[QUOTE=L.Kizzle]Chappelle Show has nothing to do with his stand up. Though I can't remember is "For What It's Worth" premiered after or before this.[/QUOTE]
Right, but overall popularity still impacts these things.
Printable View
[QUOTE=L.Kizzle]Chappelle Show has nothing to do with his stand up. Though I can't remember is "For What It's Worth" premiered after or before this.[/QUOTE]
Right, but overall popularity still impacts these things.
I have two major issues with the comments I've heard so far. One very important name has been missed in all of the comments, plus I have one other general comment.
1. Arguably the funniest standup man in the game today (that is active) is nowhere to be seen on this list. The hell? Let's say it a Sunday night, and you want to laugh. You have a choice of watching 30 minutes of random material from one comedian - how many people would say "nah, I'm not watching Bill Burr."
Body of work is one thing, but quality is more important (once you hit a threshold of quantity).
2. This list is very American-centric. Where is Jimmy Carr and other great Euro comics?
wait bill burr is not on this list? was this made before he did his specials. cuz he definitely deserves a spot.
he probably wasnt too big back then but i would expect somebody to have commented on it
[QUOTE=Bourne]I have two major issues with the comments I've heard so far. One very important name has been missed in all of the comments, plus I have one other general comment.
1. Arguably the funniest standup man in the game today (that is active) is nowhere to be seen on this list. The hell? Let's say it a Sunday night, and you want to laugh. You have a choice of watching 30 minutes of random material from one comedian - how many people would say "nah, I'm not watching Bill Burr."
Body of work is one thing, but quality is more important (once you hit a threshold of quantity).
2. This list is very American-centric. Where is Jimmy Carr and other great Euro comics?[/QUOTE]
This list was done in 2004, Bill Burr wasn't too well known then. He was less known than Louis CK in 2004, and CK is #98. He didn't really take off until right after this premiered. He really hit it right at the late 2000s.
This is more of an American List. Though Eddie Izzard is here. None of the Monty Python guys are here, though I'm not sure how much stand-up they've done, if any.
[QUOTE=L.Kizzle] None of the Monty Python guys are here, though I'm not sure how much stand-up they've done, if any.[/QUOTE]
Almost Zero, they started as a sketch group in college.
[QUOTE=KevinNYC]Almost Zero, they started as a sketch group in college.[/QUOTE]
Cleese has done a bunch, Chapman too.
[QUOTE=Akrazotile]Ellen is a legend bro.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=DeuceWallaces]She was one of the biggest comics of the 80's and 90's.
Oh yeah, and Gaffigan would be somewhere in 50-75.[/QUOTE]
She isn't remotely funny, and never has been.
Guys if you haven't already, check out the book STAND UP GUYS: A GENERATION OF LAUGHS. It's a great read. If focuses on stand-up's in the NYC area around the late 70s to the mid 80s, mostly taking place in three main clubs. The Improv, To Catch a Rising Star and the Comic Strip.
Lots of great stories on Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Richard Lewis, Richard Belzer, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Larry Miller, Joe Piscopo, Bill Maher, Eddie Murphy, Gilbert Gottfried and a host of others from that era. The author of the book John DeBellis, was also a stand-up at that same time but didn't make it like the names above. He found his niche as a writer for various projects in the 80s and 90s.
Also, they use to have a annual comic baseball tournament. The guys from the Improv like Larry David, Bill Maher vs the guys from To Catch a Rising Star like Larry Miller and Seinfeld. Pretty funny stuff.
[QUOTE=Kblaze8855]I suspect if you polled the people on the list....and they knew nobody would know how they voted...1 and 2 would still be the same. But Carlin might win.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. That's what I was trying to say.
[QUOTE=bagelred]Exactly. That's what I was trying to say.[/QUOTE]
BBC did a top 100 comics list in 2007 and Richard Pryor as #2 behind Bill Connolly. George Carlin was #28.
To me, George Carlin just isn't funny. Granted I really haven't seen much, but listening to him comes off like reading 9gag - some interesting wordplay, some funny paradox thingies, stuff like that. Almost a different genre of standup.
Considering body of work I might be able to understand, but having norm mcdonald at 83 is a tragedy! He is literally the greatest talkshow interviewee of all time! (but i guess that isn't performing standup... cuz they are sitting...)
Python aren't really stand ups, but either is Letterman; he hated doing stand-up but they put him on that list anyway.
bill burr/russell peters/ gabriel maybe?
[QUOTE=DeuceWallaces]Python aren't really stand ups, but either is Letterman; he hated doing stand-up but they put him on that list anyway.[/QUOTE]
Letterman's opening monologue every night is stand-up. Plus his various appearances on late night TV in the late 70s/early 80s before he got his talk show gigs.