How to Talk Dirty and Influence People

by Lenny Bruce

Book Overview

During the course of a career that began in the late 1940s, Lenny Bruce challenged the sanctity of organized religion and other societal and political conventions; he widened the boundaries of free... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671751085
• ISBN13: 9780671751081
• Release Date: May 1992
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One of the Greatest Influences of My Life

I first read this book at the tender age of fourteen, and even then it had an impact on my perceptions. Now, over thirty years later, it has remained one of the strongest influences of my life! I would not be the wise and compassionate Spiritual teacher that I am without having read about Lenny's life of pushing the boundaries and comedic concepts far ahead of his time. He was and still is the most profound comic Spiritual visionary America has ever seen...and most likely will ever see. Long live Saint Lenny!

you don't even have to know who he is

You don't have to be a fan of Lenny Bruce to love this book, you don't have to really know who he is (I really only know him from a few recordings and by reputation). This book is funny. This book is still a valuable piece of social satire and criticism. This book is an interesting story. This book is a piece of history. This book is great. This book should be read.

A poet posing as a comedian

Lenny Bruce may have been the greatest poet of mid-Twentieth Century America, 'though he never wrote a poem, because he did what poets ought to do--make you see, make you feel, make you realize that "the great" did things that they didn't want you to know about. He alienated President Kennedy so much that J. Edgar Hoover was unleashed to pressure local police to bird dog Bruce's nightclub act. The cops would lurk in the back, wait till Bruce said something vulgar, then bust him for obscenity. In court, the fuzz would do Bruce's act so badly that Bruce was convicted for their lack. He beat the rap, at the U. S. Supreme Court, but it took a lot out of his native optimism. He shot up on heroin till he overdosed--assuming it WAS suicide. Remember Marilyn Monroe? What's easier than knocking off a junkie with an overdose? With Oscar Levant and Alexander King, Bruce is one of the three great wits of America at mid-century. Worth your time, because he repays you with insight wrapped in laughter.

Very good read

Lenny Bruce was pretty rare in that he always called it how he saw it. No, I don't agree with absolutely everything he says. (After all, no two people can concur on every possible subject) But, he always told the truth as he believed it to be without fear of repurcussion. Bruce did more for the first ammendment than anyone else in the 20th century and strongly influenced later comics such as Richard Pryror, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks. How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is his autobiography. It reveals how ahead of his time, moral, courageous, humanly flawed, smart, and most of all how funny Lenny Bruce was. The majority of his assaults on how farcial organized religion and American justice can be still hit the mark even after more than forty years of elapsed time. This is counterbalenced by moving stories of his youth, time in the Navy during World War II, his ultimately failed marriage, and other aspects of his personal life. I won't go into too much detail as to ruin the book for others. Bruce writes in a very concise manner, but not in a way that leaves the material short on content. You can probably finish this book in a day or two, but there's enough food for thought in How To Talk Dirty And Influence People to last for ages.

Convinced me of the existance of Anti-heroes as idols

I'm in high school, and Lenny Bruce embodies everything I can say. He's smart, funny, and ULTRA observant, not to mention that he's blanket-anti. I found myself agreeing with him more and more, as the book went on. The chapters are quick, dirty, honest, and jagged- in other words, exactly what I expected. He just did things which I wish I could have done, said things I wish I could have said, etc. Of course, because of Lenny, I can do and say those things. Oh, just buy the book already.