Leo Gallagher
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Image:Gallagher (comedian)01.gifGallagher (born Leo Anthony Gallagher on July 24, 1947 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina) is an American comedian and prop comic.
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Overview
After graduating from the University of South Florida with an engineering degree in 1976, Gallagher began working as Jim Stafford's road manager. Stafford and Gallagher went out to California in 1979 and Gallagher decided to take the stage himself. He began honing his own comedy act while hanging out at both The Comedy Store and the Ice House.
Gallagher was one of the most popular and recognizeable American comedians during the 80s. He produced one special a year from 1981 to 1987, all of which were carried by Showtime cable network, and all of which were re-broadcast numerous times throughout the year. To date he has done sixteen specials.
His signature schtick is the "Sledge-O-Matic," a large wooden mallet that Gallagher uses to smash a variety of objects, including computer keyboards, containers of cottage cheese, cartons of chocolate milk, tubes of toothpaste, poundcakes, Big Macs, and, most famously, watermelons. Given the messy nature of this portion of his act, it is usually saved for the finale of his shows. Show attendees in the first two or three rows are usually provided with plastic sheeting for protection, and many fans bring their own additional protection (raincoats, umbrellas, and so on).
In addition to the Sledge-O-Matic, Gallagher's act features a variety of props, including a large trampoline designed to look like a couch, an adult-sized Big Wheel, and a cap with a fringe of hair attached to the back. However, unlike fellow prop comic Carrot Top, Gallagher does not rely exclusively on props for his comedy. Large portions of his shows feature Gallagher simply speaking to the audience on a variety of topics, displaying a wry observational wit and sharply pointed social commentary.
Image:Gallagher (comedian)02.jpgIn particular, while the Sledge-O-Matic act works as an example of physical prop comedy, Gallagher frequently uses this portion of his act as a subtle (or overt) criticism of America's consumer culture. The act itself is a parody of the hype-filled, low-budget ads for kitchen gadgets such as Ginsu knives that permeated the American television airwaves during non-primetime hours in the late 70s. (See Quotes section below for the traditional introduction to the Sledge-O-Matic sequence.)
Gallagher writes all of his own material, runs his own operation, and does more than 100 concerts a year, selling out the majority of them. All of Gallagher's affairs are handled exclusively by his companies, Sold Out Shows and Fun Fun Fun. Gallagher is a self-contained touring business with an agent, promoter and road manager all in-house. For the last eighteen years, Ruth Ann Hoffman has booked and promoted all of Gallagher's dates across the country. Gallagher calls Hoffman his "Personal Promoter", which he says every performer needs. Due to the fact that Gallagher wanted to be in control of his own business, he took off one hat as a comedian and put on another as a promoter.
"My humor makes people think," Gallgher says. "I want people to look more closely at this country and their lives to see the humor and absurdity in it all. I don't have to make it up, the truth is funny enough."
The "Gallagher Too" Controversy
At some point during the early 90s, Gallagher's younger brother Ron Gallagher asked Gallagher for permission to perform shows using Gallagher's old routines, and also using Gallagher's trademark Sledge-O-Matic routine. The idea was that Ron Gallagher, who was unemployed, would tour the country working small venues that couldn't afford a show put on by Gallagher himself. Since Ron bears a strong family resemblance to his older brother, the show would be almost like having a real Gallagher show.
Gallagher granted his blessing to his younger brother on the condition that Ron and his manager would make it clear in their promotional materials that it was Ron Gallagher, not Gallagher himself, that was putting on the show.
After a few years of complying with Gallagher's conditions, Ron began subtly blurring the line between his act and that of his brother. He would often promote his act as "Gallagher Too," a moniker Gallagher felt was insufficiently informative. In some instances, Ron's act was promoted in a way that provided no clue to prospective attendees that they were seeing someone other than Gallagher himself.
Gallagher initially attempted to get his brother to stop these activities by requesting that he stop using Gallagher's well-known Sledge-O-Matic routine. These efforts proved fruitless, and Ron kept touring as "Gallagher Too" while using the Sledge-O-Matic routine his older brother had made famous. Consequently, in August 2000, Gallagher sued his brother for trademark violations and false advertising. The courts ultimately sided with Gallagher, and an injunction was granted prohibiting Ron from performing any act that impersonates his brother in small clubs and venues.
During the lawsuit, all of Gallagher's immediate family sided with Ron over the controversy. As a consequence, Gallagher is now estranged from his parents and siblings.
2003 California Recall Election
Image:Gallagher (comedian)03.jpg
Gallagher was a candidate for governor in the 2003 California recall election. He placed 16th in a field of 135 candidates with 5,466 votes (see results of the 2003 California recall).
The Oregonian Interview
In January of 2005, the Oregonian's entertainment section printed a short interview with Gallagher where he gave scathing reviews about many of the top comedic performers in America. Among the criticisms were the low quality of stand-up performances by David Letterman, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton. Gallagher expressed frustration over Hanks and Keaton's success, remarking that they were millionares and someone with his skills and ability was reduced to renting a condo. While criticising Jay Leno and David Letterman, he expressed surprise that they never invited him to appear in their shows, citing that Johnny Carson never liked him, but still booked him often.
Gallagher reserved special wrath for Comedy Central's list of the greatest 100 stand-up comedians, where he was listed as #100, just below Janeane Garofalo. To counter this, he ran his own top comedians vote at his website where he was voted the #1 comedian.
In the summer 2005, release of the movie The Aristocrats, Gallagher was not one of the over 100 comedians selected to comment on the movie topic of the old joke of the same name. Several of the comedians jokingly expressed negative opinions of Gallagher's comedy routines.
Trivia
- Gallagher was recently featured on the E! television channel's E! True Hollywood Story.
- In June of 2000, Gallagher suffered a mild heart attack despite no previous history of heart problems.
- In 2000, Gallagher was honored by the University of South Florida as one of its famous alumni and by Florida Living Magazine as one of the top "100 Legends" of Florida.
- In 2004, Dave Chappelle parodied his Sledge-O-Matic routine by doing a "Black Gallagher" sketch on his Chappelle's Show. The sketch featured Chappelle using a gun as opposed to the Sledge-O-Matic.
- He is number 100 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.
- The minor character Ronnie Kaye who appears in one episode of Seinfeld appears to be based on Gallagher.
- In the Cartoon Network show, Codename: Kids Next Door, the titular characters and other kids in their neighborhood go to a school called Gallagher Elementary, possibly named after him.
Specials
- Mad As Hell
- Stuck in the 60's (1982)
- Totally New (1983)
- The Maddest (1983)
- Melon Crazy (1984)
- Over Your Head (1984)
- The Bookkeeper (1985)
- Overboard (1987)
- Some Uncensored Evening (1990)
- We Need A Hero (1993)
- Smashing Cheeseheads (1998)
- Too Real
- That's Stupid
- The Messiest Of
- The Leap Year Marathon
- Sledge-O-Matic.com (2000)
Quotes
- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I did not come here tonight to make you laugh! I came here to sell you something! The Amazing Master Tool Corporation, a subsidiary of Fly By Night Industries has entrusted who? -- me! -- to show you! -- the handiest and the dandiest kitchen tool you've ever seen, and don't ya wanna know how it works! First you take an ordinary apple! You place the apple between the patented pans! Then you reach for the tool that is not a slicer, not a dicer, not a chopper in a hopper! What in the hell can it possibly be? SLEDGE-O-MATIC! --Intro to the Sledge-O-Matic sequence, which has remained basically unchanged during Gallagher's 25 years as a comedian--
- I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. They've got one marked "Brightness," but it don't work, does it?
- Remember this advice...Never let your mom comb your hair when she's mad at your dad!<i> (removes hat to display bald head)