The entertainment industry lost some of its brightest lights in the comedy arena this past year. We’ll always remember Joan Rivers, Robin Williams, Elaine Stritch and David Brenner.
David Brenner was 78 when he succumbed to cancer last March 15. Until the end, the Philadelphia native used his quick wit and celebrity to voice his political beliefs against gun violence, war and foreign aid to countries that vote against us  in the UN. He was a regular at the former Gotham Comedy Club where he first performed stand-up in the seventies. Brenner holds the record for the largest number of  guest shots on The Tonight Show and surpasses other performers with the most guest appearances on all TV talk shows.

I last saw Brenner about a year ago in New York City. Although graying a bit, he was as sharp and edgy as ever both on stage and off. His observational humor included stories about how New York City has changed through the years. Bike lanes and taxis were among his targets. Many of  his longtime social and political subjects are equally relevant today–overcrowded prisons, America’s school system, Congress and lobbyists. He described his humor as talking about the simple things in everyday life.  He stayed up-to-date on current events and discovers the ridiculous side of them in his stand-up act.

He reminded the audience that he did the last live Ed Sullivan Show and reminisced about his career from when Buddy Hackett helped get him into Vegas. His off-handed style of humor is true David Brenner with engaging stories to which we can all relate. His airline anecdotes brought back memories of the Eastern Shuttle between NY, DC and Boston. Talking about his days on the road, if he landed a hotel room adjacent to the ice machine, he’d put an “out of order” sign on it so he didn’t have to hear it clang all night. If only the rest of us had thought of that.

Brenner’s other timely targets for his insightful comedy sketches included IHOP, Viagra, the recession, Walmart, Cable news networks, the Pope’s resignation, gun control, Ebay and Facebook. He left little untouched.

After the show he pointed out the irony of how often he appeared on national TV as a guest and yet lamented that he couldn’t get his own show at this time. “There are different people running the business today. I don’t appeal to the 18 to 35 year olds,” Brenner said. “There’s nothing scandalous about me. I could back out in a limo nude with a tattoo of Lady Gaga and smoking grass with a transvestite, and I’m a super star again.”

We’ll miss David Brenner’s “free speech.”

Have PoliticalMavens.com delivered to your inbox in a daily digest by clicking here