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Randy Hodgins and Steve McLellan’s lifelong love of comedy was kindled when they met more than 40 years ago in graduate school in Seattle. While managing family and professional work responsibilities, they hosted a one hour comedy radio program on Saturday mornings for 10 years on a small radio station in Olympia, WA and also co-authored two books on northwest popular culture – Seattle on Film (1995) and Wet and Wired (2000). Stuck at home during the early days of the pandemic with hundreds of comedy albums, cassettes and CD’s gathering dust on their shelves, they launched Laugh Tracks Legends of Comedy in May 2020, a weekly mini-program featuring a different comedy icon, with biographical bits and a nice slice of the comedy that made them famous. From standup stars, to stellar sketch teams, to novelty music maestros -- they are all part of our Legends.
Episodes
Tuesday May 14, 2024
Tuesday May 14, 2024
A groundbreaking comic from the 1950s who blended standup skill with sly racial and social commentary, Dick Gregory went on to a career that mixed writing, performing, and social activism for 5 decades. As was common in the 50s, Dick's gift for comedy was discovered by his army buddies. Hugh Hefner gave him his first big career break, filling in for Professor Irwin Corey at the Playboy Club (a gesture that Dick never forgot to acknowledge). From there Dick played top clubs, becoming increasingly political in his approach. In 1968 he ran for President on a "peace" platform, and he became a frequent sight at all manner of movement events, from anti-apartheid to feminism to Native American rights. Dick also became known for his strong commitment to vegetarianism and animal welfare. As always, find extended cuts below and thanks for sharing our shows!
Want more Dick Gregory?
Dick Gregory always credited Hugh Hefner for booking him into the Playboy Club at a time when black comics found it hard to get a gig. Here's Dick telling the story at a Hefner roast. https://youtu.be/M5vYNrtGmsk?si=N9gQufZe3fHfjQUg
Playing the Hungry I club in San Francisco was a right of passage for topical comics (Mort Sahl! The Smothers Brothers!) so it's no surprise that Dick Gregory was a frequent feature there. https://youtu.be/tg7Pnre__a8?si=ZP1nnGpybxB5SNdB
Dick managed to get booked on the top talk shows of the day without compromising his topical material. Here's a bit from the Merv Griffin Show taped during the Watts riots in 1965.https://youtu.be/xRJRMQZ9p84?si=ivyyLfDS36xqMCMo
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