Remembering Gilbert Gottfried w/ THE ARISTOCRATS Director Paul Provenza

Paul Provenza, comedian and director of the Aristocrats, comes on the show to talk about Gilbert Gottfried.

(from Episode 1332)

Gilbert Gottfried, the veteran comic whose death was announced on Tuesday at the age of 67, will be remembered for many things. He had one of the most iconic voices in Hollywood, most notably lending his shrill, instantly-recognizable shout to the role of Iago, the loquacious parrot-sidekick of the villain in Disney’s Aladdin. He was beloved and revered by fellow stand-up comedians for pushing boundaries in his sets. And he will also go down in comedy history as having told possibly the best version of the age-old Aristocrats joke.

For those unfamiliar with “The Aristocrats,” it is essentially an inside joke amongst comedians, believed to have originated in the Vaudeville era. The setup and punchline remain consistent, and both are secondary. The Aristocrats is really about how outrageously raunchy the comedian can make it, and how long they can keep people laughing by putting their own spin on it. It’s an exercise in imagination and, above all, delivery. The lengthy, decades-old joke is so pervasive in the comedy world that it was the subject of a 2005 documentary from Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (of magician duo Penn & Teller).

bio:

Paul Provenza (born July 31, 1957) is a television presenter, actor, radio panelist, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, and skeptic based in Los Angeles.[1][2] He has appeared on several podcasts and in recent years has interviewed other stand-up comedians. In 2005 he became a director, in 2010 an author and in 2011 he started producing for comedy festivals and television.

Provenza was born and grew up in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx, New York City, and graduated in 1975 from the Bronx High School of Science. In high school, he started performing stand-up comedy, making his stage debut at age 17 at the original The Improv in Manhattan. He continued performing while attending the University of Pennsylvania, taking a year's leave of absence to study in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. While at RADA, he joined a classical repertory theater group, becoming one of few Americans to perform the role of Romeo on the London stage.[1] He graduated in 1979 from the University of Pennsylvania, the year it awarded its first Theatre Arts degree. At Penn, he wrote for the Pennsylvania Punch Bowl and was a cast member of the Mask and Wig Club, where he has returned numerous times to perform in the annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival.

While working as a standup comedian and on television, Provenza also found work in theatre. He received critical acclaim for his work on stage, with his performance in the Off-Broadway play Only Kidding! being nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor and winning the Theater World Award for Best Actor in a Play.[1] He was the stand-up comedian opening act for Diana Ross for three years or more. He was honored with a caricature by the legendary Al Hirschfeld. Between 2006 and 2010 he also was a frequent panelist on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.[3]

After decades as a stand-up comic and actor, Provenza found a new calling as an interviewer of other stand-ups, culminating in his 2005 directorial debut, The Aristocrats[5] (made with Penn Jillette). At the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Provenza held a nightly show at the Underbelly, Talk of the Fest. Held at 11pm each night of the festival, the set up was described by Provenza as that of a "green room for the whole festival". Guests included Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park. The show was reprised by Provenza at the 2007 Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, where guests included Billy Connolly, Eddie Izzard, and members of The Kids in the Hall. In 2010, Showtime picked up the show and on June 12, 2010, The Green Room with Paul Provenza[8] debuted with many of the same festival guest line-ups.

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