Mort Sahl

Mort Sahl was arguably the most influential comedian of the postwar era; a provocative political satirist, he singlehandedly revolutionized the comedy medium to create an art form with a scope and impact far beyond mere slapstick and gags. Sahl's conversational, free-associative style -- an amalgam of anecdotes, one-liners and pithy asides -- forever elevated the stand-up stage from its humble, toothless beginnings into a respected forum for eye-opening social commentary, and in the process opened the door for future legends ranging from Lenny Bruce to George Carlin to Woody Allen. Morton Lyon Sahl was born on May 11, 1927 in Montreal, Quebec. From his formative performances at San Francisco's Hungry i club onward, he broke all the rules; at a time when stand-up consisted of tuxedo-clad lounge lizards blitzing the audience with gags, Sahl appeared on stage dressed in his trademark sweater, a rolled-up newspaper clenched tightly in hand. His act was free-form and tense, veering between clever, endearing topical jabs and vicious swipes; his routines knew no partisanship, attacking liberals and conservatives alike with equal furor. Both Richard Nixon and Adlai Stevenson were targets on his 1958 debut record The Future Lies Ahead, a jittery, far-ranging affair which also tackled topics ranging from air raids to Dave Brubeck (for whom Sahl frequently opened) to his famed "intellectual hold-up" bit. Given the topical nature of his work, Sahl wrote new material almost constantly, and he recorded frequently. As the 1960 presidential campaign heated up, he issued a flurry of albums including 1960: Look Forward in Anger, A Way of Life, the Top 25 hit At the Hungry i and The Next President, on which he promised "Whoever the President is, I will attack him." Although liberals...