Monday 12 March 2018

TRAILBLAZING COMEDIAN BOB SMITH'S LIFE WITH ALS


Bob Smith: “I’m Still Cracking Jokes And Sharing Laughs”

In 1994 pioneering stand-up comic Bob Smith became the first openly-gay comic to appear on The Tonight Show. Bob died on January 20, 2018, after a 12-year battle against ALS. He was 59. A Celebration of Life Memorial was held at Carolines comedy club in New York on March 5. This is my final interview with Bob (it originally ran in Fugues magazine and NewNowNext in December 2016) when he answered my email Q&A with the help of his devoted life partner, screenwriter Michael Zam and their great friend, comedian Eddie Sarfaty, by pointing out letters on a board with his feet. Bob exemplified sheer courage right until the end. Thanks for the laughs, Bob. RIP.

Comedy legend Bob Smith is perhaps best-known for opening closet doors as the first out gay comic to appear on The Tonight Show. But today Smith is blazing a new trail as he confronts the degenerative affects of ALS, in his life and on the pages of his candid new memoir Treehab: Tales From My Natural, Wild Life.

Diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) a decade ago, Smith has fought a good fight against the progressive neurodegenerative disease, which attacks the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms, legs and face.

When he agreed to do our email interview, Smith answered my questions—with the help of his devoted life partner, screenwriter Michael Zam, and their great friend, comedian Eddie Sarfaty—by pointing out letters on a board with his feet.