How to Talk Dirty and Influence People [Paperback]

Lenny Bruce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1992

Castigated in his time for breaching such American conversational taboos as religion, sex, censorship, and racism, Lenny Bruce proved to be a pioneer in exposing hypocrisies, the impact of which still echoes on both sides of censorship controversies. This book and soon-to-be-released private tapes are sure to bring the extent of Bruce's influence into sharp focus. Photo insert.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In 1963, before the law and his drug habit brought the curtain down on the comedian, Hugh Hefner asked then-superstar Lenny Bruce to write his autobiography. Lenny hired writer Paul Krassner to help him edit the book, which appeared in Playboy over the next two years. Though it's uneven, and somewhat dated, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People deserves a look, if only to balance the movie Lenny, which many of the comedian's friends say missed the man entirely. The book is, simply, Lenny Bruce riffing on his life--from a drab childhood in Brooklyn, to stints in the navy and merchant marine, and finally to the nightclub circuit and eventual stardom. Of course, the veracity of any single anecdote is highly questionable, but How to Talk Dirty and Influence People rises above that, revealed as a fascinating expression of how this comedy icon wanted to be seen. Namely, as a rough-and-tumble kid from the streets, as a hustler and ladies' man, and, finally, as a fearless detonator of society's hypocrisy. (Notice that addict and dissolute don't make the list.)

In the movies ... Everett Sloane was a tycoon. He would get his gun off disillusioning Joel McCrea, who wanted to publish a newspaper that would make a statement, and telling him: "M'boy, you'll see when you get old that it's all a game." And I used to think, "No, it's not that way, this cynical old bastard is bullshitting, there are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, the liars and the truth-tellers."

But Everett Sloane was right. There is only what is. The what-should-be never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it. There is only what is.

How to Talk Dirty and Influence People doesn't catch Bruce's charisma and vaguely sinister electricity--no book could--but it is an interesting, lively read. Bruce was one of the first performers to usher in the new, more honest, more permissive, and more indulgent brand of American art. For anyone who wants to understand our comedy and culture, How to Talk Dirty and Influence People is well worth reading. --Michael Gerber

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671751085
• ISBN-13: 978-0671751081
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Talk Dirty and Influence People, February 8, 1999

By 

David Lucas - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (Paperback)

An excellent, if a little short, account of the life and times of the stand-up comic that helped changed the face of comedy forever.

Most of the book which starts with his childhood is presented in a stand-up format which makes for an entertaining read as you can almost imagine Lenny on stage orating this material.

In contrast, the two trial transcripts (thankfully truncated) are quite laborious to read, although that may well be the point. There is a nice piece following the section covering his second trial which describes the downfall of the arresting officer and the doctor who diagnosed him as a narcotics addict, despite significant evidence to the contrary. It gave this reader a suitably smug feeling, particularly considering the circumstances of this arrest and trial.

He is also refreshingly honest in the book, with frank descriptions of the scams that he participated in, whether it was posing as a priest to solicit money for a leper colony (from which he deducted 'operating expenses') or procuring guests for a popular TV show of the time. He also tells of some occasions where he was the victim of a scam, usually writing material for someone and not being paid for it, although he didn't name any names.

I have a fairly recent edition of this book and I'm only surprised that it hasn't had an 'executive editor' appointed to add italicised paragraphs here and there to complete his story along with a final chapter detailing the nature of his death and a suitable epitaph.

Anyone who likes honest stand-up comedy should read this book.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A poet posing as a comedian, July 26, 2004

By 

James Hercules Sutton (Des Moines, IA (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Influences of My Life, May 26, 2008

By 

Vaishali "Author of "You Are What You Lov... (Naples, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Talk Dirty and Influence People (Paperback)

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!