MetaChat - If you had to make a trifecta of stand-up comedians, who would be in there?

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01 April 2008

If you had to make a trifecta of stand-up comedians, who would be in there? I'm also looking for recommendations on new ones, based on my three-fer.→[More:]Mine would easily be (in no particular order) Bill Hicks, Mitch Hedberg, and Eddie Izzard.

Footnotes: a) I realize that he was a recent (and understandable) controversy on MeFi/MeTa), but I still love his stuff. b) I saw him live shortly before his death, and he was a shadow of his former self. It denigrated to the point of being more than a bit depressing. Yet, at his best, he was unparalleled at what he did. c) We've got tickets to see him in early June, and I can't. f'ing. wait.

Beyond: I'm surely a fan of other formers like Pryor and Bruce, and I just now re-saw Patton Oswalt's brilliant piece about NPR v. Right Wing radio, but I'm still kind of (more)hit and (than) miss with him.

So who else is doing some greatness on the stage these days? And (not really) sorry, Dane Cook fans, but, uh, that's not gonna happen.

post by: ufez at: 21:36 | 34 comments

Dane Cook, HAAA.

I really like Tom Shillue.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 01 April | 21:41

Er, I clicked in here and mine are the same as your three, ufez.

posted by jessamyn 01 April | 21:54

Daniel Tosh, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt (Werewolves and Lollipops has lots of laughs)

One of the comedians I work for has a special airing on Comedy Central later this month which I will whore out appropriately at that time.

posted by fluffy battle kitten 01 April | 21:57

That was my recommended trifecta. Not necessarily what I would consider to be my trifecta. My trifecta would probably be something more like Tosh, Newhart, and possibly Lewis Black (but more so for his earlier work than the more recent stuff).

I've seen tons of comedians on stage and Bob Newhart still remains my favorite, I think.

posted by fluffy battle kitten 01 April | 22:00

My love for David Cross is well known, but his stand-up is really good too. There's a whole generation of new comedians who are influenced by Hicks and Hedberg, but I don't really know who is whom.

posted by muddgirl 01 April | 22:05

Oh mine would be Hedberg, Izzard and David Cross so I can't really help you out. I'm jealous of your tickets, though.

posted by gaspode 01 April | 22:06

Chris Rock,
Dane Cook,
ummm. . .

posted by rainbaby 01 April | 22:07

Billy Connelly
Fiona O'Loughlin
Adam Hills

posted by dg 01 April | 22:12

Ron White, Dom Irrera and David Chappelle

posted by black8 01 April | 22:16

Izzard, Hedberg, and either Oswalt or CK, I can't decide.

posted by middleclasstool 01 April | 22:17

Despite me being the cause of said Hicks/MeTa controversy, I decline to pick him and instead have to go with Patton, Steven Wright, and Bobcat Motherfucking Goldthwait.

posted by item 01 April | 22:23

People I've actually seen:

Steve Martin
Will Durst
Ellen DeGeneres

Only seen on TV, but have been told that they killed:

Jonathon Winters
Steven Wright
Bob Newhart

Because the records are good:

Firesign Theater (not strictly stand-up, but screw it)
Woody Allen
George Carlin

posted by bmarkey 01 April | 22:23

Adam Hills
Ross Noble
That Welsh Guy Who Was On The Melbourne Comedy Festival Gala The Other Night.

(I'd be interested to see what Hamish Blake is like live, but I don't know...)

posted by pompomtom 01 April | 22:33

That Welsh Bloke would, apparently, be Mark Watson.
I also liked David O'Doherty.

posted by pompomtom 01 April | 22:39

Ooh yes, Ross Noble is good too

posted by dg 01 April | 22:39

He is. And I have tickets for his show, umm, next Tuesday, I think.

posted by pompomtom 01 April | 22:49

Maybe this is too obvious, but if you like Hedberg, you'd like Zach Galifiankis too. Most of his Live at the Purple Onion DVD can be found on Youtube.

posted by mullacc 01 April | 23:10

er, Galifianakis

posted by mullacc 01 April | 23:11

Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
and then the rest which might include Cosby, Seinfeld, Rock, Winters, and perhaps the greatest comic of all time in his own way, Richard Pryor. Newhart has a mainline to my humor bone though. John Cleese does as well, but I have not really seen any great stand up stuff from him, although I bet it is out there somewhere. I think you can not forget Lenny Bruce either, but he was better at politics than comedy, as were the Smothers Brothers etc. The current crop of Ron Whites etc. are not bad, but none of them really stand out like Newhart or Pryor as comedic geniuses. Groucho had a pretty intense stand up act too if we are talking genius. It's all pretty personal though, so whomever you like is your genius and who am I to argue?

posted by caddis 01 April | 23:15

I don't know how his stand-up is, but here's more proof (as if people needed it) that Jon Stewart is a totally stand-up guy.

[/single-link newsfilter, definitely not trying to threadjack, but too tiny for FPP]

posted by casarkos 01 April | 23:30

Zach Galifianakis & Greg Proops both killed, live.

Izzard and Connolly are fookin' brilliant, on records.

But for me, the trifecta is the work of one:

...is a very funny fellow - Right!
Wonderfulness
To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With

Ice Cream! We're gonna eat ice cream!

posted by Triode 01 April | 23:36

Russell Peters.

A trifecta unto himself.

posted by alicesshoe 02 April | 00:49

Before I read this thread, here are three off the top of my head: Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, and Rodney Dangerfield.

posted by box 02 April | 01:12

It's all pretty personal though, so whomever you like is your genius and who am I to argue?

Couldn't agree more.

posted by box 02 April | 01:16

hehehe ufez - your trifecta is the same as mine.

Also, I'm the tosser who started the Meta-thread. Bill rant + Obit thread (+ first post for a new blue member) = all kinds of wrongs, and I'm really saddened that one can not have a decent obit thread at Metafilter (has one ever been able to?). Several Mefites have actually worked for Hal and in Mefimail I got to talk more about the man than in that trainwreck of a thread which was utterly childish.

posted by dabitch 02 April | 03:25

Oops, didn't mean for that to sound as defensive as it came out. Jeez. sry!

posted by dabitch 02 April | 03:41

1. Eddie Izzard
2. Peter Kay
3. Jo Brand

posted by essexjan 02 April | 06:28

seconding Ross Noble.

posted by terrapin 02 April | 06:43

Any other Swedes around? I just discovered that Henrik Schyffert can be really frickin' hilarious. I know, I've been living under a rock.

posted by dabitch 02 April | 07:07

Yay Jo Brand! She's absolutely hilarious... I only know her from a British friend sending me tapes of her act in the 90s. Unfortunately she's unknown over here, which is a shame because I think she'd have an audience here.

1. Kevin Meany
2. Joan Rivers
3. Bob Goldthwaite

A recent (to me) discovery is Wanda Sykes, who cracks my shit up.

posted by BoringPostcards 02 April | 07:08

Oh, I meant Ron White, not Dane Cook. And Wanda Sykes can be pretty funny.

posted by rainbaby 02 April | 07:11

My tastes are variable, one week I might love someone, and the next, not so much. But one thing must be said.

No love for Jack Benny? Come on folks!

posted by King of Prontopia 02 April | 12:38

Jim Gaffigan[Youtube 1, 2] He has great asides/self deprecations, I've seen him several times and always left with my sides hurting from laughing.
Ted Alejandro[Youtube1, 2]
Maria Bamford[Youtube]

posted by Schyler523 02 April | 14:12

Jim Gaffigan is friendable on Facebook and actually sort of funny there as well. I forgot too that listening to Bob Saget if you're used to him from whatever that stupid TV show was is hilarious because he's got such a filthy mouth.

posted by jessamyn 02 April | 20:49

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