A Genius and a Friend
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedOn Easter Sunday, 1979, we (meaning my act Rick & Ruby) had just completed a week at Manhattan’s Copacabana opening for Robin Williams, who with one season of “Mork & Mindy” done to great critical acclaim and high ratings, had become comedy’s biggest star of the moment. We were all gathered in a basement of […]
There’s NO Good Guys Here
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedWhen I did the original Pee Wee Herman show back in the early 80’s, there was a segment in the show which never made it to the TV broadcast. It was a segment entitled “Pen Pals From Around The World,” in which Pee Wee read supposed “fan mail.” One was from a child named Shlomo, […]
On Being A “Genius”
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedWhen I was five years old, I could name all (then) 48 US states and their capitals, plus be able to spell them. I also knew all (then) 34 US presidents and could spell them as well. A local paper wrote a one paragraph article about how sensational this was, for where I was living, […]
I actually rooted FOR the U.S.
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedEvery four years World Cup comes around, and it was only from being here in England that I discovered the magnitude of it on the world stage. In 1994, the US was the host country, but all I remember is crowd shots from matches played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where the bulk of […]
Worse Things Have Happened
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedFor starters, I didn’t make it past the first audition. That’s good news/bad news, for had I made it, I would have had to swear to refrain from commenting on any social media about the entire process (It was part of the signed agreement). Six of one, half a dozen of another to me. I […]
Vegas memories — Part 2
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedAfter returning to San Francisco from Las Vegas, and seeing my dad, who now suffers from dementia and doesn’t have long to go, I was reminded again of how much he loved going to Nevada, but Las Vegas in particular, since it was closest to where he lived. In seeing him these last two days […]
Glad I Don’t Gamble
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedWhen people I meet in UK ask for recommended places to see when coming to America, Las Vegas is always on the short list, right up there with the Grand Canyon and San Francisco. It’s not a natural wonder or cultural oasis like the previous two sites, it’s more of a must-see just as an […]
Is Getting Laid Worth Killing For?
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedFor once, I’m not going to use the latest pathetic mass-murder story in California as justification for my views on why guns suck. For me it’s a foregone conclusion that they do, and always will, and the day I buy a gun is the day Hitler, Rasputin, and Charles Manson join hands for a chorus […]
Surprise! I Liked Eurovision!
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedI always basked in the knowledge that I never felt a need to watch the Eurovision Song Festival because it was always on a Saturday night, and most of the time I had better things to do, usually working. Certainly I would have taken work had it been offered last night, but I had already […]
Stupidity on Both Sides of the Atlantic
Published by Rick on Tagged UncategorizedWhat a week this has been for racism, huh! People who should know better apparently don’t, and then when given a chance to vindicate themselves, wind up digging a deeper hole. Let’s start with this redneck Cliven Bundy, a Nevada cattle rancher behind whom a militia has been organized to fight government agents coming to […]