Bob Levy Gets Stood Up

By: Brett Hickman

Tuesday October 02, 2007

Reverend Bob Levy & Savanna Samson Make Beautiful Music Together - "Stood Up" Now On DVD
When I first heard that comedian "Reverend" Bob Levy was putting out Stood Up, a porn-comedy on DVD with the incredibly beautiful, enticing and irresistibly sexy Savanna Samson I knew I had my chance to talk to the subject of some of my fantasies (Savanna, not Levy. Sick bastards). The fact that I had interviewed and hung out with Levy in the past didn't hurt my chances of nabbing this golden opportunity, either. So I pursued an interview with Ms. Samson with dogged determination, finally getting the opportunity to talk to her the day before my birthday in June.

I was given a cell number to call Savanna and was both surprised and delighted to have her pick up directly. She was a pleasant, engaging person to have a conversation with. She discussed being a mother to her young child (we discussed parenting and keeping online porn out of children's viewing), tip-toed delicately around her recent separation from her husband, spoke with ebullience about her forays into wine-making and her company, Savanna Wines, whose debut red, Sogno Uno, rated high with a renowned wine expert/critic and Ms. Samson was the subject of a glowing feature write-up in the New York Times upon its release, raved about Howard Stern and having been a guest on his Sirius satellite radio show recently, her new interactive DVD Any Way You Want Me and how much fun it was to work with Levy on Stood Up (both DVDs are distributed through Vivid Video).

Sadly, my conversation with Ms. Samson, along with the one I did with Levy (as well as some great interviews with singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's Robert Levon Been and a rapper to be named later) was lost due to either a complete human error on my part or "ghosts in the machine" (I'll just blame Sting). Let's just call it a cock-up of the highest order. Or F.U.B.A.R. On top of that, the transcriptions of both interviews, along with the original article I had written, were lost in a computer crash after the interviews took place.

So what to do? Well, I owe Ms. Samson, the good "Reverend" and Vivid something in return for their kind gestures (let's just say that the two DVDs mentioned above make for some very "enjoyable" viewing), so here we are.

First, the DVD that got us all here to begin with, Stood Up. In the DVD, billed as an "autobiography" (all of it is in jest, of course) on "Reverend" Bob Levy's career, Levy tells an adoring fan the tales of how he's been ripped off by every big comedian in the business. The comedians in question range from Andrew "Dice" Clay to Jerry Seinfeld (portrayed as a waiter at a wedding reception who lifts Levy's "show about nothing" pilot script as Levy performs his routine). All of these situations are set up by Levy's scheming manager, played by Savanna. Thankfully, Levy never disrobes nor engages in any sexual activity on camera, but there is plenty of hot action in-between the clever (by porn standards) scripted sections. Frankly, Stood Up shows that porn has come a long way over the years. Now the acting sequences feel as natural as the wrap around segments of old HBO stand up comedy specials of the mid-late 1980s. Now, instead of 100 percent wooden interactions, you get something only partially detached from reality. That is, until the sex, which is fairly hot, if not a little too gynocological for the faint of heart. AVN gives it a rating of "AAAA" ... which I guess is good?


Then there's Savanna Wines. As mentioned previously, her Sogno Uno was received very favorably and has since sold out completely (as has Sogno Due, with a new wine out now). Ms. Samson told me that she hopes to go into wine making full time when her adult film career is over, though she may still choose to direct. Ms. Samson has continued to work with noted Italian winemaker and consultant Roberto Cipresso, blending local Italian grapes in new ways for new wines. She hopes to buy land in Italy instead of simply renting out space and eventually desires to live there full time. We have that in common.

Also of note is Savanna's first ever interactive DVD, Any Way You Want Me, which allows the viewer to "manipulate" her in three different characters: superstar stripper, business executive and desperate housewife. Options are available for the viewer to choose how they want Savanna to interact, either solo or with a partner. The AVN rating for this DVD is "AAAA" as well.

And then there's Bob Levy. Levy used to be a professional wrestler. He has been a stand-up comedian for years, with an act that is at once racy and raw but always incredibly funny. He's the official "Roast Master" of the Howard Stern show on Sirius satellite radio, producing the specials, helping choose who to roast and picking the panel of comedy roasters. Along with Howard 100 news' Shuli (also a comedian) and Jim Florentine (of TV's Crank Yankers), Levy co-hosts "The Miserable Men Show" on Sirius Channel 101 every Sunday from 7 - 9 PM EST. He is the favored opener for Stern show cast member Artie Lange. Levy is also the head of "The Killers of Comedy" (dubbed "The Hack Pack" by Lange), whose various members include Shuli, Stern show producers/cast members Sal "the Stockbroker" Governale, Richard Christy, Florentine, Yucko the Clown, Stern whack pack member Beetlejuice, former pro wrestler The Iron Sheik (new to the group) and others. He is a writer and regular part of "The Kidd Chris Show" on FM radio in Philadelphia, PA. He misspells words with a cavalier air of recklessness. An avid poster at Stern Fan Network, Levy can be found picking over the minutiae of the Stern show almost every day the show airs live (Monday - Thursday). He is a devoted father to his son. He eats blue cheese out of a female audience members' ass as a finale to his stand up act. He, along with the rest of the "Killers Of Comedy", always takes time out for his fans, posing for pictures, chatting endlessly with every last person who comes out to a gig, even hanging out after shows with them.

But most of all, "Reverend" (a nickname given to him by former Stern show writer/cast member Jackie "The Jokeman" Martlin) Bob Levy is an incredibly nice guy. He took time out of his busy schedule for this writer on multiple occasions and for that I am very grateful. Please take the opportunity to see Levy and his "Killers of Comedy" when they come to a town near you. As long as you can take Levy's and the guys' brand of comedy, you will have a rewarding evening. And be sure to say hi to Bob afterwards.