Del Close and John Brent were a comedy team who recorded the 1959 beatnik parody album How To Speak Hip for Chicago based Mercury Records.

Later on Close befriended, worked with, and quite often did copious amounts of drugs with the likes of Lenny Bruce, Wavy Gravy, the Grateful Dead, and the Merry Pranksters. As director of Chicago's infamous Second City improv troupe, Close mentored and inspired many of the country's greatest comedic talents including John Belushi, Bill Murray and Chris Farley before his death in 1999. His life and work are documented in a biography called "Guru".
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