RICHARD JENI 2nd appearance on "COMICS ONLY" (Ep 128, 1992)

RICHARD JENI was one of the all-time great comedians of the 80's and 90's. One can only imagine the heights he was destined for had he not tragically ended his own life on March 10, 2007 after several years of 'severe clinical depression coupled with fits of psychotic paranoia.'
Jeni and Provenza were friends from their early days starting out in comedy often sharing work opportunites with each other, reminiscing about their NY Italian/Catholic upbringings and commiserating on various career frustrations. Due to Rich's constant road work schedule, Provenza could have Jeni on "Comics Only" only twice, and his appearances remain standouts.
Rich also appears in Provenza and PennJillette's comedy documentary, "The Aristocrats," where he takes a completely unique approach from any of the 100 other comedians in the film riffing on the classic show biz joke.
One of the things Provenza especially admired about Rich was his amazing ability to wring every last drop possible from any comic premise he tackled. He mentions that in this appearance, with Jeni acknowledging his inclination to 'milk' a bit for all it's worth.
A remarkably prolific comedian, Jeni's 1992 HBO special, "Richard Jeni: Platypus Man" is still widely regarded as one of the best specials by any comedian of the era. At Jeni's memorial, Jay Leno said that Jeni was "without a doubt one of the best - if not THE best - comedian I have ever seen in my life in comedy."
We are proud to have had Jeni on the show, and we still mourn his death greatly.