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Heck of a Hobby

Lenny Travis insists stand-up comedy is now only hobby. He's happy in semi-retirement, but still scratches the itch to perform.

by Chuck king
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BOCA RATON – Most people try to find something they like and see whether they can turn that interest into a career.

Lenny Travis turned his career into a hobby.

A stand-up comic since 1979, Travis now only performs when and where it suits him.

“It’s a great f*cking hobby,” Travis said. “It’s such a fun hobby to do.”

A former writer for Rodney Dangerfield and touring partner of Richard Jeni, Travis reached heights most comics never see. But eight years ago Travis decided he’d had enough.

Like many New Yorkers, Travis retired to South Florida – Coconut Creek to be exact.

After more than three decades on the road, Travis is done with traveling.

“I only work Florida,” Travis said. “I only work south of Palm Beach.”

For 14 months, he didn’t perform at all.

Prescribed an immunosuppressant drug because of a skin condition, Travis elected avoid potentially COVID-infected rooms for more than a year.

One of the first to be fully vaccinated in Florida, Travis is performing once again.

He’d been on stage a few times over the past month, but Thursday’s show at the Biergarten in Boca Raton marked the first time he delivered a set longer than 20 minutes.

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“I consider it a giant victory,” Travis said afterward.

Travis headlined the show, taking the stage immediately following feature comic Perry Sak’s strong set.

“’I was using, probably, quadruple the energy and yelling it through the mic because I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be able to follow that guy.” said Travis, a friend of Sak’s for more than a decade. “Perry did so good. I’ve actually had weak sets after him.”

Travis kept the crowd’s attention, eliciting several applause breaks throughout his 40-minute set.

He still exuded energy well after leaving the stage.

“For as little as I work, it seems that I still get on stage a handful of times a month and out of those handfuls there will still be a magic set,” Travis said. “There will be a set where you get off stage and you go, this is f*cking amazing.”

Travis wasn’t certain when he’ll perform again – though he gave the impression that it will probably be fairly soon.

In the meantime, a healthy and happy Travis will continue to enjoy a retirement that includes weekends at the beach with his wife.

“I’m having the best time of my life,” Travis said. “I never thought life could be this good.”

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