Where Are The Next Comedy Legends Coming From?

 

What a terrific holiday weekend show at the Hollywood Bowl.   After several years of musical duds accompanying the Bowl orchestra on Independence Day weekend,  they wisely turned to comedy this year and scored a perfect 10.   Or a perfect 2o as both Steve Martin and Martin Short soared.

I've seen their dual act before.   I've seen them both solo multiple times.  I have never been disappointed.   The acts never get old.   And they seem fresher than ever.   Even in a venue of 17,000 strong, they connected with every single member of the audience on a seemingly one-to-one basis.

The euphoria of a great night of entertainment prompted a discussion among several good friends on the ride home.   Steve is 77.  Marty is 72.   They are both on the back nine of the golf course of life.   The innocent question is the one that titles today's blog entry.

And the answer is sadly.

Damned if we know.

Our dialogue centered on younger folks...20ish or 30ish types.   Would they have found Martin and Short funny?   We did not know.   Indeed, comedy today is edgier and nastier and certainly a lot less intimate than what we got at the Bowl last week.   From my vantage point, the comedy stars today lack the heart that you got from these two seventy-year-olds.

The origin of today's comedy stars is a lot different today and that is a sad state of affairs.   There are now YouTube stars and Tik Tok celebrities and self-made digital creators.   None of them with the cleverness we saw at the Bowl.

Maybe it's me.   Actually, it most certainly is me.   I rarely listen to music produced after 1990.  And when I looked at the roster of celebrity softball game players for the All Star Game event at Dodger Stadium later this month, I asked the same question over and over and over again.

Who?

Who??

WHO???

Don't dwell on it, Len.   Just take the opportunity to relish the entertainers you like while you can.

Dinner last night:  Grilled beef sausage.