Happy 85th B-Day Bob Elliott from Bob and Ray

From Automqtic Daddy:

Here's a fairly recent interview with one half of the animal that was Bob and Ray. This Wikipedia page will explain his importance to those who are unfamiliar with their careers together. The short skinny: they are fuh-hucking brilliant. They worked together in radio for years, reinventing the classic audio comedy format in clever, sophisticated ways. Listen to some routines and hear another interview hosted here at the Naked Gord website.

You may be more familiar with TV's Chris Elliott. You may even be a fan. Well, if you are, his are the loins you can shake for bring little baby Chris into the world; Bob's his Papa!

There is a family resemblance, although at 85 Bob looks a good bit more fresh and healthy than his son has since 1984.

Bob's partner, the late Ray Goulding claimed that the billing order "Bob and Ray" came from their first radio show "Matinee with Bob and Ray" which they thought sounded better than "Matinob with Ray and Bob". Bob and Ray were sometimes introduced as "the two and only".

They were a huge influence on intellectual comedians and humorists like David Letterman, Al Franken, Nichols and May, The Firesign Theater, Johnny Carson, George Carlin, Keith Olbermann, Steven Colbert and Garrison Keillor. I can hear Bob and Ray in all of them.

Among their many famous fans was Kurt Vonnegut, who once said "Their jokes turn out to be universal…because much of life presents itself as the same dilemma: how to seem lusty and purposeful when less than nothing is going on", and "Bob & Ray are as funny as anyone can be." Hi-Ho to that.

See Also: Bob and Ray dot com.