Lenny Bruce - Thank You Masked Man [Enhanced] (CD)

All Music Guide

The ‘50s are often portrayed as a very innocent timean era in which Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver were popular sitcoms, Americans were less likely to have sex before marriage, poodle skirts were in fashion and stayathome moms were the norm. But truth be told, there was also an underground counterculture in the ‘50s; it wasn't terribly visible, but if you knew where to look, you could find brothels, heroinaddicted beboppers, SM clubs and kinky footage of Betty Page (who was playing bondage games with other women before Madonna was even born). Lenny Bruce knew that Father Knows Best didn't tell the whole storyand by laughing at taboo subjects others were afraid to address, he made his share of enemies. Recorded in 1958, 1959 and 1963, Thank You, Masked Man isn't all that explicit by today's standards; actually, this album is mild compared to Andrew Dice Clay or Martin Lawrence. But for their time, these Bruce performances were downright revolutionary. Back in the late ‘50s and... early ‘60s, most standup comedians weren't joking about syphilis, heroin addiction or homosexualityall of which are among the topics on Thank You, Masked Man. These recordings were made in three major citiesNew York, San Francisco and Los Angelesand it should be noted that Bruce's material led to indecency charges in at least two of those places. If Bruce was so shocking to authorities in NYC and the Bay Area, one can only imagine what people in Iowa thought of him. Thank You, Masked Man is unlikely to offend anyone who has spent a lot of time listening to Lil' Kim or The Howard Stern Show; nonetheless, this CD is full of wildly entertaining material that was way ahead of its time. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less