Listen No. 24 - Outside Shelley Berman

Record number 24: Outside Shelley Berman

Genre: Comedy

Context: Berman (along with Nichols & May) was one of Richard’s comedy heroes. 

Notable facts: Berman, who often made a telephone conversation into superb comedy, said ‘I was essentially a monologuist. I was not, in the strict sense of the word, a comedian. I was unable at first to cope with the atmosphere in a nightclub.’ 

He won several awards for his albums, and played Larry David’s father in Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

My favourite track: Hilarious, all of it, but especially Delicatessen. 

What critics made of it: Berman is comedy gold. 

Listening to this inspired me to: seek out more Berman. I would also like to watch the documentary ‘Comedian Backstage’ - which some argue was damaging to his career.