No Cure for Cancer
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| No Cure for Cancer | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Denis Leary | ||
| Released | January 12, 1993 | |
| Genre | Comedy | |
| Length | 45 minutes | |
| Label | A&M (USA) | |
| Professional reviews | ||
No Cure for Cancer is one of Denis Leary's standup routines from the early 1990s. It was made into a Showtime special, a book, and a compact disc, all with the same title.[1][2] This album is what is said to have made Leary famous. Topics include the NRA, vegetarians, cigarette smoking, drug use, and political correctness.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Compact disc
The album was recorded live at Irving Plaza, New York on October 10, 1992 and at Sorcerer Studios, New York. All material was written or co-written by Denis Leary.
[edit] Track listing
- Asshole
- Drugs
- Rehab
- More Drugs
- Smoke
- Meat
- Death
- The Downtrodden Song
- Traditional Irish Folk Song
- Voices In My Head
[edit] Personnel
- Denis Leary - Vocals
- Adam Roth - Guitar, Mandolin, Bass, Vocals
- Chris Phillips - Vocals, Bass, Acoustic & 12-String Guitar
- Breda Mayock - Violin
- Ger Mayock - Pennywhistle
- C.P. Roth - Keyboards
- Don Castagno - Drums, Percussion
- Pete Mark - Congas
[edit] DVD
In 2005, the DVD "Complete Denis Leary" was released. A collection of his most famous Stand-Up performances including: No Cure For Cancer and Lock 'N Load. Special features include: Asshole (Song) music video, Love Barge music video, and the Making of No Cure For Cancer, a documentary with Denis Leary and others.
[edit] Trivia
"Asshole" is often called "I'm an Asshole" or "The Asshole Song" and has the spoken part of the song edited out.
Leary makes a reference to the urban legend of Mama Cass choking on a ham sandwich. Cass actually died in her sleep from a heart attack.[4]
In No Cure for Cancer, comedian Denis Leary suggests suing Dan Fogelberg and James Taylor for turning him soft in the 70s, Fogelberg died from prostate cancer on December 16, 2007.
[edit] Accusations of plagiarism of Bill Hicks
For many years, Leary had been friends with fellow comedian Bill Hicks. However, when Hicks heard Leary's album No Cure For Cancer, he felt Leary had stolen his act and material. The friendship ended abruptly as a result.[5] At least three stand-up comedians have gone on the record stating they believe Leary stole not just some of Hicks' material but his persona and attitude.[6][7][8][5] As a result of this, it is claimed that after Bill Hicks' death from pancreatic cancer, an industry joke began to circulate about Leary's transformation and subsequent success (roughly; "Question: Why is Denis Leary a star while Bill Hicks is unknown? Answer: Because there's no cure for cancer").[8] Jokes on the album about Keith Richards, Judas Priest, smoking and good men dying young are extremely similar to material that Hicks had been recorded doing for several years.
During a 2003 roast of Denis Leary, comedian Lenny Clarke, a friend of Leary's, said there was a carton of cigarettes backstage from Bill Hicks with the message, "Wish I had gotten these to you sooner." This joke was cut from the final broadcast.[9]
The controversy surrounding plagiarism is also mentioned in American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story by Cynthia True:
- Leary was in Montreal to host the Nasty Show at Club Soda and Colleen was coordinating the talent so she was standing backstage when she heard Leary doing material that sounded incredibly similar to old Hicks riffs, including his perennial Jim Fixx joke: ("Keith Richards outlived Jim Fixx, the runner and health nut dude. The plot thickens.") When Leary came offstage, Colleen said, more stunned than angry, "Hey, you know that's Bill Hicks' material! Do you know that's his material?" Leary stood there, stared at her without saying a word, and briskly left the dressing room.[10]
When asked about Leary, Hicks told an interviewer: "I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did."[11]
In the August 2006 Playboy, an interviewer told Leary "Much has been written about you and comedian Bill Hicks...People have accused you of appropriating his persona and material." Leary replied:
| “ | That's a great story that people like to latch onto...Very quickly we got New York club owners saying, 'You guys are too alike,' while I was saying, 'What are they fucking talking about?' It's the same approach to the subject maybe, but it's not the same act...But as I've said many times, a fable is sometimes better than the truth."[12] | ” |
[edit] References
- ^ Denis Leary: No Cure for Cancer, review, Todd Everett, Variety, February 19, 1993.
- ^ Beware The Mild Man! MTV's Outrageous Denis Leary, Eerily Calm Off Camera, Laura Blumenfeld, Washington Post, December 1, 1992.
- ^ No Cure for Cancer, review at the All Music Guide
- ^ Staff report (July 30, 1974). Cass Elliot, Pop Singer, Dies; Star of the Mamas and Papas; A Hearty Performer. New York Times
- ^ a b Kevin Booth and Michael Bertin (2005). Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution. Harper Collins. ISBN 0-00-719829-9.
- ^ Joe Rogan (2005). Carlos Mencia is a weak minded joke thief. JoeRogan.net. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Rogan, Joe. Interview. Playboy Magazine. October 2003.
- ^ a b Tim McIntire (1998). Dark Times: Bill Hicks: Frequently Asked Questions. BillHicks.com. Archived from the original on 2006-10-11. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ "Roasting a Comic They Turn Up the Flames Gently", Boston Globe, 2003-08-10.
- ^ Cynthia True (2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-380-80377-1.
- ^ Doug Stern (April 1993). Profile: Bill Hicks. Austin Comedy News. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ Leary, Denis. Interview. Playboy Magazine. August 2006.
