My Top Ten Favorite Stand Up Comedians
The first thing I’d like to make clear is that this is a list of personal favourites. It is not a “Greatest” list. There are several comedians who are by all accounts GREATER in a broader context. I call it the “Citizen Kane” effect.
Citizen Kane is considered, by and large to be one of the greatest movies ever made. It rounds out damn near every top movie list. It was daring, innovative , and complex. However, I wouldn’t put it on even my top 50 list. I can acknowledge its importance, respect its legacy…and just not enjoy it as much as something perhaps a little less ambitious.
The stand up comedy equivalent of Citizen Kane for me is Lenny Bruce. He was a pioneer, an innovator, in many ways the father of modern stand up comedy. I just don’t really enjoy what he did all that much.
Now that said, comedy is a bit like music for me, what I’m into at the time can change depending on where I’m at in my life. Think of this as a snapshot of who I am at this precise moment. The list, the order, and the comedians themselves can change in a year’s time.
So let’s get on with it shall we?
10) Mitch Hedberg
You know it took me a little while to warm up to Mitch. I found his accent and his delivery off putting, to the point that it obscured the material for me. But once I got past it, I found myself fascinated by his “laid back southern stoner meets Steven Wright” style musings. The downside of course is that every amateur night in every city is filled with guys who try to copy the delivery without even half of the style, ease and genuinely weird wit.Mitch left us far too soon but has left a few really great comedy albums to remember him by.
9) Steve Martin
I completely wore out my brother’s “Wild and Crazy Guy” 8 track tape. I watched “The Man with Two Brains” on a constant loop on Superchannel. I watched “The Jerk” on a small black and white TV in my room because my mother didn’t want to see “That crap”. At the time, I didn’t realize he actually WAS a bad comedian (on purpose), I just responded to the goofiness in a way only a kid can. Later I came to admire how layered his performances were, and even came to admire him for walking away from them forever. BTW, I saw The Man with Two Brains again recently…it’s still really funny.
8. Bill Cosby
The only reason Cos is so far down the list is because he is so far down memory lane. He is a big part of my childhood, sitting in the basement listening to “For Russel, my Brother, Whom I Slept With” over and over again, and giggling my ass off every time. I’ve seen him twice now, and he is an absolute master…he takes his time, and chooses his spots with impeccable timing. Even in track pants and a sweater, just sitting in a chair, he is riveting.
7) George Carlin
Like Cosby and Steve Martin before him, this is a guy who belongs not just on this list, but on the list of all time greats. Class Clown should be compulsory listening for anyone even THINKING of setting foot on a comedy stage. I saw him twice during the Cranky Misanthrope years, and I am I very glad I caught him live…before he wasn’t. He opened with “Good Evening ladies and gentleman. I would just like to start by saying FUCK LANCE ARMSTRONG! FUCK HIM AND HIS ONE BALL!!!” I don’t think I ever laughed at an opening line quite as hard as that.
6) Pre 9-11 Dennis Miller
Before the attacks on 9-11, Dennis Miller told it like he saw it, with no specific affiliations. He was one of the best weekend update correspondents, and I admired how he just made the references he wanted to make without worrying whether or not the audience would get it. I did get it more often than not, which made me feel like I was in an exclusive club. He was a huge influence, and to this day I still have a few Dennis Miller inspired jokes in my act. (For instance… “Religion is like alcohol, in small amounts, its warm and comforting… too much and you instantly become an asshole”. I have to fight the urge to shake my head slightly when I tell that joke) Then after 9-11 he took a big jump to the right, and embraced the Fox news POV. No matter what your politics are, I think we can all agree that the left has a much better sense of humor, and I think Dennis’ comedy, and reputation suffered. He’s not dead, but in a way, I still miss him
5) Jim Gaffigan
The guy talked about food for an hour. And all of it was funny. Here’s someone who can take something as mundane as cake and make the tears stream out of your eyes with laughter. He has an odd, self deprecating, almost gentle style, punctuated with hilarious interpretations of what his audience is thinking. (“Oh, he’s a pale fella…”) You could even listen to Gaffigan in front of your kids, it’s clean, clever, without even a trace of anger. If you haven’t seen it, go to you tube and look up his signature bit “Hot Pockets” you’ll thank me. Then you’ll never eat another Pizza pop. Then you will thank him.
4) Billy Connelly
Some comedians are just greater than their material and Billy Connelly is just one of those guys. Billy’s PERSONALITY is funny and it comes through every pore of his being. He could go off on a tangent about anything, a pair of slacks that caught his eye, something somebody in the audience said, whatever. It doesn’t matter what he’s talking about, it’s the way in which he talks about it. He just does what he does, has the audience doubled over with laughter and he makes it seem so damned natural and easy. There’s a whole lot of Billy Connelly in Craig Ferguson. (Or at least there was last night” Ferguson would say at this point, making his “Nancy Boy” face) If you get a chance to see him ramble on about very little, do so. Great storyteller.
3) Steven Wright
“Steven Wright is one of the most prolific and gifted stand up comics of our age” – Barry Katz, after a complete Douchetard asked what Steven Wright had done lately
I often hesitate to use the words “Comedic genius” to describe comedians but Steven Wright comes as close to the term as anyone. Wright is layered, original, smart, bizarre and hysterically funny. He’s throwing metaphysical curveballs out like it was nothing while the rest of us in the comedy world are still pitching underhand. His comedy is the product of a lightning quick mind slowed down to a snail’s pace and delivered with flawless deadpan. I have also had the privilege of seeing him live. He opened with “I wish my first word was “Quote,” so that on my deathbed I could say “Unquote”. The e-mails you occasionally get forwarded to you are only about 60% his material, if that, and does him no justice at all. See him live if you can.
2) Louis CK
I truly believe Louis CK is the George Carlin of our generation. He’s got Carlin’s insight, his bite, and his gift for forcing you to look at what you accept everyday in a whole new light. If anybody else referred to their 5 year old daughter as an asshole, you would immediately want to boo them off stage…but I have to say, he makes an excellent case. He is brutal in his honesty and spares no one, least of all himself. As an interesting experiment, check out Jim Gaffigan’s bit about Cinnabon, then compare it to Louis C.K’s. Gaffigan has a light, “Oh well, I’m a huge slob, whattaya gonna do?” vibe. Louis on the other hand, is filled with utter self loathing and despair, it’s as much a cry for help as it is a comedy bit. I’m kicking myself for missing him the last time he came through, but I ‘m sure I’ll get my chance, he’s getting bigger and better all the time.
1) Patton Oswalt
“Werewolves and Lollipops” saved my stand up comedy career. Allow me to explain.
I was pretty much done with stand up. I hadn’t written anything new in ages…and I didn’t care to. I had nothing but contempt for my audiences, at this point it was a paycheck…not even a good one, that I had to travel out to the middle of nowhere to get. I was right on the verge of packing it all in for good.
Then on the way to a gig, one of the comedians on the bill with me threw in “Werewolves and Lollipops” by Patton Oswalt. When I finally caught my breath and my head stopped aching from laughing so hard, I found myself having renewed faith in both Stand up comedy and my act. He was a nerd, just like me, and an absolute wordsmith. Each turn of phrase was worked to absolute perfection. “KFC Bowls” is a shining example of precision of language and how it can be used for maximum effect. He can be brilliantly articulate one moment and degenerate into complete gibberish the next, and in both cases still be equally funny. He has got to be one of the most quotable comedians working today.
He turned me around and made me believe that something worthwhile COULD be done in stand up and I started loving it again the way I used to. I write more, I try stuff more, I’m more open and relaxed on stage. Nobody in their right mind gets into this for money or fame. If you don’t love it, you have no business being in it. He clearly loves it, and he made me love it too.
Get Werewolves and Lollipops, and while your are at it get My Weakness is Strong. They are a masterclass for any humor writer.
Now, before I go…allow me to use my Jim Gaffigan audience inner monologue voice for a moment.
“Ohhh but wait a minute…What about Bill Hicks? You didn’t put Bill Hicks on the list. I don’t think you’re a very good comedian if you left out Bill Hicks.”
Well, in answer to that…I haven’t heard a lot of Bill Hicks. What I have heard I have enjoyed, but his take no prisoners style has inspired more comedians to behave like total douche bags, both onstage and off than you could possibly imagine. He is therefore not on the list, just on principal.
So, faithful readers, who do you like?
(Oh, if you’re in Edmonton this weekend, I’m playing the YukYuks at the Century Casino. Come out and see if I make your list.)
