Description
Gilbert Gottfried (1955-2022) was a hyper, crazy-brilliant and fearless comedian, who occasionally, and bravely, joked about subjects too soon. I’d known Gilbert since meeting him at the mid-eighties offices of the not-very-funny version of National Lampoon magazine, for which we were both creating work, and where he quickly nicknamed me “JEW DOTS!” We hit it off after we discovered we shared a passion for old, schlocky show business and black & white horror films, especially those featuring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, Tor Johnson, George Zucco, Rondo Hatton, and Gilbert’s favorite actor, Lon Chaney Jr. Gilbert would frequently drop by unannounced at my small apartment in the East Village to watch crummy horror films from my meager VHS collection. We’d watch entire films in respectful silence, Gilbert absorbing every nuance and detail of, say, The Manster, or The Indestructible Man, before he’d get up to head home.
Gilbert and Frank Santopadre hosted 640 episodes of the always funny and fascinating podcast Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing, Colossal Podcast. I was delighted to be a guest on the show eight times. Gilbert died, ironically, too soon. He’s greatly missed by his family, friends and fans.
— Drew Friedman
Portrait of Gilbert rendered in 2014 for The Lowbrow Reader, #9 “Gilbert Gottfried, New York Punk” by Jay Ruttenberg