American Stand Up: Carlin, Pryor, Hicks, Chappelle

[Glosni]

So when I was fourteen or fiveteen, I discovered American Stand Up and its been my weird little hobby every since. A bit for a german kid growing up in deutschland eating sauerkraut and listening to david hasselhoff all day every day .

But german stand up at the time was mainly "women can't drive. men just wanna watch the game. women like to shop. men never listen. what's the deal with airline food?"
Then I found Carlin and here was a guy who was making up funny, elaborate rants about politics, language and humankind while at the same time opening a show with "You know what people don't talk about in public anymore? ..... farts."
I just became immersed in this stuff and still think there is not enough respect payed to the simplicity of stand up: There is just guy with a microphone, no instruments, no special effects, not even a light cue. Just his ideas to make an entire room full of people laugh?

If you have no idea what I am talking about, here is one of Carlins most famous pieces about religion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RT6rL2UroE

So anybody else into this? What to think about the newer guys like Dane Cook or Katt Williams?

 

[MFB]

I hate both of the two you mentioned. The former had his time when I was 11-13 but after that it was just shallow, bland humor.

My main staples of comedy these days are Tom Segura, Kyle Kinane, Patton Oswalt, John Mulaney, Mike Birbiglia and a handful of others. I used to have Louis CK in there but now as I've aged his stuff just got darker and now depresses me; comedy is supposed to be an escape and yet all his stuff is just so morbid.

 

[Daf57]

One of my favorites from a few years back was Brian Regan - don't see him much anymore. Always enjoyed his set - never relied on politics or cheap shots - just observations.

 

[Kobalt]

I discovered George Carlin's 1992 Jammin' In New York like a year or two ago on TV, here in Quebec.......ing amazing.

The part where he starts talking about "these little things that we share" like the impossibility of sneezing while pissing...funniest thing I've ever heard in my entire life.

 

[HUGH JAYNUS]

Look up Mitch Hedberg. He was amazing. He has 3 albums and some random videos floating around. I recommend starting with his albums

 

[Alimination]

Bill Burr has been my favorite for a while now.

Joe Rogan (his latest special is his best), Joey Diaz, Patrice O’Neal, Doug Stanhope...

Pretty much east coast comics are my favorite!


Also Tom Segura!

 

[Edika]

I've found refreshingly different and enjoyable Jim Gaffigan. Quite cleaner and more upbeat than most of the stand up comedians mentioned. No fake outrage about social issues or appear to be on coke or speed all the time too.

 

[asher]

There is a disturbing lack of Robin Williams in this thread. His stand up is amazing.

Also, not American, but Eddie Izzard.

 

[MFB]

There is a disturbing lack of Robin Williams in this thread. His stand up is amazing.

Also, not American, but Eddie Izzard.

I haven't listened to a huge chunk of Robin's stand-up, but for me, what I have heard was so all over the place I was just kind of lost. I usually use it as background noise while working (there's something oddly soothing about people just talking while you work), so that probably didn't help either; it just sounded like a sea of high-pitched voices and stop-start timing.

His movies though? Untouchable.

 

[rahul_mukerji]

Ah I love stand up as well. I got addicted to it when I first came to the states and was introduced to it via Ellen, Chris Rock and Carlin. I'd never seen anything like it before. After that I've always sought out CD's and shows on stand up's. Here are some people you should check out. A lot of stand up is now on YouTube [full length shows] so you can always check that out before you buy the CD / DVD.

I'm not covering everyone otherwise this would be an essay [it already is pretty long]

• Adam Ferrara: Now an old timer, 10 years back his Comedy Central Stand Up was great. His album "Funny as Hell" is a great album and I can listen to this album repeatedly without growing tired of it.
• Amy Schumer: One of the newer people, Amy certainly has her own voice. I think she has 2 albums out.
• Anjelah Johnson: She has some great skits on MadTV and she took that funny one step ahead with her "The Homecoming Show". It is a good set and she does it well. Its not cutting edge or anything, but makes for a good laugh.
• Anthony Jeselnik: If you want to listen to a proper insult comic, you need to check Antony out. He can really test the limits of funny with his dry insulting humor. He has 2 albums out and both are really good, imo.
• Bill Burr: This guy will make you laugh. Observational Humor is what Bill is best at and he is absolutely great at it. He has about 4 albums out at this point and I would recommend checking all of them if you like his style. He is also another comic that makes my "repeat regularly" list.
• Bill Hicks: Tool quoted him on their album. Enough said ! Listen to his stuff !
• Blue Collar Comedy (Bill Engvall / Jeff Foxworthy / Ron White / Larry the Cable Guy): Southern Humor. This is less edgy and has fewer curses than most of the other stuff. Definitely a good mix to throw in. Also each of them has their own Solo CD's. Personally I like Bill Engvall the best of the lot. His act is more family driven and observational humor on parenting and relationships and everyday life. There's a ton of their stuff both on Solo and Blue Collar side and Youtube has them as well. Check it out, it's different.
• Brian Posehn: The Metal Dude !! His stuff is great too. Not someone I listen to a lot. He has 3 albums out now I think. I enjoyed his first album. The other two were misses for me.
• Brian Regan: This guy is unbelievable. Clean observational humor with timing and delivery like no one else. Your kids and parents can listen to him and his is the least offensive guy on this list. But his act is killer. His Audio CDs and his shows are AMAZING. I listen to his stuff at least once a month !! If you like his stuff get his CDs, they are absolutely worth every penny.
• Carlos Mencia: Ok so I might catch a little flack for this, but I think his early stuff was well written and funny. Yes, there are some serious plagiarized stuff and similar sounding jokes to others, but his early stuff was quite good. Once he and Dane fell under that plagiarized banner things went south for them. Albums are still funny though!
• Chris Rock: You can't go too far into a Stand Up conversation without Chris Rock coming up. He is almost a Gold Standard at this point coming very close to Pryor's level of reverence. Chris has amazing delivery, timing and comic sense. His act is pure genius and has serious attitude. An absolute pleasure to listen to and will crack you up. He has numerous CDs at this point and I personally like all of them. Check him out on YouTube !
• Christopher Titus: Another of my favorite comics. His stuff is always on regular play for me. His specials from Normal Rockwell .. to Love is Evol are spectacular. He does a lot of self-deprecating humor and he is excellent at it. He has a new Special coming out and I'm super excited. His stuff is also very inspiring since he overcame some personal stuff. So he can make you laugh and inspire you so that's quite something else !! You can't go wrong with his stuff.
• Dane Cook: As stated earlier he was caught up in the plagiarized banner and a lot of people including other comics don't like him. Again you can draw some parallels on some jokes especially from Louis CK and Carlin and other older comics [Bill Hicks]. But he does provide comic relief and he still has a fan base for a reason.
• David Cross: A veteran of stand up at this point, David's stuff can be hit and miss for people. He is very non-politically correct and is hilarious at it. He has quite a few albums under his belt and is absolutely worth checking out. He does not like the comic I stated above at all [there's a YT clip of that as well].
• Doug Stanhope: Filthy mouth and depressive humor at its best. Doug can really make you laugh and make you question life at the same time. He's very, very good and his albums also make my "repeat" list. But yeah, his stuff is rather explicit and sometimes depressive.
• Eddie Izzard: JUST GO BUY EVERYTHING DONE BY EDDIE. My personal favorite artist who rivals Carlin, Eddie's style is unlike anyone else’s on earth and his timing and Topic choices are just unreal. So, so, so very different from anyone on this list. And his jokes are timeless. I can listen to him [and have] on repeat back to back. Definite Article, Glorious, Circle, Dress To Kill, Sexie are all MUST HAVE's IMO. I have all his shows and CDs !! He is something else !
  [*] George Carlin: You already know about him !
  [*] Greg Giraldo: A very underrated comic. He left a good body of work behind. His Good Day to cross a river is a good listen.
  [*] Hannibal Buress: Another relatively new comic, Hannibal has been making serious waves in the stand up scene. He has quite a few CDs and his work is great ! A good bit different in terms of approach to writing and delivery!
  [*] Jim Gaffigan: A predominantly clean comic Jim is different and might be an acquired taste of sorts. He's been around for quite a while and has a good body of work to choose from. He has some repeating themes and you can easily relate to him. Definitely worth a check out.
  [*] Jim Norton: Another Insult Comic, Jim is effin rude and does not care at all. His act is definitely NOT for everyone. The guy is seriously offensive to certain sects and people with thin skin.
  [*] Jimmy Carr: A British Stand Up Insult Comic who also tests the realm of funny vs offensive routinely. His stuff is AMAZING though. His choice of subjects, words, timing, and delivery is excellent and very well executed. I love listening to his act every now and then.
  [*] John Leguizamo: Criminally underrated stand up and almost never mentioned, John's work is #3 on my list of repeats. His stand up is ALWAYS an experience and a Journey. He talks about his life and takes you through an amazing journey. I would recommend getting all his CDs: Sexaholics, Freak, Live, Mambo Mouth, Ghetto Klown and listen to them in the order they were released. Listen to Ghetto Klown last. It pulls everything together and man its a trip !! Seriously THE BEST experience you'll get from a stand up CD rivaling Robin Williams. The guy is super talented and executes it precisely.
  [*] John Pinette: Another underrated comic. John passed away last year. His act was amazing. He is predominantly clean and family friendly. Very uplifting and positive humor!!
  [*] Kathy Griffin: If gossip and celeb news is your thing, then Kathy's stand ups are perfect for you ! I used to listen to a lot of her stuff. I know she has a new album out but I have not checked it out. She cracks me up !
  [*] Kevin Hart: This is one dude who has seriously come up big time. His stand up act and acting is funny. I'm a grown little man, laugh at my pain, seriously funny are all great picks and he does comedy extremely well. Love his work and I listen o his albums repeatedly as well !!
  [*] Kyle Kinane: Man I love this guy ! He is pretty new to me but after I heard 1 album I bought all of his stuff. Whisky Icarus, Death of the Party and his latest album "I liked his Old Stuff Better" are all brilliant !! The dude is awesome !
  [*] Lewis Black: This guy is a hit or miss for some people. I like his stuff a lot.
  [*] Lisa Lampenelli: Correctly labelled the "Queen of Mean", Lisa is a insult comic. She does it very well too. I didn't enjoy her last album as much, but her earlier work is to die for !
  [*] Lisa Landry: An unknown comic and one I've rarely seen discussed, Lisa has some great material and her 2 albums are worth a listen.
  [*] Louis C.K.: One of the all time greats, Louis C.K. is almost a revered god at this point. His stuff is great and pretty out there at times.A thoroughly entertaining listen and will crack you up often !! I have everything he has done and again, its worth every penny !
  [*] Maria Bamford: This is certainly an acquired taste. Maria's material and delivery is not for everyone. Some people find her annoying. I like her work. She's a veteran at this point along with David Cross, Brian Posehn and the like ! Good CD's if you like this style. She is very unique in that aspect.
  [*] Mike Birbiglia: He's a fun comic with a light style and keeps it simple and funny. Pretty clean as well. Nice light hearted laughter without too many indulgent topics or heavy material. Good clean fun ! Lots of albums and shows to choose from !
  [*] Mitch Hedberg: Another great comic whose delivery and topic selection is unmatched. Mitch can never be imitated and he stands on a pedestal that no one can touch.
  [*] Natasha Leggero: She's another new face in teh circuit. I like her album and her Comedy Central half hour special. I really like her work so far.
  [*] Nick Di Paolo: Another veteran !! Nick has a large amount of work under his belt and his comic style is abrasive. Pretty good fun. Not family friendly!
  [*] Nick Swardson: This is another light hearted comic. He has 2 albums and they are both funny and light. A good change from the insults and heavy poitical comics.
  [*] Patton Oswalt: Another veteran of the standup circuit, Patton has been doing shows forever. You can literally see him grow from single, to committed to married to I have kids in his CDs. Great Comic and great sense of humor. I love his stuff !
  [*] Reginald D Hunter: An American who went to the UK and never came back, this guy has a UK accent and his act is quite amazing. I recently came across his stuff and its on YouTube as well and its absolutely worth checking out. Great stuff. I wish he released more stuff.
  [*] Richard Jeni: Another criminally underrated comic, his stand up is AMAZING. Seriously check out his work. He cracks me up every time on the same set of jokes. Very good act and delivery! Love his specials!
  [*] Stephen Lynch: The only musical comic I really enjoy. His songs are offensive and hilarious. He is certainly one of my top acts to put on rotation!!
  [*] Steven Wright: The god of deadpan one liners, Steven's act is like no one elses and his deadpan delivery is brilliant ! Get his I have a Pony and I still have a Pony CDs. Brilliant works !
  

Honorable mentions: Todd Barry, Ricky Gervais, Whitney Cummings, Ray Romano, Pablo Francisco, Aziz Ansari, Peter Russel, John Mulaney, George Lopez, Gabrile Ingesias, Donald Glover, Dom Irrera and Dana Gould !!

Sorry for the long list, but I love my stand up comedy and would love others feedback on discovering new talents and artists !

 

[Kobalt]

There is a disturbing lack of Robin Williams in this thread. His stand up is amazing.

Weapons of Self Destruction was AMAZING.

 

[MFB]

Anthony Jeselnik: If you want to listen to a proper insult comic, you need to check Antony out. He can really test the limits of funny with his dry insulting humor. He has 2 albums out and both are really good, imo.

Yeah, I remember seeing Jeselnik's special on Comedy Central and then scouring a decent chunk of his stuff online and man, this dude can fvcking bring it. He's crass and says some mean ...., but you find yourself laughing so hard so can you really criticize him for it?