A Special Note: If you want to read our interview in my previous publication, New Dominion Magazine, about his first book it is below, scroll down, I’ve posted it below.
This time I got the time right. Steve Bluestein has been busy, I mispronounce his name yet again. It’s never steen always stein like beer-stein with a long “i.” He is in L.A. now although he has just finished decorating his new house in Palm Springs. The dogs are present again “Are you recording?” he asks as he puts the dogs away. This time we’re talking about his play Rest in Pieces which just finished its run in 2014 in Delaware with the Delaware Theatre Company. Rest in Pieces is by and large a homage to his family and the insanity of growing up jewish in Massachusetts in the 50’s and 60’s. The play is not going away anytime soon, there is a good chance that it will be in performed again New York due to its popularity in Delaware. His next play, How to Kill Your Mother Without Really Trying is being stage read in Delaware here in 2015. The play is another part of the story from Rest in Pieces and talks mostly about this interesting and sometimes difficult relationship with his mother. It is easily identifiable for those with difficult parents and the lifetime issues (and accompanying psychiatry bills) that the relationship can cause. For those of you hoping to hear Steve do stand-up again he is going to disappoint you: no more stand up. It is simply too much work after being on the road for 25 years and spending more time in an airplane than at home. He also isn’t pleased with the current batch of people touring and just doesn’t want to be lumped in with them and their incessant need for “crotch” humor.
He’s An Unknown Legend
For a comedian who has opened for people like Phyllis Diller and Barry Manilow and someone who couldn’t be farther from pop culture (except for Lady Gaga), Steve is fun, relevant, and full of laughs. But if you need a laugh you can buy his new 2nd book: 49 and 1/2 shades of Bluestein. It’s a companion to his first book, Its So Hard to Write with a Gun in My Mouth. Buy them both and enjoy them because according to Steve he is focusing on his 2 films and 7 plays but there are no more books, “I’m done with books.”
His newest work wraps up the issues of the first book and has a full character arc rather than the short story format of his first book. While he is staying self-published for now, he would be open to regular publication. He has more fun back stories from his career and has been a healing and cathartic work. The best part about his work is that through his experiences you get to experience the wonderful and exciting life of entertainment and comedy. But Steve is not just all fun and games either.
Steve is politically aware on his Facebook page. He regularly exposes news stories and while many of his comments are gut-splitting he also mentions very serious things. I asked him about America’s police brutality problem. “I’m nauseated” when I described some police actions (Eric Garner and Michael Brown) and he clearly stated that the police have an irrational fear and that they need to work with the public. He has himself, witnessed the bigotry and psychological fear between white officers and the black public. “It just needs to stop.”
The End of Comedy?
At the time we were talking, Chris Rock had just come out and said that he was tired of doing college shows because everything is offensive and college students have no sense of humor. Steve agrees and feels that political correctness has simply gone too far. Comedy is a medium that offends and it appears that PC culture could be killing it. We also chatted about Dave Chappell who is making his comeback into the public light and Steve is OK with Dave Chappell doing whatever he wants for whatever money he wants. I could not talk with Steve without asking about the passing of the legendary Joan Rivers. He takes a big sigh and reminds me that life goes on and that she would say the same thing. “She was a major force and never gave up. She was very successful and there was only one.” Joan Rivers was well known for her late-night talk show and resulting controversy about being “blacklisted.” Steve pointed out that there while all the late night comedy show hosts are getting shuffled around there are no women on late night and he finds that really troubling with all of the great female comedic talent on the market today. However, his favorite late night show isn’t even American, he loves the unscripted laughs on the BBC America show, “The Graham Norton Show.” He also points out that executives are importing British comedy in droves and cutting off opportunity for American comics. He thinks its mostly because they’ve been raised on crappy comedy and so British comedy which is intellectual and fun is a breath of fresh air.
“I think thats a half hour.”
“One more question.”
“Ok, alright.”
“What about Chelsea Handler? She just quit her show on E!”
“I don’t think I ever watched her show but I never really found her funny.”
That’s the exciting world and comedy of Steve Bluestein.
You can get his books “49 1/2 Shades of Bluestein” and “It’s So Hard to Write with a Gun in My Mouth” on Amazon, ACX, and Barnes and Noble and you can buy audio versions on iTunes and Audible.
Original New Dominion Magazine Interview
“Sully! The dogs just won’t stop barking!” I had called an hour early due to my inability to properly calculate the time change between my location and California. “Its fine, lets do it, it’s ok.” Steve Bluesmen has worked on such illustrious TV shows and movies as, Dumb and Dumber, The Alan Thicke Show and any other things that adorn the lauded career of the immemorable Steve Bluesmen. As a stand-up comic, he has opened for all the greats including Barry Manilow (fanilows rejoice) Phyllis Diller and many others. The life of a road comic is tough as is keeping the precise 19 minute schedule of a Las Vegas comedy show. His new book, “It’s So Hard to Write with a Gun in My Mouth” is a series of comedic an semi-serious personal essay snapshots of his own comedic life. Its genesis was interesting because he started writing it after a mudslide destroyed most of his home and unfortunately destroyed many of his records, pictures, and memories. When his agent called to see if he was writing he said, “It’s Hard to Write with a Gun in My Mouth.” The book was born. He couldn’t look at the pictures or memories but he has kept them all for us in his book.
From “repeating the same damn words every night” in Vegas for many years culminating in him breaking his routine and just talking to the audience to anecdotes on a cruise ship his new book is filled with comedy, commentary about life and much more.
I had to ask this veteran comic about modern comedy and where comedy overall is going. “Come is going down the toilet, there is just too much crotch humor these days.” While he believes that many of the top-billing comics do “shock comedy” in a really smart and clever way the mass of less skilled kestrel just resort straight to the bottom of the toilet and don’t have the intelligence and finesse of someone who will talk about vanillas, asses and dicks but also say something really important to the audience.
His favorite stad-up comic might surprise you: Howie Mandel. His reasoning? Howie Mandel has turned the art of stand-up comedy into an entire industry and a national brand.
Unlike most comics he is a tremendous fan of social media. He says, “Back in the day you would be quickly forgotten but now with Social Media it lets me stay relevant, stay alive, and stay viable.”
Despite his heavy involvement in social media (follow him on Facebook, he says funny things all day) he isn’t that tied-in to popular culture
“Pop culture, what’s that?”
“That question kinda throws me for a loop!” His music is firmly stuck in the 60’s right along side some old VW Beetles and fading Vietnam protest posters. His whole iTunes playlist isn’t stick in the 60’s however. He loves Lady Gaga because she can, “really sing and she says something really important.” Eminem, Macklemore, P. Diddy, 50 Cent and Drake won’t be coming to his iPhone anytime soon. “And old joke goes, if you combine country and rap together you get crap I hate rap I can’t stand it! I don’t get it!” I’m not surprised he finally gave up his 3×5 cards he had used to organize his life for 30+ years for notes on his iPhone. Modern music isn’t for everyone.
Someone tha has been near every famous come in the industry has to have a favorite Saturday Night Live performer. “Everyone I really like is off the show, Bill Hader can do no wrong in my eyes” and speaking of his favorite TV show: “The New Girl” according to Bluesmen it has solid writing, solid elements, complex characters and keeps him on the floor laughing.
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