Here’s some unexpected news: There’s a new Lenny Bruce album on the way.
Okay, “new” is a relative term. The material itself isn’t new, of course—it was recorded long ago on an audio reel that’s now in the possession of Kitty Bruce, Lenny’s daughter. It’s the only known copy, and it’s set to be digitized by Comedy Dynamics and the Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation, who will be releasing it on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Sirius XM, Google Play, Pandora, and other streaming and digital outlets. It’s a one-of-a-kind, long-lost document of one of the most influential comedians of all time, and soon the entire world will be able to hear it.
The Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation was established in 2008 to help fight the scourge of addiction. Through scholarships, education, and partnerships with various treatment facilities and programs, Kitty Bruce and the Foundation aim to save lives from drug and alcohol addiction.
Stand-up probably wouldn’t be what it is today without Bruce. His fight against obscenity laws and for the right to his freedom of speech revolutionized not just comedy but the entire entertainment industry. As Kitty Bruce is quoted as saying in a Comedy Dynamics press release, “my father’s legacy was that of a freedom fighter for the first amendment therefore he touched every part of modern comedy.” As Comedy Dynamics CEO Brian Volk-Weiss says in the same press release, “Lenny is the icon of of icons and most comics working today owe a debt of gratitude” to him. Bruce is basically the Elvis, Beatles and Bob Dylan of stand-up rolled into one, and soon listeners will be able to explore him again with this never-before-released material.
No release date has been set, but Comedy Dynamics and the Foundation are working together to restore and preserve this recording so comedy fans can enjoy it both today and in the future. And when more details are available, Paste will share them with you.