Photo: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In memoriam · 1953–2018
Barry Crimmins
Stand-up comedian, political satirist and activist · Boston comedy pioneer · Subject of Call Me Lucky (2015)
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.
Who is Barry Crimmins?
Barry Crimmins (July 3, 1953 – February 28, 2018) was an American stand-up comedian, political satirist, activist and author. He grew up in Skaneateles, New York, started doing stand-up after high school and moved to Boston, where he became a central figure in the city’s comedy boom. In 1979 he co-founded the Ding Ho comedy club in a Chinese restaurant near Inman Square in Cambridge, and in the 1980s he co-founded Stitches in Boston. NPR reports that the comics he helped launch include Denis Leary, Paula Poundstone and Bobcat Goldthwait, and his Ding Ho stage also featured Steven Wright, Kevin Meaney and Jimmy Tingle. His stand-up and writing argued for political and social change. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, he spoke about it publicly in 1992 and went on to campaign against the sharing of child-abuse images online. In 1995 he testified before Congress about the problem and AOL’s chat rooms. Bobcat Goldthwait’s 2015 documentary Call Me Lucky tells his story. He died of cancer in Syracuse in 2018, at 64.
Sources: Wikipedia · New York Times obituary · NPR · WBUR · Call Me Lucky (Wikipedia)
Life and career
- 1953Born July 3 in Kingston, New York; at six his family moves to Skaneateles, New York
- 1971Finishes high school and starts doing stand-up, later moving to Boston
- 1979Co-founds the Ding Ho comedy club near Inman Square, Cambridge
- 1980sCo-founds the Boston comedy club Stitches
- 1992Speaks publicly on stage about the abuse he survived as a child (NYT)
- 1995Testifies before Congress about child-abuse images online and AOL chat rooms
- 2004Book: Never Shake Hands with a War Criminal (Seven Stories Press)
- 2013Guest on WTF with Marc Maron
- 2015Call Me Lucky premieres at Sundance (January); in theaters August 7
- 2016Records the special Whatever Threatens You in Lawrence, Kansas (June 4)
- 2017Marries photographer and font designer Helen Lysen (August, Chicago)
- 2018Dies of cancer on February 28 in Syracuse, age 64
Podcast & show guest appearances
Historical guest appearances by Barry Crimmins on other people’s podcasts, 2015–2018, newest first (archive episodes; all recorded before his death on February 28, 2018).
MyShowNotes ✓ full episode notes exist on MyShowNotes · Request show notes tap to ask us to write notes for that episode
We There Yet? WTY Podcast with Rich Kiamco
Kevin Meaney Tribute w Barry Crimmins Judy Tenuta Michele Balan Cory Kahaney Adam Sank Ep.22
What's So Funny?
What's So Funny? with guest Barry Crimmins – February 26, 2017
We There Yet? WTY Podcast with Rich Kiamco
Comedian Barry Crimmins new special produced by LouisCK + doc by Bobcat Goldthwait Ep18
Who's Headlining Anyway? Presented by The Comedy Zone
GUESTS: J. Anthony Brown, Barry Crimmins PT2
See all 13 guest appearances
Who's Headlining Anyway? Presented by The Comedy Zone
GUESTS: Barry Crimmins, Rory Scovel
Media Roots Radio
Interview with Stand-Up Comedian & Activist Barry Crimmins
Respect The Process
Bobcat Goldthwait Returns with Barry Crimmins' Docu "Call Me Lucky".
Each episode matched in the show’s own podcast feed.
Call Me Lucky (2015)
The documentary
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, who called Crimmins his mentor, Call Me Lucky follows his life in comedy and his fight against child abuse online, including his 1995 testimony. It premiered in the Documentary Competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and opened in theaters on August 7, 2015 (Wikipedia).
What critics said
Stephen Holden in the New York Times: “an earnest homage that also honors Mr. Crimmins’s crusade to drive child pornography off the Internet.” Odie Henderson at RogerEbert.com: “It remains an essential viewing experience.” Rotten Tomatoes lists it at 85% from critics.
Boston comedy
NPR says he “founded two clubs where new talent could take risks and grow.” The Ding Ho, set up in the back of a Chinese restaurant in Inman Square, became a home base for the city’s 1980s comics (NPR, WBUR).
Activism and honors
He received the Peace Leadership Award from Boston Mobilization for Survival, the Artist for Social Change Award from Community Works, and the Courage of Conscience Award, presented by Howard Zinn (The Peace Abbey) (Wikipedia). Albums: Strange Bedfellows (A&M) and Kill the Messenger (Green Linnet).
People
- Bobcat Goldthwait, director of Call Me Lucky and his longtime friend
- Denis Leary, Paula Poundstone and Steven Wright, Boston comics from his clubs (NPR)
- Helen Crimmins (née Lysen), his wife
- Howard Zinn, who presented his Courage of Conscience Award
- Marc Maron, who interviewed him on WTF (2013)
- Joe Rogan, who talked about his early-AOL work against child predators on The Joe Rogan Experience #2567 (official JRE channel, from about 45:00)
Places
- Kingston, New York (born)
- Skaneateles, New York (grew up)
- Ding Ho, Inman Square, Cambridge (co-founded 1979)
- Stitches, Boston (co-founded, 1980s)
- Lakewood, Ohio (lived there in the 1990s)
- Syracuse, New York (died 2018)
Specials, albums & books
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Without a verified product ID, Amazon links open a search for the title; availability varies.
- Call Me Lucky (documentary, 2015, dir. Bobcat Goldthwait) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
- Whatever Threatens You (stand-up special, taped June 4, 2016) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
- Strange Bedfellows (comedy album, A&M Records) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
- Kill the Messenger (comedy album, Green Linnet) · source: Wikipedia · Amazon search link
In memoriam
Barry Crimmins, 1953–2018
Born July 3, 1953, in Kingston, New York · Died February 28, 2018, in Syracuse, New York, age 64 (Wikipedia, New York Times)
No upcoming shows: Barry Crimmins died in 2018, so this page has no tour section. It remembers his work in comedy and his activism.
More on Barry Crimmins
Barry Crimmins FAQ
Who was Barry Crimmins?
An American stand-up comedian, political satirist and activist who helped build Boston’s 1980s comedy scene and campaigned against child abuse online.
When did Barry Crimmins die?
February 28, 2018, in Syracuse, New York, at age 64, of cancer.
How old was Barry Crimmins when he died?
64. He was born on July 3, 1953, in Kingston, New York, and died of cancer on February 28, 2018, in Syracuse. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikidata.
Was Barry Crimmins on The Joe Rogan Experience?
Not as a guest. Joe Rogan and Mariana van Zeller discussed him on JRE #2567, in a segment on sextortion and online child safety: how he exposed child predators in AOL chat rooms and testified to Congress in 1995.
What is Call Me Lucky about?
Bobcat Goldthwait’s 2015 documentary about Crimmins’s life in comedy, the abuse he survived as a child and his activism, including his 1995 testimony to Congress.
Which comedy clubs did Barry Crimmins found?
He co-founded the Ding Ho in Cambridge (1979) and Stitches in Boston (1980s).
Did Barry Crimmins write a book?
Yes: Never Shake Hands with a War Criminal (Seven Stories Press, 2004).
Spot something missing?
Know a credit, guest spot, or tour date we missed? Tell us and we’ll check it.
Request show notes
Official links
- Wikipedia
- New York Times obituary (2018)
- NPR: A mainstay of Boston’s comedy scene
- WBUR: An anchor of Boston comedy
- Call Me Lucky (Wikipedia)
- Call Me Lucky on Rotten Tomatoes
- New York Times review of Call Me Lucky
Disclaimer: Editorial memorial content. Every fact is cited to the sources linked above (Wikipedia, the New York Times, NPR, WBUR and film reviews). We do not fabricate quotes. Corrections are welcome through the form above.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Profiles and lists are not paid placements. Read our full disclosure.