MetaChat - Who is your favourite comedian?

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20 November 2005

Who is your favourite comedian? I've just finished watching Eddie Izzard. Again. For the 10 millionth time, without exaggeration. Nobody else can make me pee a little bit from laughing. Who can do that to you?

post by: gaspode at: 22:55 | 29 comments

Robin Williams (circa A Night At The Met). Redd Foxx. George Carlin. Alan King. and...his majesty...Richard Pryor.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 23:08

All of those men taught me that you have to risk offending someone if you want to a)make your point and b) be funny. They also taught me that "funny," is a gut reaction, not something that needs to be thought about (although thinking can make it even more funny) simply experienced.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 23:12

and Sam Kinison.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 23:16

Oooh yeah, Richard Pryor.

And if I may move into written comedy: PG Wodehouse. I really like silliness.

jon, I am halfway thru your book, enjoying immensely

posted by gaspode 20 November | 23:19

He's a genius. Have you read the "cocaine lunch," scene? That belongs in a museum of dysfunctional family humor.

posted by jonmc 20 November | 23:21

Eddie Izzard is insanely good. Bill Hicks is still on the short list of all time greats. Brian Regan does goofy better than just anybody. Albert Brooks is one of the funniest guys ever. George Carlin is one of the kings.

posted by Slack-a-gogo 20 November | 23:33

Do not have one. I like Sarah Silverman's approach to comedy though.

posted by weretable and the undead chairs 20 November | 23:33

Second all mentioned. George Carlin was my first favorite though. He said dirty words. Hee.

gaspode: I also love Wodehouse, I will assume you are familiar with the awesome 'Jeeves and Wooster' BBC shows based on some of his stories but what you might not know is that my favorite author, Jack Vance, is also a fan of PG. The series 'Tales of the Dying Earth' is the most Wodehousian of his works I've come across. I don't know if you are into sci-fi but even if you are not you would probably like Vance.

posted by Mr T 20 November | 23:42

Robin Williams, but I like some of lots of comedians. Also, some groupings of people seem to be able to naturally riff off one another, like the crew on The Glass House, who are absolutely hilarious together, even though none of them are anything special individually.

posted by dg 20 November | 23:43

mr t: "Jeeves and Wooster" is possibly my favourite tv show ever. And I have most of the Jeeves Wodehouse books. But I didn't know that Jack Vance was a fan. I've heard of him, and I'm a sci-fi fan, but have never read any. Thanks for the heads up!

posted by gaspode 20 November | 23:59

I second all mentioned except Sam Kinison. I always found Sam boring. Robin Williams is amazing.

Have not seen her for a long time but I loved Elaine Boosler. Maggie Cassella is very funny.

I saw Brent Butt several months ago and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen (hey! it's not like I was just hanging out in the pantry waiting to punch mom in the nose...). I think he would see the humor in the fact that the official web site for his TV show spells his name wrong!

posted by arse_hat 21 November | 00:04

Myself, I find the Glass House people (together, or seperately) to give me the screaming shits. Particularly Wil(l) Anderson -- watching him trying to interview someone in between fits of giggling at his own jokes makes me want to hurt something.

Now, the guys from Spics and Specs (particularly Adam Hills) absolutely break me. But then, I'm a music geek, so... ;) And there was a scottish dude on the Montreal Fest show (did a bit about breakfasts) that I thought could be worth looking into....

posted by coriolisdave 21 November | 00:06

gaspode: you are a lucky person. I would give anything to be able to read Vance's novels for the first time again. I just got through reading my collection through the second time. [What the hell is going on with the sf publishing biz, it's an epic drought.] I don't normally re-read anything but his novels are true confections.

posted by Mr T 21 November | 00:19

Darn it to heck! On seeing this thread, I "obtained" an Eddy Izzard concert, and I need to go to bed but I can't stop watching it!

posted by Capn 21 November | 00:28

A new rating system for comedians:

≡ Click to see image ≡≡ Click to see image ≡≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by Capn 21 November | 00:39

Heh, Capn.

Which one are you watching?

posted by gaspode 21 November | 00:43

He/she was so funny I peeed myself.
(the extra e is for extra pee)

posted by arse_hat 21 November | 00:46

Capn's rating system is so funny I peeeed myself.

(the extra-extra e is for peeing more than arse_hat)

posted by taz 21 November | 00:57

I don't actually like stand-up comedy, much. I prefer, yes, the loathed sitcom format (even the bog-standard variety, if it's any good), and sketch comedy.

I will say what comedy hell is: one of those VH-1 "100 greatest moments in ..." programming hole fillers. They have the comic consistency of caulk.

posted by stilicho 21 November | 01:22

i like john stewart's old act, with the proctology jokes and the shtick about going to israel. marc maron used to have a pretty good act, back in yon dee -- early 90's or so. i've seen bill cosby live 2x, and he's clearly some sort of verbal genius. he can take apart anyone in the audience faster than i've ever seen, and does it all clean. which isn't something i particularly prize in a comic, but it's impressive given the limitations it places on his art -- playing dirty is always funny. poop is always funny.
but the funniest comic i've seen is some unknown guy who i saw at some bogus comedy club in nyc who had about 14 jokes about not getting picked up by african cab drivers -- he was a black guy, and he cracked some line in a west african accent about 'yes, but not as black as me! look, i close my eyes, i am invisible!' and i just about shit out the side of my stomach.
colostomy bag funny.

BUT HOW COME NO ONE MENTIONS STEVEN WRIGHT?

posted by sam 21 November | 01:28

Bob and Ray.

And did I mention Steven Wright? Oh. Bob and Ray.

posted by DeepFriedTwinkies 21 November | 01:38

STEVEN WRIGHT is great. Also, no one has mentioned Redd Foxx.

posted by arse_hat 21 November | 01:38

Bill Hicks, Kevin Meaney, Sandra Bernhardt, Robin Williams, and (I can't believe no one has mentioned him yet) Rodney Dangerfield are all faves of mine.

posted by BoringPostcards 21 November | 03:40

Bill Hicks, Eddie Izzard, Mitch Hedberg, Steven Wright, with a dash of Tom Lehrer! :)

posted by dabitch 21 November | 03:49

Which one are you watching?

Not sure, I assume it was on BBC 1 (due to the giant ghost 1 in the upper right of the screen). At the beginning, he comes out of a giant book, on a chair atop a pile of marginally less giant books.

posted by Capn 21 November | 12:45

Chris Rock is my man for stand up. It's funny cause it's true.

posted by rainbaby 21 November | 12:59

Jim Gaffigan, Mitch Hedberg, Maria Bamford, Daniel Tosh...

posted by Schyler523 21 November | 16:04

I'd be my favorite stand-up comedian, if I could just get my act together! *ba-dum-pum tssch!*

posted by Eideteker 21 November | 16:24

teeeheee he. try the veal.

posted by dabitch 26 November | 13:50

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