Robert Schimmel
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Robert "Bob" Schimmel (born 1950 in Bronx, New York) is an American stand-up comedian, whose material is often X-rated and controversial. He is perhaps best known for his comedy albums and his appearances on HBO and The Howard Stern Show. Schimmel's material almost always pertains to sex, whether he is discussing computers, his daughter, or animals.
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[edit] Early life and career
According to Bob his career began when, at the urging of his sister, he performed at a comedy club's open-mic night. A club owner in Los Angeles offered to make him a regular, but when Bob moved to L.A. he found that the club had burned down.
Undaunted, and with some help from Rodney Dangerfield, Bob began making a name for himself. He wrote material for In Living Color and for comedians such as Yakov Smirnoff.
Bob married his first wife, Vicki, in 1977, and they have two children together. They also had a son, Derek, who died of cancer at age 11. Schimmel is married to his second wife, Melissa, with whom he has two children.
[edit] Illness
In 1998, Bob suffered a heart attack, and in June 2000, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His treatments included chemotherapy and required long stays in the hospital. During one such session his daughter Jessica brought her best friend, Melissa, to visit Bob, and the two began an unlikely May-December romance. Bob's cancer went into remission, he and Vicki divorced, and Bob married Melissa, who is only four years older than Jessica.
[edit] Recent work
Bob's willingness to frankly and humorously discuss the tragic events of his life in his act has set him apart from other comics. Before his illness, his act included a bit about how strange it might be if a person wore a wig on their pubic area. When he lost his body hair due to chemotherapy treatment, he discovered that there really is such a thing — these wigs, or "merkins", have existed for hundreds of years. He updated the comedy bit accordingly.
Bob will incorporate any aspect of his personal life into his act, even the death of his son. In perhaps his most extreme bit, Bob joked about making obscene suggestions to a lady from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Bob cites Lenny Bruce as his all-time comedy hero. Like Bruce, Bob's raunchy act has gotten him into trouble from time to time. Bob has not been asked to perform on Late Night with Conan O'Brien since 1999, and he believes this is because of a particularly dirty sex joke he told during his last appearance. However, his edgy style has made him a hit on The Howard Stern Show.
Schimmel has released several comedy albums, including Robert Schimmel Comes Clean; If You Buy This CD, I Can Get This Car; Unprotected; and Reserection.
He is number 76 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.
[edit] Discography
- Comes Clean, Warner Bros. Records, 1996.
- If You Buy this CD, I Can Get this Car, Warner Bros. Records, 1998.
- Unprotected, Warner Bros. Records, 1999.
