Topic: Stand-up Comedians (Read 34315 times)

pharmmajor · « **Reply #50 on:** 08 Mar 2009, 16:53 »

Quote from: öde on 08 Mar 2009, 11:41

That's because he's just not very good at delivering Bill Hicks lines.

During the early 90s, many comedians were doing jokes on the same subjects, so I'm not surprised there was some overlap.

I always thought Bill Hicks was a hostile, arrogant, misanthropic prick, and never found him funny. So if Denis did take some of Hicks' material, he did a far better job with it.

elcapitan · « **Reply #51 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 05:43 »

Quote from: pharmmajor on 08 Mar 2009, 16:53

During the early 90s, many comedians were doing jokes on the same subjects, so I'm not surprised there was some overlap.

I always thought Bill Hicks was a hostile, arrogant, misanthropic prick, and never found him funny. So if Denis did take some of Hicks' material, he did a far better job with it.

I hereby exercise my Internet right to tell you that you are as wrong as wrong can be.

Bill Hicks is an absolute comic genius, and the fact that he often comes across as a "hostile, arrogant, misanthropic prick" is one of the reasons that I find him so timelessly hilarious. Denis Leary has produced exactly one thing that made me laugh: the song Asshole. The rest of his work is about as funny as a prostate exam - specifically, one that's happening to me.

pharmmajor · « **Reply #52 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 06:54 »

Quote from: elcapitan on 09 Mar 2009, 05:43

I hereby exercise my Internet right to tell you that you are as wrong as wrong can be.

Bill Hicks is an absolute comic genius, and the fact that he often comes across as a "hostile, arrogant, misanthropic prick" is one of the reasons that I find him so timelessly hilarious. Denis Leary has produced exactly one thing that made me laugh: the song Asshole. The rest of his work is about as funny as a prostate exam - specifically, one that's happening to me.

Well, that's a point we disagree on, then.

This could've gone much worse. A guy once threatened to punch me when I said I didn't think Andy Kaufman was that funny.

ImRonBurgundy? · « **Reply #53 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 15:34 »

The point of Andy Kaufman was not to be "funny" per se.

Shaztastic · « **Reply #54 on:** 09 Mar 2009, 16:00 »

I like a comedian called tommy teirnan he's got perfect irish humour. I think lee evans does perfect slapstick humour. I also quite like russel brand and chris rock

(i'm not hugely into comedy these are mainly acts i've seen on telly except tommy teirnan)

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #55 on:** 12 Mar 2009, 11:43 »

Mike Dobbins is intensely weird and certainly not everyone's cup of tea but I think he's pretty brilliant. He performed at my school last night (we have comedians every Wednesday, mostly from NYC but generally really legit guys who've performed at national comedy fests and had comedy central specials and whatnot). His set was utterly bizarre but truly hilarious. Well worth checking out.

yellowfoliage · « **Reply #56 on:** 17 Mar 2009, 08:03 »

Where's the love for Patton Oswalt? Dude never fails to make me laugh, and I would put him in the same class as Mitch Hedberg and Louis CK. His bits about Paris Hilton and the KFC Famous Bowl are particularly great.

Also, I love Norm MacDonald, David Cross (when he's not too full of himself), and Andy Kaufman, if we are considering what he did to be comedy. And John Caparulo is pretty good.

Thiefree · « **Reply #57 on:** 20 Mar 2009, 15:40 »

Eddie Izzard and Bill Bailey are my favourites, but I've pretty much seen all their best stuff, so I'm always casting around for new ones.

Russell Howard is adorable and goofy,
Tim Minchin is a musical genius,
Shappi Khorsandi is much underrated in my opinion, and possibly the only truly funny stand-up comedienne I've ever seen (YMMV).

onewheelwizzard · « **Reply #58 on:** 21 Mar 2009, 20:03 »

Nobody's talked about Doug Stanhope yet. He's kind of like a more abrasive and less optimistic Bill Hicks. At the least, Bill Hicks had strong feelings regarding the positive potential of human evolution. Doug Stanhope is generally a misanthropic prick, if a little bit too self-deprecating to be arrogant and a little too depressed to be hostile. However, he can be pretty damn entertaining sometimes, and he makes a good point rather more often than some people would even necessarily be comfortable with.

I just got an album of his, and I ended up liking it, so I put it on the mediafire thread.

Avec · « **Reply #59 on:** 22 Mar 2009, 18:07 »

George Carlin.

KvP · « **Reply #60 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 08:32 »

Jeff Dunham is about to become completely inescapable.

Also, most-watched Comedy Central show ever? Highest-grossing comedian of the year? Really, America? This guy? The puppet comedian with his own wine?

Trollstormur · « **Reply #61 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 08:35 »

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh

Josefbugman · « **Reply #62 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 11:05 »

Why is he even popular? But then again, if he can make this much cash out of foolish people then more power to you.

Also, bill Bailey, utterly funny as well as Ross Noble for sheer "what the hell" sort of quality.

SirJuggles · « **Reply #63 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 14:40 »

Meh. What is it with this current phenomenon of mediocre comics suddenly popping into the mainstream? I mean, Jeff Dunham wasn't a bad comic. He had a gimmick. I remember watching his routine more than a year ago and thinking "Hm. That was fairly funny. Now on to something else." But then a few months later one of my friends asked me if I had seen the puppet guy. And then another one. And another one. Soon they were all quoting Achmed, who I swear to God is not his best material. I just don't get it.

It's like Dane Cook all over again. In the beginning, he wasn't a terrible comic. He was obnoxious and had poor timing, but he had that simple lowest-common-denominator charm. But with Cook and Dunham, the public seemed to latch on to a few of their stories, and all of a sudden they're pushed in to putting out a bunch of new material to replace their old, comfortable routine. And they just don't have the talent for that.

Alex C · « **Reply #64 on:** 23 Mar 2009, 15:36 »

It's not a current phenomenon. It's a long tradition.

Also, don't make the mistake that some of my Bill Hicks superfan friends make; the intensity with which you like your favorite comic is a poor indicator for how much a casual fan may care for their favorite comics. Popularity is a good indicator of popularity and little more. Many of Dunham's fans will be people that could probably find a comic they liked even more if they went out and did the homework required to find someone who matched their own sensibilities better. But Dunham is popular, so that means more people will find out about the guy and appreciate his act even if there is a theoretical Comic X who is perfect for them.

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #65 on:** 25 Mar 2009, 07:03 »

Quote from: Inlander on 17 Feb 2009, 00:07

I really like Josie Long. There are funnier comedians out there, but she's pretty much completely adorable and she manages to be really funny without taking any cheap shots or being mean about anyone.

She was on Never Mind The Buzzcocks and she asked, sweetly, adorably and totally cute whether Stephen Fry would be willing to adopt one or all of them.

It really was a perfect TV moment.

öde · « **Reply #66 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 05:11 »

Quote from: onewheelwizzard on 21 Mar 2009, 20:03

Nobody's talked about Doug Stanhope yet.

I'm enjoying the videos on youtube!

Beautiful Maladies · « **Reply #67 on:** 26 Mar 2009, 23:04 »

Some of my favorite comedians still around are people like the already mentioned Zach Galifianakis, Patton Oswalt, and Eugene Mirman.

although my most recent interest in the comedy realm is Doug Benson; he's a talking head on Best Week Ever and and has done some other miscellaneous stuff, but I didn't develop much interest until I saw his stand-up and the extensive interviews they had with him on the documentary he starred in about marijuana. I caught him in Austin a few weeks ago and he made me laugh all night long and was super nice afterwards when we wanted to talk.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #68 on:** 27 Mar 2009, 06:37 »

Yeah, Doug Benson is surprisingly funny considering how pot-centric his material is.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #69 on:** 01 Apr 2009, 09:06 »

Nah, I've been too busy with schoolwork to watch stand-up comedy. That, and I'm not a huge fan of Stephen Lynch.

Catacombs · « **Reply #70 on:** 01 Apr 2009, 16:55 »

I like a bunch of comedians, but one I recently started getting into is Russel Brand. If any of you get the Comedy Central network, keep an eye out for his special that was on a month or two ago, it's probably on repeats. He's got some seriously funny shit. (If you don't know him by name, he's the asshole Albus Snow English guy from Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Arkvoodle · « **Reply #71 on:** 02 Apr 2009, 20:07 »

Steven Wright

John Pinette

George Carlin (may he rest in peace)

Lewis Black

TheFuriousWombat · « **Reply #72 on:** 03 Apr 2009, 12:51 »

Elliot Chang performed here last night. It wasn't very good. He's too into how offensive he presumably is (just like Carlos Mencia, whose only offensive in the sense that he offends all other comics by including himself in their ranks).

KvP · « **Reply #73 on:** 13 Apr 2009, 11:33 »

If you thought Jeff Dunham was bad, wait till you see Glenn Beck.

Shaztastic · « **Reply #74 on:** 13 Apr 2009, 12:58 »

bill bailey is awesome my sisters seeing him in england in the summer so jealous. he's awesome so intelligent too

Yayniall · « **Reply #75 on:** 22 Apr 2009, 16:36 »

Ross Noble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13yClT2laKU&feature=related

scarred · « **Reply #76 on:** 22 Apr 2009, 18:44 »

No love for Ron White?

Also, Robin Williams Live on Broadway.

/thread

Dimmukane · « **Reply #77 on:** 22 Apr 2009, 20:25 »

Ron White sucks terrible amounts of ass.

JD · « **Reply #78 on:** 22 Apr 2009, 20:26 »

Seconded

And Robin Williams, meh

Jimmy the Squid · « **Reply #79 on:** 22 Apr 2009, 20:33 »

Ed Byrne.

Steven K Amos

Wil Anderson

Danny Bhoy

Luke C · « **Reply #80 on:** 12 May 2009, 11:49 »

Too many....

Ones Ive seen live and loved:
Ross Noble
Ed Byrne
Rich Hall
Mick Ferry
Matt Kirshen
Micheal McIntyre
Adam Hills
Stephen Lynch
Roger Monkhouse
Ben Schofield

Plus a ton more Ive only seen on TV.

Skibas_clavicle · « **Reply #81 on:** 12 May 2009, 17:13 »

I don't think he's been mentioned but Mike Birbiglia is pretty darn funny! Especially if you are a person who can appreciate the somewhat socially awkward.

DarkAvenger · « **Reply #82 on:** 13 May 2009, 20:55 »

Richard Pryor, Mitch Hedberg, Bill Hicks, Henry Rollins, and Stewart Lee. I also enjoy Patton Oswalt and the performance of people I never remember.

arkhym · « **Reply #83 on:** 17 May 2009, 16:38 »

Quote from: Vern LaVey on 14 May 2009, 13:22

I'm not one to believe in the afterlife, but if there was I could be reasonably certain that George and Bill would be stirring shit while Mitch sits in a corner giggling.

Thinking about that just puts a smile on my face.

billiumbean · « **Reply #84 on:** 26 Jun 2009, 23:26 »

I've got a very polarized taste in comedy.

On the one side, it's two parts material, one part cleverness, and one part observation. Mitch Hedberg and Eddie Izzard fit this category, and it feels strange coupling them, but they are very similar; They stand there and talk, and where Mitch Hedberg sort of babbles up a scattered mess of hilarity, Eddie Izzard talks about the world in long, linear rants, both of whom never stray far from their own personality or sensibilities. Patton Oswalt fits into this category, too. Most of their jokes are a weird slap in the face, either through rewording a common statement;

Quote from: Mitch Hedberg

Hey man, I wanna imagine that the inside of a bottle of cleaning fluid is fuckin' clean.

or simply pointing out a few things and marrying them;

Quote from: Eddie Izzard

And he [Hitler] was a vegetarian and a painter, so he must have been going, "I can't get ze... fuckin' trees... DAMN! I WILL KILL EVERYONE IN ZE WORLD!"

Then on the other side of my sense of humor is four parts delivery. Dane Cook. I probably shouldn't point him out on a forum such as this one, but I find him fascinating. His stories are so contrived and mundane, yet the way he delivers them is amazing, because it makes up for the rest of the joke. The experience is dampened a bit by the hype/crowd. He'll say something like "I like going on walks," and there will be two hundred fans who somehow strongly agree and scream their heads off. His Comedy Central Presents... special was his best, I think, because he didn't have thirty thousand obsessive fans and actually had to earn the crowd's approval and be funny.

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Author Topic: Stand-up Comedians (Read 34315 times)