Stark Naked

Ric Masten (1930-2008) was a stand-up poet, a teller of tales. His humorous anecdotes, pointed stories and accurate observations speak to the human condition. In performance, Masten was funny and poignant by turn and his material was always improvised, which made every program different and gave each audience a sense of being engaged in a relevant conversation rather than witnessing a one-man show. Since 1966, Ric Masten traveled across the United States, Canada and England speaking to and performing for hundreds of conferences, colleges, schools, churches and service clubs. He has been called a "serious humorist," an after-dinner philosopher," a "motivational lyricist" - likened to such notables as Will Rogers and Ogden Nash. As a published author, he has 23 books to his credit and his work has been included in scores of interpersonal communication, psychology and public speaking textbooks. However, a Ric Masten piece was primarily composed to be spoken rather than printed - performed rather than perused. He wanted his material to be completely accessible to the ear of the casual listener and, in fact, said his favorite audience was made up of people who would normally regard thirty minutes with a poet as cruel and unusual punishment.