The '50s are often portrayed as a very innocent time -- an era in which Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver were popular sitcoms. Americans were less likely to have sex before marriage, poodle skirts were in fashion and stay-at-home moms were the norm. But truth be told, there was also an... [+] Expand

The '50s are often portrayed as a very innocent time -- an era in which Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver were popular sitcoms. Americans were less likely to have sex before marriage, poodle skirts were in fashion and stay-at-home moms were the norm. But truth be told, there was also an underground counterculture in the '50s; it wasn't terribly visible, but if you knew where to look, you could find brothels, heroin-addicted beboppers, S&M clubs and kinky footage of Betty Page (who was playing bondage games with other women before Madonna was even born). Lenny Bruce knew that Father Knows Best didn't tell the whole story -- and by laughing at taboo subjects others were afraid to address, he made his share of enemies. Recorded in 1958, 1959 and 1963, Thank You Masked Man isn't all that explicit by today's standards; actually, this album is mild compared to Andrew Dice Clay or Martin Lawrence. But for their time, these Bruce performances were downright revolutionary. Back in the late '50s and early '60s, most stand-up comedians weren't joking about syphilis, heroin addiction or homosexuality -- all of which are among the topics on Thank You Masked Man. These recordings were made in three major cities -- New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- and it should be noted that Bruce's material led to indecency charges in at least two of those places. If Bruce was so shocking to authorities in NYC and the Bay Area, one can only imagine what people in Iowa thought of him. Thank You Masked Man is unlikely to offend anyone who has spent a lot of time listening to Lil' Kim or The Howard Stern Show; nonetheless, this CD is full of wildly entertaining material that was way ahead of its time. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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