Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

I’ve known comedian/writer/animal activist Elayne Boosler for a couple of decades, but there’s so much I didn’t know! We got loads of juicy bits from the woman who pioneered stand-up comedy for all who followed in her wake. From her earliest days at The Improv in New York, a waitress/hostess, who needed Andy Kaufman’s help to differentiate the brown drinks, to her love/hate relationship with proprietor, Bud Friedman, swooning over 20-year-old Richard Lewis, MC’ing without an act or a net, singing and then not thanks to now partner Andy, who Elayne credits with teaching her “everything.” Tom Waits? Who knew! We got a great story there. Robin Williams, to Bill Siddons, her husband of 30 years, with whom she shares a home in Italy, and a great line to sum up the current state of their union. We got lots on Italy, the when, where, why, and how. Elayne was always a must-see for me whenever she appeared on TV, and hugely impactful when I tried my hands and feet at standup. I could never be as smart, but she ga