Before there was Louis C.K… before there was Mitch Hedberg… my favorite comic was Robert Schimmel. He was the first stand up comic that really made me laugh. I remember seeing his Unprotected special on HBO for the first time. It was like 2 in the morning and I had to do everything I could from laughing out loud hysterically and waking up my mother and grandmother upstairs. I couldn’t breathe. It was just some incredible material. And now it sucks having to make this post. These posts always suck. Seems like just yesterday we lost Mitch and now Schimmel is gone too early. Robert passed away on Friday, 9/3, not from the heart attack he had in 1998 or the cancer that he beat from 2000 or even from his failing liver due to the Hep C he contracted from a blood transfusion while he was in the Air Force. No, Robert passed away from complications due to a horrible car accident he was in last week. Terrible. His raunchy comedy wasn’t always something you could discuss over the dinner table but it was always something you could laugh about with some friends. If you didn’t think it was funny, chances are we shouldn’t be friends. Chances are, we shouldn’t be friends anyway though. C’est la vie. It’s not always a good one but sometimes it’s a funny one. Do what you can to go watch or listen to some Schimmel stand up some time this week. If you have a sense of humor, you’ll be lucky you did.

What I’m watching: Becker