Comedy, Drugs, and Rock ’n’ Roll
Kinison moved to LA in 1980 with the hopes of finding work at the one and only Comedy Store. Like many comics starting out, Kinison was a doorman at the Comedy Store for five years. He explained that he came out to LA, thinking, “I’ve got a couple of years that I can afford to do this; let’s see what we can do.”
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It was in LA that Kinison started living like a wannabe rock star. And what comes with the rock star package? Drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. It was the ‘80s, remember? Cocaine was pretty much everywhere.