| Gallagher | |
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Gallagher in 2007 |
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| Birth name | Leo Anthony Gallagher, Jr. |
| Born | July 24, 1946 Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
| Website | www.gallaghersmash.com |
Gallagher (born Leo Anthony Gallagher, Jr. on July 24, 1946) is an American comedian, clown, and prop comic, most popularly known for smashing watermelons as part of his act.
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Leo Anthony Gallagher was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He grew up in South Tampa, Florida, where he attended H.B. Plant High School. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a chemical engineering degree in 1970.[1]
After college, Gallagher began working as comic/musician Jim Stafford's road manager. Stafford and Gallagher went out to California in 1969 and Gallagher decided to take the stage himself. He began honing his own comedy act while hanging out at both The Comedy Store and the Ice House.
Gallagher was repeatedly turned down to appear on The Tonight Show in the 1970s and 1980s, as Johnny Carson didn't enjoy prop comedy.[2] However, he was liked by some of the program's staff, and Gallagher eventually performed several times on the show when guest hosts were filling in for Carson.[2]
Gallagher was one of the most popular and recognizable American comedians during the 1980s. He performed 14 comedy specials for Showtime. These shows have been re-broadcast numerous times, notably on Comedy Central. His first special was directed by Mike Nesmith, formerly of The Monkees.
Gallagher ran for Governor in the 2003 California recall election, finishing 16th out of 135 candidates with 5,466 votes.
In the early 1990s Gallagher's younger brother, Ron Gallagher, asked him for permission to perform shows using Gallagher's trademark Sledge-O-Matic routine. Gallagher granted his permission on the condition that Ron and his manager made it clear in promotional materials that it was Ron Gallagher, not Leo Gallagher, who was performing. After several years, Ron began promoting his act as Gallagher Too or Gallagher Two. In some instances, Ron's act was promoted in a way that provided no clue to prospective attendees that they were not seeing the original Gallagher.
Gallagher initially attempted to stop his brother from performing these activities by requesting that he not use the Sledge-O-Matic routine. These efforts proved futile, as Ron kept touring as Gallagher Too and using the Sledge-O-Matic routine. In August 2000, Gallagher sued his brother for trademark violations and false advertising. The courts ultimately sided with Leo Gallagher, and an injunction was granted prohibiting Ron from performing any act that impersonates his brother in small clubs and venues. This injunction also prohibited Ron from intentionally bearing likeness to his brother.
His signature sketch is the "Sledge-O-Matic", a large wooden mallet that Gallagher uses to smash a variety of objects, including apples, pineapples, computer keyboards, containers of cottage cheese, cartons of chocolate milk, tubes of toothpaste, pound cake, Big Macs, and, most famously, watermelons. Given the messy nature of this portion of his act, it is usually saved for the finale of his shows. Show attendees in the first two or three rows are usually provided with plastic sheeting for protection, and many fans bring their own additional protection — raincoats, umbrellas, and so on.
In addition to the Sledge-O-Matic, Gallagher's act features a variety of props,[3][4] including a large trampoline designed to look like a couch, an adult sized Big Wheel, and a cap with a fringe of hair attached to the back.
While the Sledge-O-Matic act is an example of physical prop comedy, the act itself (and even its name) is a parody of ads for the Ronco Veg-O-Matic, a kitchen appliance that was heavily advertised on American television from the mid-1960s through the 1970s. Gallagher also uses word play in his act, pointing out the eccentricities of the English language. He mentions in one routine that words like "b-o-m-b", "t-o-m-b" and "c-o-m-b" are not pronounced similarly, which he calls "d-u-m-b".
Throughout most of Gallagher's career, his humor has not typically been subversive or controversial. However, in recent years, Gallagher's act has included some jokes considered racist and homophobic by notable publications such as The Stranger,[5] City Pages,[6] Drexel University's The Smart Set,[7] and TDB magazine.[8] Salon noted that Gallagher's "disgust for 'French fags', lesbians and Obama is now bigger than that oversize couch he used to jump around on."[9]
On January 31, 2011, Gallagher appeared on comedian Marc Maron's WTF podcast for a sit-down interview.[2] The interview began in an amicable manner, discussing Gallagher's life and career history. However, tensions began to rise when Maron asked Gallagher about the allegations of racism and homophobia by the press.[10] The conversation became increasingly heated until finally Gallagher walked out during the interview. The scheduled hour-long session only lasted about thirty minutes.[2]
In 2004, Comedy Central rated Gallagher the #100 comedian of all time.[11] Gallagher was displeased with being ranked so low, and he told The Oregonian, "I looked at the other people and I was trying to find anyone I ever heard of. How could I be behind people I never heard of? ... I made 13 one-hour shows for Showtime, which are available on videotape. I invented the one-man show on cable."[11]
During a March 10, 2011 performance in Rochester, Minnesota, Gallagher collapsed on stage, gripping his chest. He was rushed to Saint Marys Hospital, where it was determined that he had suffered a minor heart attack.[12]