Episode 59: Gilbert Gottfried / Myotonic Dystrophy

Doctor Vs Comedian

The guys start off the episode by discussing the career of Gilbert Gottfried and the recent documentary ‘Gilbert’ (00:51). They discuss how he often kept his private life out of the public eye, prior to the documentary. They discuss some things they did not know about him including his relationship with his wife and kids and his reputation amongst comedians as being frugal. They also chat about his roles in ‘Beverly Hills Cop 2’ and as Iago in ‘Aladdin’, as well as the duck from Aflac. They chat about how he was considered the ‘comic’s comic’ and how that reputation got him into hot water with jokes shortly after 9/11 (and how he followed it up with ‘The Aristocrats’ joke). The guys then mention how he was fired from being the Aflac duck after tweets joking about the Japanese tsunami. Then, Ali asks Asif about the disease Gilbert suffered from, myotonic dystrophy (21:16). Asif outlines first what myotonia is, and then describes the two types of myotonic dystrophy, Type 1 and the kind Gilbert suffered from, Type 2. Asif then takes an aside to discuss ventricular tachycardia, which is a known complication of myotonic dystrophy. He then describes the genetics of myotonic dystrophy and how we think the gene changes cause symptoms.

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Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay

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Show Notes:

• ‘Gilbert’ trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Uy88M3ymw
• Comedian Gilbert Gottfried died of rare, often overlooked disease: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/comedian-gilbert-gottfried-died-rare-often-overlooked-disease-rcna24129
• Myotonia on EMG:
• The myotonic dystrophies: molecular, clinical, and therapeutic challenges: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474442212702041?casa_token=gwoUb9Y9J3kAAAAA:fmanUIZXvjc9-nB3ZN-rqfRlvkbZQvtQS0lnO7qAqpj9iiOWiI0z53-JazyjCGW0baS3ofFgDdcJ