Comedians Of The Counterculture
(Various comedians, 1955-1989)
Look out! Coming to the stage we’ve got 12 of the most dangerous & provocative stand-up comics, comedians, & performers from the last half a century! The best comedians master the art of weaving the pain, tragedy, & injustice in society with the blistering punchlines of a prize fighter, using jokes as a weapon to throw haymakers & lob bombs at the most dangerous & oppressive forces in the world.
In this collection, we bring you the final performance of the iconic anti-censorship warrior & prolific godfather of stand-up comedy Lenny Bruce, a rare hard-to-find early performance for one of his torch bearers, the bodacious Bill Hicks, & an even harder to find experimental performance by Rudy Ray Moore as his prolific character Dolemite.
Prepare to laugh (& cry) as the most dangerous comics in American history hit the stage for once in a lifetime performances that slipped through the cracks, now archived & restored for your viewing pleasure. We’re proud to present The Comedians Of The Counterculture!
Lord Buckley Performs On You Bet Your Life (1955)
Buckley’s persona part pompous Brit / part Jazzy beatnik, confused & turned on a generation. (10 min)
The Lenny Bruce Performance Film (1965)
Icon / cultural phenomenon Bruce’s final performance before his tragic death. (60 min)
Moms Mabley On The Smothers Brothers (1967)
Don’t let Moms grandmother-esque looks deceive you; this edgy comic is raw! (10 min)
On Location: Freddie Prinze & Friends (1976)
Puerto Rican comic quickly made a name for himself in career tragically cut short. (18 min)
George Carlin At USC (1977)
Following in the footsteps of Bruce, Carlin lit the world on fire with his biting satire. (85 min)
Young Comics Showcase: Andy Kaufman (1977)
Transgressive bizarro comic Kaufman paved the way for blurring comedy & reality (32 min)
Rudy Ray Moore: Rude (1982)
Moore’s iconic pimp persona “Dolemite” influenced hip / hop & a wave of cinema. (
Redd Foxx: Video in a Plain Brown Wrapper (1983)
Sanford in the hit sitcom, a foul-mouthed funnyman Eddie Murphy hailed funniest man alive. (56 min)
Rodney Dangerfield: It Ain't Easy Bein Me (1986)
The man that “gets no respect” is a kingmaker of some of comedy’s most dangerous voices. (57 min)
Bill Hicks: Live In Indianapolis
Rare show before Hicks became known scathing rants on the broken American dream. (40 min)
Steven Wright Special (1985)
One-liner king of non sequiturs, this weirdo legend lives in strange world all his own. ( 54 min)
Sam Kinison: Breakin' All The Rules (1987)
With a shrill voice & foul mouth, a preacher turned comic & force to be reckoned with! (50 min)
Paul Moony: Live At The Apollo (1989)
He wrote for Eddie Murphy & other legends, but was a comedy legend in his own right. (6 min)