Brother Theodore

Lately I've been recalling the late, great German monologist Theodore Gottlieb, far better known to mankind as Brother Theodore. His disorganized speech, stream-of-consiousness, and overall indescribable rambles made many an entertaining evening on Late Night with David Letterman back in the days when Letterman himself was actually funny. After my first exposure to this one-of-a-kind raconteur's shtick, I became a huge fan, always scanning the listings in the hopes of catching another of his appearances.

I never got to see him live, unfortunately. He performed his grimly funny one-man show every Saturday night at NYC's 13th Street Theater through his later years, after having performed since the 1930s. None too shabby for someone who described his act as "stand-up tragedy."

Here's a particularly uproarious Letterman clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMPkNnfs64