Manny was the owner of the comedy cellar and a good friend. He was the type of guy who made you feel important if he liked you. At least that¹s they way he made me feel. He didn't even like me when he first met me. And its funny he was the one who told me that. Esti kept telling him Robert is a great comic. And he would say I just don¹t get it. But even though he didn¹t like my comedy at first. He liked me as a person. Later he started to watch me and started to like my comedy as well. The reason why I knew that was He told me. Kid you have gotten funny I never use to like you but now I do. When someone is that honest with you it makes the compliment mean so much more. Because you know he is not blowing smoke up your ass. He would sit at the table in the back and talk politics for hours with other comedians. I would never talk that shit with him. We would talk about the newest electronic gadget on the market. And he always had to have the latest thing, mainly to stick it in my face. I remember one time he was telling me about how good Tivo was. And I kept telling him I¹m going to get one as soon as I could afford one. So he asked me to come to his car that was parked in the garage by the cellar. He was like a little kid. As we got to his car he opened up the trunk and there was five Tivo's and a couple of DVD players. When he saw the look on my face of Fuuuuuuuckk. He laughed so hard knowing I couldn't afford one and he had five just sitting in his trunk. I ask him what he was going to do with five. He said I don¹t know maybe give them to people I liked. And then he shut the trunk in my face. He was one of the funniest people on the planet. He always made me smile when I showed up at the back table. He made the comedians feel like we were important. Not many club owners do that. They only do it to famous comics. And they treat the ones that aren¹t like shit. If Manny like you he made you feel like a star. He loved his famous comics don¹t get me wrong. If Ray Romano came by the club he would be the first to tell me to get the fuck up and let ray sit down. And then he would smile and get me a chair. I remember one time Ray was sitting there talking to Manny. So I walked up to ray and said, Hey what¹s up your sitting in my chair. Ray is such a nice guy he said oh I¹m sorry and started to get up. I told Ray I was just kidding and we had a little chuckle. I looked at Manny's face and turned beat red and screamed what the fuckkkkkk are you doing you jackass. He would get me every night I saw him. He would say something nice and then I knew it was followed by something real mean and funny. But he would be the fist to take one on the chin to. His laugh I will remember for the rest of my life. When he laughed I couldn¹t help but laugh with him. Always get shit for not working every club in the city. But I have to tell you Manny made me feel like the comedy cellar was my home. I always had a seat there with my name on it. And I love the people that work there. So I really didn¹t need to go anywhere else. I would always light up if I came in the cellar and Manny was sitting in the back talking some Arab about the Middle East. Those conversations would bore the hell out of me. I would always ad my two cents. Something to the effect of I like boobs. And he would get mad at me and tell me to shut up. And then would lean in and say I like Boobs to. Now I wish I could hear those boring conversations about the Middle East one last time. Manny was the man I hope to be when I get older. He was someone who did what they wanted to do in life. Manny was a man who lived many lives. Someone who had many dreams and reached them all. Someone who effected people and made them want to be near him and part his life. He was the king of the table. The man who held court. When he talks everyone listens. And if you don¹t he will tell you to shut the fuck up and then laugh. I don't know if the cellar will ever be the same with out him. We were Manny's comics. He took care of us. He made me want to be better as a person and as a comic. I don't think it will ever be the same down there at that back table. But He will always be there in my hart. I love you Manny. And thanks for being my friend.
He was My friend. I will always remember him
www.robertkellylive.com
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1 comment:
He was a nice guy..
I'm nobody and would go that back table and talk with Colin, Nick and Greg (who were always really cool about me being there) and at first he looked at me like what the fuck is she doing here.
Then one night I was sitting at a table and he and Estee and staff starting sitting at the table and talking about business stuff that I thought I shouldn't be hearing. I asked him if I should go and he said "No, it's ok stay where you are". We used to talk about Photoshop and digital cameras. There were times he did do kind of mean stuff, but I figured he had just had a few and I wasn't supposed to be there anyway..
RIP Manny..
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