Your Stand Up Comedian Mt Rushmore

[B1GEast]

It weirds me out how normal Mitch seems in this.

Yeah, this was very early in his career. He doesn't come off as having anxiety. He's very relaxed.

 

[BGesus4]

I think Chappelle is playing his own sport. It would be hard for anyone else to surpass him as GOAT in my book at this point

 

[superjohn]

Rodney Dangerfield, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Norm Macdonald, Don Rickles, Greg Giraldo, Patrice O'Neal, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, George Carlin, Jim Gaffigan, Redd Foxx.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Not a huge stand up guy but I'll go with:
Tom Segura
Chris Rock
Dave Chapelle
Bill Burr

 

[navery12]

Not sure if any would go on a Mt Rushmore but of the modern era guys I'd say John Mulaney, Mike Birbiglia, Tom Segura, Jim Jeffries, Bill Burr, Nate Bargatze are all in the conversation

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Not a huge stand up guy but I'll go with:
Tom Segura
Chris Rock
Dave Chapelle
Bill Burr

Segura is a good addition.

 

[B1GEast]

When you go way back, Jackie Mason and Don Rickles were funny stan up comedians as well

 

[BGesus4]

Rodney Dangerfield, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Norm Macdonald, Don Rickles, Greg Giraldo, Patrice O'Neal, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, George Carlin, Jim Gaffigan, Redd Foxx.

Norm and Patrice are good calls

 

[B1GEast]

Katt Williams, totally forgot him

 

[jleves]

Carlin and Williams are locks. So many other great names. Surprised not seeing Gilbert Gottfried mentioned.

 

[SubbaBub]

Most modern guys are derivatives, funny as heck, but following the map laid out by the originals.

Rock, Murphy, CK, Burr, and any "edgy" comedian that talks about real life is copying Pryor in some form.
Any comic using observational humor and language descends from Carlin.
There is a long line of "catskills' era comics but the guy who was the best 'clean' comic was Cosby.
You can pick from Bruce, Rickles, Redd Foxx, Dangerfield and many others as early innovators, but I'm skipping the vaudeville era and going with Williams as the fourth because he was a unique force of nature.

I have others who are my favorites but those 4 are the GOATS.

 

[superjohn]

Watch "Norm Macdonald - 12-Minute Joke" on YouTube

 

[CL82]

There's a lot online about this, as you'd expect. Here's one article

Another name that I'd forgotten is Cosby, if we are judging him strictly on his work . His albums were hysterical. Obviously he's a pretty reprehensible guy on a personal level.

After this thread runs for a bit someone should set up a poll.

Good topic.

 

[superjohn]

Segura is a good addition.

 

[Deepster]

Not necessarily my favorites, and I don't know that these ultimately make it onto Rushmore, but some more that should at least be debated for a Top 10-20 list based on overall popularity/longevity:

-Jim Breuer
-Jeff Foxworthy
-Steven Wright
-Joan Rivers

Jeff Foxworthy is a hack.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Dangerfield needs some love. Chapelle for his observational humor. Sam Kinison. Richard Pryor.

 

[storrsroars]

Most modern guys are derivatives, funny as heck, but following the map laid out by the originals.

Rock, Murphy, CK, Burr, and any "edgy" comedian that talks about real life is copying Pryor in some form.
Any comic using observational humor and language descends from Carlin.
There is a long line of "catskills' era comics but the guy who was the best 'clean' comic was Cosby.
You can pick from Bruce, Rickles, Redd Foxx, Dangerfield and many others as early innovators, but I'm skipping the vaudeville era and going with Williams as the fourth because he was a unique force of nature.

I have others who are my favorites but those 4 are the GOATS.

I have mixed feelings about Williams (Robin that is, Katt I literally cannot understand half the time). Absolute genius and seriously the fastest wit I've ever seen (although Ferguson comes close and Gottfried can handle himself). I always felt a bit uncomfortable watching him with others as he always seemed to need to be the alpha dog and one up everyone and everything, sometimes to the point of being too much.e

For people with more than a passing interest in standup comedy, the film "Talking Funny" is a great watch. If nothing else, you will never, ever be able to hear, "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay" the same way again.

 

[RichZ]

Bob Newhart.
Mitch Hedberg.
Carlin.
Steven Wright.
Buddy Hackett.

 

[Dove]

Its comical that we were asked for 4 comedians most responses offer 10.

 

[Palatine]

Carlin, Prior, Martin, Cosby

 

[WeAreUCONN]

I’ll rank the one’s that I’ve seen in person.
1. Damon Wayans
2. David Spade
3. Carrot Top
4. Larry the cable guy
5. Had tickets to Katt Williams but unfortunately I didn’t go. He probably would have been the best.

 

[Demo Square]

Sam Kinison - "OH-OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Rodney Dangerfield - "I didn't have any luck with animals either. When I was a kid in my sandbox, the cat kept
covering me up.
George Carlin
Robin Williams

Honarable Mention (IMO): Jonathan Winters, Bill Cosby, Don Rickles, Bill Burr, Chris Rock, Greg Giraldo, Gilbert Gottfried, Jeff Ross.

I also have seen every one of these comedy giants in person, some many times.

But Kinison took the air out of 2,500 people & knocked us to the floor. Fearless! Sam just "wanted to do a little jounalistic reporting on events taking place at an LA mortuary. Rock of ages! Rock of ages! Hey! What's That?"

The best comic's are absolutely crazy people! They're Nuts!

Father Demo

 

[PChoops]

Red fox

 

[UconnU]

Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Breuer, Jamie Kennedy, Chris Rock

 

[Deepster]

I'll take a side track. If you had to include one woman in the Rushmore Four, who would it be?

Phyllis Diller? Joan Rivers? Roseanne Barr? Amy Shumer?