What better way to honor improv guru Del Close than with a post about a spoken word record he released in 1959? With an entire three-day marathon of improv, you say? Maybe. But sadly, the Del Close Marathon only comes once a year. Until DCM16, pick up a copy of How to Speak Hip, a hilarious satire of language-learning manuals. Del plays the teacher, instructing the listener on the language and lifestyle of the ellusive “hipster†that was such a popular subculture at the time. With John Brent playing the hipster, Del walks the listener through basic vocabulary and follows Brent through a typical beatnik day. Not only is it a blast from the past, when “dig it†was considered “hip slang,†but it is also an interesting and genuinely enjoyable piece of comedic history, as most things that Del worked on have become. Order a copy on Amazon and cling tightly to it as you count down the days until the next “improv Christmas.â€
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