Bob Newhart - "A Revolutionary Mind in a Button-Down Era"

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Shark Media, on Apple, Spotify, or many other players. Just click

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the link in the show notes for
more info Caalaroga Shark Media. While The

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Hit Maker Chronicles typically explores the stories
behind iconic musical hits, this episode takes

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a detour to honor a true original
artist who left an indelible mark on comedy,

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Bob Newhart. In the wake of
his passing at ninety four, we

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dive into his landmark nineteen sixty comedy
album, The Button Down Mind of Bob

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Newhart, a revolutionary recording that defied
conventions and paved the way for generations of

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stand ups. Born in nineteen twenty
nine in Oak Park, Illinois, Bob

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Newhart's road to comedic stardom was an
unconventional one. As a serving in the

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US Army during the Korean War,
Newhart settled into a job as an accountant

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while pursuing comedy as a part time
passion at local clubs in Chicago. It

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was during these early years working odd
jobs that Newhart developed his trademark stammering delivery

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and understatedly brilliant observational style. I
don't think anybody starts comedy aspirationally, Newhart

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reflected, I just kept showing up
and doing my thing. His thing was

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a novel act, almost critic proof, portraying one end of an imagined phone

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conversation, reacting to an unheard voice
with awkward pauses, stammers, and incredulous

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responses that allowed the audience's imagination to
soar. It was this utterly original approach

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that caught the attention of Warner Brothers
Records in nineteen sixty, leading to the

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release of The Button Down Mind of
Bob Newhart, Featuring iconic sketches like the

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un Tour and The Driving Instructor.
The album was a revelation Newhart's underplayed humor

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and dedication to the character's transcended mere
jokes into richly textured narratives. Against all

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odds, The Button Down Mind was
an unprecedented success, becoming the first comedy

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album in history to top the Billboard
Album charts. Its title was a playful

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jab at the button down conservatism of
the era that Newhart's fresh, intelligent humor

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subtly satirized. The album's strength lay
in Newhart's minimalist mastery of comedic timing and

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economy of words, with no cursing, shocking material or loud antics. His

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wry wit and impeccable character work carried
the humor implicitly, trusting audiences to fill

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in the absurd visual gaps. He
just committed to the magic of the ordinary,

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a revolutionary plain spokenness in a world
of noise, marveled comedian Conan O'Brien.

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Jerry Seinfeld echoed, he gave comedians
an inspiration to be left field.

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You didn't have to shake the world, just study it beyond its commercial triumph.

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The button down mind shatter stylistic boundaries, pioneering an intelligent new brand of

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understatement that influence generations of comedic greats. Steve Martin lauded how Newhart made me

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love the idea of comedy as art
rather than just a noisemaker's craft. From

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the iconic intro of the un tour, would you people in the corridor please

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be quiet? I am attempting to
instruct a tour. The genius of Newhart's

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artistry is evident. His measured delivery
immediately transports listeners, immersing them in vividly

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drawn, yet easily relatable scenes populated
by the mundane people and situations, his

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humor elevated to absurd new heights.
In the driving Instructor, his stammering out

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of his depth student contrasts beautifully with
the exasperated yet supernaturally patient instructor navigating ludicrously

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misdirected parallel parking attempts. Newhart's voice
deftly shifts between personas, his deft misdirects

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and pointed capturing of banal details,
transcending mere gags into fully realized comedic vignettes.

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He had a way of making the
mundane insane without breaking a sweat.

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Comedian Paul Riser observed like an awkward
zen Master, turning reality inside out.

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It was Newhart's understatement and unwavering commitment
to grounding his characters in recognizable truths that

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allowed his comedy to resonate so universally. Even at its most ludicrous, there

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was a searing satirical edge beneath the
polite laughter, an implicit send up of

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society's middle class hang ups and empty
conventions that still feels remarkably fresh over sixty

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years later. More in a moment
beyond pioneering a new comedic art form and

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inspiring legends like Seinfeld knew Nehart's impact
transcended stand up into sitcoms, movies,

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and pop culture at large. His
nineteen seventies TV series The Bob Newhart Show

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was one of the first to showcase
his trademark reactionary humour translated to the small

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screen, inspiring a new era of
rye sitcoms. In his later years,

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Newhart's career enjoyed a massive resurgence,
with beloved guest roles on shows like The

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Big Bang Theory and starring voice roles
in hit animated films like The Rescuers and

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The Legally Blonde Franchise. Comedians like
Ricky Gervais credited Newhart's ageless performances for reminding

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future generations of comedy's aikido power,
making a massive impact through nuance rather than

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force of noise. Newhart's passing at
ninety four represents the end of an incredible

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life and trailblazing career that changed comedy
forever, but his true legacy, enshrined

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in game changing works like The Button
Down Mind, will continue, inspiring comedic

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minds to seek humour's humanity in life's
quietest, most unremarkable moments. In Newhart's

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own words, I don't have a
great body of knowledge, but I turn

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over pretty much every rock. I'm
Andrew Irons and this has been another engaging

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episode of The hit Maker Chronicles.
Join us next week as we continue to

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uncover the stories behind the songs and
artists that have left an indelible mark on

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the world. The hit Maker Chronicles
is a production of Calarogus Shark Media executive

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producers Mark Francis and John MacDermott.
Portions of this podcast may have been created

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with the assistance of Ai