kmortis
Biomechanoid, Director of IDIOCY (Region 13)
Ooh, two more good ones. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the Smothers Brothers. Any comedy duo that gets pulled off the air...TWICE due to their political stance is my kind of team.
Newhart is most definitely stand-up. He's got at least five albums of proof. That's why I said that if all you know him as is a stoic New England inn keeper, you need to hear his stuff.
Bee
Scholar
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
- Messages
- 97
My favourites are Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, we go to see them every time they tour.
Last time we saw each of them my wife took their books along to sign which they were more than happy to autograph
.Civilized Worm
Graduate Poster
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2007
- Messages
- 1,718
I featured in Stewart Lee's first DVD. I was the guy in the "KILL EVERYONE NOW" T-shirt.
Hooloovoo
Superintelligent shade of Bloo
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2008
- Messages
- 274
Is this about comics who have had the most influence on the genre, or about our personal favorites? I'm not educated enough on the history of standup to know who are the most important comics. A couple of my personal favorites have been mentioned already, Mitch Hedberg and Eddie Izzard.
Izzard's work is smart and nerdy, and he always looks fabuloso.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp69rg6Hdlo
I really wish Hedberg had a larger body of work before he died, but so far I haven't gotten tired of watching what's available.
Demetri Martin makes me laugh.
Ron White is a great storyteller, but his material is getting repetitive.
Izzard's work is smart and nerdy, and he always looks fabuloso.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp69rg6Hdlo
I really wish Hedberg had a larger body of work before he died, but so far I haven't gotten tired of watching what's available.
Demetri Martin makes me laugh.
Ron White is a great storyteller, but his material is getting repetitive.
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Little 10 Toes
Master Poster
Steven Wright, Amazing Johnathan (liked his banter), Sam Kinison, Dennis Leary (No Cure For Cancer), Tom Lehrer, Dave Atell, Mark Pita.
On Mitch Hedberg, saw him once before his Comedy Central special aired. His act was so bad, about 1/3 of the crowd left. Because I was up front, the only way I was able to leave without being heckled was when he blinded himself by pouring a bottle of Jack, that was given to him by the bartender, on his face and into his eyes. When I called the manager the next day, he told me he's already received about 20 complaint calls about Mitch's act.
On Mitch Hedberg, saw him once before his Comedy Central special aired. His act was so bad, about 1/3 of the crowd left. Because I was up front, the only way I was able to leave without being heckled was when he blinded himself by pouring a bottle of Jack, that was given to him by the bartender, on his face and into his eyes. When I called the manager the next day, he told me he's already received about 20 complaint calls about Mitch's act.
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jimtron
Illuminator
Bill Hicks, Don Rickles, Andy Kaufman, Richard Pryor, Larry David, Ricky Gervais; a few of mine, in no particular order. Also I have a soft spot for the old school Borscht Belt folks like Henny Youngman.
Hooloovoo
Superintelligent shade of Bloo
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2008
- Messages
- 274
Ah, man, that's sad to hear. I've only seen taped performances of Mitch. The only comedian I've ever seen live is Jerry Seinfeld, and that was in a very large auditorium, not a comedy club. My experience with standup comedy is pretty much limited to what's on Comedy Central.
Thanks for mentioning The Amazing Jonathan. He's a hoot. Got a touch of the Crazy Eye.
So good Darat. You of course know that Dave Allen spent so many years in oz and he was such a part of my informative years. A true pro.
Jeff Corey
New York Skeptic
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- Aug 2, 2001
- Messages
- 13,714
As to the OP, Jonathon Winters was one of my favorite "early influences". At least on Robin Williams.
Kiosk
He Thinks He's People
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2007
- Messages
- 349
Lenny Bruce is a weird one: absolutely the single most influential stand-up of all time, but yes, very dated. His stuff is like Shakespeare, though - you might have to consult some notes to understand what the hell it's all about, but it's worth it.
Stand-up comedy, unlike rock music or literature, is one of those fields where historically, the best guys tend to be the most famous guys (although that's not necessarily true of contemporary comedy). Bruce, Newhart, Carlin, Pryor, etc etc., they really are the giants. Hicks was great, although some of his Alex Jones excesses were a bit dumb. I fear that, had he lived, he would be pushing the 9/11 woo and all that garbage. A shame, as he was a very, very funny man.
Have to say, I think Ricky Gervais is an appalling stand-up comedian. I really liked "The Office" (although "Extras" was an utter abomination, and I have no idea how anyone could see it as anything other than the half-baked mess it really was), but his stand-up stuff is utterly abysmal. Cheap gags about the disabled, gays, etc., without even the stones to be authentically offensive - it's all cloaked in this unconvincing "I'm actually satirising these opinions" rubbish, but in fact there's no satire there at all. Giving people a chance to laugh at stuff they think is out-of-bounds is great when there's some purpose to it - Gervais' show just encourages smugness by allowing people to snigger at people in wheelchairs or whatever, while simultaneously stroking their ego and reassuring them that they're actually far too PC to "really" snigger at people in wheelchairs. It's tricky to pull this stuff off, and Gervais is not smart enough (and far too smug himself) to do it. A good non-PC joke highlights hypocrisy or discomfort in your own mind, and tortures it until you laugh (cf David Cross: "People say bringing up a baby is hard. No. I'll tell you what's hard: trying to convince your girlfriend to have her third abortion.") Gervais' stuff is nowhere near this sophisticated, it really is just overgrown-schoolboy "naughtiness", frankly offensive, and he only gets away with it because so many people indulge him. Give me Jerry Sadowitz anyday.
He also uses loads of very old British urban myths that most people have heard many times before, and dresses them up as his own gags. Lazy, unfunny rubbish. Very much the plagiarist in general, in fact: his religious material is lifted straight from Dave Allen, and he's blatantly stolen Bruce's "How To Relax Your Coloured Friends At Parties" routine and built half his sitcom career on it. His insufferably arrogant attitude just makes it worse, and I absolutely loved that show he did interviewing Garry Shandling, who utterly humiliated him. Shandling didn't come over as a nice guy himself, but he exposed Gervais as the second-rate thinker and second-rate comedian he really is.
I do still like "The Office" though.
Stand-up comedy, unlike rock music or literature, is one of those fields where historically, the best guys tend to be the most famous guys (although that's not necessarily true of contemporary comedy). Bruce, Newhart, Carlin, Pryor, etc etc., they really are the giants. Hicks was great, although some of his Alex Jones excesses were a bit dumb. I fear that, had he lived, he would be pushing the 9/11 woo and all that garbage. A shame, as he was a very, very funny man.
Have to say, I think Ricky Gervais is an appalling stand-up comedian. I really liked "The Office" (although "Extras" was an utter abomination, and I have no idea how anyone could see it as anything other than the half-baked mess it really was), but his stand-up stuff is utterly abysmal. Cheap gags about the disabled, gays, etc., without even the stones to be authentically offensive - it's all cloaked in this unconvincing "I'm actually satirising these opinions" rubbish, but in fact there's no satire there at all. Giving people a chance to laugh at stuff they think is out-of-bounds is great when there's some purpose to it - Gervais' show just encourages smugness by allowing people to snigger at people in wheelchairs or whatever, while simultaneously stroking their ego and reassuring them that they're actually far too PC to "really" snigger at people in wheelchairs. It's tricky to pull this stuff off, and Gervais is not smart enough (and far too smug himself) to do it. A good non-PC joke highlights hypocrisy or discomfort in your own mind, and tortures it until you laugh (cf David Cross: "People say bringing up a baby is hard. No. I'll tell you what's hard: trying to convince your girlfriend to have her third abortion.") Gervais' stuff is nowhere near this sophisticated, it really is just overgrown-schoolboy "naughtiness", frankly offensive, and he only gets away with it because so many people indulge him. Give me Jerry Sadowitz anyday.
He also uses loads of very old British urban myths that most people have heard many times before, and dresses them up as his own gags. Lazy, unfunny rubbish. Very much the plagiarist in general, in fact: his religious material is lifted straight from Dave Allen, and he's blatantly stolen Bruce's "How To Relax Your Coloured Friends At Parties" routine and built half his sitcom career on it. His insufferably arrogant attitude just makes it worse, and I absolutely loved that show he did interviewing Garry Shandling, who utterly humiliated him. Shandling didn't come over as a nice guy himself, but he exposed Gervais as the second-rate thinker and second-rate comedian he really is.
I do still like "The Office" though.
albion
Critical Thinker
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2008
- Messages
- 323
Unsuprisingly I vote for Stewart Lee also 
He is without doubt the best comedian working in this country and I'm really looking forward to his new DVD.
NSFW
Did he impress you with his Hulk knowledge?
He is without doubt the best comedian working in this country and I'm really looking forward to his new DVD.
NSFW
Did he impress you with his Hulk knowledge?
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albion
Critical Thinker
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2008
- Messages
- 323
An excellent summation of Gervais' comic 'genius'. Fame, Politics and Animals are lazy, hackneyed dross.
Fat Bottom Gurl
Hot Tub Hottie
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- Jul 1, 2004
- Messages
- 534
