Author Topic: Best Comedian  (Read 24199 times)

0 Members and 0 Guests are viewing this topic.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #15 on: August 25, 2008, 02:45:08 PM »

Offline Steve Weinman

  • Author / Moderator
  • Jim Loscutoff
  • **
  • Posts: 2766
  • Tommy Points: 33
  • My alter ego

Stand up comedy isn't nearly as fun if your watching it on TV.

Well, I do always enjoy it when they find the super-goofy-looking person with the distinctive cackle/laugh in the audience and keep cutting to said individual as he or she goes into even more extended theatrics after each joke.  That always gets me for some reason  ;D

-sw


Reggies Ghost: Where artistic genius happens.  Thank you, sir.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #16 on: August 25, 2008, 02:48:52 PM »

Offline JSD

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12590
  • Tommy Points: 2159
Dane Cook went to my high school

Was he funny at that point?

-sw

I thought he was good when he first came out because he was original and unique. His act just got old to me and the insane amount of girls that hopped on his bandwagon lessened it for me too.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #17 on: August 25, 2008, 02:49:36 PM »

Offline KCattheStripe

  • Danny Ainge
  • **********
  • Posts: 10726
  • Tommy Points: 830
"Harmful if Swallowed" Dane Cook's first album was pretty funny. "Want" was pretty lame, with a few good bits thrown in, he seemed like he was parodying himself, unintentionally. Gotta throw in the late great Mitch Hedberg on the list.

Also, we're on the second page and no ones mentioned Prior or Cosby. That's just absurd.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #18 on: August 25, 2008, 02:55:43 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42585
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
"Harmful if Swallowed" Dane Cook's first album was pretty funny. "Want" was pretty lame, with a few good bits thrown in, he seemed like he was parodying himself, unintentionally. Gotta throw in the late great Mitch Hedberg on the list.

Also, we're on the second page and no ones mentioned Prior or Cosby. That's just absurd.

Funny story: I called into Pete Dominick's (a DJ for Sirius Radio and Stand Up Comedian in his own right) show one day while he had Doug Stanhope on.

The reason why is because a week earlier I'd been listening to the "Comedy Countdown" on the weekend, and tuned in just as Pete was teasing the #1 spot before commercial. He'd just listed the other 9 people and not one of them was Doug Stanhope. Pete teased the piece by saying "And coming up we have the #1 comedian...don't know who he is? Clue: He's dead, and far too soon".

It was Mitch Hedberg (who is also really, really funny), but mentally I said to myself "Crap. Doug Stanhope is dead".

Stanhope said on the show after hearing that if I had the nerve to come down to his show he'd give me a backstage pass so he could violate my ear. I told him no way; I'd never party with Doug Stanhope...he's crazy.


"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #19 on: August 25, 2008, 02:56:56 PM »

Offline Finkelskyhook

  • NCE
  • Jim Loscutoff
  • **
  • Posts: 2892
  • Tommy Points: 285
Steven Wright
Bob Zany
Jeff Dunham

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #20 on: August 25, 2008, 02:57:56 PM »

Offline incoherent

  • Don Chaney
  • *
  • Posts: 1856
  • Tommy Points: 278
  • 7 + 11 = 18
Steven Wright for me, one of the all time great deliveries.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #21 on: August 25, 2008, 02:58:48 PM »

Offline BigThreePeat

  • Payton Pritchard
  • Posts: 114
  • Tommy Points: 15
George Carlin and Pryor were the probably a couple of the greatest of all time.  Usually they are regarded as the top 2.   Eddie Murphy was fantastic with Raw, but he got too big for his own good and lost touch with reality.  I always loved Bill Cosby... definitely a legend, but he's too old at this point (he still tours though and I'd gladly go see him).  As of active current comedians... Dane Cook gets flack, because of how popular he is, but you can't deny the guy is funny.   Eddie Izzard is fantastic, but is another underrated comedian who became overrated.

I have a lot of friends who are small time stand-up comedians.  There is an absurd amount of people doing it at this point.  Many are hilarious, but you probably will never hear of them.   I really can't think of any "superstar" stand-ups right now.  It's basically Chris Rock and Dane Cook, I guess.  And then whoever you see on Comedy Central specials and "Last Comic Standing".   I mean guys from Def Comedy Jam and such are funny, but I don't regard any of them as "best".   Kat Williams, for example, might be funny ... but meh.

As for Robin Williams.  Some people here are saying he's overrated.  Could be.  Williams was great back in the 70s though.  His entire act revolved around doing lots of cocaine and his manic personality was an admitted result.  He was pretty funny back then.  He's still kinda funny.   But from speaking to my friends who do stand-up, they tell me that Robin Williams is notorious for being known as the guy who will cut checks for jokes... or just flat out steal material.   He has told stories of comedians who will completely change their routine mid-act the second Robin Williams walks in, because they don't want their material robbed.  Kinda interesting.  

Edit:  I guess Jerry Seinfeld still tours sometimes.   I guess you gotta at least mention him since he probably makes more money doing stand-up than any of the above.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2008, 03:08:02 PM by BigThreePeat »

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #22 on: August 25, 2008, 03:15:18 PM »

Offline Emperor Young

  • Derrick White
  • Posts: 275
  • Tommy Points: 25
Bad boys of comedy. it's on HBO sometimes

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #23 on: August 25, 2008, 03:18:52 PM »

Offline Prof. Clutch

  • Bailey Howell
  • **
  • Posts: 2199
  • Tommy Points: 237
  • Mind Games
Mitch Hedberg was one of my alltime favorites...I really love Bill Burr and if you haven't seen any of his stuff, I highly recommend it.

Good clip about the Artest Meleee
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xMyCQpNU_1k&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xMyCQpNU_1k&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Also I'm a huge fan of the Bill Maher stand-up, he just has this way of saying things in the most clever and comical way.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #24 on: August 25, 2008, 03:22:31 PM »

Offline pearljammer10

  • K.C. Jones
  • *************
  • Posts: 13129
  • Tommy Points: 885
Mitch Hedberg, end of discussion...Jim Gaffigan comes in a very close second...And I dont care what anybody says but Bob Saget says some hilarious stuff.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #25 on: August 25, 2008, 03:28:25 PM »

Offline Hollywood

  • The Green Kornet
  • Posts: 75
  • Tommy Points: 9

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #26 on: August 25, 2008, 03:32:10 PM »

Offline DingDongDel

  • Xavier Tillman
  • Posts: 45
  • Tommy Points: 5
Louis C.K. has some great stuff.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #27 on: August 25, 2008, 03:39:29 PM »

Offline BigThreePeat

  • Payton Pritchard
  • Posts: 114
  • Tommy Points: 15
Really you can't really say "best" you can mostly just say "favorite".  The styles of various comedians are so different that you can't really determine if one is "better" than another.  For example... how can you possibly compare Mitch Hedberg to Dane Cook?  Or Chris Rock to Zach Galifianakis?  Drastically different styles.   

My best friend is a stand-up so I went ahead and just called him to ask his opinion.

He said in his opinion the best "all time" (his favorites) were:  Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman, Gilda Radner and Bill Cosby.

Of current comedians he said:  Patton Oswalt, Eddie Izzard, Demetri Martin and Hari Kondabolu (who is the only one on the list i've never heard of)

He said if you're talking about "performers", he said you have to mention Martin Short.   And after thinking it over another second he said Eddie Izzard probably belongs more in his "all time" list. 

That's his opinion, at least.

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #28 on: August 25, 2008, 03:42:11 PM »

Offline Champzilla

  • Jaylen Brown
  • Posts: 577
  • Tommy Points: 102
Indeed Proceed, you ever listen to the Raw Dog stand up comedian tournament on Sirius, it was set up like March Madness ?
Boston is the Greatest City in the World !!!

Re: Best Comedian
« Reply #29 on: August 25, 2008, 03:42:32 PM »

Offline Tw1x990

  • The Green Kornet
  • Posts: 97
  • Tommy Points: 47
I actually like dane cook... thats just me .. I used to think he was overrated but still funny, then I started reading forums and other stuff on him and most of the people that take the time to talk about comedy actually hate him so im beggining to think he is underrated to actual comedy fans who follow comedy, not just dane cook.

As for other comics ..

Dave Mordal, dimitri martin and Jeff Dunham are pretty funny ...