Robert Klein: The Inspiration

Send us Fan MailYou don't have to be a standup comedian to love Robert Klein.  My friends and I listened to his comedy albums religiously and knew the routines cold.  During one interview with Robert years later, I recalled an old, great bit of his that he had actually forgotten, not uncommon in the admirer/artist relationship.  But the fact of the matter is that the generation of top stand-ups who came after Robert Klein...Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Paul Reiser...all revered him and have often cited him as one of the main inspirations for getting into the crazy world of comedy.  It's been quite a career, from the Borscht Belt to Broadway, HBO specials, Second City, the Yale Drama School and so many nights sitting on the couch talking to Johnny when a shot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was, as Paul Reiser beautifully puts it, the "currency" for being a comedian.  As Robin Williams memorably introduced Robert Klein at one of the Comic Relief shows, "the sensei."  Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices