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Roasting a comic, they turn up the flames, gently
Friends hold back some fire in a slick tribute to Denis Leary
By Nick A. Zaino III, Globe Correspondent, 8/10/2003
 enis Leary would seem to be an easy target for a roast at this point in his career. He has spent the better part of it dropping bombs on everyone else -- celebrities, vegetarians, nonsmokers, no one is immune -- while appearing in box-office stinkers such as ''Operation Dumbo Drop'' and ''Two If by Sea.''
Still, unlike last year's roast of Chevy Chase, most of the comedians in line to pay Leary back in June at his Comedy Central-sponsored roast (it airs tonight on the cable channel at 10 p.m.) are longtime friends, many from the Boston comedy scene where Leary got his start. The roasters -- including Lenny Clarke, Adam Ferrara, Mario Cantone, Colin Quinn, Don Gavin, Nick DiPaolo, Ed Lover and Dr. Dre, and host Jeff Garlin -- all have close ties to Leary, some going back to his days as a student at Emerson College. Comedian Dane Cook was the only one who seemed out of place.
The atmosphere at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom was a departure from previous roasts, partly because Comedy Central hired Leary's company, Apostle, to produce the event, forgoing the traditional Friars Club approach. The result is a much hipper affair. Black ties and cigars are mostly gone, replaced by concert lighting and chic urban attire. Before the show, a White Stripes CD blasted from onstage speakers and celebrities such as Kiefer Sutherland, Elizabeth Hurley, and cast members of ''The Sopranos'' kibitzed at a trendy-looking bar.
Given the amount of dirt the presenters have on Leary, most of the jabs on the show are surprisingly gentle. Nearly everyone takes shots at Leary's film choices and his TV spots shilling for Quaker State. DiPaolo is the only take-no-prisoners roaster, however, taking aim not only at Leary but the whole dais. Cantone (who endures a night full of gay jokes) questions Leary's sexual orientation, daring Leary to kiss him on the lips. The roastee obliges.
Some of the taped spots get the biggest laughs. Leary's cousin, Conan O'Brien, praises Leary profusely for his integrity while cutting back and forth to a Quaker State ad, ending his salute with ''Thanks for keeping it real.'' Jon Stewart sends a message saying he could have been there but decided to stay home and stare at the walls instead. Christopher Walken, a costar of Leary's in the film ''Suicide Kings,'' questions Leary's tough-guy reputation, calling him a ''delicious mush puff.'' Actress Rene Russo, who worked with Leary on ''The Thomas Crown Affair,'' delivered the crudest of the spots, which was edited for the broadcast. Michael J. Fox, Joe Mantegna, and Gilbert Gottfried (as the voice of Leary's Irish wolfhound) also contribute taped spots.
Leary gets his chance to respond, warily staring down a standing ovation. But he spends most of his time on fond recollections of the bunch before him rather than on true character assassination.
Some of the best moments didn't make the final cut. Clarke, for example, delivered the most stinging barb, saying there was a carton of cigarettes backstage from the late comedian Bill Hicks with the message, ''Wish I had gotten these to you sooner.'' (Some comedy insiders contend that Leary's chain-smoking, rock 'n' roll persona was lifted directly from Hicks, who died of cancer in 1994.) DiPaolo, meanwhile, opened his set with the jab: ''Why are we roasting you? You're Irish. Shouldn't we be boiling you?''
The surprise of the night is Jim Breuer, showing up with his heavy metal band to ambush Leary with his signature tune, ''The [Expletive] Song,'' after Leary had wrapped up his response to the roasters. By the time Breuer took the stage, most people had begun to file out. They quickly returned for one last blast of noise. Tonight's broadcast captures that nicely, an awkward ending to a night of lovingly busted chops.
The Denis Leary Roast at Hammerstein in New York airs tonight at 10 on Comedy Central
This story ran on page N3 of the Boston Globe on 8/10/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
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