ONLINE: This lecture-based course will focus on the Smothers Brothers for four sessions and Lenny Bruce for two. The Smothers Brothers were the first performers to combine folk singing with stand-up comedy. They started out as smirking college kids, but eventually used their national role to play a part in upending Lyndon Johnson's run for a second term. We'll cover their bios, some relative context, some of their amazingly funny bits and some of their powerful political satire that led to their getting kicked off the air. Lenny Bruce is considered by many to be the godfather of modern stand-up comedy. He did bits in the 1950s and '60s that no other comedian would touch. He started out telling amusing stories that were within the confines of contemporary humor, but later branched out into taboo subjects like politics, religion, the military, divorce, motels and sex. He didn't use "dirty" words himself, but the characters in his stories did, because he was a mirror. Join us for a laugh! | Lecture + Q&A.
Max enrollment: 200.
Class sessions are recorded.
