He was the star and co-creator of Rescue Me, which ended its seventh and final season on September 7, 2011. Leary has starred in many motion pictures, most recently as Captain George Stacy in Marc Webb's 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man, Cleveland Browns Head Coach Vince Penn in Ivan Reitman's 2014 film Draft Day, and the voice of Diego in the Ice Age franchise. As of 2015, he wrote and has been starring in the comedy series Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which premiered on FX on July 16.
Leary has appeared as an actor in more than 40 films, including The Sandlot, as Scott's stepfather Bill, Monument Ave., The Matchmaker, The Ref, Draft Day, Suicide Kings, Dawg, Wag the Dog, Demolition Man, Judgment Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Operation Dumbo Drop. He had a tiny part in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers which was eventually cut. He held the lead role in two television series, The Job and Rescue Me; he co-created the latter, in which he played Tommy Gavin, a New York City firefighter dealing with alcoholism, family dysfunction and other issues in post-9/11 New York City. He received Emmy Award nominations in 2006 and 2007 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Rescue Me, and in 2008 for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie for the HBO movie Recount.[19] Leary was offered the role of Dignam in The Departed (2006) but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with Rescue Me. He provided voices for characters in animated films, such as a fire-breathing dragon named Flame in the series The Agents, a pugnacious ladybug named Francis in A Bug's Life and a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger named Diego in the Ice Age film series. He has produced numerous movies, television shows, and specials through his production company, Apostle; these include Comedy Central's Shorties Watchin' Shorties, the stand-up special Denis Leary's Merry F#$%in' Christmas, and the movie Blow.
As a Boston Red Sox fan, he narrated the official 2004 World Series film (Q Video/MLB Productions, 2004). In 2006, Leary and Lenny Clarke appeared on television during a Red Sox telecast and, upon realizing that Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis is Jewish, delivered a criticism of Mel Gibson's antisemitic comments. As an ice hockey fan, Leary hosted the National Hockey League video NHL's Greatest Goals.[citation needed] In 2003, he was the subject of the Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary.[21]
Leary did the TV voiceover for MLB 2K8 advertisements, where he used his trademark rant style in baseball terms, and ads for the 2009 Ford F-150 pickup truck.[citation needed] He has also appeared in commercials for Hulu and DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package.[citation needed] Leary was a producer of the Fox Broadcasting series Canterbury's Law, and wrote and directed its pilot episode. Canterbury's Law aired in the spring of 2008 and was canceled after eight episodes. On September 9, 2008, Leary hosted the sixth annual Fashion Rocks event, which aired on CBS. In December of the year, he appeared in a video on funnyordie.com critiquing a list of some of his "best" films, titled "Denis Leary Remembers Denis Leary Movies".[22] Also in 2008, Leary voiced a guest role as himself on the "Lost Verizon" episode of The Simpsons.
On March 21, 2009, Leary began the "Rescue Me Comedy Tour" in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 11-date tour, featuring Rescue Me co-stars Lenny Clarke and Adam Ferrara, was Leary's first stand-up comedy tour in 12 years.[citation needed] The Comedy Central special Douchebags and Donuts, filmed during the tour, debuted on American television January 16, 2011, with a DVD release on January 18, 2011.[23]
He played Captain George Stacy in the movie The Amazing Spider-Man, released in July 2012.[24] He is writing the American adaptation of Sirens.[25]
Leary is one of the executive producers of the documentary BURN, which chronicles the struggles of the Detroit Fire Department. BURN made its debut on April 23, 2012, at the Tribeca Film Festival.[citation needed]
Leary has created a new television series for FX, in which he also stars in the lead role, called Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. A 10-episode first season has been ordered by FX, which premiered on July 16, 2015.
Death
Denis Leary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what's wrong with this country. We always shoot the wrong guys. We shoot JFK, we shoot RFK, and it comes to Teddy, we go, "Ahh, leave him alone. He'll fuck it up himself, no problem. You know?" Biggest target in the whole God damn Kennedy family. He weighs about seven thousand pounds. You could shoot a bullet in Los Angeles and hit him in the ass in Boston five minutes later. He'd be standing on the lawn at the Kennedy compound going, "Ah Ah Ah Ah There's a bullet in my ass. Ah Ah ah ah"
Ted Kennedy. Good senator, but a bad date. You know what I'm saying, folks? One of those guys who gets home at four o'clock in the morning and goes, "What did I forget? Oh! The fucking girl! What's the matter with me? Jesus, where are my pants!? Holy shit!"
Because I'll tell you folks. We got a real problem with guns in this country. We have people snapping almost twice, three, four, five times a year. Right? People just snap. They can't take it anymore. They just snap, they go into McDonalds and kill fifteen people. I mean what the fuck is going on down at the post office? Every six months some guy gets fired, comes back and kills all his co-workers. If I worked at the post office as a supervisor, I wouldn't lay anybody off for the next twenty-five fucking years. I'd just walk around going, "Hanrahan, what're you doing?" "Nothing." "Well, keep it up, you're doing a great job! Jesus. I'll tell ya."
Hey! I just moved here four years ago, and I'm not leaving, because this is the most exciting place in the world to live. Oh yeah! Yeah! There are so many ways to die in New York City, come on! Race riots, drive by shootings, subway crashes, construction cranes collapsing on the sidewalks, manhole covers blowing up, asbestos shooting into the sky.
We had a subway crash here a couple of years ago. Five people died. The next day they found the driver was drunk and hooked on crack. Folks, this makes Disneyland look like a fucking bike ride, doesn't it? "Your drive today is Edward. He's drunk and hooked on crack. The man sitting next to you has a loaded nine-millimeter. Good luck, folks!" "Honey, get the camera! This is gonna be fucking great!"
Yeah, I love living in New York, man, and people who live in New York, we wear that fact like a badge right on our sleeve because we know that fact impresses everybody! "I was in Vietnam." "So what? I live in New York!" "Really?"
Yeah, because new york teaches you to live life the way it should be lived. Moment to moment. Yes, because every moment in New York could be your last. Oh yeah, yeah. You could be walking down the street tomorrow, feeling good about yourself, drink free, drug free, looking forward to the future and somebody accidently nudges their poodle off of a 75th floor ledge. Doink! And he's headed for the ground at a hundred and seventy five thousand miles per hour. And curchunk he's impeded in your head! You're dead on contact. The headline in the Post the next day reads, "Man killed by best friend." People cut the article out and they laugh about it at the office and you're forever remembered as the poodle man! "I knew the poodle man and he hated fucking poodles."
New York teaches you to live life moment to moment and street by street and beat to beat. Because we've all played that street game in New York, haven't we? Yes we have. Good block. Bad block. Ooooh. Good block. Bad block. OoooOoooh. Gun block. Crack block. OoooOoooh. Asbestos block. Poodle block! Poodle block!
Because most people think, "Life sucks, and then you die." I disagree. I think life sucks, then you get cancer. Then you go into chemotherapy. You lose all your hair, you feel bad about yourself. Then all of the sudden the cancer goes into remission. You look good you feel good, you're going great, and all of the sudden you have a stroke. You can't move your right side. And one day you step off the curb at 68th by Lincoln Center and bang, you get hit by a bus. And then, maybe, you die.
Because I think Jim Hensen said it best when he said, "Anybody got any aspirin? I think I got a cold." And a chill filled the room. We all have this incredible attachment to the Muppets, don't we? "We love the muppets! They're so cute!" Did you hear about Jim Hensen's funeral? Here in New York City, huh? Kermit the frog and Big Bird sang "It's not easy being green" at Jim Hensen's funeral. If I'm fifty-six years old when I kick the bucket and a fucking sock is singing at my funeral, I'm gonna pop out of the coffin and go, "Hey! What the hell is this about? Sammy Davis Jr. gets Frank Sinatra, and I get a fucking sock!? I'm really pissed off now!"
In Denis Leary's song "Death," he expresses frustration with the way his generation is blamed for the state of the planet and called the "TV generation." He uses humor and satire to point out the absurdity of many societal issues, such as the way we shoot the wrong people and the prevalence of violence associated with guns. He also defends New York City as an exciting and vibrant place to live, despite its dangers.
Leary's lyrics are full of contradictions and irony, such as the way he both defends and critiques his generation. He points out the way they were shaped by the media, for example, referencing the live broadcast of Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination. He also critiques the way some individuals snap and commit horrific acts of violence, but pokes fun at the absurdity of the situation, such as suggesting that supervisors at the post office should never lay anyone off to avoid potential violence. Ultimately, Leary paints a picture of a complex and contradictory society, one in which people living in New York City wear their enthusiasm for life there like a badge of honor, despite all the ways they could die at any moment.
Overall, Leary's lyrics are both humorous and insightful, using satire and irony to draw attention to the absurdities of modern life. He pokes fun at societal issues while also expressing frustration and anger at the way we sometimes treat each other and behave as a culture.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sick and tired of my generation getting blamed for the state of the planet.
Denis Leary is annoyed that his generation is being held responsible for the problems on Earth.
I'm sick of my generation getting called the TV generation.
Denis Leary is tired of his generation being labeled as the group that only watches TV.
"Well all you guys do is watch TV." What did you expect!? We watched Lee Harvey Oswald get shot live on TV one Sunday morning, we were afraid to change the fucking channel for the next thirty years. "This show sucks."
Denis Leary explains that his generation watched important historical events on TV and were afraid to change the channel for fear of missing anything.
"Yeah, but somebody might get shot during the commercial. Now hang on!"
Denis Leary highlights the paranoia his generation had during important events, to the point where they were afraid to even watch commercials for fear of missing something.
That's what's wrong with this country. We always shoot the wrong guys.
Denis Leary believes that the United States shoots the wrong people.
We shoot JFK, we shoot RFK, and it comes to Teddy, we go, "Ahh, leave him alone. He'll fuck it up himself, no problem. You know?"
Denis Leary is criticizing the way some people reacted and treated members of the Kennedy family.
Biggest target in the whole God damn Kennedy family. He weighs about seven thousand pounds. You could shoot a bullet in Los Angeles and hit him in the ass in Boston five minutes later. He'd be standing on the lawn at the Kennedy compound going, "Ah Ah Ah Ah There's a bullet in my ass. Ah Ah ah ah"
Denis Leary is making fun of Teddy Kennedy's weight and perceived lack of importance compared to his brothers, while suggesting a hypothetical situation where he is shot.
Ted Kennedy. Good senator, but a bad date. You know what I'm saying, folks? One of those guys who gets home at four o'clock in the morning and goes, "What did I forget? Oh! The fucking girl! What's the matter with me? Jesus, where are my pants!? Holy shit!"
Denis Leary comments on Ted Kennedy's womanizing ways and uses humor to poke fun at his behavior.
Because I'll tell you folks. We got a real problem with guns in this country. We have people snapping almost twice, three, four, five times a year. Right?
Denis Leary is highlighting the issue of guns in America and how people seem to snap and commit mass shootings on a regular basis.
People just snap. They can't take it anymore. They just snap, they go into McDonalds and kill fifteen people.
Denis Leary exemplifies how some people reach breaking point, snapping and doing terrible things, like going to a McDonalds and killing a large group of people.
I mean what the fuck is going on down at the post office? Every six months some guy gets fired, comes back and kills all his co-workers.
Denis Leary is pointing out how frequently there are mass shootings in certain places, specifically mentioning the post office as a common site for such events.
If I worked at the post office as a supervisor, I wouldn't lay anybody off for the next twenty-five fucking years. I'd just walk around going, "Hanrahan, what're you doing?" "Nothing." "Well, keep it up, you're doing a great job! Jesus. I'll tell ya."
Denis Leary makes a joke about how he would deal with gun violence in the workplace if it were up to him, suggesting that he would never fire anyone to avoid them coming back for revenge.
And I am sick and tired for New York City taking the blame for the crime problem.
Denis Leary argues that New York City is being unfairly blamed for having a crime problem.
You know, whenever you read a fact chart, it always says Detroit leads the world in rape and murder and everything else, but New York takes the blame.
Denis Leary is claiming that other cities with high crime rates are not called out for their problem and that New York City is merely taking the blame for everyone else.
"New York's a cess pool. It's a cess pool of filth and crime. We're moving."
Denis Leary is satirizing people who badmouth New York City and want to move away because of its perceived problems.
Hey! I just moved here four years ago, and I'm not leaving, because this is the most exciting place in the world to live.
Denis Leary is passionate about living in New York City and argues that it's the best place to live if you are looking for excitement.
Oh yeah! Yeah! There are so many ways to die in New York City, come on! Race riots, drive by shootings, subway crashes, construction cranes collapsing on the sidewalks, manhole covers blowing up, asbestos shooting into the sky.
Denis Leary presents his point of view that New York City is exciting because of all the potential dangers and risks one can encounter living there.
We had a subway crash here a couple of years ago. Five people died. The next day they found the driver was drunk and hooked on crack.
Denis Leary points out a specific example of a subway crash in New York City and makes fun of the fact that the driver was drunk and addicted to crack.
Folks, this makes Disneyland look like a fucking bike ride, doesn't it? "Your drive today is Edward. He's drunk and hooked on crack. The man sitting next to you has a loaded nine-millimeter. Good luck, folks!" "Honey, get the camera! This is gonna be fucking great!"
Denis Leary is exaggerating the excitement and danger that comes with living in New York City, making it sound like an amusement park ride.
Yeah, I love living in New York, man, and people who live in New York, we wear that fact like a badge right on our sleeve because we know that fact impresses everybody! "I was in Vietnam." "So what? I live in New York!" "Really?"
Denis Leary wears his love for New York City on his sleeve and believes that it's more impressive than other experiences, like going to war in Vietnam.
Yeah, because new york teaches you to live life the way it should be lived. Moment to moment. Yes, because every moment in New York could be your last.
Denis Leary describes how living in New York City teaches people to live in the present moment and appreciate life because it could end at any moment.
Oh yeah, yeah. You could be walking down the street tomorrow, feeling good about yourself, drink free, drug free, looking forward to the future and somebody accidently nudges their poodle off of a 75th floor ledge. Doink! And he's headed for the ground at a hundred and seventy five thousand miles per hour. And curchunk he's impeded in your head! You're dead on contact. The headline in the Post the next day reads, "Man killed by best friend." People cut the article out and they laugh about it at the office and you're forever remembered as the poodle man! "I knew the poodle man and he hated fucking poodles."
Denis Leary uses a humorous and absurd example to underscore the idea that nobody knows when or how their life will end in New York City.
New York teaches you to live life moment to moment and street by street and beat to beat.
Denis Leary explains how living in New York City helps people learn to live in the present moment and take life one step at a time.
Because we've all played that street game in New York, haven't we? Yes we have. Good block. Bad block. Ooooh. Good block. Bad block. OoooOoooh. Gun block. Crack block. OoooOoooh. Asbestos block. Poodle block! Poodle block!
Denis Leary compares living in New York City to a game, with various obstacles like guns, drugs, and asbestos that can appear at any moment.
Because most people think, "Life sucks, and then you die." I disagree. I think life sucks, then you get cancer. Then you go into chemotherapy. You lose all your hair, you feel bad about yourself. Then all of the sudden the cancer goes into remission. You look good you feel good, you're going great, and all of the sudden you have a stroke. You can't move your right side. And one day you step off the curb at 68th by Lincoln Center and bang, you get hit by a bus. And then, maybe, you die.
Denis Leary argues that life is hard, and that unexpected and terrible things can happen to you at any moment.
Because I think Jim Hensen said it best when he said, "Anybody got any aspirin? I think I got a cold." And a chill filled the room.
Denis Leary quotes the late Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, and suggests that even he succumbed to the harshness of life by getting sick.
We all have this incredible attachment to the Muppets, don't we? "We love the muppets! They're so cute!" Did you hear about Jim Hensen's funeral? Here in New York City, huh? Kermit the frog and Big Bird sang "It's not easy being green" at Jim Hensen's funeral. If I'm fifty-six years old when I kick the bucket and a fucking sock is singing at my funeral, I'm gonna pop out of the coffin and go, "Hey! What the hell is this about? Sammy Davis Jr. gets Frank Sinatra, and I get a fucking sock!? I'm really pissed off now!"
Denis Leary draws a connection between life's difficulties and how we respond to death by joking about Jim Henson's funeral and how he would react if a sock puppet sang at his own funeral.
Contributed by Gianna Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.