The Comedian's Comedian's Comedian
March 24, 2016 2:08 PM   Subscribe

Garry Shandling, the comedian most famous as creator and star of The Larry Sanders Show, has died at age 66.

He also created It's Garry Shandling's Show and was in the running to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show where he guest-hosted. He didn't act as much in recent years though made appearances in movies and hosted invite-only basketball games at his home in Los Angeles.
posted by edeezy (169 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble



 
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posted by lord_wolf at 2:09 PM on March 24, 2016


RIP. Larry Sanders was monumental.

One of my favorite things ever is The Butthole Surfers chanting "Garry Shandling" for 5 minutes straight in Revolution Pt 2, on Pioughd.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 2:09 PM on March 24, 2016 [17 favorites]


He's breaking the fourth wall in heaven now.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:10 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


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posted by valkane at 2:10 PM on March 24, 2016


Wow. I don't really do this but somehow this comes as a real shock.

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posted by raider at 2:10 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Rats. I quite like Gary Shandling. I always thought it was amusing that he drove the set in a little electric buggy on the Gary Shandling Show from the late '80s.
posted by My Dad at 2:11 PM on March 24, 2016


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hail hydra
posted by Diskeater at 2:11 PM on March 24, 2016 [16 favorites]


The world is a now less intelligent that it was yesterday.
posted by Freedomboy at 2:12 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


I remember really liking It's Garry Shandling's Show in college, and being annoyed that no one else did.

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posted by Melismata at 2:14 PM on March 24, 2016 [10 favorites]


This is hitting me harder than I would have thought. He was just always around being funny on the periphery, if that makes sense.

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posted by fluffy battle kitten at 2:14 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


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hey now.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 2:14 PM on March 24, 2016 [6 favorites]


Well, shit.

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posted by i_have_a_computer at 2:15 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


His recent Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee episode was titled "It's Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive"
posted by timdiggerm at 2:15 PM on March 24, 2016 [30 favorites]


This is the theme to Garry's show
The opening theme to Garry's show
Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song
It's almost halfway finished
How do you like it so far?
Hope you like the theme to Garry's show.
posted by praemunire at 2:17 PM on March 24, 2016 [55 favorites]


Garry, we'll make sure your hair looks great.
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:17 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


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posted by /\/\/\/ at 2:17 PM on March 24, 2016


Man this hit me like a punch to the gut. I've always loved Garry Shandling, and The Larry Sanders Show is quite simply one of the greatest tv shows of all time, and influenced so much. It was the show that really launched HBO Original Programming which lead to Sex And The City, Oz, etc. Before Larry Sanders, I think their biggest shows were Not Necessarily The News (maybe?), 1st and Ten, and Dream On, none of which were particularly critical darlings.

Not to mention how the show really laid the groundwork for The Office (Ricky Gervais has specifically cited it, and Shandling, as an influence), Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock, etc. And the comedic talent he brought together for it! Ye Gods!

This is so so sad, and I keep hoping it's a hoax.
posted by tittergrrl at 2:18 PM on March 24, 2016 [10 favorites]


Just coming to post the link to "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee." I really hope they give him the funeral he wants.
posted by ColdChef at 2:18 PM on March 24, 2016 [9 favorites]


We've barely made it to spring and already this year has an awful fucking lot of good people gone to answer for.

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posted by Halloween Jack at 2:18 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Aflack. :(

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posted by grumpybear69 at 2:18 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by clockzero at 2:19 PM on March 24, 2016


OMG, this is awful. Both of his shows were wonderful.

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posted by Chrysostom at 2:19 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by cotton dress sock at 2:19 PM on March 24, 2016


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I can't believe he was only 66. It seemeh like he was eternal.
posted by bswinburn at 2:19 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


What the hell? Crap. This is awful.
posted by Automocar at 2:21 PM on March 24, 2016


It's Garry Shandling's Show was a comedic highlight in a dark era.

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posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 2:22 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]




66 is way too young.

2016 - Fuck you. You suck. Stop killing all the people I like.
posted by mosk at 2:22 PM on March 24, 2016 [15 favorites]


It's Garry Shandling's Show was a comedic highlight in a dark era.

That and Get a Life
posted by My Dad at 2:24 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]




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posted by Splunge at 2:26 PM on March 24, 2016


It's Garry Shandling's Show was a comedic highlight in a dark era.

Him rolling around onstage in a black censorship dot thong is one of my most treasured teevee memories, which I'm not altogether convinced actually happened. It certainly wouldn't happen on network now.
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:28 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


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I didn't really understand everything that was going on in the Larry Sanders Show when it was on (too young) but it was impossible to deny that it was funny in a way most shows just hadn't figured out yet.
posted by graymouser at 2:29 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


The best late night tv in the UK during the 90s were the Sanders and Seinfeld double-bills. RIP.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:29 PM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]


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posted by ogooglebar at 2:30 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by Rock Steady at 2:30 PM on March 24, 2016


NONONONO


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posted by lumpenprole at 2:30 PM on March 24, 2016


Jesus. He was a fucking giant. He changed the way we laugh.
posted by howfar at 2:31 PM on March 24, 2016


I swear I was just thinking about Garry Shandling the other night and how I missed his eighties show. Never caught Larry Sanders (no HBO subscription).

RIP to a seriously funny guy.
posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:32 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


"Nice guys finish first. If you don't know that, then you don't know where the finish line is."
-- Garry Shandling

That's an amazing quote that I will never forget.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:35 PM on March 24, 2016 [64 favorites]


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posted by peeedro at 2:36 PM on March 24, 2016


Rock Steady beat me to that quote by a few seconds...

It takes an incredibly secure person to play the insecure characters he did and not make it creepy. He did it better than Jack Benny (and from me, that's BIG).

.

:(
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:37 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


I would still get excited years later when someone from It's Garry Shandling's Show turned up elsewhere.

"Oh my God, Leonard Smith is in Office Space!"
posted by Chrysostom at 2:37 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


Damn it. Larry Sanders is definitely one of my top 3 shows. And Garry himself studied all the Buddhist/what's going on? stuff I love, so every interview he did was great since he sat in that place.
posted by downtohisturtles at 2:38 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


I was a fan of his stand-up, both of his shows, his numerous guard appearances and hosting appearances and yet this is how I will remember him most. (Cryface warning)

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posted by Senor Cardgage at 2:39 PM on March 24, 2016 [20 favorites]


I kept expecting him to come out of retirement and do some more funny stuff. Like, if anybody could out-meta our meta age, Larry Sanders could have.

Dang.

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posted by notyou at 2:40 PM on March 24, 2016


There's a lot of foreshadowing in that "Comedians in Cars" episode.
posted by clawsoon at 2:42 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


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posted by Iridic at 2:45 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by allthinky at 2:45 PM on March 24, 2016


Does this coffin make my ass look big?

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posted by guiseroom at 2:45 PM on March 24, 2016 [9 favorites]


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posted by Atom Eyes at 2:46 PM on March 24, 2016


Somewhere in my past, there's a 3.5 inch floppy disk filled to capacity with a digital audio file of the It's Garry Shandling's Show theme song, the first digital audio I ever downloaded.

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posted by radwolf76 at 2:46 PM on March 24, 2016 [7 favorites]


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posted by Francis7 at 2:46 PM on March 24, 2016


I came on here to find some cool links about Cruyff and I find this has happened.

What a day.

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(the Comedians Getting Coffee episode is a beautiful way to remember him.)
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 2:47 PM on March 24, 2016


Sad to hear. The Larry Sanders Show is one of the finest shows I've ever seen. His other stuff was good too, but that was brilliant. Great entertainer.
posted by samworm at 2:47 PM on March 24, 2016


God what a terrible year for losing stars and this one hits me just as hard as the others. I remember my wife and I being so annoying singing the theme to the Garry Shandling show to people that had never seen it. And so many great things about the Larry Sanders show: David Duchovny's appearances, Hank buying that car from Elvis Costello, Gene Siskel punching out John Ritter (that's what you get when you fuck with someone from Chicago!), Hank's sex tape, and on and on.

Farewell Mr Shandling you served us all so well.
posted by Ber at 2:49 PM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]


Jeezus. It just isn't stopping.

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posted by mondo dentro at 2:50 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


"Remember, the camera adds ten pounds to your lips."

Rest in peace.

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posted by 4ster at 2:50 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


You can click now.

(Shit.)
posted by Rhomboid at 2:52 PM on March 24, 2016


profound respect and gratitude.

I haven't caught up with the thread yet, so forgive me if these recommendations appear elsewhere - if you haven't yet, check out his WTF interview. Also the DVD extras on the best of Larry Sanders box set that came out about 10 years ago. Great insight in to his later days.




(It's going to be a long, slow, slog of death all the way through 2016, isn't it?)
posted by fingers_of_fire at 2:53 PM on March 24, 2016


The Larry Sanders Show is on Crackle. The episode where David Duchovny sends Larry a jacket with "The Truth Is Out There" on it is hilarious. And then Duchovny had Garry guest-star on X-Files playing Fox... and you know, when the x-files reboot hit I kept thinking that older Duchovny does look amazingly more like Shandling.
posted by valkane at 2:53 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by tommasz at 2:55 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by Gelatin at 2:57 PM on March 24, 2016


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Enough already, 2016!
posted by Frayed Knot at 2:57 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by ssmith at 2:58 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by Smart Dalek at 2:59 PM on March 24, 2016


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Larry Sanders would have to rank in my all time top five TV shows. Not just a groundbreaker in all manner of ways, but perhaps more important, it's still relevant and hilarious. I could watch a pile of episodes right now. And laugh. In fact, I think I probably will.
posted by philip-random at 3:00 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


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posted by Auden at 3:01 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by Kevin Street at 3:02 PM on March 24, 2016


Anyone old enough to remember It's Garry Shandling's Show on the fledgling Fox network

I was... 9, maybe? And I just realized that I can still sing the opening theme song!

RIP.
posted by TwoStride at 3:02 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


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posted by threecheesetrees at 3:03 PM on March 24, 2016


gut punch: Robin Williams and Gary Shandling
posted by Rhomboid at 3:04 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


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posted by Cookiebastard at 3:05 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by Sophie1 at 3:06 PM on March 24, 2016


gut punch: Robin Williams and Gary Shandling

Man, are we missing a good roast tonight.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 3:07 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


The Garry Shandling Show was my first realization that meta-comedy was A Thing. I mean, we all read Grover and the Monster at the End of This Book, but TGSS was the first time I realized adults could like that kind of thing as well. So here's a whistle



for Garry.
posted by infinitewindow at 3:07 PM on March 24, 2016 [6 favorites]


Quick, everyone in the flashback booth before it's too late!

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posted by Strange Interlude at 3:09 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


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posted by disclaimer at 3:09 PM on March 24, 2016




Back when I was working in comedy clubs, the Improv chain, we had Garry Shandling doing a run in the early 90s, the height of the comedy boom. He would ask for a glass of water to be delivered to him in the middle of the act, and then he'd keep going with the act. He'd get the water, take a sip and proceed.

But twice, when I went to bring him the water, he turned and pretended not to see me. So, I'm standing there like a dork with a glass of water, hesitating, because I don't want to break the rhythm. And then my hesitation becomes the joke. Do I wait here? Do I retreat? What if he asks for the water again? That'd make me the bad guy...

After a few seconds, you could feel the tension rise in the room. The audience knows he asked for the water, now here it is, this poor guy (me) is stuck in the stage lights, and they're asking themselves, should we do anything? People try to get Garry's attention, snickering, pointing, trying not to heckle the comic. But he keeps going with the story.

Finally, he notices me (the second time, after I stage-whispered to him), and then turns to the audience, faux concern. "Oh, was he there the whole time?"

Thanks, jerk! :-)

Aww. Sad. Seems like he was still working, still setting up another career high point. He'll be missed.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:14 PM on March 24, 2016 [40 favorites]


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posted by pixlboi at 3:15 PM on March 24, 2016


You can click now.

(Shit.)
posted by Rhomboid at 0:52 on March 25


You meant "flip"!
posted by Silky Slim at 3:16 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by From Bklyn at 3:20 PM on March 24, 2016


What is happening? It's like there is some sort of Malthusian cultural event.

Here's hoping we all make it though this absolute shambles of a year.

/Off to Wisconsin to drink beer and watch basketball! Valar Morghulis.
posted by Sphinx at 3:24 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Jeez, no way. I love both IGSS and Larry Sanders. The stuff with Duchovny on Larry Sanders is so perfect - the bit where Duchovny invites him to his hotel room, and does the leg cross thing in his dressing gown is fantastic.

I loved IGSS - such a clever deconstruction of the sitcom format, and Shandling himself was just brilliant in it. Interesting how many people who went on to work on the first few seasons of The Simpsons worked on IGSS -Sam Simon, Tom Gamill, Max Pross, Al Jean, Mike Reiss.

The Gary Shandling Show 25th Anniversary edition, which is like a chat show (almost like a proto Larry Sanders) is pretty good as well.
posted by marienbad at 3:25 PM on March 24, 2016


Damn it!

Like some mythological creature – half man, half desk.

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posted by Lorin at 3:27 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


This is very sad news.

I remember staying up to set the video recorder to tape Larry Sanders on BBC2 after Seinfeld. Then watching the show once it came on anyway; then rewatching it the next day; then rewatching it with friends over the next week. The Larry Sanders show completely changed my view of what a television comedy show could be. I'm still in awe of it. I'm really shook by this news. I have to find my copy of Piouhgd.
posted by Elmore at 3:28 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


So apparently The Rapture is real and the disappeared are gauged by entertainment value rather than piety.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 3:30 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


I remember staying up to set the video recorder to tape Larry Sanders on BBC2 after Seinfeld.

"Up next, Dream On!"

God bless whoever made those TV rips available when rights issues prevented the show from being properly released for so long.
posted by Lorin at 3:31 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by aerotive at 3:31 PM on March 24, 2016


Wow, this actually took my breath away. Loved watching his shows on our new-fangled cable TV growing up. RIP.
posted by NordyneDefenceDynamics at 3:31 PM on March 24, 2016


What is happening? It's like there is some sort of Malthusian cultural event.

Here's hoping we all make it though this absolute shambles of a year.

I'm sure president Trump will do a nice memorial for all the artists we lost at his inauguration.
posted by Silky Slim at 3:32 PM on March 24, 2016


What the fuck?!? How do all these talented influential people keep dying this year? This is wrong.
posted by tel3path at 3:33 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


I have this theory that all the amazing people are dying this year because they're being raptured and the rest of us are going to be left behind in the Trumpian end-times.

Gary Shandling has made me laugh so hard my face hurt. I can't conceive of a comedy scene without him. What another enormous loss.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:35 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


Glad to see this is as amazing as I remember: When Ricky met Garry
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:39 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


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posted by Navelgazer at 3:40 PM on March 24, 2016


This is a period of mourning for one of the best meta comedians of our time
posted by Spatch at 3:41 PM on March 24, 2016 [7 favorites]


Give our regards to Gilda, Garry.

RIP

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posted by ZeusHumms at 3:47 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


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posted by Sys Rq at 3:51 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by doctor_negative at 3:55 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by Cash4Lead at 3:57 PM on March 24, 2016


Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescat in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:59 PM on March 24, 2016


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(2016 just keeps sucking more every day. Ugh.)
posted by saulgoodman at 4:10 PM on March 24, 2016


TMZ says he suffered a massive heart attack... reminding me of the "heart event" story arc, one of many Larry Sanders plot lines which showcased the wonderful interplay between Shandling and the characters Artie and Hank, played by Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor. They were essential elements, but Sanders must have been a secure and generous showman, for he allowed all of the secondary players to shine. Rest in peace.
posted by carmicha at 4:12 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by Fizz at 4:19 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by dogstoevski at 4:24 PM on March 24, 2016


Wait. Which artists are we going to lose at Trump's inauguration?
posted by Spathe Cadet at 4:26 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by condour75 at 4:31 PM on March 24, 2016


Metafilter: Garry would have talked about his past near death experience, but he only does that on bigger websites.

(2-3 minutes on how nearly dying in a car accident help drive him to becoming a comedian, and why he stopped going down the path towards becoming an engineer)
posted by Muddler at 4:34 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


"What I want at my funeral is for an actual boxing referee to do a count. And at five, he just waves it off and says 'No. He's not getting up.'"
posted by 256 at 4:37 PM on March 24, 2016 [9 favorites]


But enough about my hair. How do you like my hair?

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posted by Zonker at 4:40 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 4:41 PM on March 24, 2016


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The One and Only King of Late Night.
posted by littlejohnnyjewel at 4:42 PM on March 24, 2016


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First bonded with a life-long friend over shared affection for The Larry Sanders Show. Thanks, Garry, and RIP.
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 4:48 PM on March 24, 2016


The Larry Sanders Show was my introduction to single-camera comedy. It was perfectly cast and smartly written and these were things hard to find in the nineties.

Knowing what I know of them, I would never have imagined Rip Torn would outlive Shandling.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:52 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


He flipped.

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posted by dbiedny at 4:53 PM on March 24, 2016


The Larry Sanders never got the trophies it should have. It was nominated for the Outstanding Comedy Emmy every single year it was on, six in a row, so lots people understood it was great it was at the time.

But it kept losing because the voters gave the statute to Fraiser over and over again. I mean, Fraiser was a really good show too, but Larry Sanders was smarter and ended up having a much stronger influence on TV comedies today.

In the last season, Shandling won for writing and Rip Torn for acting, like Emmy voters knew they had better acknowledge the series before it was gone.

Wait. Which artists are we going to lose at Trump's inauguration?

Rosie O'Donnell is definitely going to be deported. I don't know who else, but I'm sure there is a list.
posted by riruro at 5:00 PM on March 24, 2016 [3 favorites]


Fuck you, 2016. I will fuck you up.

Bring it.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:13 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by CommonSense at 5:23 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by inconsequentialist at 5:37 PM on March 24, 2016


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I was 25 when It's Garry Shandling's Show turned up on TV, and I'd never seen anything like it. And fuck it, I'm not 25 anymore.
posted by Samarium at 5:41 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


Nobody made awkward more funny. RIP, Garry.
posted by jonmc at 5:45 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


Man, so sad right now. I've been going through a major Shandling phase for the past 2-3 months, ever since I lucked into a free copy of the complete Larry Sanders box on DVD. Loved IGSS back in the day as well, and I'll second the Comedians in Cars recommendations for sure.
posted by saintjoe at 5:51 PM on March 24, 2016


The 25th Anniversary Special is available on Youtube! If you've never seen it, check it out. Some hints of Larry Sanders in there, for sure.
posted by Zonker at 5:55 PM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]


This makes me so sad.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 6:07 PM on March 24, 2016


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I find this really quite shocking, I think because The Larry Sanders Show had such a huge impact on me. It really was an extraordinary thing to have done.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:19 PM on March 24, 2016


2016 is an asshole.
posted by Chuffy at 6:25 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by bluecore at 6:35 PM on March 24, 2016


The theme to "It's Garry Shandling's Show" is a treasure. I think it may have been the first place I ever saw Jerry Seinfeld, too.


posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 6:50 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm hot, I'm on fire, you know, me, me , me....
2016 continues the slaughter.
Thanks for the great standup
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posted by Fibognocchi at 6:52 PM on March 24, 2016 [1 favorite]


The 25th Anniversary Special is available on Youtube! If you've never seen it, check it out. Some hints of Larry Sanders in there, for sure.

Probably my favorite thing Shandling ever did. A note-perfect parody of Carson's Tonight Show.
posted by non canadian guy at 6:53 PM on March 24, 2016


Well, damn. I loved him. This year sucks.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:10 PM on March 24, 2016


I really enjoyed his session on Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist. Unlike a lot of the comedians who were on, he seemed to have decided that his appearance should bear some resemblance to an actual therapy session.

Also, as an insomniac and therefore late night talk show viewer, I think about The Larry Sanders Show almost daily.
posted by palindromic at 7:12 PM on March 24, 2016 [4 favorites]


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posted by droplet at 7:12 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by theora55 at 7:37 PM on March 24, 2016


My favorite Garry Shandling joke:

"I just brought Bunk beds. King sized bunk beds and this girl came over and said 'I'll get on top' and I said 'I'll get the ladder' and she said 'you think a lot of yourself don't you'."
posted by fuse theorem at 7:39 PM on March 24, 2016 [5 favorites]


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posted by dannyboybell at 7:40 PM on March 24, 2016


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posted by equalpants at 7:42 PM on March 24, 2016


"What do ugly people think when they kiss? 'OOoooh wow yeah all RIGHT!'" (smooching sounds)
posted by hal9k at 8:28 PM on March 24, 2016


Applesauce.

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posted by Devonian at 8:32 PM on March 24, 2016 [2 favorites]




Here’s Garry (at the 5:00 mark of this clip) reminiscing on how George Carlin was instrumental in getting his career off the ground:

When I was eighteen years old, I grew up in Tucson, Arizona. And there's no comedy in Tucson. There's no comedy clubs. There are no Jews. I was the only Jew. Bill Ayres was at my Bar Mitzvah. I don't know what he was doing there. I don't know how he got in. I had nothing to do with him. I haven’t seen him since.

I'm an electrical engineering major at the University of Arizona or, as we called it, 'The Harvard of Tucson.'

And I decided I wanted to take a shot at comedy writing because I don't like engineering and I was kind of funny in school. So, I thought: 'Well, maybe I can put these two together somehow.' And so I would sit in class and I wrote three George Carlin routines. This would've been when I was eighteen, eighteen-and-a-half, nineteen, somewhere in there.

Didn't know how to meet George. Saw in the newspaper that he was appearing at a jazz club in Phoenix, which is a two hour drive. I got to the show an hour early, not knowing any better, and luckily I did the right thing and I walked into the club and I said: 'I'm looking for Mr. Carlin. Is he around?'

And they said: 'Well, he's sitting over there by the bar.'

And I walked up to him with a wad of material and I said: 'Mr. Carlin, my name's Garry Shandling and I go to the University of Arizona and I wrote this material and I was wondering if you’d look at it.'

And he said: 'Well, I write my own stuff.'

And I said: 'I assumed that.'

And he said: 'But if you'd like me to read it and tell you what I think, I will.'

He said: 'Come back tomorrow night and I’ll have read it.'

And I thought: 'Well sure, and now I've gotta drive two hours back to Tucson.'

So I took the chance, I drove back two hours and drove back two hours the next night and he sees me and he says: 'Come on backstage.'

And I go into the dressing room backstage in this kind of dingy club and there is my material on the table.

George sits down and he gives me notes.

He gives me notes for twenty minutes.

I'm a kid from Tuscon, Arizona and George Carlin sits down and gives me notes.

Do you understand that that changes your life?

And you cut to about twelve years later and George is receiving a lifetime achievement award. And I was asked to present that award because the family knew about the story and it's a really true story. And so I got on stage like I have tonight and I've told the whole story – I've made it longer – and I did the whole story and George walked up and I gave George the award and this my first moment with him, you know, that way.

And looked at it and he turned to the audience and said: 'First of all, I'm sorry for encouraging Garry to pursue his career. He's been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since.'

And that speaks to the heart of the man and, unfortunately, the part that gave out.
posted by New Frontier at 10:51 PM on March 24, 2016 [28 favorites]


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posted by Mezentian at 11:36 PM on March 24, 2016




This is... upsetting.

On top of everything else that 2016 has taken from us this year, it's downright devastating.

I was just thinking, like, 3 days ago I needed to give It's Garry Shandling's Show a full re-watch. Loved that series. Also loved Larry Sanders, but found the deconstruction of IGSS more informative and entertaining somehow. It's also been 15-20 years since I've seen either of these shows, so they are both due for a fresh viewing. After this news, even more so.

Garry will be missed, but his influence on our current culture is impossible to miss.

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posted by hippybear at 12:27 AM on March 25, 2016


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posted by On the Corner at 1:45 AM on March 25, 2016


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posted by ASeveredHead at 2:45 AM on March 25, 2016


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posted by james33 at 3:23 AM on March 25, 2016


I'm a real fan. I identified, deeply, with many things that he said, whether they were jokes or comments about life. He wasn't just a great comedian, he seemed like a high-quality human too, interested in reality and existence.

The When Ricky Met Garry link above gets right at it. I loved the way he called out Gervais on the inherent cruelty of some of his jokes. In the GQ interview he explains what happened there, and there are a lot of wonderful quotes and anecdotes. I loved it, too, in Comedians in Cars that he called out Seinfeld for the same reason. Comedians can do better than that; we can all be bigger than that.

"You want to know what the world is about? No one knows what to think. If we could just embrace not knowing for a second, we might have a chance. It's all right not to know."
posted by heatvision at 4:04 AM on March 25, 2016 [7 favorites]


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posted by oneironaut at 5:34 AM on March 25, 2016


One of the weirdest things in my life is my experience of It's Garry Shandling's Show. I was 4 or 5 when that was on the air, and I can remember being EXTREMELY excited about watching the show, talking to my parents about the show, rushing home from swimming (something I loved maybe the same amount, which is saying a lot) to catch the show, being way more excited about Garry Shandling than I was about even Alf. I can remember sitting down to watch it....


and NOTHING. Now that I'm 32 and it's all on YouTube, I remember ZIP. It's like I've never seen it before. Not even the theme song. I guess I get to see it for the first time again, which is lucky for me.

. for Garry Shandling. My mom got to meet him once and apparently he was very pleasant, so it's sad for both of us.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:03 AM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]




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No flipping...
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 9:08 AM on March 25, 2016


Usually my "." in these threads represents a moment of silence, but for the great Garry Shandling, it's a comically awkward pause.

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posted by Doktor Zed at 10:12 AM on March 25, 2016 [1 favorite]




Showtime To Air Garry Shandling’s ‘Inside Comedy’ & ‘Green Room’ Episodes

Shandling appeared on Season 1 of the David Steinberg-hosted Inside Comedy, Episode #6, which also featured Sarah Silverman. Shandling also appeared in a 2012 episode of The Green Room along with Judd Apatow, Bo Burnham, Ray Romano and Marc Maron. The episodes will air back-to-back beginning tonight at 7 PM on SHO, SHO 2, as well as On Demand, Showtime Anytime and Showtime’s streaming service. The premium cabler says there will be multiple airings of both shows throughout the weekend.
posted by bluecore at 11:28 AM on March 25, 2016 [3 favorites]


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posted by Karmadillo at 1:18 PM on March 25, 2016


From an interview with Norm MacDonald:
So I take it you wouldn’t do Real Time? Or would you if Maher asked you?

(Laughs.) No, I would not. If I did I would just do jokes. I remember Garry Shandling once went on the show and did a great joke and Bill Maher stepped all over it. Maher was talking about the war in Iraq, and Garry goes, “I’m against the war, but at least I wish we had cheaper f—ing gas. Didn’t we steal their oil?” And it starts getting a big laugh and Bill goes, “Yeah, we go in wanting to get WMDs and we get STP.” And the whole audience stops laughing and Shandling goes, “Thanks for the help.” So those are the two levels of comedy.
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posted by Rustic Etruscan at 1:23 PM on March 25, 2016 [5 favorites]


No flipping.

Too late.

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posted by Cosine at 3:54 PM on March 25, 2016


This makes me so much sadder than I would have expected.
posted by Sassenach at 5:30 PM on March 25, 2016


Tonight (3/25) on AntennaTV they're running the Tonight Show episode where Garry Shandling debuted. 11p and 2a ET
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:56 PM on March 25, 2016


He referred to fucking as "spawning" in one of his routines long ago. I still use that euphemism. Never heard it from anyone else. Also a master at building up unexpected tension in his set-ups to a big laugh. One of a kind.

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posted by telstar at 6:10 PM on March 25, 2016


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posted by blurker at 9:54 PM on March 25, 2016


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posted by PippinJack at 11:23 AM on March 26, 2016


All of our heroes start dying more frequently as the years go on. This one was a gutpunch indeed. I'm only 1/3 of the way through the recent Comedians In Cars Getting Coffeee episode, and I couldn't finish it yet.
posted by not_on_display at 6:58 PM on March 26, 2016 [1 favorite]


I stayed out of this thread since I learned the news (from here) and have been trying to process it.

Garry Shandling was such a huge voice in comedy for me - of being able to be silly and intellectual at the same time, and of how to build a persona and stick with it without turning yourself into a clown. I probably quote his "Me me me - I'm on fire, put me out" 1-2 times a week (about myself) (sigh). I taught myself how to do the armpit fart noise because of the IGSS episode where he marries the maid - it was the first time I saw a woman doing it, I thought we didn't have the structural integrity to do it, and dammit, if Garry thought that was what made a perfect woman then I damn well needed to add it to my skill set.

And oh, when Gilda was on his show after she went into remission - and he let her steal the whole show out from under him.

Every interview I heard or saw in the last couple years hinted that he was working on something new that I was getting so excited to see - I am so, so sad that that's now gone. He was someone comedians watched to learn from. It's such a loss.

I hate this year.

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posted by Mchelly at 12:45 PM on March 27, 2016


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posted by pt68 at 10:36 PM on March 27, 2016


I want to see the whole Gilda episode! Or at least that whole scene, from when he answers the door to the part where she says "But I'm okay now!" and the audience erupts and she throws her arms wide the applause and cheers go on and on. Made me cry the first seventeen times I watched it years ago.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:46 PM on March 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


Yeah, the Gilda episode of IGSS is amazing, gotta agree with Mchelly about how he lets her steal the show. "Don't wave at my camera."
posted by marienbad at 8:02 AM on March 29, 2016


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