedy Grievances. (Click POPDCAST) co?me?di?an Pronunciation: k&-'mE-dE-&n Function: noun 1 archaic a : a writer of comedies b : an actor who plays comic roles 2 : a comical individual; specifically : a professional entertainer who uses any of various physical or verbal means to be amusing I felt the need to open with the actual definition of a comedian because I think that we have forgotten what a comedian does. Lately I?ve seen many comedians being punished for doing their job or not being allowed to do their job at all. One comedic vehicle is throwing a pie in somebody?s face whether it be a literal pie as in the case of Soupy Sales, or a metaphorical pie as in the case of countless other comedians. Whether it is deserved or not, somebody has to take a pie in the face. But comedians are the only performers who can be professionally harmed for doing their job to the best of their ability. Several names come to mind Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, The Smothers Brothers, George Carlin and Bill Maher. I fear that we are going back to the time of Lenny Bruce where people are taking inventory of the words that he used and did not listen to what he had to say. There is a perception that comedians are subversive. Well they are. Who else but humorists are able to find flaws in the status quo? Before things get any worse I filed the following grievance.

CHILD OF TELEVISION: Comedy Grievances was originally posted on Friday, March 18, 2005. Recorded Friday June 24, at "Laugh Lines hosted by Dan Farren" as part of the ongoing shows at the STORY SALON. "Laugh Lines" is an evening where comedians tell stories about comedy. Friday, March 18, 2005 Comedy Grievances. (Click POPDCAST) co?me?di?an Pronunciation: k&-'mE-dE-&n Function: noun 1 archaic a : a writer of comedies b : an actor who plays comic roles 2 : a comical individual; specifically : a professional entertainer who uses any of various physical or verbal means to be amusing I felt the need to open with the actual definition of a comedian because I think that we have forgotten what a comedian does. Lately I?ve seen many comedians being punished for doing their job or not being allowed to do their job at all. One comedic vehicle is throwing a pie in somebody?s face whether it be a literal pie as in the case of Soupy Sales, or a metaphorical pie as in the case of countless other comedians. Whether it is deserved or not, somebody has to take a pie in the face. But comedians are the only performers who can be professionally harmed for doing their job to the best of their ability. Several names come to mind Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, The Smothers Brothers, George Carlin and Bill Maher. I fear that we are going back to the time of Lenny Bruce where people are taking inventory of the words that he used and did not listen to what he had to say. There is a perception that comedians are subversive. Well they are. Who else but humorists are able to find flaws in the status quo? Before things get any worse I filed the following grievance.