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<p>« Blind Item Round-up | Main| Oven Bun Comes Out Moist and Scrumptious, Knocked Up Worth the Cankles By: Matt Sklar » Thursday May 31 2007  In Conversation with Don Rickles @ The 92nd St. Y - 5.17.7 By: Billy Nord</p>
<p>Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 10:01AM Don Rickles was in town recently promoting his new autobiography, Rickles Book hitting most of New York City's network talk shows. Solidifying his reputation for being quite the hard worker, Mr. Rickles found time during his hectic promo tour for an intimate appearance at The 92nd Street Y, as part of their always entertaining "In Conversation With" series. An absolutely appropriate pairing, Don shared the stage with New York's own class act, Regis Philbin, who acted as moderator.</p>

<p>NOTES</p>
<p>--Rickles began his life as a shy child. Fortunately, his mother had a very upfront, aggressive personality which helped mold his character (although, she never got his sense of humor, once asking him "Why can't you be like Alan King?")</p>
<p>--He'd originally planned on becoming a dramatic actor before he fell in to stand-up. He'd even went as far as attending The Academy of Dramatic Arts (on one of his classmates, Grace Kelly: "I Never got near her but I would smell her cologne in the locker!")</p>
<p>--You think you have it bad? For years Rickles had to endure the late shift in Las Vegas, opening up for lounge acts at 2am, 4am and 5am. The prime crowd those shows would draw was basically creeps who enjoy lingering, the perfect audience for polishing a stand-up shtick.</p>
<p>--To this day he hasn't performed what most comedians would consider a "written" act.</p>
<p>--He was discovered after performers (i.e. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin) would catch his act by pure chance. They'd then show up more often, bringing their industry friends. Rickles became a "performers comedian."</p>
<p>--The title "Mr. Warmth" came from Johnny Carson.</p>
<p>--TRIVIA QUESTION: Which of the current, late night talk show hosts does Rickles feel is the most comparable to Carson? TRIVIA ANSWER: Without a doubt, it's David Letterman--"He just has that little niche."</p>
<p>--When asked for his views on the state of stand-up comedy, he simply stated "Funny is funny"</p>
<p>--Around 20 years ago, he and his wife were considering a move to Manhattan. They checked out various potential apartment buildings, one being The Trump Towers. Donald Trump himself showed the couple around and offered them a deal. According to Rickles, Trump said, "For you? Two Billion Seven!"</p>
<p>--Rickles revealed he always avoids incorporating politics into his comedy, but when asked how he felt about the current administration, he admitted, "No matter who the president is, the office should be respected."</p>
<p>--After the event, we had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Rickles, the recent upload of outtakes from the Rickles/Richard Lewis sitcom Daddy Dearest was brought up. After asking if he'd ever be interested in doing a sitcom again, he said, "Absolutely." To anyone out there with network power, MAKE THIS HAPPEN!</p>

<p>The Apiary | 4 Comments in EXCLUSIVELY at The Apiary Reader Comments (4)</p>
<p>There's also a good interview with Don in this month's Playboy magazine. For those of you who, you know, read it for the articles. May 31, 2007 | James Kass You left out the part where he rips you a new one so eloquently! June 1, 2007 | Billy Reno You left out the part where he rips you a new one so eloquently! June 1, 2007 | Billy Reno That Rickles is a class act! June 1, 2007 | Jack Post a New Comment</p>
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