When he passed away in 2022, Gilbert Gottfried had over 50 years of being a stand-up comic under his belt. Having first tried stand-up when he was 15 at an open mic night, Gottfried managed to break out during the 1980’s comedy boom and went onto become one of the art form’s most distinctive – and hilarious – voices.
In all of those years, playing clubs and theaters all throughout the country and beyond, Gottfried never put out a comedy album. That’s because, according to his widow Dara Gottfried on her Instagram page, “he didn’t want to ‘use up his material.’” The only thing that he ever wound up releasing was a CD/DVD set of dirty jokes, entitled Dirty Jokes, in 2006. But his material never went beyond the stage or TV appearances.
That’s all about to change, as Dara Gottfried has partnered with Clown Jewels to release Gilbert Gottfried’s first album. With a title yet to be announced, the album will feature material that was shot for his 2017 documentary, Gilbert. Dara worked with the documentary’s director, Neil Berkeley, to pick the best material of the bunch to make its way onto the album.
In support of the release, there will be an event as part of the New York Comedy Festival at the Hard Rock in Times Square. During the event – which will include a Q and A and a panel moderated by Frank Santopadre, who co-hosted Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast – they will also debut a new short film featuring never-before-seen footage that was cut from the documentary. All proceeds will benefit the Gilbert Gottfried Myotonic Dystrophy Type Two Research Fund at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
The album will be released both digitally and on vinyl on November 13th.
