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Favorite stand up comedian

#83
Couldn't help myself...

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#85
Stand-up commodians/social observers themselves talk about the 'Big 3' being Lenny Bruce, George Carlin & Richard Pryor.

The one that I think might have joined them if he'd had more time was Bill Hicks. I'll attach linx to a couple of his bits below. Watching these clips again is a reminder of just how good he was.

Steven Wright, Bob Newhart, Maria Bamford, Dave Chappelle, Jeff Dunham, Eddie Murphy, Sam Kinison , Ron White, Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Sarah Silverman, James Austin Johnson + others have all made me laugh numerous times.
I saw Jay Leno at Caesar's in Las Vegas in his prime, long before he got lazy, and he was really good way back then. And whenever I see swimming, ice skating, or skiing competitions on TV, can't help but recall Chris Rock's bit about how "black people don't like any sport that has too much water in it. More than a Gatorade cooler...".

Bill Cosby was considered a giant of comedy, once, and he was really funny. I grew up on "Why Is There Air" and "I Started Out As A Child", the only comedy albums my parents owned. I read an account by one of his accusers that made me say 'ewww' - but (if her experience was typical) he doesn't quite deserve to be thought of like a Harvey Weinstein or 'he whose name must not be mentioned' or someone like that. (We need to create a couple of new words in English after #MeToo to better define the particular level of bad behavior being discussed.)





 
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#91
hrodbert696 said:
The comedian that I absorbed and enjoyed most growing up was Bill Cosby. But of course, it's complicated to say that, now that we know everything he was up to. They often say that great humor comes from somewhere dark, and we now know that as wholesome as his act was, his psyche was a very dark place. But it WAS comic genius. I sometimes wonder if he's going to go down in history as a brilliant comedian, with a footnote that he was up to terrible things in secret, or if he'll be remembered as a high profile fall from grace, with the footnote being that he had been a popular comedian once.
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I have to admit that Bill Cosby would probably be at the very top of my list of favorite comedians if it weren't for [the scandal].

I used to have all of his comedy albums and played them over and over until I memorized them. I got so much laughter out of his comedy routines.

I imagine that if it weren't for [the scandal], we'd see Cosby's name at, or near, the top of the list of most posters in this thread.
 
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#92
I'm glad to see that Doug Stanhope is getting some recognition.

Personally, I think he's hysterically funny, as well as profoundly insightful and extremely smart, particularly when it comes to commenting on current social issues.

But, he's definitely not for everyone. He has no aversion to saying things that are likely to shock the sensitivity of ordinary individuals. Not because he's trying to shock his audience, but because it's necessary for the integrity of the bit.

That takes courage and I respect that.
 
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#95
Johnny Fingers said:
Surprised that it took so long for Jay Leno and Joan Rivers to get a nod. I must be getting old.
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Quite honestly I've never found Leno to be the least bit amusing. Yes, he's a gearhead like me, but I've never understood his brand of humor.... just like Jerry Seinfeld.... I don't get it.

From a gearhead standpoint, Tim Allen was much better..... Imo, of course.
 

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