I've mentioned Ed Bluestone a number of times on this blog — a very funny (I think) stand-up comedian who never quite got the attention and bookings I thought he deserved. Before he did stand-up, he worked for a time for the National Lampoon and reportedly was the guy who devised one of the most-imitated covers…the one with a photo of a cute dog and the threat, "If You Don't Buy This Magazine, We'll Kill This Dog."
I'm embarrassed that I completely missed the obits last year for Mr. Bluestone. They said he died from complications of a stroke on October 24 and that's depressing. He had a unique style and unless you hang out a lot at comedy clubs, you don't know how rare that is. So many guys who think they "have what it takes" turn up with mediocre imitations of whoever's hot at the moment and, too often, they crib their material from other comics who aren't as visible.
One night at the Improv, I heard a guy who was unknown and has rightly remained that way…but he had a couple of lines that made me think, "Hey those sound like Ed Bluestone jokes" and it turned out they were. Shamelessly stolen from Ed. But that's how special Ed Bluestone was. He had a way of thinking that was different from other comics and we always need more of that.
I'm sorry I missed the reports of his demise. I'm also sorry I can't find one of his best spots on the web to embed here. This one is the best I can do at the moment. It's pretty good but one of these days, I'll find and feature him at his best and you'll really understand why I liked him so much…