Rick Shapiro - Unconditional Love (CD)

Rick Shapiro might just be the only man you ever hear say, “If it weren’t for all of those years as a prostitute…” as the intro to a good story, but don’t worry, you’re still not about to see him at career day. Well-known to audiences as the eccentric brother-in-law Jerry on HBO’s “Lucky Louie,” Shapiro’s “Unconditional Love,” a largely improvised onslaught, is wildly tangential, wildly funny, and… possibly schizophrenic. He’s certainly not for the faint of heart! As the self-described “avant loser” launches into his frenetic stream-of-consciousness, multiple personality diatribes on “Unconditional Love,” listeners are hard-pressed to avoid Lenny Bruce comparisons though Shapiro (luckily for comedy-lovers) survived his own years of drug abuse and degradation, living to tell all the tales whether or not they earn him accolades, fame, or inner peace. In the end, his filth-laden form of comedic slam poetry reads like an exorcism, an intense public catharsis punctuated by utter shock and