September 7 2010 permalink | 50 notes
THE TIME I MET ROBERT SCHIMMEL    I heard the tragic news this weekend that comedian Robert Schimmel died in a car accident. Unlike most celebrity deaths I hear about, I can say with first-hand knowledge that he was really a nice guy.   Back in 2003, he and his brother somehow found my website and asked me to animate a short script they had written. I had about 4 days to finish it because Schimmel was going to be a guest on “The Howard Stern Show” and wanted to mention it on the air. I put it together just in time and he generously invited me to hang out in “the green room” backstage while he went on the air with Howard.   I met him and his daughter on 57th street at about 6am and we went up to the radio station. I was a regular listener of the show back then so it was really a thrill. For the two hours before Schimmel went on the air we kicked back and talked about showbiz and life and everything. He seemed generally interested in what I was doing even through I was a nobody. I got to meet Howard, Bababooie, Fred, Robin, Stuttering John, and all the rest of them.   A couple days later, Schimmel put me on the VIP list at Caroline’s Comedy club and I got to see him perform his standup. And he was so hilarious that my eyes were tearing up. Clearly, the live stage was where his genius came through.   So that’s my “I met Robert Schimmel” story. Only an hour or two spent with him but I still remember it. Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the cartoon we did: It was called “The Fairy Godfather” and was a raunchy mashup of Grimms fairy tales and Mario Puzo. It was kinda funny, but not his best writing nor my best animation and perhaps not appropriate to show in the wake of his death. Go watch some clips of his standup instead to see how talented he was. R.I.P.

THE TIME I MET ROBERT SCHIMMEL

   I heard the tragic news this weekend that comedian Robert Schimmel died in a car accident. Unlike most celebrity deaths I hear about, I can say with first-hand knowledge that he was really a nice guy.
   Back in 2003, he and his brother somehow found my website and asked me to animate a short script they had written. I had about 4 days to finish it because Schimmel was going to be a guest on “The Howard Stern Show” and wanted to mention it on the air. I put it together just in time and he generously invited me to hang out in “the green room” backstage while he went on the air with Howard.
   I met him and his daughter on 57th street at about 6am and we went up to the radio station. I was a regular listener of the show back then so it was really a thrill. For the two hours before Schimmel went on the air we kicked back and talked about showbiz and life and everything. He seemed generally interested in what I was doing even through I was a nobody. I got to meet Howard, Bababooie, Fred, Robin, Stuttering John, and all the rest of them.
   A couple days later, Schimmel put me on the VIP list at Caroline’s Comedy club and I got to see him perform his standup. And he was so hilarious that my eyes were tearing up. Clearly, the live stage was where his genius came through.
   So that’s my “I met Robert Schimmel” story. Only an hour or two spent with him but I still remember it. Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the cartoon we did: It was called “The Fairy Godfather” and was a raunchy mashup of Grimms fairy tales and Mario Puzo. It was kinda funny, but not his best writing nor my best animation and perhaps not appropriate to show in the wake of his death. Go watch some clips of his standup instead to see how talented he was. R.I.P.

  1. jupiterthunder reblogged this from danmeth and added:
    Eerie how, not one week ago,...found myself wondering how
  2. davidkendall reblogged this from danmeth and added:
    funny guy, but, like many comedians, he truly had...demons, too. He’s one
  3. iamjoice reblogged this from danmeth
  4. danmeth posted this