Late one night in the late 80's I was sitting up as usual and this new show came on Channel 9. Called It's Garry Shandling Show I watched and thought this is a very funny guy and the most refreshing show I'd ever seen.
As a night shift worker the show and Garry became a part of my life. As they are saying now he broke the fourth wall by talking to the audience but that was just one of many devices he used. It wasn't the devices which won me over it was his comedy, his ability to twist a sentence and turn everything on it's head.
The show was very inventive and very funny. In American terms it was low budget and that always works for me.
Then Garry disappeared off our screens for a few years and then I heard of The Larry Sanders Show.
I watched the first episode and admittedly didn't know what he was doing. I thought this is pretty full on. I'm not afraid to admit that it was way ahead of anything I'd dreamed of , but by the third episode I totally got it and once I got it I was like it's biggest fan.
I don't intend to go into detail suffice to say I think it's the best sitcom ever.
I think the last episode is as good as the last episode of CHEERS and THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW.
Since it finished I've missed Garry and occasionally seen him as a guest on a tonight Show.
When I did stand up comedy I wrote many routines and lines in the "Shandling" style.
Only this week I became aware that his feature film WHAT PLANET ARE YOU FROM was an enormous flop. Budget $50 million with world wide returns of $7 million. I know at the time I liked it and thought it was very funny and I guess I was allowed to enjoy it. Sure the whirring penis angle was uncomfortable at some stages but sometimes it was funny. Well he made it funny.
Who knows what caused his death. I saw him on Letterman and thought he looked very unwell.
I was like a little kid when I saw him in IRON MAN 2. There's Garry There's Garry.
On a purely selfish level I miss that I will never get to meet him, well not yet anyway.
There's very few major new comedy influences around now , especially Louis CK with Larry David, Seth McFarlane and Steven Levitan but there's not much on the horizon.
I miss you Garry and I will always love you and your comedy, you are one of my greatest influences.
