Barry Crimmins Explained

Barry Crimmins
Birth Date:3 July 1953
Birth Place:Kingston, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Spouse:Helen Crimmins
Occupation:Political satirist, comedian, activist
Years Active:1971 - 2018

Barry Francis Crimmins (July 3, 1953 – February 28, 2018) was an American stand-up comedian, political satirist, activist, author, Air America Radio writer and correspondent, and comedy club owner.

Early life

Crimmins was born in Kingston, New York, to Margaret Hooe and Phillip "Phil" Crimmins, a traveling salesman.[1] [2] When he was six, his family moved to Skaneateles, New York.[3]

After graduating from high school in 1971, he started performing stand-up comedy at Under the Stone and later moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue his comedic career.[3]

Career

Comedy clubs

In 1979, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Crimmins co-founded The Ding Ho Comedy Club,[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] at a Chinese Restaurant near Inman Square. His productions there included performances by comedians Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Meaney, Jimmy Tingle and many others.[13] [14]

In the 1980s, in Boston, Crimmins co-founded the comedy club, Stitches.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Writing and comedy

Crimmins' satirical writing and comedy routines focused on the need for political and social change.[22] In the 1990s, in a more serious vein, he led a crusade against images of child abuse on the Internet, calling for police investigation of Internet service providers.[23] He received the "Peace Leadership Award" from Boston Mobilization for Survival, and was honored by Community Works with the "Artist for Social Change Award" for his years of activism.[24] Howard Zinn presented him with "The Courage of Conscience Award" from Wellesley College and The Life Experience School at The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts.[25]

Crimmins was featured on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron in 2013, discussing his personal life and career as a political activist and his role in the Boston comedy scene.[26] In 2016, between performances in London, he appeared on Stuart Goldsmith's podcast The Comedian's Comedian.[27]

Film and television

Crimmins was featured in a number of film and television appearances, including When Stand Up Stood Out (2003), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988–1989), and The Young Comedians All-Star Reunion (1986). He released two albums: Strange Bedfellows on A&M Records and Kill the Messenger on Green Linnet. His articles were regularly published in the Boston Phoenix[28] [29] among other publications.[30]

Crimmins's life and work in comedy and politics were the subjects of a documentary entitled Call Me Lucky (2015) directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.[31]

On June 4, 2016, Crimmins shot a special, Whatever Threatens You, in Lawrence, Kansas for Louis C.K.'s production company Pig Newton.[32]

Activism

Crimmins survived sexual abuse as a child, and later became an anti-pedophilia activist.[33] He began to expose online pedophilia in the 1990s, when he lived in Lakewood, Ohio.[33] He spent hours in AOL chat rooms devoted to exposing predators, posing as a 12-year-old boy named "Sean."[33]

In 1995, after turning his evidence over to the FBI, he testified before the United States Congress in 1995 about pedophilia on the internet, and how laws on child abuse images needed to be enforced.[33] AOL eventually shut down the chat rooms dedicated to pedophilia and child abuse images.[33]

In 2016, Crimmins endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President of the United States during the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[34]

In 2017, in the wake of the

  1. MeToo campaign
, Crimmins voiced support of the movement and called for increased awareness of harassment in the workplace.[35]

Personal life

Crimmins was married to Helen Crimmins (née Lysen), a photographer and font designer in August 2017 in Chicago.[36] They resided in Syracuse, New York.[37] In January 2018, he was diagnosed with cancer and described the prognosis as "not very good".[37] A few months earlier, Helen was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[37]

Crimmins died of cancer on February 28, 2018, in Syracuse at the age of 64. His wife Helen reported his death from his Twitter account on March 1, saying, "Barry passed peacefully yesterday with Bobcat and I. He would want everyone to know that he cared deeply about mankind and wants you to carry on the good fight. Peace."[38]

Works

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Barry Crimmins, comedian who transformed childhood trauma into advocacy, dies at 64. The Washington Post. 2 March 2018. Schudel, Matt.
  2. Web site: From Skaneateles to Sundance: Comedian Barry Crimmins' story of trailblazing, trauma told by new Bobcat Goldthwait documentary. David Wilcox. david.wilcox@lee.net. February 24, 2015 . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150817000823/http://auburnpub.com/skaneateles/lifestyles/from-skaneateles-to-sundance-comedian-barry-crimmins-story-of-trailblazing/article_0bf381f7-d929-57dd-b420-b9d7c0907f04.html. August 17, 2015. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Skaneateles comedian, activist Barry Crimmins dies. Auburn Pub. March 1, 2018. March 1, 2018.
  4. Web site: Remembering Barry Crimmins, A Comic Who Advocated For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse . NPR.org . 5 February 2022 . en . March 8, 2018 Fresh Air Terry Gross · 37:12 Download Transcript Crimmins, who died last week, mentored Bobcat Goldthwait when they were up-and-coming comics in the '80s. The two men spoke to Fresh Air in 2015 about their documentary Call Me Lucky..
  5. Web site: STEVE SWEENEY and Friends . Bull Run Restaurant . 5 February 2022 . 2013-11-27 . Tickets Comedian.
  6. Web site: Soroff . Jonathan . Sense of Humor . Improper Bostonian . en . 2016-09-14 . Three-time Emmy winner Jack Gallagher......But back in the day, my favorite venue to do stand-up was the Ding Ho [the legendary Chinese restaurant in Cambridge]. It’s one of those things where you don’t realize how much you miss it until you can’t do it anymore. That was a ball. Were you part of that generation of comics like Denis Leary? I was. Absolutely. Barry Crimmins, Steven Wright, Lenny Clarke, Steve Sweeney, Kevin Meaney, Mike McDonald. All those guys. We all played the Ding Ho, Stitches, Play It Again Sam’s….
  7. [Steven Wright]
  8. [Jack Gallagher (comedian)]
  9. [When Stand Up Stood Out]
  10. [Bill Braudis]
  11. [Steve Sweeney (comedian)]
  12. [DJ Hazard (comedian)]
  13. Web site: Turbovsky. Rob. Steven Wright inducted into Hall, a city's comedy history celebrated. Punchline Magazine. March 11, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131225213131/http://www.laughspin.com/2008/12/22/steven-wright-inducted-into-hall-a-citys-comedy-history-celebrated/. December 25, 2013. mdy-all.
  14. Web site: Baltrusis. Sam. Steven Wright headlines Ding Ho reunion benefit. LoadedGunBoston.com. March 11, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090919090420/http://www.loadedgunboston.com/2008/04/steven-wright-headlines-ding-ho-reunion.html. September 19, 2009. mdy-all.
  15. [Nick Di Paolo ]
  16. [Joe Rogan]
  17. Billy Rush
  18. [Vinnie Favorito]
  19. Web site: Stitches, 1984 Best Comedy Club . Boston Magazine . 5 February 2022 . 1 January 1984 . Particularly when the Steve Sweeney-Kevin Meaney Show is playing. 959 Commonwealth Ave., Boston.
  20. http://www.loadedgunboston.com/2007/07/interview-barry-crimmins-last-stand.html "INTERVIEW: Barry Crimmins' last stand"
  21. http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2004/07/11/for_these_two_un_conventional_acts_politics_is_vocal/ "For these two 'Un-Conventional' acts, politics is vocal"
  22. http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=bcheights19900326.2.62 "Politics of Absurdism, Barry Crimmins Style"
  23. Book: Philip Jenkins. Beyond Tolerance: Child Pornography on the Internet. July 1, 2003. NYU Press. 978-0-8147-4263-1. 147–. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180301215542/https://books.google.com/books?id=9tkKyuii6mgC&pg=PA147. March 1, 2018. mdy-all.
  24. Web site: Cassel. David. Chat Room Chaperone: Barry Crimmins, who tracked AOL's child porn problem, isn't your typical online morality cop. MetroActive.com. March 11, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150123035408/http://www.metroactive.com/archives/cyber/crim.html. January 23, 2015. mdy-all.
  25. Web site: COURAGE OF CONSCIENCE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1988 – 2015. The Peace Abbey. March 1, 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331103720/http://www.peaceabbey.org/5275-2/. March 31, 2016. mdy-all.
  26. Web site: Episode 443 – Barry Crimmins. November 15, 2013 . WTFpod.com. March 11, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140226055322/http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_443_-_barry_crimmins. February 26, 2014. mdy-all.
  27. Web site: The Comedian's Comedian – 184 – Barry Crimmins. comedianscomedian.com. October 31, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202013307/http://www.comedianscomedian.com/184-barry-crimmins/. February 2, 2017. mdy-all.
  28. Web site: Barry Crimmins: Latest Articles . The Phoenix . March 11, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140828063527/http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Authors/BARRY-CRIMMINS/ . August 28, 2014 .
  29. Web site: Author Archives: Barry Crimmins. Weekly Wire. March 11, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202081532/http://weeklywire.com/ww/archives/authors/boston_barrycrimmins.html. February 2, 2017. mdy-all.
  30. News: Barry Crimmins. The Huffington Post. March 11, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151122202752/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-crimmins/. November 22, 2015. mdy-all.
  31. http://www.cleveland.com/ministerofculture/index.ssf/2014/09/bobcat_goldthwait_shoots_docum.html "Bobcat Goldthwait shoots documentary about activist Barry Crimmins: Minister of Culture"
  32. Web site: Louis CK to Produce Barry Crimmins Hour Special in June – The Interrobang. The Interrobang. May 20, 2016. May 17, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160519005301/http://theinterrobang.com/louis-ck-produce-barry-crimmins-hour-special/. May 19, 2016. mdy-all.
  33. Web site: March 1, 2018. Barry Crimmins, the comedian and activist who helped protect children from online sexual predators when he lived in Lakewood in the 1990s, dies at 64. March 1, 2018. Cleveland.com.
  34. Barry Crimmins . crimmins . 690441922435878912 . Just heard reactionary, hedge-fund millionaire, hawk Clinton rip Bernie Sanders & so I now officially endorse Bernie for the Dem nomination . 21 Jan 2016 .
  35. Tons of Celebrities Are Joining Alyssa Milano's 'Me Too' Protest . Tara . John . October 17, 2017 . . October 17, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171017023949/http://time.com/4983731/me-too-alyssa-milano/ . October 17, 2017 . mdy-all.
  36. Web site: Barry Crimmins Ties the Knot in Chicago. The InterroBang. 10 August 2017.
  37. Web site: Comedian Barry Crimmins from CNY Diagnosed with Cancer. Syracuse.com. February 20, 2018. February 20, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180221100739/http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/01/comedian_barry_crimmins_from_cny_diagnosed_with_cancer.html. February 21, 2018. mdy-all.
  38. Barry Crimmins, Comedian and Activist, Dead at 64. Rolling Stone. March 1, 2018. March 1, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180301205032/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/barry-crimmins-comedian-and-activist-dead-at-64-w517272. March 1, 2018. mdy-all.
  39. Book: Mike Bent. The Everything Guide to Comedy Writing: From stand-up to sketch – all you need to succeed in the world of comedy. July 18, 2009. Everything Books. 978-1-4405-0174-6. 125–. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180301215542/https://books.google.com/books?id=8GeBs_vruNUC&pg=PT125. March 1, 2018. mdy-all.
  40. Web site: In Memory of Barry Crimmins . . 4 February 2022.

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