Unless you suffer from geliophobia, you more than likely have enjoyed the wit and wisdom of a stand-up comic. Below are 13 of my favorites. With the exception of the 1st comedian listed (who I think is the greatest of all-time) the comics are listed alphabetically. You can see the comics in action by clicking on their name. If a favorite comic of yours didn't make my list, it's due to one of the following:
a. There are only 13 slots, which makes it impossible to fit in all of my favorites
b. I'm not very familiar with the comic's work
c. I don't think they are all that funny
With that being said, I would love to hear who some of your favorites are.
As a side note, profanity doesn't bother me in the least. This is probably because I was a sailor in a previous life (don't laugh, Shirley MacLaine told me so herself). Anyways, since there may be some readers who are offended by profanity, I have included a "P" at the end of an entry for any comic whose performance contains harsh language.
1. Richard Pryor- In my opinion, any list of stand-up comics has to start with Richard. If the only things he had done was "Richard Pryor Live In Concert" and "Richard Pryor Live On the Sunset Strip, he would still be a comic legend. In the clip he talks about the time he spent talking to prisoners while filming "Stir Crazy". P
2. John Caponera- I first saw this comic when he appeared on "A&E's An Evening At the Improv"... man I used to love that show! Anyways, the clip I linked to is from an appearance that John made on Comedy Central in 1991. He does a dead-on impersonation of Cubs broadcasting legend Harry Caray.
3. George Carlin- He is living proof that not everyone mellows with age and for that, I am grateful. I was lucky enough to catch his stand-up act when he came to the campus of Northern Michigan University in the early 1990s. P
4. Dave Chappelle- The abrupt ending of his brilliant sketch comedy show was one of the great tragedies of TV. In this clip from one of his stand-up specials, Dave discusses the differences between grape juice and grape drink. P
5. Margaret Cho- I was glad to see that she was able to survive her failed ABC sitcom and go on to be a force on the stand-up circuit. Her ruminations on issues such as race, sexuality, and female body images in Hollywood are Pryoresque (if that isn't a word, it is now).
6. Lavell Crawford- I first saw his act when I was over a friend's house back in the 90s and we were watching "Showtime At the Apollo". I was holding my stomach I was laughing so hard!
7. Rodney Dangerfield- With his bug eyes and stage mannerisms, Rodney could be funny without saying a word. When he opened his mouth, he was a riot!
8. Kathy Griffin- Kathy was the best (if not only) reason to watch "Suddenly Susan". I love her stand-up act because she has no problem ripping a celebrity to shreds. P
9. Lisa Lampanelli- I first discovered Lisa when I stumbled upon one her clips on You Tube a couple of years ago. I call her the female Don Rickles. P
10. Dennis Miller- Smart assed stand-up at its best. I have always been a fan of Dennis' use of pop culture/literary references in his act. P
11. Eddie Murphy- Years before starring in family fare like "Daddy Day Care" and "Dr. Doolittle", Eddie was a stand-up God. Can you imagine how big of a deal it would be if he decided to do a stand-up tour again after all these years? P
12. Chris Rock- Chris is another stand-up that I saw perform in person. My stomach muscles got a good workout that night. P
13. Marsha Warfield- Although she is best known as Roz on the sitcom "Night Court", Marsha had a pretty successful career as a stand-up. This clip is from an appearance on one of the Comic Relief specials. P
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46 comments:
George Carlin has always been a favorite of mine. His shtick on tomoatoes is absolutely priceless!
I don't like Kathy Grififn for some reason.. I probably spelled r name wrong too.
Yeah Chris Rock is soooo funny.
Great list. Sometimes I feel like Kathy Griffin is channeling me. Is that bad?
I don't know a lot of the names on your list, but I love stand up comedy. I regularly visit the Comedy Cafe in Amsterdam, a mix of big names and new talents.
My TT is a slideshow of 13 fungi pictures I made last weekend.
You've got some good ones here! I could not believe it when Dave Chappelle took off :(
I discovered him through my son. One night he was watching it and I didn't think it was appropriate comedy for a kid (can't remember how old he was but he's 16 now). But the next thing I knew I was sitting next to him cracking up. The guy is a genius.
I enjoy George Carlin and Rodney Dangerfield (RIP). For some reason I find Chris Rock irritating in the extreme. I always end up wanting to slap him. The funniest stand up I ever saw in person was Steve Martin before, sadly, he gave it up.
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I almost did this too. What a wonderful list. Love them all. Have a great TT. :)
I don't think I've seen any big names in comedy. Not live, anyway.
But I like Kathy and Margaret, from what I've seen of them. And how can you forget Lenny Bruce????
Happy TT, doll!
Well, I don't think I suffer from that phobia you listed, but I don't really get into entertainment much either, so I don't recognize many of those names. However, it would be hard to leave Bill Cosby off any list of mine, as even when I was a child he could tickle my funny bones. (Little tiny hairs indeed)
TM
Carlin is classic!
Robin: I don't recall Carlin's bit on tomatoes. I'll have to see if it's on You Tube.
YH: I don't take points off for spelling so it's all good.
Bloggers: I would probably put Chris Rock #2 after Richard Pryor.
The Gal Herself: No, Kathy Griffin channeling you isn't bad. However, if she is channeling you, she owes you some serious money.
Tink: The Comedy Cafe sounds like a lot of fun. I haven't been to a comedy club in awhile. I need to do something about that.
Barbara: In the long run, I think that Dave taking off was the best thing for him. Watching Dave with your son... you're a pretty cool mom!
Nicholas: I wonder if Steve has ever considered doing stand up again. He may have the same view about stand up as Eddie Murphy. Eddie said in an interview that he has considered returning to stand up, but ends up balking because of the hard work involved in putting together a routine.
Sandee: I hope that you do a stand up comic themed TT in the future. I'm interested to see what your choices would be.
Susan: If you ever get the chance, you should definitely see a live stand up performance.
I briefly considered Lenny Bruce. However, I haven't seen enough of his work to rank him among my favorites.
Ornery's Wife: Thanks for letting me know that Bill Cosby would make your list. I am a big fan of the 3 movies he did with Sidney Poitier (Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again, and A Piece of the Action).
Country Dawn: If you haven't seen it, you should check Carlin's routine called "The Modern Man".
Very funny people. Great list.
Happy TT!
I liked the earlier Sarah Bernhard who I saw over 29 years ago as the opening act for Jay Leno. Both were good. I also got to see George Carlin live and he was a riot. Fun list to share today.
You introduced me to some folks with whom I was unfamiliar! Thanks.
Great list but you forgot Jim Gaffigan. That guy is a crack up!! Check him out sometime. Happy TT.
I certainly can't argue about Richard Pryor being the "greatest of all time or about George Carlin, who I consider to be the smartest comedian hands down. Remember when Richard and George made guest appearances in Carwash? Right now I like Lewis Black, Sheryl Underwood, Jay Anthony Brown (Tom Joyner Morning Show) and Sammore. What no Seinfeld???
Greg Proops, Jeff Dunham both come to mind. There's a Christian comic that plays guitar that's totally awesome, but I can't think of his name right now.
I love standup. I really should try and see more of it. I have watch DVD's of Chris Rock And Dave Chapelle. I like the former better.
I love Margaret Cho. She came to my college and we went to see her (1996?). But my real favorite is Wanda Sykes. My husband and I went to see her several years ago in Houston...and she is just the best. My husband's fave has to be Chris Rock...we watch all his HBO specials. Have you heard some of Wanda's prank calls? If not I'll have to send you the links...GREAT LIST!
What a great T13. I agreen with all of them, but Mr. No Respect tops them all! :)
While I'm at it, my favorite routines for my top 13:
(1) Flip Wilson--"Cowboys and Colored People"
(2) Richard Pryor--"UFOs in Harlem"
(3) Moms Mabley--"Sitting on a plane with a fat sister"
(4) Dave Chapelle--"Eating chicken"
(5) George Carlin--"Battered Plants"
(6) LaWanda Page--"Star in the East"
(7) Paula Poundstone--"Drunk in a Pet Store"
(8) Margaret Cho--"Lesbian Cruise"
(9) John Heiss--"Looking for Porn DVDs at the Public Library"
(10) Billy Hicks--"Rock against Drugs"
(11) Redd Foxx--"Poetry"
(12) Cheech & Chong--"Dave"
(13) Bob & Ray--"The S.T.O.A."
Hey, I tried to post earlier, but Blogger ate my post (smile). Anyway, I like a lot the folks you named, Carlin, Rock, Pryor, Chappelle's character skits are a lot funnier than his stand-up to me, same goes for Murphy.
Some of the other folks I enjoy--Paul Mooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernie Mac, Jerry Seinfeld, Rodman (he's not well know, but he's funny as hell), Bruce-Bruce, Paula Poundstone, Sommore, Adele Givens, Cedric The Entertainer, Steve Harvey, Wanda Sykes and Rickey Smiley.
As you can probably tell, I love to laugh (smile).
Lots of good ones in there! I also suggest Ralphie May, Dimitri Martin, and Katt Williams :)
Happy TT!
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Good list. I never was fortunate to see any of them live, but they still rocked on TV (though I can remember George Carlin on LP. ;-) )
Happy TT.
George Carlin is just timeless. He's one of my favorites and the early Eddie Murphy just can't be beat!!
Great list --- !
Happy TT!
I'm pretty impressed with myself, I've heard of most of them. What a fun list!
I agree with many of your choices. Margaret Cho and George Carlin are great when it comes to saying what they have to say without flinching from the backlash.
My favorite is Chris Rock. His stand-up specials are among the few I can watch any time they're on and each time still find them as thought-provoking and funny as I did the first time.
~Xakara <-------Please use this link.
I enjoyed your list there are some great comedians on that list Chris ROck is hilarious and so are the rest. Happy TT http://inraesworld.blogspot.com/
Hmm, I think i need to check out a few of these. Thanks for the info.
I've always loved stand-up comics, and these are some good ones.
Friends recently introduced me to Eddie Izzard's comedy, and I spent hours watching and LMAO on YouTube.
I love to laugh but I prefer off the cuff and laughing at life as it happens so many comics are bizarre
I like your topic for this week. :)
I just learned of Lavell this past LCS season. Not bad!
There's one we like-her first name is elvira. Don't remember her last name, but she was hilarious! (she's a lesbian whose parents are from Eastern Europe...)
Richard Pryor and George Carlin are the ones that I'm familiar with, but I'm partial to Bill Cosby.
Thanks for visiting my TT!
Jenny McB: Since I find Sandra B funny, I wish I could have seen her stand up act.
Sandy: Glad to hear that I was able to kick a little knowledge your way.
Lori: Since I have never seen Jim's stand up act, he wasn't considered for my list. If I think to, I'll check to see if he has any clips available on You Tube.
Pjazzy: Your comments about Car Wash make me wanna watch it right now. Too bad I don't have it on DVD. You named some good ones. During the recent Emmy Awards, Lewis Black did a rant about the annoying habits that many networks use (split screen, use news crawls, etc.).
Around 10:00 last night, I changed the heading of this week's TT to explain why some comics didn't make the list. Seinfeld was definitely under consideration to make the cut.
Mistress of the Dark: I Googled the words "Christian comic that plays guitar" but came up with nothing. If you think of the comic's name, let me know.
Amy: I prefer Chris Rock over Dave Chappelle myself. Rock's comedy CDs are really good too if you haven't checked them out yet.
Holly: Lucky you to have seen Margaret Cho live. The closest I came was seeing her concert film at the theater. I would love to hear some of Wanda's prank calls. In case you don't read this, I will shoot you an email as well.
WorksForMom: You can't go wrong with Rodney Dangerfield. Even some of his movies that overall may not be great are worth watching because of his presence.
X. Dell: Thanks for providing me with some of your favorite comics. I'm going to have to do some You Tube searches to see if any are available there. If not, maybe I'll break down and look for their CDs.
Lori: I am sorry to hear that Blogger ate your orig. post. Blogger can be a rude, hungry bastard sometimes. You named some good ones. I came close to including Paul Mooney, Steve Harvey (I loved his WB sitcom), and Jerry Seinfeld on my TT this week. Like the Guilty Pleasures list I did last week, I may revisit the topic of stand-up comics for a future TT.
I do love Chris Rock. Even when he offends me, I still love him. Great list!
I like some of these too. Thanks for participating in my 13 this week. You guessed one of the songs correctly, so I linked back to you. Stop by again sometime!
Julia: I'm not familiar with the 3 you listed. Maybe I'll check them out sometime.
Patrizia: I remember when George Carlin had shoulder length brown hair with a full beard to match.
Lara Angelina: Since there will never be a shortage of things in this crazy world that are rant-worthy, George will always be in style.
Xakara: When we saw Chris Rock live, he did a bit about reality TV where he said the one show he hated was "The Bachelorette". Chris said that it was because the producers always throw in the token black contestant who has no chance of winning. True and funny.
Darla: One of the things that I love about this TT is being reminded about other comics such as Eddie Izzard. I will have to add him to my list of comics to search for on You Tube.
Joyismygoal: Because of your username, your outlook on life doesn't surprise me. Interesting perspective on stand-up comedy.
Sharon: About 10 years ago, I saw Lavell perform on BET Comicview. He did a bit that to this day I still will recite to my niece. She never fails to crack up. I did a little Googling and found the name of the other comic you were referring to: Elvira Kurt. I'm not familiar with her work, but she sounds funny.
Denise: I prefer Bill's work in the trilogy of films he did with Sidney Poitier to his stand-up. Thanks for stopping by.
Open Grove Claudia: I love it when people in the audience gasp during parts of Chris Rock's stand up performances.
I'd have to say that out of that list, Dennis Miller is my fave. But my favorite standup comedian of all is Jerry Seinfeld. He manages to be hilarious without being filthy. A real class act.
By the way...as far as the Christian comic who plays guitar...M of the D may have been thinking of Tim Hawkins.
www.timhawkins.net
His parody of Green Day's "I hope you had the time of your life"--"These are the things you don't say to your wife"--is hilarious and spot on. :)
I love Carlin and Margaret Cho...Steve Martin and Jerry Seinfeld would top my list I think. I always love the stand up shows on Comedy Central...I think Sarah Silverman is priceless as well.
Great folks there...I checked it twice and did not see Jerry Seinfeld. I love him!
Never cared for Chris Rock. I thought in his early days he was incredibly UNfunny. But I think I would add Cosby and Sinbad to your list. And I will never forget Franklin Ajai's routine about Star Trek!
Thanks for visiting my T13 #52 13 Comic books made into movies"
These guys are pretty well known now-but I like Seinfeld and Dane Cook. I didn't know that Marsha Warfield was a comic. Great list! Thanks for stopping by.
Mercy's Maid: Thanks for visiting. That lyrics TT you had was a bitch! I will definitely be back.
Cindy: Thanks for your help with the name of the Christian comic. I passed this info over to Mistress of the Dark. By the way, I checked out Tim Hawkins's site... he is really funny! In addition to the Green Day song parody, I liked his bit on medications that have numerous side effects.
Samantha K: Sarah Silverman is pretty good. I think she is one of those comics for which there is no middle ground. Either you think she is funny as hell or you think she sucks.
Nap Warden: Yup, no Seinfeld. As I mentioned earlier, his exclusion was due to a matter of space.
Dane Bramage: Me and you are polar opposites in regards to Chris Rock and Sinbad. I never thought that the latter was all that funny. Franklin Ajaye is a name that doesn't come up much these days. I will always think of him as "T.C." (aka Fly Man) from the movie "Car Wash".
Joanne: Thanks for visiting and commenting. I wonder what Marsha Warfield is doing these days. I haven't seen her on TV in awhile so maybe she is doing stand up again.
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