The timing is ironic.
Colbert now has the highest rating in late night TV, eclipsing Jimmy Fallon.
Mort hasn't even guested on late night TV since Letterman, Colbert's replacement retired. He only appeared once or twice, and the last time was 16 years ago.
Mort made his fame, and the cover of Time, when Eisenhower was president. He made many albums at the time. When Kennedy came to office, Mort made two albums. When Johnson was president: one. Nixon? One. In the past 30 years: none.
Colbert was born when Johnson was president. An irony is that Mort's birthday is May 11 and Colbert's is May 13th.
Colbert's estimated net worth is $45 million.
If you still have respect for Mort, you don't discuss his finances, or what the situation would be if Leno, Woody and others hadn't ignored Mort's personality and instead remembered and supported his undeniable genius and his pioneering style in stand-up.
Today's headline? Colbert and Trump. Did any President ever get into a battle with Sahl? Perhaps it's because back then, nobody took what went on at the Hungry i or on a Verve record too seriously.
Trump turned to Twitter to regularly complain about Alec Baldwin's impersonation of him. Trump actually attempted to sue Jimmy Kimmel. Bill Maher, who gave Obama a million dollar donation, is widely considered one of the "sons of Mort Sahl." And to his credit Seth Meyers actually attempted to book Mort, only for Mort to snub the scheduled booking with only a few days notice. Mort was not ill; he performed his regular gig in front of a few dozen people in Mill Valley a few days later.
Colbert and Maher have both published books.
It's safe to say NOBODY owns a book from the company that published Sahl's biography, and it will be hard to find in any bookstore.
Yesterday, less than a dozen people wished Mort a Happy Birthday, free on Twitter. A few dozen bothered to "like" Mort's Tweet about the publication of his book, timed to arrive for his 90th.
Meanwhile, the iconoclast Stephen Colbert has been the subject of #fireStephenColbert hashtag rage on Twitter, millions watch his show every night, and today's headlines are all about what Trump said about him, and his response.
Well, times change. Some don't remember Mike Nichols on stage and barely remember his credits as one of the nation's finest directors. They don't know what "phone routines" are, and how they made Berman and Newhart famous. They don't remember the headlines made between Jackie Mason and Ed Sullivan. Rappers who say "Nigga" don't own Dick Gregory's autobiography which shocked the world by its title. Lenny Bruce may still be a name Millennials have heard of but they couldn't tell you much about him. Lord Buckley? Will Rogers? The excuse CBS gave for firing the Smothers Brothers? Ancient history.
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