Your Stand Up Comedian Mt Rushmore

[storrsroars]

With stand up you have the comedians who do all sorts of one liners and you have comedians who weave a joke or two in to a story.
Doing an hour of stand up where you are mostly doing one liners is tough. Real tough. Gots to give props for those who write their material and craft their material.
Overall though, I'm more open to those telling stories and painting a picture with humor. Also not a fan of those who really need the physical aspect of comedy to get the laughs.

Keeping it to people I've seen in person or was alive to watch their specials and separating their comedy routines from their success or failure at TV or movies, here it goes.

Carlin
Chapelle
Steven Wright
Dangerfield

I really want to put Eddie Murphy on there because his first two albums were the first two R rated albums I ever heard and I want to believe they are epically funny but I'm certain if I listened to them again, I'd be disappointed.

Excellent post from a comedy nerd perspective, which I am.

We've likely all heard the term, "Comedian's comedian". That describes someone who's got excellent writing, great craft, works the clubs tirelessly, but may or may not have achieved great public adoration as they're oft times either too edgy or "mean". For years Richard Belzer wore the crown, but his schtick didn't translate to middle America and he never got to the top tier. Leno was a god to many as he'd work anywhere, do several gigs a night and had mountains of material. Too bad he basically ruined his rep with all the Tonight Show crap. Doug Stanhope is sort of there now. He may be the most extreme comic working today. There's stuff he does that might even make CK blush. As for CK, I loved his stuff, but I always wondered what his kids would think once they were old enough to watch the routines, because they were brutal.

Telling stories - Mike Birbiglia is not everyone's cup of tea, but he's brilliant at this. Each of his specials are basically one theme, one story, off which he goes on different tangents, but it's brilliant and you can tell he's really worked it to perfection, getting some great laughs while also garnering empathy.

I couldn't agree more on "needing the physical aspect". People love Maniscalco and Brian Regan, but take away the physical and their stuff just dies. Burr does a decent bit of physical, but it translates even if you just listen to the audio.

As to your last point, I did try watching a couple of old Eddie Murphy specials. Cringeworthy when listened to today, with today's societal filters. Definitely not "timeless" like the best of Carlin or Pryor.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Chappelle, Mulaney, Anzari, Louie C.K.

 

[storrsroars]

Funniest woman...

Rosanne Barr. She just killed me.

Barr was funny for awhile. But the housewife schtick got tired. And that's an issue I've had with a ton of female comedians, especially the early ones. They were very limited on what they made fun of, which back in the 60s/70s may have been their only option, so maybe not their fault.

DeGeneres was a terrific standup early on. And I really liked Paula Poundstone, but she was also "cancelled" due to her personal issues.

As for currently working female comedians, I think Madigan is the gold standard, mostly because she doesn't restrain herself to one area, doesn't have to demean herself, doesn't rely on talking about sex, dating or motherhood, and has both excellent writing and a delivery that adds to the effect of the jokes. Of the newer crop dropping countless 'meh' specials on Netflix/Prime, I lean toward Katherine Ryan as having the best material.

 

[mauconnfan]

Pryor, Seinfeld, Burr

 

[CL82]

Bill Cosby - I once fed my kids chocolate cake for breakfast and kept singing this to them

“Dad is great, he gave us the chocolate cake”

 

[Chin Diesel]

Excellent post from a comedy nerd perspective, which I am.

We've likely all heard the term, "Comedian's comedian". That describes someone who's got excellent writing, great craft, works the clubs tirelessly, but may or may not have achieved great public adoration as they're oft times either too edgy or "mean". For years Richard Belzer wore the crown, but his schtick didn't translate to middle America and he never got to the top tier. Leno was a god to many as he'd work anywhere, do several gigs a night and had mountains of material. Too bad he basically ruined his rep with all the Tonight Show crap. Doug Stanhope is sort of there now. He may be the most extreme comic working today. There's stuff he does that might even make CK blush. As for CK, I loved his stuff, but I always wondered what his kids would think once they were old enough to watch the routines, because they were brutal.

Telling stories - Mike Birbiglia is not everyone's cup of tea, but he's brilliant at this. Each of his specials are basically one theme, one story, off which he goes on different tangents, but it's brilliant and you can tell he's really worked it to perfection, getting some great laughs while also garnering empathy.

I couldn't agree more on "needing the physical aspect". People love Maniscalco and Brian Regan, but take away the physical and their stuff just dies. Burr does a decent bit of physical, but it translates even if you just listen to the audio.

As to your last point, I did try watching a couple of old Eddie Murphy specials. Cringeworthy when listened to today, with today's societal filters. Definitely not "timeless" like the best of Carlin or Pryor.

I don't understand comedy any more than I can read music or play an instrument. I can't do any of that. All I know for myself is what I find funny. I do listen to other comedians to find out who they respect in their craft - as you said the "comedians comedian".
Like most on here I've been to a few headliners on the big stage, seen a few headliners working their material in smaller venues and have seen some no names crush it with their stuff. I really enjoyed watching comedians work new material in smaller venues. You see them working through not only the joke but how to lead in to it and how to exit out of it and transition to the next joke.
@SubbaBub nailed it below. There are originals and there are derivatives or family trees with different styles. Obviously you want to give max credit to the originals but the saying "Pioneers get slaughtered, settlers prosper" has legs for a reason. Learning how to hone a style and perfect it has merit too.
Going off on a bit of a tangent, it's odd to me how comedians police each other with stolen material. There are only so many things you can talk about in comedy. Being that they've been doing this for decadeds now on tape, eventually material gets recycled. Some comedians tend to get away with using or borrowing material while others get crucified. I've listened to plenty of interviews and exposes on it but it still seems as irrational as the rest of the court of public opinion.

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.

 

[Deepster]

People think Bill Cosby is funny at stand up?

He used to put out comedy records. I don't know if they were stand up as you'd think of it today, more like storytelling. They were really good for the time. My Dad had a bunch of them and I used to listen to them when I was a kid. He'd tell stories about the kids in his neighborhood who ended up being some of the characters on Fat Albert later on.

 

[mauconnfan]

“Dad is great, he gave us the chocolate cake”

How come I can't see Bill Cosby ever being mentioned again in situations that would include "best ever" type situations?

 

[SubbaBub]

I don't understand comedy any more than I can read music or play an instrument. I can't do any of that. All I know for myself is what I find funny. I do listen to other comedians to find out who they respect in their craft - as you said the "comedians comedian".
Like most on here I've been to a few headliners on the big stage, seen a few headliners working their material in smaller venues and have seen some no names crush it with their stuff. I really enjoyed watching comedians work new material in smaller venues. You see them working through not only the joke but how to lead in to it and how to exit out of it and transition to the next joke.
@SubbaBub nailed it below. There are originals and there are derivatives or family trees with different styles. Obviously you want to give max credit to the originals but the saying "Pioneers get slaughtered, settlers prosper" has legs for a reason. Learning how to hone a style and perfect it has merit too.
Going off on a bit of a tangent, it's odd to me how comedians police each other with stolen material. There are only so many things you can talk about in comedy. Being that they've been doing this for decadeds now on tape, eventually material gets recycled. Some comedians tend to get away with using or borrowing material while others get crucified. I've listened to plenty of interviews and exposes on it but it still seems as irrational as the rest of the court of public opinion.

The stealing of material debate fascinates me as well. How many, sex, marriage, hookup jokes can there possibly be.

My assumption is that it is some combination of the experienced ear of a professional comedian to be able to discern someone else having a different spin on a common bit and outright theft.

Since the term professional has to be used loosely in an industry built around $20 appearances, open mic nights and bars, you have to add how successful the accussed thief is, how popular the their is amongst their peers, and how jealous those peers are of the accused thief.

If you operate under the assumption that originality, even if its derivative or "hacky" is a hallmark of a really successful comic, then you can see how an outright thief is shunned by the industry.

 

[SubbaBub]

“Dad is great, he gave us the chocolate cake”

What's little discussed is how many of his old bits made it into his TV show. What's better known now is how some of his old bits were confessions of his criminal behavior.

He had an entire bit called "Spanish Fly" about drugging women.

His bits about Noah's Ark and the Football coin toss are about as classic as comedy gets.

 

[SubbaBub]

How come I can't see Bill Cosby ever being mentioned again in situations that would include "best ever" type situations?

OJ is still one of the greatest running backs of all time. It's a lesson about not equating a person with their job.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

In no particular order, I'd go:

Eddie Murphy, Rodney, Seinfeld, Robin Williams

Carlin, Bernie Mac and Chappelle are on my bubble watch.

 

[Excalibur]

I never loved Robin Williams as a stand-up comedian. For me, the Mount Rushmore is Carlin, Bruce, Pryor and Louis C.K. (when I think of "Mount Rushmores" I feel like you need to be talking about people who are dead, but since Louis' career is essentially dead he can be up there). Honorable mention to Rickles, Joan Rivers and Redd Foxx.

Two others that I feel like would be worthy of mention if they didn't die young are Richard Jeni and Greg Giraldo. Jeni at a small club in Denver in the late 90's is still the best comedy show I've seen.

For the guys still alive, I really like Jesselnik, Burr, Ricky Gervais (not sure he really does standup anymore), Jim Jeffries, Russell Peters, and Patton Oswalt.

 

[Mr. French]

He used to put out comedy records. I don't know if they were stand up as you'd think of it today, more like storytelling. They were really good for the time. My Dad had a bunch of them and I used to listen to them when I was a kid. He'd tell stories about the kids in his neighborhood who ended up being some of the characters on Fat Albert later on.

I know, I just find him boring and annoying. The show was great for the time, but I never thought his comedy was that great.

 

[storrsroars]

The stealing of material debate fascinates me as well. How many, sex, marriage, hookup jokes can there possibly be.

My assumption is that it is some combination of the experienced ear of a professional comedian to be able to discern someone else having a different spin on a common bit and outright theft.

Since the term professional has to be used loosely in an industry built around $20 appearances, open mic nights and bars, you have to add how successful the accussed thief is, how popular the their is amongst their peers, and how jealous those peers are of the accused thief.

If you operate under the assumption that originality, even if its derivative or "hacky" is a hallmark of a really successful comic, then you can see how an outright thief is shunned by the industry.

There's blatant (e.g. Carlos Mencia), there's certainly parallel thought, especially on current events where jokes often write themselves, and then there's a lot of grey area.

One recent debate on joke stealing involved, of all people, Dave Chappelle. But it's complicated. Jerrod Carmichael, who's a brilliant writer, did a routine on Michael Jackson in his "Love at the Store" special in 2017. The punchline was basically a kid having bragging rights over his friends on what they did over the weekend, as the kid had been to Neverland and had the King of Pop polish his knob.

Chappelle, in "Sticks and Stones" (2019) did an eerily similar routine and was accused of lifting the premise from Carmichael.

However, back in 2004, Chappelle did a different routine involving MJ and oral sex on kids. So, did Carmichael see that, polish it up and add a different context? Or did Dave revisit some older material and rework it?

Hard to say.

As a tangent to the above, I'm annoyed that Carmichael doesn't do more standup as he's brilliant and different and challenging. But like many newer comics, once he had the opportunity to jump to TV, he took it. I have no doubt he's influenced by Chappelle, but Carmichael is much darker. His routine on Chick-Fil-A is classic, working on several levels at once.

 

[Spaceman213J]

There are many different types of humor as people have said. I think you would have to create a top 4 for each type.

Some guys can do impressions, some are more shock oriented and some guys can be funny just talking about family and simple things. I guess it matters what your personal taste is.

Bernie Mac is someone I left off of my list. Also, if you are someone who favors impressions, Jim Carrey was pretty good in his early days. He is a talented physical comic, too. Just too bad he's gone off the deep end.

Finally, I love that Bill Burr is taking cancellation culture head on. He sees the writing on the wall and they're after him a little, already. I love that he is not backing down.

 

[SubbaBub]

I never loved Robin Williams as a stand-up comedian. For me, the Mount Rushmore is Carlin, Bruce, Pryor and Louis C.K. (when I think of "Mount Rushmores" I feel like you need to be talking about people who are dead, but since Louis' career is essentially dead he can be up there). Honorable mention to Rickles, Joan Rivers and Redd Foxx.

Two others that I feel like would be worthy of mention if they didn't die young are Richard Jeni and Greg Giraldo. Jeni at a small club in Denver in the late 90's is still the best comedy show I've seen.

For the guys still alive, I really like Jesselnik, Burr, Ricky Gervais (not sure he really does standup anymore), Jim Jeffries, Russell Peters, and Patton Oswalt.

Platypus Man was one of the all time great specials.

 

[TheChamps990411]

People think Bill Cosby is funny at stand up?

Even as a kid i did not like BC. Didnt like his comedy and didnt watch his show which everybody loved. I always found him corny and CREEPY. Turns out i was right.

 

[Dove]

Foxwoods announcements:

Dave Chapelle: June 24-26

Norm MacDonald: October 8

 

[8893]

I heard "Give Peace a Chance" on the radio on the way to work this morning and it reminded me of Chance Langton, a Boston area stand-up who did a lot of shows all over the northeast in the late 80s and early 90s. Anyone remember him and his "Give Chance a piece" song?

 

[Waquoit]

Even as a kid i did not like BC. Didnt like his comedy and didnt watch his show which everybody loved. I always found him corny and CREEPY. Turns out i was right.

I'll always have Noah...RIGHT!

 

[superjohn]

There's blatant (e.g. Carlos Mencia), there's certainly parallel thought, especially on current events where jokes often write themselves, and then there's a lot of grey area.

One recent debate on joke stealing involved, of all people, Dave Chappelle. But it's complicated. Jerrod Carmichael, who's a brilliant writer, did a routine on Michael Jackson in his "Love at the Store" special in 2017. The punchline was basically a kid having bragging rights over his friends on what they did over the weekend, as the kid had been to Neverland and had the King of Pop polish his knob.

Chappelle, in "Sticks and Stones" (2019) did an eerily similar routine and was accused of lifting the premise from Carmichael.

However, back in 2004, Chappelle did a different routine involving MJ and oral sex on kids. So, did Carmichael see that, polish it up and add a different context? Or did Dave revisit some older material and rework it?

Hard to say.

As a tangent to the above, I'm annoyed that Carmichael doesn't do more standup as he's brilliant and different and challenging. But like many newer comics, once he had the opportunity to jump to TV, he took it. I have no doubt he's influenced by Chappelle, but Carmichael is much darker. His routine on Chick-Fil-A is classic, working on several levels at once.

Sure, Dave Chappelle is stealing from Jerrod Carmichael...give a me a friggin' break.

 

[storrsroars]

Sure, Dave Chappelle is stealing from Jerrod Carmichael...give a me a friggin' break.

Nonetheless, eerily similar construction. The kind that would've had your professor raise an eyebrow and have a meeting about plagiarism.

Carlin and Pryor have done it.

That said, it could easily be accidental or done unconsciously. I enjoy both Chappelle and Carmichael, so my example isn't meant to be a diss.

 

[superjohn]

Nonetheless, eerily similar construction. The kind that would've had your professor raise an eyebrow and have a meeting about plagiarism.

Carlin and Pryor have done it.

That said, it could easily be accidental or done unconsciously. I enjoy both Chappelle and Carmichael, so my example isn't meant to be a diss.

Chappelle was making those Michael Jackson jokes 20 years ago. I don't get the appeal of Carmichael.

 

[SubbaBub]

Everyone has made Michael Jackson jokes.