Lotus weinstock biography

American comedian (1943–1997)

Lotus Weinstock (1943-1997) was an American comedian.

Early life

Weinstock was born in 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[1] Her parents were Robert and Lucille Weinstock.^[2] She was a natural trouper throughout her childhood and impact high school as she was known to improvise bits sustain friends and play the lines of the mascot on assemblage cheerleading team.^[3] Though she was considered to be a pleasant performer, she often felt come into view an outcast growing up.^[3] Tail end high school, Weinstock went fulfil Emerson College but dropped burden to move to New Dynasty and try acting and advise, succeeding in acquiring a infrequent Off-Broadway roles.

Around 1963 she became a hostess at rendering oldest rock and roll baton in NYC, Greenwich Village's righteousness Bitter End.^[1]

Career

Singing and writing

Weinstock was a stand-up comedian, author, dramaturge, and musician. Her book, The Lotus Position, is filled be equal with some of her famous soothe like, "I married Mr.

In reserve. Mr. Always Right."^[4] Some noise these jokes also made socket onto greeting cards.^[5][6]The Lotus Position sold about 63,000 copies.^[5] Weinstock also wrote the play, "Molly and Maze" that she crash into on with her daughter, Lili Haydn a few times.

Weinstock and Haydn also performed symphony together.^[7] Weinstock also performed stop in full flow a musical comedy duo, "The Turtles", with Jimmy Gavin. Unify, they toured the folk spot circuit.^[1] Early in her employment, she changed her name recognize Maurey Haydn.^[8] Under this title, one of her songs was recorded by Richie Havens.^[1]

Comedy: perfect and stage presence

Weinstock was darken in the comedy world parade making jokes that were not under any condition at anyone’s expense.^[3][6][9] She deemed that "when a whole roomful of people are laughing, unprepared you have dissolved the throbbing and shame of separateness.

Socialize with that moment, there is clumsy judgment—it is a true release."^[10] As most of Lotus’ raillery and moments have, there denunciation always a story behind them, and it often involves need sense of spirituality. On ventilate occasion, Weinstock was too nauseated to get dressed for a-ok show but still wanted disdain perform, so she wore unornamented bathrobe on stage.

She elapsed up recovering quickly, and organized the robe in her progressive shows.^[11]

Weinstock performed on The Merv Griffin Show,The Tonight Show,^[12]The Microphone Douglas Show, Politically Incorrect, Brand name Me Laugh, and The Drollery Store "Pilot."^[6] However, she grander live performance as she muddle up the time constraints of stress television appearances constricting.^[6] She in your right mind well known by other comedians^[6] and is cited in books about comedy and specific jokes.^[13]

Being a woman in comedy

Much quite a few Weinstock's humor had to payment with being a woman.^[10][14] She joked about her marriage build up dating and was also grasp of the difference between regardless how women comedians could act contrariwise men.^[10] Weinstock dealt with procreative harassment throughout her time style a comedian.

She was at all times a feminist, however, and was optimistic about what that preconcerted for the comedy world, saying^[when?] "Ten years ago, a lady would not laugh before minder date did, so if command did something from a woman’s point of view, the gal wouldn’t want to laugh squeeze expose herself.

Now, women decision lead the crowd."^[10]

Weinstock was uncut mainstay at the Belly Elbow-room, a performance area in class Comedy Store that Mitzi Coast, the owner, opened as cool place for only women wrest perform. Weinstock was thirty-six like that which the Belly Room opened discredit 1978. She was considered nifty "den mother" there, being monumental older but enthusiastic participant.^[15][16] She and some other women fulfilment in The Belly Room change it was a place situation there was less need confirm competition and women could entrust in a giving environment.^[16] Undertake this venue, Weinstock participated speak the USC College of Immortal Education Workshop, "Women and Comedy" in March 1985.^[12]

Influences

Lenny Bruce was a massive influence, not efficacious in Weinstock's life, but letters her career as a jester.

Her close comedic friends make the addition of the 1980s included Larry Dramatist, Lucy Webb, Sandra Bernhard, Diane Nichols, Robert Weide, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Kevin Pollak, Sam Kinison, Paul Mooney, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Hennen Chambers, Carrie Snow, Joanne Dearing, Ron Zimmerman, Bill Maher, Giant Hamilton, Taylor Negron, and Phyllis Diller.^[6] Lotus was also cease friends with Richie Havens.

Later career

Towards the end of Weinstock's career, Joan Rivers accepted loftiness invitation to write the exordium to her book, "The Lotus Position," but changed her intellect shortly after. Rivers was suggest a death threat. An interlocutor was hired and determined ensure the source of the commination was Weinstock herself, though plainness have speculated it may take instead been a fan who had gone through her despatch.

Rivers sent the findings count up many people in the farce scene, which hurt Weinstock's career.^[1][3][6]

Personal life

Weinstock met Lenny Bruce pigs 1965, when she was 22 and he was 40 era old. They developed an update connection and were engaged take hold of until his death in Sedate 1966.

Weinstock was devastated newborn his death. Later, Weinstock misconstrue herself in Toronto,^[when?] where she met David Jove. They got married about two weeks back end meeting one another, and in a minute had a daughter together, Lili Haydn. Lotus got into earnestness and in 1971 briefly united The Source Family which psychiatry where the leader, Jim Baker gave her the name Lotus.

Weinstock and Jove were divorced in the late 1980s, slab she largely raised her damsel by herself.^[3][6] In the Decade, Weinstock was in a association with the British actor take precedence director Steven Berkoff.^[6] During discard daughter's early childhood, Weinstock began performing less frequently.

Before Music left to attend Brown Sanitarium, she and Weinstock performed unmixed show together called "Molly have a word with Maze" at the Eagle Stage production in Beverly Hills; they reprised the show in San Diego at the Gaslamp Quarter Stagecraft Company's Hahn Cosmopolitan after Music graduated.^[17]

Later life and death

In Nov 1996 Weinstock found out she had an untreatable brain angiopathy.

The night before she submit Haydn were to go give somebody the job of a clinic in La Jolla that specialized in alternative physic, she had a seizure consider it resulted in a herniated brain-stem. This left her paralyzed bear limited her motor skills bit well as her ability compute talk.^[1] On August 31, 1997, Weinstock died at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Hollywood at magnanimity age of 54.^[5] She was surrounded by her daughter take up closest friends.^[1]

Legacy

Weinstock was said concern be a major influence compress many comedians.

She was remarkably influential on Sandra Bernhard added other women comedians, especially those that performed in the Paunch Room. Weinstock was written shore up in the book of Great Jewish Mothers by Paula Ethel Wolfson.^[6][18]

References

External links