Mark Russell
Encyclopedia
Mark Russell is an American political satirist/comedian. He also sings and plays the piano.
. After high school, his family moved briefly to Florida, then moved to Washington, D.C., where he enrolled at George Washington University
, but stayed for only a month. He then joined the Marines
.
Russell is most famous for his series of PBS
specials, aired live at least four times a year between 1975 and 2004. His comedy specials were a mix of political stand-up comedy covering current events and musical parodies, in which Russell accompanied himself on his trademark piano. Russell's song parodies use melodies from old standards with new humorous lyrics pertinent to the subject matter.
For example, in 1990, following the execution of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu
, Russell did a parody song on his show to the tune of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." ("Pardon me, boys / Are you the cats who shot Ceauşescu / You made my day / The way you blew him away.") Russell himself admits that most of his jokes and songs are very topical and have "a shelf life shorter than cottage cheese."
While Russell's humor is known for skewering Democrats and Republicans alike, his humorous tirades have also poked fun at third party
, independent
politicians and other prominent political (and sometimes non-political) figures.
Russell has often been asked the question, "Do you have any writers?" His standard response is "Oh, yes. I have 535 writers. 100 in the Senate
and 435 in the House of Representatives
!" When asked if his views on current events are too caustic, Russell replies, "I follow the old newsman's adage. As they say, 'I don't make the news. I just report it.' And in my case, I don't even make the jokes. I just report them as they masquerade as news."
For several years, on the Sunday before Labor Day
, Russell has made an annual appearance on the NBC
news program Meet the Press
, which was hosted from 1991–2008 by Tim Russert
, also a Canisius High graduate. He also served in the United States Marine Corps
.
Russell lives in Washington, D.C.
but often makes appearances in his native Buffalo. Beginning in the early 1960s he was a regular entertainer at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. He gained national recognition with a series of comedy albums during the Watergate scandal
, and did his first public television show in 1975. From 1979 to 1984, he was a semi-regular host on the reality TV show, Real People
.
In 1994, Russell found himself unexpectedly allied with the rap group 2 Live Crew
, when the group was sued for copyright infringement for their parody of the song "Oh, Pretty Woman
." The case went to the Supreme Court
, where Russell and the members of 2 Live Crew argued that song parodies were protected under fair use
. The Supreme Court agreed, and ruled in favor of Russell and 2 Live Crew (Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
).
In 2010, Russell announced his retirement from public performances and made his last public performance July 2010 in Chautauqua, New York
. He continues to write political humor for various venues.
Biography
Mark Russell was born Mark Ruslander (he changed his name for stage purposes) and grew up in Buffalo, New York where he graduated from Canisius High SchoolCanisius High School
Canisius High School is a Roman Catholic Jesuit private high school for young men. Canisius located at 1180 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, United States, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District. Founded in 1870, the school has historical ties to Canisius College...
. After high school, his family moved briefly to Florida, then moved to Washington, D.C., where he enrolled at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, but stayed for only a month. He then joined the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Russell is most famous for his series of PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
specials, aired live at least four times a year between 1975 and 2004. His comedy specials were a mix of political stand-up comedy covering current events and musical parodies, in which Russell accompanied himself on his trademark piano. Russell's song parodies use melodies from old standards with new humorous lyrics pertinent to the subject matter.
For example, in 1990, following the execution of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
, Russell did a parody song on his show to the tune of "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." ("Pardon me, boys / Are you the cats who shot Ceauşescu / You made my day / The way you blew him away.") Russell himself admits that most of his jokes and songs are very topical and have "a shelf life shorter than cottage cheese."
While Russell's humor is known for skewering Democrats and Republicans alike, his humorous tirades have also poked fun at third party
Third party (politics)
In a two-party system of politics, the term third party is sometimes applied to a party other than the two dominant ones. While technically the term is limited to the third largest party or third oldest party, it is common, though innumerate, shorthand for any smaller party.For instance, in the...
, independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
politicians and other prominent political (and sometimes non-political) figures.
Russell has often been asked the question, "Do you have any writers?" His standard response is "Oh, yes. I have 535 writers. 100 in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and 435 in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
!" When asked if his views on current events are too caustic, Russell replies, "I follow the old newsman's adage. As they say, 'I don't make the news. I just report it.' And in my case, I don't even make the jokes. I just report them as they masquerade as news."
For several years, on the Sunday before Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
, Russell has made an annual appearance on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
news program Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, which was hosted from 1991–2008 by Tim Russert
Tim Russert
Timothy John "Tim" Russert was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview...
, also a Canisius High graduate. He also served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Russell lives in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
but often makes appearances in his native Buffalo. Beginning in the early 1960s he was a regular entertainer at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. He gained national recognition with a series of comedy albums during the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
, and did his first public television show in 1975. From 1979 to 1984, he was a semi-regular host on the reality TV show, Real People
Real People
Real People is an NBC reality television series that aired from 1979 to 1984, on Wednesday and then Sunday nights. Its initial episodes aired live in the Eastern and Central Time Zones.-Synopsis:...
.
In 1994, Russell found himself unexpectedly allied with the rap group 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
, when the group was sued for copyright infringement for their parody of the song "Oh, Pretty Woman
Oh, Pretty Woman
"Oh, Pretty Woman" is a song, released in August 1964, which was a worldwide success for Roy Orbison. Recorded on the Monument Records label in Nashville, Tennessee, it was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees. The song spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100...
." The case went to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, where Russell and the members of 2 Live Crew argued that song parodies were protected under fair use
Fair use
Fair use is a limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. In United States copyright law, fair use is a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted material without acquiring permission from the rights holders...
. The Supreme Court agreed, and ruled in favor of Russell and 2 Live Crew (Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, 510 U.S. 569 was a United States Supreme Court copyright law case that established that a commercial parody can qualify as fair use...
).
In 2010, Russell announced his retirement from public performances and made his last public performance July 2010 in Chautauqua, New York
Chautauqua, New York
Chautauqua is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, U.S. . The population was 4,666 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains 'bag tied in the middle'...
. He continues to write political humor for various venues.
Quotes
- Early in the ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
administration, there was a news story about a power problem at the White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
which was causing the lights to dim, etc. Russell remarked, "Of course, the last power shortage we had at the White House lasted four years!" - (On "trickle down" theory of economicsReaganomicsReaganomics refers to the economic policies promoted by the U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s, also known as supply-side economics and called trickle-down economics, particularly by critics...
): "Money held by someone like Nelson RockefellerNelson RockefellerNelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
will trickle down... trickle down... trickle down... to Jay RockefellerJay RockefellerJohn Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...
!" - "You've got the brain-washed, that's the Republicans, and the brain-dead, that's the Democrats!"
- (On The Exxon Valdez disaster) "ExxonExxonExxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
did not order the captain to deliberately ram the reef. If they did he would've missed!" - (On the day after the 1996 presidential election): "I believe that Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's second term will be good for business... my business!" - (from his 1989 Mark Russell at Memorial Hall in DaytonDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
)
-
- "I never went to college. I stopped telling people I didn't attend college when it suddenly dawned on me that no one was particularly surprised."
- "I try to motivate those graduates; I tell them to be prepared for a few surprises. For instance, this summer when you order a pizza, don't be surprised if it's delivered by one of your professors!"
- "We love our children, but it's weird when you consider that in the next century, you're going to have people in nursing homes with names like Heather and Debbie."
- "Most of you in here are of my vintage: we're ignored by the media. Born in the DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and made to feel guilty about it. Oh, sure, we had T-shirts, but what was written on them? Nothing! We didn't have enough imagination to put anything on a goddamn T-shirt!"- (To the class of 1990 in his "end of the 80s" PBS special)
- "You say Jonas SalkJonas SalkJonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist, best known for his discovery and development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. He was born in New York City to parents from Ashkenazi Jewish Russian immigrant families...
played Columbo on television, you think William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
wrote BrigadoonBrigadoonBrigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
, and Catcher in the Rye was written by Pierre SalingerPierre SalingerPierre Emil George Salinger was a White House Press Secretary to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
. You say your teachers taught you those things; your teachers say, 'pay us more money and we'll start teaching the right answers'!" - "You, the class of 1990... How do you feel about your valedictorian with the 4.9 Grade Point Average who arrived in this country six months ago speaking no English in a rowboat from Saigon?"
- (On Dan QuayleDan QuayleJames Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
:) A reporter once asked vice-president Quayle, 'What would you do if you were suddenly thrust into the office of the presidency?' Quayle's answer: 'I would say a prayer.' (pregnant pause) OH-H-H, WOULDN'T WE ALL, MY FRIENDS??" - (On Michael DukakisMichael DukakisMichael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
during the 1988 Presidential campaign) "Dukakis is a little lacking in romance and poetry, you know? It's amazing; The one bland Greek in the world and he's running for president! Zorba the Clerk!" - (On George H. W. Bush's famous quote "Read my lips, no new taxes!") "Read my lips, they're going to raise the old ones!"
- (On Bill Clinton's impeachment trial) "Here is what I think will happen with the impeachment. I believe President Clinton will get off...Let me rephrase that."
- (On Dan Quayle
External links
- Mark Russell - The Laughter of Politics official site