Imitation is The Sincerest Form of Flattery

This blog entry can only be written by me, your humble correspondent Dr. Demented. It's a sad tale about a man just trying to earn an honest living in this country, only to be imitated by a hack who tried desperately to steal fame and fortune from our hero.

This blog couldn't be written by The Red Man because our hero's brand of comedy is too proletariat for TRM's bourgeois taste in humor. This blog couldn't have been written by Z because it's just not up his alley of subject matter. And this blog couldn't have been written by R-Lo because R-Lo has never heard of this man.

Let me allow a picture to introduce the subject of today's blog entry:

Yes, we're talking about none other than Leo Anthony Gallagher, known simply as "Gallagher."

Gallagher was a fixture on Showtime throughout the 80's producing yearly specials that put the cable network on the map in the United States.

The trademark shtick of the act was the "Sledge-O-Matic" which I'm sure we all remember fondly. It was reserved for the final act of the show and was used to destroy computer keyboards (who hasn't wanted to take a sledge to one of those?), pound cake (it sure did), toothpaste, chocolate milk and of course, watermelon. In addition to the sledge-o-matic, Gallagher's act involved a lot of prop comedy, which you could argue, paved the way for the success of another comic mentioned in this blog.

But all of this excellence nearly ground to a halt when Leo's little brother Ron toured the country as "Gallagher Too." Originally granted a blessing by big brother Leo to perform using the "Gallagher" moniker, Ron began to blur the line that existed between his act and his brother's, eventually infringing on the empire of comedy his brother worked so hard to build.

Look at the picture of Ron on the right, and then look at the picture of Leo above it. Can you tell the difference?

Eventually Leo sued Ron for trademark infringement and won the lawsuit, but the price Leo paid was extraordinarily high. Leo is allegedly estranged from his family who sided with Ron in the case. Sadly, that is the price of fame.

Leo's legacy hasn't been given its due, as evidenced by this article that appeared in The Oregonian in 2005:

"Among the criticisms were the low quality of stand-up performances by David Letterman, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton. Gallagher expressed frustration over Hanks and Keaton’s success, remarking that they were millionaires and someone with his skills and ability was reduced to renting a condo. While criticising Jay Leno and Letterman, he expressed surprise that they never invited him to appear in their shows, citing that Johnny Carson never liked him, but still booked him."

Gallagher was especially angry at VH1, which listed him in their list of "Greatest 100 Stand Up Comedians," but as #100, just below "comic" Janeane Garofalo. Gallagher insulted the list as a whole, stating that when reading it he “was trying to find anyone I ever heard of.” He went on to claim that he had invented the concept of the one-person comedy show on cable television.

And so it is in this space that we salute the comedic genius that is Leo Gallagher. We respect the niche he has carved out in the world of prop and stand-up comedy. We thank him for the laughs he has given us for decades. We admire his gumption to stand up for his art, even though it has cost him his family. Leo, we appreciate you.

And he still tours. Find out where by clicking here.