"I'm mostly gluten"
April 6, 2014 7:21 PM   Subscribe

Comedian John Pinette is dead. I've always been partial to his "everything has gluten in it" bit.
posted by anothermug (49 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
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"Natural causes", though? At 50? I always thought that "natural causes" was just an M.E.'s way of saying "I dunno".

Way too young. Way too young.
posted by Imperfect at 7:25 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


You go home now! You been here 438,000 hour!

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posted by sourwookie at 7:26 PM on April 6, 2014 [9 favorites]


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"Sonna a formato" [sic] was his masterpiece.
posted by entropicamericana at 7:31 PM on April 6, 2014 [9 favorites]


Nay, nay!

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posted by Sys Rq at 7:36 PM on April 6, 2014 [7 favorites]


"They've got this horrible machine at the gym -- I don't know what the proper name of it is, I just call it The Horrible Machine."

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posted by ceribus peribus at 7:39 PM on April 6, 2014 [5 favorites]


"Natural causes", though?

Wikipedia says: "Pinette died at 2:30 pm on April 5, 2014, at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County medical examiner's office said Pinette had been suffering liver and heart disease. An autopsy was not performed, as Mr. Pinette’s personal doctor signed off on his cause of death."
posted by anothermug at 7:39 PM on April 6, 2014


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posted by Smart Dalek at 7:40 PM on April 6, 2014


Ah. The article is not so forthcoming.

Not that it really matters to me, honestly. I mean, dude died, that's bad enough, I don't desperately need to know why. I was just commenting on how weird it is to hear "natural causes" in this day and age.
posted by Imperfect at 7:41 PM on April 6, 2014


One of my best friends has been quoting his "Herve Villechaize as Batman" bit since forever. RIP.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:44 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


I always enjoyed his stuff. Even saw him live once.

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posted by jeather at 7:49 PM on April 6, 2014


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posted by edheil at 7:55 PM on April 6, 2014


Woah, Station Square only like a mile from here. Funny guy, 50 is way too young.
posted by octothorpe at 8:08 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


I always thought that "natural causes" was just an M.E.'s way of saying "I dunno".

"Undetermined" is the ME's way of saying "I dunno".

"Natural Causes" is the ME's way of saying "we didn't bother to do an autopsy because the cause of death is obvious"
posted by Renoroc at 8:14 PM on April 6, 2014 [3 favorites]


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posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:27 PM on April 6, 2014


I'm sorry I'd never heard of him before, and I'm sorry he's gone. He was so very funny! (watching him on youtube and laughing a lot.) RIP, John. You were good.
posted by kira at 8:47 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


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posted by northtwilight at 9:17 PM on April 6, 2014


My family yells "YOU GO NOW!" at each other for shits and giggles, it's our favorite bit of his. Our French exchange student last summer didn't get it, until we sat him down in front of Pinnette's specials. Poor kid just about broke something.

So very sad.

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posted by MissySedai at 9:33 PM on April 6, 2014


This is a hard hit for me personally. Never knew him, but his comedy has helped me through some very rough times. He was, from what I've been reading (and always just assumed anyway) an extremely nice guy, and it just stinks that people who bring others so much joy get taken so soon and others who bring so much suffering seem to stick around forever. Guess I'm going to be spending a lot of time in the next few days streaming his old videos and laughing through the tears.

Rest in peace, Mr. Pinette.

You deserve to.
posted by Quasimike at 9:40 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


Apparently he had liver and heart disease. He was also known as the robbery victim in the final episode of Seinfeld.
posted by humanfont at 9:47 PM on April 6, 2014


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posted by MrBadExample at 9:48 PM on April 6, 2014


Aww man.

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I didn't recognize him by name. But I've had some good laughs at his bits over the years.
posted by sbutler at 9:49 PM on April 6, 2014


Going back to some of his older stuff (Chinese buffet) I never realized how much weight he'd lost since starting. I always loved his boyishness.
posted by furtive at 10:02 PM on April 6, 2014


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posted by Brian Puccio at 10:33 PM on April 6, 2014


how weird it is to hear "natural causes"

It's what he didn't die of, is what they are saying (suicide, drugs, murder, accident).
posted by stbalbach at 10:44 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


That was John singing the Copacabana in Duets (2000).
posted by ceribus peribus at 10:53 PM on April 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


Such personality. That will live on forever, anyway.

RIP.
posted by mantecol at 10:53 PM on April 6, 2014


One of the wonderful properties I like about gluten is the way you can stretch it to wrap it around more gluten.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:03 AM on April 7, 2014


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EPCOT death march is my husband's favorite thing to quote around the house. What a huge loss.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:47 AM on April 7, 2014 [1 favorite]


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posted by luckydog at 3:06 AM on April 7, 2014


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I can't help but mutter that "You know what has gluten? Every reason to get up in the morning!" line whenever I see a new gluten-free somethingorother.
posted by Etrigan at 4:26 AM on April 7, 2014 [3 favorites]


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posted by NiteMayr at 4:40 AM on April 7, 2014


By a comedy writer friend from Facebook:

Yesterday at 7:09pm · Edited

"They're bringing us Avacado Slices! I read somewhere that Avacados are the 'good fat' ... like me!" those were the first words John Pinette said to me in the cramped Green Room of the Phoenix Improv. He then gave a hundred dollars and said "This is for driving out here, they always screw the feature act on travel." He then did the same for the MC when he arrived... who was local. At the end of that week he threw a pizza party for the staff and signed free copies of his newest dvd for any staff member that wanted one. We worked together on and off for the next eight years and he was by far one of the most professional comics it's been my pleasure to know. Aside from a nearly 3 decade long stand-up career he also starred in Hairspray on Broadway. It is from traveling with him that I was able to go to Florence, Naples, Rome (that's the Vatican in background) and the Greek Island of Mykonos. A solid headlining act in his own right, he also opened for other entertainers. According to John himself, he was fired as Kenny Rogers opening act in Las Vegas for saying "shit." Mr. Rogers didn't want to let him go but his contracted demanded it, when he broke the news to John he replied "Are you shittin' me?!!!" I asked him if was rough being fired from such a big gig and he said "No, a week later I got the call from Caesar's to open for Mr. S." Yeah. That " Mr. S." he was talking about was Frank Sinatra whom he worked with up until the week of his passing. Sinatra knew he had very little time left and asked Don Rickles to be his final opening act, John gave an outstanding performance that night and received a standing ovation, he then introduced Mr. Rickles who looked at the standing crowd and whispered "You'll get 'em next time, kid." On stage, he had few equals. At the Improv in Irvine I was lucky enough to see him give one of the greatest stand-up performances I have ever seen (which is saying a lot). On Saturday we did an early show and a late show, due to illness he lost his voice during the early show. But more than anyone I know John was definitely a The Show Must Go On type. He got some throat spray and rested until the late show. During that second show, a quarter mile away at the Cheesecake Factory (part of the same Irvine Spectrum complex) an oven malfunctioned and set off the Fire Alarm, as a fail safe the power for the entire complex went out. Most comics would either wait for the issue to get resolved or cancel the show. John asked to a pitcher of pineapple juice for his throat and a flashlight so people could see him and performed for another half an hour in the dark. When power returned he knew the waitresses would need time to figure out their bills so he did another 40 minutes on top of that. All told he did about an hour and a half that was so good that the firemen who'd been sent to check on everything stayed and watched the rest of the show. He was as supportive of young comics as he could be, there were times that he found me far more work than my representation at the time. When I told him I was doing a theme show at the Improv called Intergalactic Defenders of the Comedy which was comic book related he headlined and brought Thomas Jane who was not only star of The Punisher (which John co-starred in) but also brought his own comics (The very bizarre and cool Alien Pig Farm) that he'd written and signed them for the audience. I learned so much from him as a performer and as a friend. He told me as a boy helping run his fathers Irish Pub that the drunks would say things like "If you get too fat the angels won't be able to carry you to Heaven." which clearly impacted his razor sharp sense of humor but was also utter bullshit. Anyone who spent more than five minutes with John knew he brought more joy to the world than most people could ever hope to. If there are angels, they'll find few souls as light as his.
posted by abulafa at 4:54 AM on April 7, 2014 [43 favorites]


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posted by GrapeApiary at 5:29 AM on April 7, 2014


He played my theatre a couple years ago. The most professional, easiest to work with comic I've ever met. He invited staff into his green room to eat and hang out, he was warm and enthusiastic and incredibly funny ... it's a real loss. You hear some comics talk about other comics with respect that becomes awe. Gaffigan, Regan, that echelon, where they're not even "Comedians' comedians", they're just the guys that everybody wishes they could own the room like. John Pinette was a guy like that. People loved him, and he was hilarious. Very sad to hear this.
posted by penduluum at 5:33 AM on April 7, 2014


Man, I loved this guy. Me and a buddy regularly quote his YOU GO NOW Chinese buffet bit.

I also loved his 2011 I'm Starvin' standup.

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posted by Fleebnork at 5:55 AM on April 7, 2014


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posted by Uther Bentrazor at 6:39 AM on April 7, 2014


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posted by freshwater at 7:16 AM on April 7, 2014


If only they had had sense enough to use him in the Hairspray movie.

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posted by Flexagon at 7:37 AM on April 7, 2014 [2 favorites]


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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:13 AM on April 7, 2014


Odd, I'd never heard of him until today. This bit is hilarious ("Get out of the line!"). He was obviously very good.
posted by Dragonness at 8:21 AM on April 7, 2014


I am almost literally heartsick over Mr. Pinette's death. I had thought, here is a fat man who will survive and prove you can be fat and still live a full life. I see my own doom in him now. I really have to get a handle on my weight or I'll never live to see the other side of 50; he should have lived. He was so good.
posted by NiteMayr at 8:36 AM on April 7, 2014


I had thought, here is a fat man who will survive and prove you can be fat and still live a full life

Yes, this cuts across all sorts of personal domains and while there's a lot that could be said, I'm going to just go with...

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posted by mikelieman at 8:42 AM on April 7, 2014


I felt bad quoting Mike Black without at least crediting him (no easy way on teh facebook).
posted by abulafa at 9:22 AM on April 7, 2014


A funny funny man who was taken way too soon.

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posted by blurker at 10:16 AM on April 7, 2014


To this day I can't watch Evita without hearing his version of Don't Cry For Me Argentina (Don't Cry For Me Buffet People).

Too soon.

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posted by chaosys at 11:48 AM on April 7, 2014


RIP John. Too soon.
posted by shockingbluamp at 2:43 PM on April 7, 2014


What?!? WHAT?!?!! Noooooo!

Dammit, this is completely unacceptable. He was so very, very good.

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posted by MexicanYenta at 4:44 PM on April 7, 2014


Seems like everyone respected him and thought he was a good guy (I'm not surprised). Jeremy Hotz has a nice tribute to him on his Facebook page: John Pinette was not only an unbelievable comic but one of the nicest people I ever knew. It was an honor to be his friend and share the stage with him on so many occasions. John was an unselfish performer who left it all on the stage. Truly a great man who will never be forgotten. RIP John xx Jh

I know he never failed to make me laugh. Thanks, John.

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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:20 PM on April 7, 2014


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Was not aware of this outstanding comic talent. I will be catching up on his hilarious videos. Even in death, he made my evening!

RIP, sir.
posted by Vibrissae at 12:24 AM on April 8, 2014


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