Baby-boomers all know Don Rickles as the acid-tongued troll who sat on Johnny's couch ragging on everyone in sight, including Carson himself, who used to just crumple into giggles through the verbal sorties. (I must admit, though, as a kid watching the black-and-white in the basement, I never understood how Rickles could get guffaws by simply calling someone a "hockey puck.") Rickles was (still is) the definitive "insult comic" — perhaps the only one ever to build an entire set around ripping on folks. He's closing in on 80 now, but one can only presume that his wit is still honed, his fangs still sharp. The comic always balanced his venom by making himself one of his targets, but the boomers and blue-hairs in the first few rows will all wear bullseyes. Michael Amante, a budding classical crossover singer, opens the show. Thurs., Feb. 2, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $35-$75, 727-791-7400, www.rutheckerdhall.com.
This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2006.