This may possibly be the only joke in Neil Hamburger's arsenal that was written for him by another person. I happen to be a big fan and an acquaintance of Neil Hamburger, and when I was running some jokes by him a few years ago, he really liked this one ("a 99 cent joke in a world of 25 cent jokes," he said). He tried it out at a private gig at comedian Jack Black's private 40th birthday party, and based on positive audience feedback, kept it in his routine. As a side note, he told me Fox News would not let him use this joke on the satirical "Red Eye" program, claiming it was "homophobic," which meant their producers didn't understand it. Over time, Neil started stretching it out into a longer and longer joke, until in September 2011, he recorded a standup album with Jack White (of White Stripes fame) in Nashville, "a live album that includes--get this--a 5-minute version of your 2-line Cher/Streisand joke." This recording is taken from the vinyl album "Neil Hamburger Live a! t Third Man," but I've edited the joke down to its original core, almost as it was written. The full version, along with the complete Neil Hamburger show, is available for purchase at store.thirdmanrecords.com At a March 2012 Neil Hamburger show I attended, he was no longer using my "gay" joke, much to the delight of his opening acts, who had grown weary of it. This recording, however, archives a proud moment for me. It is truly an honor to be a tiny part of this great comedian's routine.
0 comments: