Clothing Optional

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Authors: Alan Zweibel
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on
Saturday Night Live
is going real good. I’m learning how to write sketches, and today we filmed a—
    â€”Super. Did you hear about Pat Crane?
    â€”Who?
    â€”Catskills comic. Does this thing about having an Irish grandmother.
    â€”Uh-huh.
    â€”You know who I’m talking about?
    â€”Yeah. I met him at…
    â€”He died. Was killed in a car crash on his way home from a job.
    â€”Oh my God.
    â€”Yeah, it happened a few weeks ago. It was terrible. He was only forty-six. Had a wife, three kids….
    â€”I’m really sorry to hear that.
    â€”I know. It’s a real tragedy.
    â€”God.
    â€”I’m doing his bit about farting in an elevator.
    â€”What?
    â€”I asked his wife, Barbara, and she said it would be all right.
    â€”Wow.
    â€”Which reminds me, I must give her a call when I get back to New York. I haven’t spoken to her since the funeral, because I left for Vegas the next day.
    â€”Wait a second. You mean to tell me that at Pat Crane’s funeral you asked his wife if you could do his bit about farting in an elevator?
    â€”No, of course not.
    â€”But…
    â€”I asked her on the way back from the cemetery.
    â€”Oh.
    â€”Look, my daughter Leslie’s going to be sixteen, so we’re giving her a big sweet-sixteen party.
    â€”Uh-huh.
    â€”Do you think that there’s a routine in that?
    â€”There could be….
    â€”You know, with the invitations, and now she’s old enough to date, or the records that kids listen to…. There must be some routine in there somewhere.
    â€”Sure.
    â€”You know, if you can think of it, that’s where I can use some punching up in my act. Like I do that routine about the names of the different musical groups.
    â€”Right.
    â€”Like I do that thing where I say that the musical groups today have the strangest names, like “Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young—what kind of name is that? When I first heard it, I thought it was the name of a law firm.”
    â€”Right.
    â€”It’s a super joke, but it only works to the hipper crowds. The young people like it.
    â€”Uh-huh.
    â€”Or I say: “The Jefferson Airplane—what kind of name is that? Did you ever hear their music? I’ll tell you one thing, that’s one airplane I wouldn’t mind seeing hijacked.”
    â€”Right.
    â€”It’s a super joke. You have to think about it for a second, but it works.
    â€”Uh-huh.
    â€”So that’s what I could use more of—names of musical groups. It’s good material for television, you know what I mean?
    â€”Sure.
    â€”It’s clean, and appeals to the young people—which is the audience that TV’s trying to reach.
    â€”Right.
    â€”Look, I know you’re busy with your show and everything, but could you do me a favor and just jot down some funny names of musical groups for me?
    â€”Okay.
    â€”It’s a funny idea, isn’t it?
    â€”Oh, yeah.
    â€”Look, I’ll let you go back to sleep….
    â€”Okay.
    â€”Sorry I woke you.
    â€”That’s all right.
    â€”…but off the top of your head, could you think of a funny name of a musical group?
    â€”Uh…the Grateful Dead?
    â€”No…. It’s not bad, but the routine works a lot better when I use the names of actual groups.
    â€”But…
    â€”Look, I know you’re tired. So give it some thought, and I’ll call you when I get back to New York.—Okay.—Good night.
    FEBRUARY 1980
    â€”I just can’t believe that I’m fifty years old.
    â€”I know. But you don’t look it.
    â€”Really?
    â€”No. No way.
    â€”Thanks…. Hey, it was nice of all the boys to come, wasn’t it?—Sure was.
    â€”That’s why we made the party today, so most of the boys wouldn’t be working.
    â€”Right.
    â€”There’s very few jobs on Sunday afternoons, unless it’s a special affair or something. The only one who couldn’t

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