FOR MAX, IN PARTICULAR

[mburbank]

Bitter Gallagher. That is hysterical. Thank you so much!

While there is a sort of industry myth that Prop comedy in and of itself sucks, I don't think that's true at all, and this is where G is missing the point. He's correct, both Leno and Letterman do prop comedy, and some opf it is just fine. The myth arose because so many prop comedians suck. I worked off and on with a guy in Boston named Mike Bent. He was a prop comedian and a magician, both things that have a tradition of being unbearable, but he was excellent. If the prop you invented is funny, and you do something funny with it, more power to you.

Smashing a watermellon is not inherently unfunny. Doing it as signature so that your doting fans know to bring tarps the way Rocky Horror fans know to bring Toast and devout Catholics know to let the host melt on their tongue isn't humor it's ritual. Ritual is the exact opposite of comedy which is all about thwarting expectations.

But the idea of him as a bitter genius I really like. It's like tht story about the drunken, out of work Herve Villachez shooting his television and bellowing curses.