Lenny Bruce (1925–1966) was a brilliant, outspoken satirist unafraid to speak about such then-taboo topics as sex, race, religion and politics. According to critic Nat Hentoff, “Lenny delighted in exploring why certain words were forbidden—and then demystifying them.” Bruce eventually became a victim of his own talent; he was blacklisted by the establishment, but fought the laws of censorship until it eventually killed him. Much of the public remains unaware of the wealth of personal recordings Bruce made over the years; he recorded everything from private rehearsals of new bits, to phone conversations and paranoid tirades.

Lenny was without a doubt the very first bad boy of comedy, pushing all the limits and testing every boundary. Comedy as we know it would be a different animal entirely if not for the immense influence of Lenny Bruce.