Editing Lenny Bruce (section)

==Later years==
[[File:Lenny Bruce at the Fillmore.jpg|thumb|Poster for Bruce's last series of performances, which took place at [[The Fillmore]] in San Francisco on June 24 and 25, 1966]]

Bruce appeared on network television only six times.<ref name=paley>{{cite web |title=The Museum of Television & Radio Presents Two Five-Letter Words: Lenny Bruce |url=http://www.paleycenter.org/pressrelease-2004-lenny-bruce|website=[[The Paley Center for Media]] |date=July 18, 2008|access-date=November 19, 2014}}</ref> In his later club performances, he was known for relating the details of his encounters with the police directly in his comedy routine. These performances often included rants about his court battles over obscenity charges, tirades against fascism, and complaints that he was being denied his right to freedom of speech. He was blacklisted from multiple clubs in several U.S. cities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-05 |title=Lenny Bruce {{!}} American Comedian, Social Critic & Free Speech Advocate {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lenny-Bruce |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

In September 1962, his only visit to Australia caused a media storm, although he was neither banned nor forced to leave the country. He was booked for a two-week engagement at Aaron's Exchange Hotel, a small pub in central Sydney, by American-born, Australia-based promoter [[Lee Gordon (promoter)|Lee Gordon]], who was by then deeply in debt, nearing the end of his formerly successful career, and desperate to save his business. Bruce's first show at 9 p.m. on September 6 was uneventful, but his second show at 11 p.m. led to major public controversy. Bruce was heckled by audience members, and when local actress [[Barbara Wyndon]] stood up and complained that Bruce was only talking about America and asked him to talk about something different, a clearly annoyed Bruce responded, "Fuck you, madam. That's different, isn't it?" Bruce's remark shocked some audience members and several walked out.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

By the next day, several Sydney papers denounced Bruce as "sick"; one illustrated their story with a retouched photograph appearing to show Bruce giving a [[fascist salute]]. The venue owners cancelled the rest of Bruce's performances, and he retreated to his Kings Cross hotel room. Local university students (including future [[OZ (magazine)|''OZ'']] magazine editor [[Richard Neville (writer)|Richard Neville]]), who were fans of Bruce's humor, tried to arrange a performance at the Roundhouse at the [[University of New South Wales]], but at the last minute the university's vice-chancellor rescinded permission to use the venue, with no reason given,<ref>{{cite book |author=Richard Neville |author-link=Richard Neville (writer) |title=Hippie Hippie Shake |publisher=William Heinemann |location=Australia |year=1995 |isbn=0855615230 |pages=21–22}}</ref> and an interview Bruce was scheduled to give on Australian television was cancelled by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|Australian Broadcasting Commission]].<ref>Goldman, p. 372.</ref>

Bruce remained largely confined to his hotel, but eight days later gave his third and last Australian concert at the Wintergarden Theatre in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Although it had a capacity of 2,100, only 200 people attended, including a strong police presence, and Bruce gave what was described as a "subdued" performance. It was long rumored that a tape recording of the historic performance was made by police, but it was in fact recorded by local jazz saxophonist Sid Powell, who brought a portable tape recorder to the show. The tape was rediscovered in 2011 in the possession of Australian singer Sammy Gaha, who had acted as Bruce's chauffeur during his visit; it was subsequently donated to the Lenny Bruce audio collection at [[Brandeis University]]. Bruce left the country a few days later and spoke little about the experience.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.revolve.com.au/pdfs/lennybruce.pdf |author=Derek Strahan |title=When I opened for Lenny Bruce in Australia |website=revolve.com |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/lenny_bruces_visit_to_sydney_1962 |title=Lenny Bruce's visit to Sydney 1962 |website=dictionaryofsydney.org |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://michaeladamswrites.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/lenny-bruce.pdf |author=Michael Adams |title=When Lenny Met Sydney |website=michaeladamswrites wordpress site |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/booksandarts/lenny-bruce-and-his-ill-fated-sydney-tour/4636758 |title=Lenny Bruce and his ill-fated Sydney tour |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date=April 18, 2013 |access-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref>

Increasing drug use also affected Bruce's health and repeated arrests further caused deterioration to his mental health.<ref name=":0" /> By 1966, he had been blacklisted by nearly every nightclub in the U.S. as owners feared prosecution for obscenity. He gave a famous performance at the [[Berkeley Community Theatre]] in December 1965, which was recorded and became his last live album, ''The Berkeley Concert''. The performance has been described as lucid, clear and calm, and one of his best. His last performance took place on June 25, 1966, at The Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, on a bill with Frank Zappa and [[The Mothers of Invention]].<ref name="graham">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wnZ0qL3QdkgC&q=%22whacked+out+on+amphetamines%22&pg=PA159 | title=Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out | publisher=Da Capo Press | date=2004 | access-date=November 18, 2014 |author1=Graham, Bill | author1-link = Bill Graham (promoter)|author2=Greenfield, Robert| author2-link =Robert Greenfield| page=156 | isbn=978-0306813498}}</ref> The performance was not remembered fondly by [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]], whose memoir describes Bruce as "whacked out on [[amphetamines|amphetamine]]";<ref>Graham, p. 159.</ref> Graham thought that Bruce finished his set emotionally disturbed. Zappa asked Bruce to sign his [[draft card]], but the suspicious Bruce refused.<ref name="zappa">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FB0O_HCpBy0C&q=Zappa+asked+lenny+bruce+to+sign+his+draft+card&pg=PA69 | title=The Real Frank Zappa Book | publisher=Simon and Schuster |author1=Zappa, Frank |author-link1=Frank Zappa |author2=Occhiogrosso, Peter | year=1989 | page=69 | isbn=978-0671705725}}</ref>

At the request of Hefner and with the aid of [[Paul Krassner]], Bruce wrote an autobiography that was serialized in ''[[Playboy]]'' in 1964 and 1965. It was later published as ''How to Talk Dirty and Influence People''.<ref name=watts>{{cite book |last1=Watts |first1=Steven |title=Mr Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American dream |date=2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0470501375 |page=190 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5b_eM3twmEC&q=how+to+talk+dirty+and+influence+people+lenny+bruce+hefner+serialized+in+playboy&pg=PA190}}</ref> During this time, Bruce also contributed a number of articles to Krassner's satirical magazine ''[[The Realist]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Realist Archive Project |url=http://www.ep.tc/realist/index.html |at=Issues 15, 41, 48, 54}}</ref>