News April 2009

I had to drive downtown to see this one.

Due to subject matter it was only playing at one theatre miles from my home. I told my parents I was heading to the library. I prayed my brother’s fishing license would pass muster with the dour frump at the box office. If not, I was determined to sneak my under-aged ass in. Nothing was going to keep me from seeing CARNAL KNOWLEDGE.

It was the summer of 1971. Films had changed dramatically in the last four years. The studio system was dead. Films like EASY RIDER, BONNIE AND CLYDE and FIVE EASY PIECES to name a few, had ushered in a new and exciting time in film making. It seemed like every week there was something bold and different being released. When I first saw the simple print ad in the Sunday paper for Mike Nichols' new film, I was a goner.

How could I not be? Jack Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Art Garfunkel and Ann Margaret at the height of her womanhood with a script by the brilliant Jules Feiffer, it beckoned to me like a painted lady to a sailor in a side alley. All hands on deck.

The film board was right. I was too young to see it. Not because of the nudity or profanity. It was the raw honest portrayal of two men and their journey from post war NYC to the 60’s navigating their sexual relationships with women that left me stimulated, slack-jawed and confused. It was way over my virginal sixteen year-old head.

The cinematography of the brilliant Giuseppe Rotunno, the sets by Richard Sylbert and the costumes by Althea Sylbert combine for a rich and seductive climate that pulls you into a sad and tragic atmosphere of lust and compromise. It enriches the loneliness of the characters without distracting you with style.

Like so many great films everyone is at the top of their game. The entire cast is perfect, and although many went on to do outstanding work I’ll put this film against anything (yes that includes Nicholson) they’ve done since. I’m not a huge fan of Nichols these days. I have a problem with so many of his choices post-CARNAL. You’ll quickly see why I choose this one. EVERY scene is perfect.

I urge you to see this one alone. Definitely not a date movie, unless you want to dissolve whatever relationship you're in. It starts in the dark, but don’t be afraid. It opens with the sleek strains of Glenn Miller’s trombone and ends with organ music in blinding light. In between? Well, let me say it was a trip more foreign to me than Kubrick’s 2001. In bed, everyone can hear you scream. Enjoy.

Allan
 

My memories of George Carlin.

I first saw George Carlin on television with his comedy partner Jack Burns. He was a little goofy, mischievous and skinny. I related to him immediately. The pair broke up, and Carlin went out alone. I was delighted when he started popping up on the tube again in the early 60’s. He was different than the usual fare on Ed Sullivan; He didn’t talk about his mother-in-law. His routines and characters were original and always funny.

In 1972 the now classic album “FM & AM” was released. I was 17years old at the time, it blew me away. My high-school friends and I couldn’t believe what he was saying. He articulated the fear and rage during the NIXON years in a uniquely-American way. Freedom of speech was never funnier. I listened to that album till I wore out the grooves and kept a constant vigil on the talk and variety shows for any and all Carlin appearances. He never disappointed. I saw him perform that summer in Miami expecting to hear the routines I'd now memorized by heart. My buddies and I watched in awe as he did over an hour of material none of us had ever heard before. He was shaping another brilliant album, “CLASS CLOWN.” This was OUR generation's comedian. Mother-in-law jokes were buried forever.

George Carlin was a comedic force of nature. A relentless talent that broke barriers while setting new standards. He was arrested several times but kept on working. It did not diminish his spirit or determination. He established himself despite the establishment. Even with vociferous drug use, he couldn’t stop himself.

Twenty years after that concert in Miami I saw him live in the HBO special, “JAMMING IN NEW YORK.” He was better, and more original than ever.

I had the great fortune of interviewing him before that special. He was a serious student of comedy and had a great appreciation for the new generation of comedians that had exploded in the 80’s. Along with Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and Saturday Night Live, Carlin inspired and influenced thousands of young performers that changed the entertainment industry forever.

Carson was a huge fan. He had Carlin on numerous times. That made Johnny even more of a hero to me than he already was.

I live in Santa Monica and have run into George here and there over the past 10 years. He was always friendly and gracious. When I asked about upcoming projects, he spoke with the same articulate, intense passion he’s always had. His is a voice that will echo for generations.

Wherever he is now, you know he’s pissed off and asking a ton of questions. Give ‘em hell George.

Allan
 

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RICHARD JENI

Late Saturday I received word that Richard Jeni had killed himself. I was stunned. I'd known Richard for twenty years. We came up together in the clubs during the 80's. Every now and then during that time I would catch his act. The scene was studded with terrific comedians. Every monster act you know in comedy today that came out of that era was there.

Jeni stood out from the pack.

Richards's energy was always up. He had that old school 'rat-a-tat' delivery and a bounce to his step like Cagney. He owned the stage. Richard was a 'balls to the walls' professional that took the art of stand-up (and just about everything else) seriously. He never half-assed it or played to the back of a room. Jeni worked the crowd and quickly owned them.

Jeni was a pro.

He was one of the few guys still doing stand-up from that era. Many are writing in television or film. Some are back home living in the basement. Despite of what you read about the quality of Richard's material, know this...

Jeni rocked the room. People helpless with laughter, banging tables and crying. The kind of set few comics have...ever... Jeni had consistently.

He absolutely killed. That's all you really need to know. I ask you, who does there job like that these days? In any profession?

Tip your hat to Richard Jeni. A man who negotiated mental set backs his entire adult life and made millions laugh. His demise is his business. His life was our laughter.
 

Report from heaven

Allan's CD Now Available For Purchase

20 years in the making, Allan's first CD - Stare Into The Sun: The Best of Allan Havey Volume One - has now been released. Order it now at AllanHavey.com.