My brother and I were discussing how little fanfare was made of the death of Nipsey Russell. In fact, our series of conservations about Nipsey began with, "Did Nipsey Russell die?" I don't even think it was because we thought we heard about it, as much as we somehow felt that he had died. Sort of like there was a disruption in the Force.
A few days later, my brother mentioned that indeed Nipsey had died. He was 80 or 81, and died of cancer.
I think we all love Nipsey. And will miss him, though not forget him. His name crops up often in our riffing.
From an article by Keith Phipps on AV Club, where he references a comedy routine my brother and I always bring up:
Anyway, my favorite Nipsey Russell poem isn't by Nipsey at all. It comes from The Higgins Boys & Gruber's classic parody of PYRAMID, where Dave "Gruber" Allen (as Dick Clark) asked Steve Higgins (as Nipsey) if he could favor the TV audience with a poem, and he came out with:
"Boy that PYRAMID's such a great show/
Really wish other shows were more like it in a way."
Goodnight, Funnyman!
5 comments:
I used to get Nipsey Russell and Scoey Mitchell mixed up.
Or was that Scoey Russell and Nipsey Mitchell?
Those names all look the same to me.
Did you know that Nipsey not only rhymes with "tipsy" and "gypsy," but also "Poughkeepsie?"
It's true! Try it at home!
Funny, I don't remember him so much as this exchange about him on Match Game '77;
Gene Rayburn: "My friend Nipsey Russell was such a lifelong bachelor..."
(Charles Nelson Reilly snickers)
Audience: "How such a lifelong bachelor was he?"
Rayburn: "...whenever he told friends he was 'taking a hot one out tonight,' he usually meant a blank."
Any takers?
A TV dinner?
That's the answer I was going for. In fact, I'm going for a TV dinner right now, as it should be done. Of course, I'm not a bachelor anymore. Certainly not the way ol' Nip was. Allegedly. (As Howard said, "That doesn't mean he was gay. Maybe he was just smart.")
I was going to eulogize Nipsey, but it seems silly to do it if it's not going to be in verse. And frankly, that's a lot of work for someone that I was never particularly a fan of.
Bye, Nipsey!
Whenever he was taking a hot one out tonight, he usually meant a pie out of the oven.
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