Lord Buckley
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Lord Buckley (b. Richard Myrle Buckley, April 5, 1906; d. November 12, 1960) was an eccentric, joyous American monologist.
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[edit] Life and work
Buckley, an accomplished cultural assimilator, adopted for his hipsemantic persona the lingo of poor black Southerners, jazzy beatniks, and British aristocracy. He dressed exuberantly and sported a mustache in the style of Salvador Dalí. None of this was an act, because by all accounts he stayed in character off stage, "holding court" at his home (frequently in the nude) and dubbing all his friends and family with noble titles. His personal philosophy was one of love and respect for his fellow man, consistently reflected in his elaborate references to Christian brotherhood (e.g. his famous piece "The Nazz").
Beginning his show business career running dance marathons in the 1930s and vaudeville shows in the 1940s, during the 1950s Buckley was cast as a comedian, one of America's top hipsters, a "way-out" "swinger" enjoying cult status and respect from those who were exposed to his work. He died in 1960 at Columbus Hospital, probably from a stroke aggravated by malnutrition and a kidney ailment; various causes were reported at the time. His death has been often reported to relate to the seizure of his New York City Cabaret Card.
Occasionally performing to music and singing, he frequently punctuated his monologues with nonlinguistic vocal sounds. Most Buckley recordings are solo tours de force on themes of real gravity. His most enduring tracks are his retellings of historical or legendary events, most fictionalized to a certain degree, imbued with his scandalous and high-brow humor. Notable among these are the stories of Jesus ("The Nazz") Gandhi ("The Hip Gan"), the Marquis de Sade ("The Bad-Rapping of the Marquis de Sade, the King of Bad Cats"), among others. He also retold several classic documents such as a (relatively sober) Gettysburg Address and an (appropriately psychedelic) version of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." In "Marc Antony's Funeral Oration", he recast Shakespeare's "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" as "Hipsters, flipsters and finger-poppin' daddies: knock me your lobes."
As a bon vivant of the jazz subculture, Buckley very much enjoyed smoking marijuana. He was a prodigious drinker, then would subsequently repent and abstain for a time. He wrote reports of his first experiences with LSD, under the supervision of Dr. Oscar Janiger, and of his trip in a United States Air Force jet. Throughout his life he maintained an almost unnerving dignity, even while receiving visitors in the nude, as he was wont to do. He was a notoriously bad manager of money, constantly in debt, and died owing $300,000 (approximately $2,000,000 in 2006 dollars) to Ed Sullivan (who reflected "…he was impractical as many of his profession are, but the vivid Buckley will long be remembered by all of us.").
A play, His Royal Hipness Lord Buckley in the Zam Zam Room, opened in New York in December 2005.
[edit] Lord Buckley and the Beatles
Among Buckley's fans were The Beatles who reputedly considered him their favorite comic.
In "The Nazz", Buckley asserts that it was Jude (instead of Peter) who walked on the water with Jesus: when the apostle asks if he can come out on the water, Buckley relates, "And The Nazz say, 'Make it, Jude!'" The extended ending to The Beatles' 1968 hit "Hey Jude" includes Paul shouting, "Na na na nananana I'll make it Jude."
When George Harrison visited California in the 1970s, he met Buckley's former manager George Greif, who was living in Buckley's old house (dubbed Crackerbox Palace), and invited Harrison to visit. Harrison was inspired by the experience to write a song, "Crackerbox Palace" (which also became the nickname of his own home, Friar Park), which became a Top 20 hit in 1977.
[edit] External links
- LordBuckley.com includes biographical material, discography and an extensive archive of writings by and about Buckley.
- Transcriptions of monlogues by Lord Buckley
- Harvey Pekar Reflects on Lord Buckley and the roots of modern comedy
- Lord Buckley in Los Angeles review & event details for 2006-7 Los Angeles run of acclaimed show.
[edit] Video
- Lord Buckley on You Bet Your Life (October 11, 1956)
- Jason Eisenberg recreates Buckley's "The Nazz" monologue accompanied by David Amram
- Richard Henzel recreates Buckley's "Murder" monologue accompanied by Jonathan Menchin, in a scene from "Return of the Hip Messiah" by Charles Pike, at Second City Skybox Theatre, Chicago 1999
- Richard Henzel recreates Buckley's "The Nazz" monologue accompanied by Jonathan Menchin, in a scene from "Return of the Hip Messiah" by Charles Pike, at Second City Skybox Theatre, Chicago 1999
- Richard Henzel recreates Buckley's "The Chairs" sketch accompanied by Jonathan Menchin, in a scene from "Return of the Hip Messiah" by Charles Pike, at Second City Skybox Theatre, Chicago 1999
[edit] Bibliography
Trager, Oliver. Dig Infinity: The Life and Art of Lord Buckley, Welcome Rain Publishers LLC, New York City, 2001.
