Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars

by Kliph Nesteroff

For generations, comedians were censored if they joked about sex, politics, or religion. Today these are among comedy’s most commonly discussed topics. But not long ago, if a comic insisted on covering any of those three categories, the result was not just censorship, but potential arrest. Lenny Bruce was arrested for saying the word “schmuck” onstage in Los Angeles in 1962. George Carlin was arrested for vulgarity in Milwaukee in 1972. Richard Pryor was arrested for swearing in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1974. Andrew Dice Clay was threatened with arrest in Dallas, Texas, in 1990. The harassment of comedians was far more serious when they were up against the law.