There is always something going on in NYC.That is one of the things that I love about living here – an endless supply of entertainment and recreation. Yesterday I was able to check off another item on my to-do list: visit Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, which is located on the upper west side at 65th and Broadway.
This week is the New York Comedy Festival. Last night I went to see Denis Leary and Friends at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall with one of my doormen, Bill. For those of you who don’t know who Denis Leary is – he is a multi-talented comedian who has produced, written, and starred in a great show on television’s FX called “Rescue Me,” among other feats.
The show is a realistic take on the lives of several New York City firefighters post-9/11. It is done incredibly well. I don’t think I’ve missed a single episode in the two years that it has been on the air. Denis plays Tommy Gavin, a schmuck who has frequent conversations with his dead cousin Jimmy – not to mention Jesus and Mary Magdalene. He manages to knock up Jimmy’s wife – breaking the unwritten rule that you don’t mess with your fellow firefighter’s wives – much less your cousin’s wife. He’s the kind of scumbag that the viewer loves to hate as he struggles to get his life together before losing everything. Throughout the series Tommy fights his own demons of alcoholism and womanizing. And yet all the other firemen look up to him.
I love the show because the characters are so real. The most hysterical episode I can recall is when the entire squad has to attend sensitivity training – a direct result of the lieutenant called the female firefighter a “stupid twot.” Only because of Loo’s stubborn refusal to apologize to her was the entire squad forced to attend sensitivity training. The extremely politically incorrect reaction of the diverse crew members to the teacher had me rolling on the floor laughing. I wish I still had it on tape. Tommy walks out on the teacher after giving a speech about what a load of crap the whole thing is. This is Rescue Me.
So Rescue Me isn’t “Third Watch,” a prime-time network show about NYPD and NYFD characters who never use the f-word, or do drugs, or land one-night stands. It is much more realistic. It just goes to show how talented Denis Leary is – he can act, produce, write, sing, teach, and do stand-up comedy. He’s well-loved here where he lives in NY, despite his hate for the New York Yankees. Every person I’ve mentioned him to in the past week (including my wonderful real estate agent) has been jealous that I had tickets to the sold-out show.
“Yankees suck!” is something you’ll hear from Leary at every U.S. performance. Raised in Boston, he’s a die-hard Red Sox fan. Some jerk in the audience last night kept taunting Leary, yelling out “Red Sox suck!” Leary went so far as to say, “Let’s face it, the Yankees and the Red Sox both suck!”
The funniest thing was that some idiot couple brought their 14-year-old son to the show and had front-row seats. This kid was picked on by every single comedian who hit the stage. Who the heck brings their teenager to see Denis Leary and Friends?? Let’s face it – these guys can be downright crass. That’s part of the humor. It’s definitely R-rated content - not something you bring a child to see. Talk about bad parenting. This kid got a really fast education in street talk last night, let me tell you.
Anyway, the show was awesome. Just being in Avery Fisher Hall was really something. The other comedians were all good, too – Bill Burr, Nick DePaolo, Patrice O’Neal, Jeffrey Ross, and Lenny Clarke. (Lenny also has a role on Rescue Me.) I laughed so hard for so long that my face hurt. By the time the fourth comedian had performed, though, I was ready to stand up. I'm still very limited in how long I can sit, and 2.5 hours of sitting had me limping out of Lincoln Center. . .but I gotta say it was worth it. Bill and I even got free Denis Leary Christmas CD's handed to us on the sidewalk. Yay!
Fun, fun, fun in the city!
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