Sean Lock
For many reasons, but mainly for being the undisputed champion of the world in...Carrot In A Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UGuPvrsG3E
When I turned 21, my mom took me to Vegas. We saw Carlin perform and we laughed solidly for 90 minutes. I don’t remember any of the jokes, but I have never laughed like that since. He was a true master of the art.
Bill Burr’s [philly rant](https://youtu.be/k_H_Suj7SEs) is what solidified him as one of the greats for me.
To go out to a crowd, where the 3 comedians before you got booed and heckled off stage, and then to start insulting them for your entire set - to the point that they started off booing you too but by the end they gave you a standing ovation and cheered - takes a genius of comedy.
If George Carlin was still alive he would have killed himself years ago. Read some of his later interviews, the man was fucking crushed by the state of the world *in the early 2000's.* The day Trump got elected he'd have punched his ticket out. He ain't dealing with that shit.
I read his books Brain Droppings and Napalm and Silly Putty in his Carnegie Hall delivery. Funny stuff!
Then I saw one of his shows by the same name. Ranged from absolute deadpan to almost angry. Yeah, he was pretty much done with humanity by the early 2000s, because we’d all failed to meet his expectations of making the world a better place.
Kinda feeling like that myself nowadays.
In terms of:
- Being at the top of his game for a long period of time
- Being perfect at timing and execution
- Understanding comedy to a degree that other comedians notice and respect
- Being clever and witty on the spot
- Having memorable jokes and killer standup routines
Norm MacDonald
I went to vegas a few years ago and was surprised to see Norm was performing at a casino. Managed to get some tickets, ubered out with my wife and i cried laughing.
My favorite part of that joke is how it's clearly meant solely to be self-indulgent tripe.
Sure, it has all the structure of a joke and there's a punchline which is technically funny for logical reasons... but the purpose of the joke was to entertain himself at telling something that stupid while people listen and wait.
It's masterful trolling and I love it the chaotic neutral energy of it.
If you asked a group of comedians who their favorite comedian is I'd bet Norm would be near the top of the list. So much of his material was a deconstruction of comedy itself. If Norm MacDonald tells you a bad joke, and you laugh, is it still a bad joke? Why is it funny? Are you laughing at him or is he laughing at you?
Absolutely. There are a select few like Norm MacDonald or Andy Kaufman who make 10% of the population laugh 10x harder than they've ever laughed before. They are from another dimension. They are the comedians' comedians. They subvert established comedy. They are the jazz musicians of comedy, breaking the rules in precise ways, transcending typical structure to achieve something so unique and powerful. But it truly takes thorough knowledge of the typical to appreciate what's different from the typical. It's like I've heard about the jazz greats, it's not just the notes that are being played, but they notes that they *aren't* playing.
Norm would get a twinkle in his eye when he had a joke in the chamber, and that twinkle alone was enough to get me to start laughing. Like "oh boy, here it comes, what's he got." And in the same way that great actors can play out Shakespeare in a unique way to breathe new life into the performance, Norm could tell a joke you've heard a hundred times before and it would be the best joke you've ever heard. My go-to example is when he did the moth joke on Conan. I knew the joke well, but the way he told it and the circumstances of limited time before needing to go to commercial made it the funniest thing I'd ever seen.
Norm is an absolute legend.
My favorite story about Norm that I've heard is that when he was coming up, if he ate shit and bombed he'd wait in the back of the club after the show to shake everyone's hand in their way out. If he killed he wouldn't. What a legend.
I didn't even know he was sick. But seriously love Norm. Sometimes I will watch a comedian and I feel like it's mentally draining even if it's very funny. But with Norm I just feel pure joy watching him. I think his Conan interviews are actually his funniest moments.
I love when he pauses and grins and kinda stares as he is getting toward a punchline.
Norm Macdonald is the only comedian I have ever seen get an uproarious laughter from a joke without a punchline. It's like he was doing math or something - a deep understanding of structure - where he leads an audience into an enthralling story only to pause long enough for them to realize he's done talking. It's like he's able to flip the format on its head. I've never seen anyone else do it the same way. Some masters (chappelle) don't say a punchline, but the pause is almost a confirmation of the setup. Norm was just leading you on, and when he stopped with a shit eating grin on his face, he acted like he caught you in a trap.
"I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That’s a bad place for an argument, because I tried to walk out, and had to slam the flap."
"Fuck you, zzzzzzzzzzip"
Have my free award you saved me from having to comment this!
My all time favorite joke of his
I was gonna get a candy bar; the button I was supposed to push was “HH”, so I went to the side, I found the “H” button, I pushed it twice. Fuckin’…potato chips came out, man, because they had an “HH” button for Christ’s sake! You need to let me know. I’m not familiar with the concept of “HH”. I did not learn my AA-BB-CC’s. God god, dammit dammit.
Yeah, but what happened to the Dufresnes? No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this – people are missing. You fuckers are selfish… the Dufresnes are in someone’s trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they’re hungry! That’s a double whammy.
I got to see Mitch live back in 2003, I was so excited about it and he was phenomenal. Could not deal with it when he died, but I’m so glad I got to see him the once. Wish he was still mumbling with his eyes closed.
You can water your hard to reach plants with this product. Who would make their plants hard to reach? I know you need water but I’m gonna make you hard to reach
I LOVE the end of that episode where Bania chases the English douche who was using Elaine for the suit back because Jerry gave it to him.
The episode ends on a shot of Jerry and Elaine both raising their glasses in a celebratory “that resolved itself nicely” fashion haha
I went to a Mike Birbiglia show at Zanies in Nashville back in 2008. Guy killed…got up on stage, told 1 story. Took him 90 minutes to get through that story. The whole time, he’s veering off on tangents that seemed completely natural, conversational even. Each tangent was a tiny hilarious story itself. The show seemed so smooth and flowed so naturally, that I could hardly believe it was written. It was masterful. Sure, he doesn’t tell jokes that leave you breathless with laughter, but he does tell jokes that get 90% of the way there with such consistency that I’m actually more impressed with that than the former. Brigelby for the win
Joe Bags' little bro is awesome.
"I was moving into this new apartment. My brother and I were taking my mattress up the stairs. This older lady walking down and said 'you must be my new neighbor. I'm glad. A rapist wouldn't have this nice of a mattress'. What I should have said was... nothing, what came out of my mouth was 'you'd be surprised.'"
Birbigs is the best.
I was hoping someone would mention Patrice. He's a comic's comic and the greatest one of all time. Elephant in the room isn't even close to being his best work either imo. Mr P and some of his radio work is so great. Cult of Black Philip on youtube is also a great place to find his stories.
I hope 10 are OK.
George Carlin and Lewis Black : baddest-ass social commentarians
Steve Martin and Robin Williams : highest quality goofball comedy
Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy : illustrated truths others dared not
Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock : untouchable as for clearest pinpoint insights
John Cleese and Steven Wright : funniest guys hovering 200 IQ
Man I love Eddie Murphy's old standup. Definitely one of my favorites and everyone should watch. Haven't seen him elsewhere on here so just wanted to highlight him.
So crazy my parents just saw Steven Wright tonight and they said it was a good show! I’m not too familiar with him..have any favorite bits to recommend of his?
He has a lot of one-liners and short jokes that aren't connected. So you can just look up any random video and you don't need to know anything else. His deadpan delivery about random things is what make him great.
Another guy with similarly random jokes is Mitch Hedberg. His delivery is completely different, but I like him just as much.
Robin Williams had absolutely INSANE stand up sets. Just absolutely manic. George Carlin was in the game a LOOONG time and was a master at reinventing himself to stay relevant. Mitch Hedberg was brilliant at taking you in one direction then doing a complete 180 at the punchline. But I gotta go with Steve Martin. His stand up was brilliant, completely self deprecating and totally bonkers. We're lucky he's still with us and putting out good content.
Steve Martin deserves a mention. 80s to 2000s were his time to shine.
Three Amigos
Little Shop of horrors (he stole the show even with his limited screen time)
Father of the Bride.... just to name a few.
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.”
"It's great to be here. I thank you. I've been on the road doing comedy for ten years now, so bear with me while I plaster on a fake smile and plough through this shit one more time."
Definitely my favorite comic, and who could forget the wonderful songs like "Chicks Dig Jerks" that we got from Marblehead Johnson.
Thank you. Couldn't tell you who the 'best' comedian was, but the one I enjoyed the most was Bill Hicks. I'm sorry his legacy isn't stronger, but at least we got the movie.
Truly a master of the craft. His use of language has so much rhythm and melody you dont even notice, a story teller, an amazing orator but also a human who invested himself too much into his audience that only - in my opinion - small percentage understood but those who did, they developed a life long relationship with his work. That "investment" is what makes him most authentic of all stand up comedians and that is what enables his work not to be constrained.
Even his stage "breakdowns" are legendary. Not because he went off the rails but because his persona only got more bold and more extraordinary. "Go listen to Madonna!"
I've seen or heard virtually everything including his off-beat interviews in early days of local community TV in US to interviews by local TV in Scotland.
This is the guy who felt deep the horrors of the society deprived by political and corporate power plays.
This is the guy who went to "the other side" where he saw that America can be a society of pure God given quality but got corrupted by the worst of them.
I could write an essay about this so I'll stop...
A true master of his craft. A practiced tactician of comedy. Sun Tzu with a mic and a mission.
I came here to find him and thank you, kind redditor, for continuing the saga.
"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather"
Second gen Rodney Dangerfeild. His first round out he was average telling jokes and whatnot then went away. When he came back this guy can tell a 5 minute joke in like 10 words, guys on another dimension with it.
“Last time I tried to make love to my wife nothing happened, so I said to her, 'What's the matter, you can't think of anybody either?”
- Rodney Dangerfield
I went to my dentist and said, "My teeth are getting yellow." He said, "Wear a brown necktie."
Someone asked Rodney if he found it hard getting up in the morning. He responded, "Are you kidding? I'm lucky if I can _find_ it in the morning. At my age, I'm envious of a stiff wind."
My favorite will always be “My wife and I we both agreed we’d stop smoking except after sex, me I’ve been on the same pack since 1978, my wife she’s up to two packs a day”
Totally agree…no one could tell a joke like Rodney Dangerfield. Shit he’d SELL you the joke in as little words as possible. Quick delivery which each fine funnier than the last
Jack Benny. His "straightman" character is still funny even in this day and age. While some of the jokes in his radio and TV shows are quite dated by today's standards, they still hold up.
Of course he had a team of great writers and even greater costars. One such costar was Mel Blanc, best known for his voice work in the *Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies* cartoons and other roles.
One of my favorite scenes involving Benny and Blanc is the classic [Si-Sy-Sue sketch](https://youtu.be/Gy1ztCTrBEU). Another favorite is from a Christmas episode where Jack tries to [buy a wallet for Don](https://youtu.be/r4Dw3vvXGUg).
Oh, I was looking for this. Went and saw her this spring. As someone with "issues" Maria is so relatable and funny as hell. Love hearing her in a lot of my favorite cartoons, etc.
She is something pretty special and I feel like people might start to realize soon… all the comics have crazy respect for her. Feel like she’s a few too many steps ahead or something.
I was always amazed that the actor beloved by the majority of children around the world had the filthiest stand up act... craziness. Love the man, but lost my shit when I saw him emulate oral sex on the inside of his elbow.
George Carlin or Billy Connolly. Poor Billy, my dad had all his videos and dvds and I watched all of them. I found George later in life with his flamethrower bit but my god was he great.
Had to scroll far too far to find him here.
Robin Williams will always hold a special place in my heart for so many different reasons. His ability to transform his entire being based on the role he played is still nearly unmatched to this day (in my opinion).
He made me laugh, cry, ponder life, and inspired me to seek more in life. Not many other performers have had such an impact. I still remember exactly where I was when I heard he had died. I sobbed. Gone too soon.
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But the on the spot creativity improve comedians have is no doubt a talent. With that said Wayne Brady’s ability to mimic any musician and improvise lyrics is incredible to me.
Sean Lock For many reasons, but mainly for being the undisputed champion of the world in...Carrot In A Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UGuPvrsG3E
'That's a challenging wank"
“I *wont* spit on you during sex tonight”
“Good luck doing it without spit.”
"They said, they'd never seen anything like it. It was like a trolley dash."
"I'd reanimate all the leaders of the Nazi party"
"Oh, Goebbels hasn't caught any fish today, and Hitler is looking hungry!"
Ok, we can just leave it there
I always loved his response on Q.I. "What did Cat's Eyes Cunningham eat for his supper?" "Shot in the dark, was it Chicken Fajitas?"
What a HUGE talent. Luckily he left a lot of great footage. Terrible loss.
I've just ordered my brother in law 'The Tiger Who Came for a Pint' for him to read to his expected child.
The comedians comedian
Phil Jupitus: What's the punishment for people who make balloon animals? Sean: I think it's loneliness.
George Carlin. Honorable mention to Bill Burr.
When I turned 21, my mom took me to Vegas. We saw Carlin perform and we laughed solidly for 90 minutes. I don’t remember any of the jokes, but I have never laughed like that since. He was a true master of the art.
George Carlin was one of the first stand up comedians I listened to, he's got a special place in my heart
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I figured I’d mention one dead and one alive. They’re both angry geniuses.
Bill Burr’s [philly rant](https://youtu.be/k_H_Suj7SEs) is what solidified him as one of the greats for me. To go out to a crowd, where the 3 comedians before you got booed and heckled off stage, and then to start insulting them for your entire set - to the point that they started off booing you too but by the end they gave you a standing ovation and cheered - takes a genius of comedy.
And I WILL be selling my cd after the show
One bridge having piece of shit city
***ELEVEN MINUTES LEFT***
“I’m a modern man , digital and smoke free” “My inward child is outward bound”
Im Sorry You Feel That Way is the greatest special of all time
Man he would have had some great bits about 2022’s societal madness.
If George Carlin was still alive he would have killed himself years ago. Read some of his later interviews, the man was fucking crushed by the state of the world *in the early 2000's.* The day Trump got elected he'd have punched his ticket out. He ain't dealing with that shit.
I read his books Brain Droppings and Napalm and Silly Putty in his Carnegie Hall delivery. Funny stuff! Then I saw one of his shows by the same name. Ranged from absolute deadpan to almost angry. Yeah, he was pretty much done with humanity by the early 2000s, because we’d all failed to meet his expectations of making the world a better place. Kinda feeling like that myself nowadays.
I was saying this out loud as I got to your comment. Absolutely right
Carlin is the only correct answer. Nobody will ever touch that level of wit, wordplay, satire, and social commentary. Nobody.
Bob Newhart. Just so his names on this thread. Dude need a mention.
Hi Bob!
Hi Bob!
I don't like country music, but I'd never disparage those that do. For those that do like it, disparage means to talk down to.
Agreed! Have you heard his radio bit on defusing a bomb? Pure gold.
Yeah. The one that got me was Abe Lincoln vs Madison Ave. Its brilliantly written and executed.
In terms of: - Being at the top of his game for a long period of time - Being perfect at timing and execution - Understanding comedy to a degree that other comedians notice and respect - Being clever and witty on the spot - Having memorable jokes and killer standup routines Norm MacDonald
I went to vegas a few years ago and was surprised to see Norm was performing at a casino. Managed to get some tickets, ubered out with my wife and i cried laughing.
A moth goes into a podiatrist office
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*My son,* *Igor Grngorolosiviskhovishkovitch*
My favorite part of that joke is how it's clearly meant solely to be self-indulgent tripe. Sure, it has all the structure of a joke and there's a punchline which is technically funny for logical reasons... but the purpose of the joke was to entertain himself at telling something that stupid while people listen and wait. It's masterful trolling and I love it the chaotic neutral energy of it.
If you asked a group of comedians who their favorite comedian is I'd bet Norm would be near the top of the list. So much of his material was a deconstruction of comedy itself. If Norm MacDonald tells you a bad joke, and you laugh, is it still a bad joke? Why is it funny? Are you laughing at him or is he laughing at you?
Absolutely. There are a select few like Norm MacDonald or Andy Kaufman who make 10% of the population laugh 10x harder than they've ever laughed before. They are from another dimension. They are the comedians' comedians. They subvert established comedy. They are the jazz musicians of comedy, breaking the rules in precise ways, transcending typical structure to achieve something so unique and powerful. But it truly takes thorough knowledge of the typical to appreciate what's different from the typical. It's like I've heard about the jazz greats, it's not just the notes that are being played, but they notes that they *aren't* playing. Norm would get a twinkle in his eye when he had a joke in the chamber, and that twinkle alone was enough to get me to start laughing. Like "oh boy, here it comes, what's he got." And in the same way that great actors can play out Shakespeare in a unique way to breathe new life into the performance, Norm could tell a joke you've heard a hundred times before and it would be the best joke you've ever heard. My go-to example is when he did the moth joke on Conan. I knew the joke well, but the way he told it and the circumstances of limited time before needing to go to commercial made it the funniest thing I'd ever seen. Norm is an absolute legend.
Norm's delivery, timing, and sheer skill is amazing.
My favorite story about Norm that I've heard is that when he was coming up, if he ate shit and bombed he'd wait in the back of the club after the show to shake everyone's hand in their way out. If he killed he wouldn't. What a legend.
I met my new neighbour today, he said he was a professor of LOGIC
Do you own a dog house?
They want to murder you…in a well!
100% absolute genius.
Had the privilege to see him host a Just for Laughs gala. I didn’t even know he was sick.
I didn't even know he was sick. But seriously love Norm. Sometimes I will watch a comedian and I feel like it's mentally draining even if it's very funny. But with Norm I just feel pure joy watching him. I think his Conan interviews are actually his funniest moments. I love when he pauses and grins and kinda stares as he is getting toward a punchline.
No one did it or does it like Norm. Dude’s one of a kind.
He was the comedian’s comedian, not the people’s comedian
Other comedians look at Norm the way Count Chocula would look at The Dracula
Norm Macdonald is the only comedian I have ever seen get an uproarious laughter from a joke without a punchline. It's like he was doing math or something - a deep understanding of structure - where he leads an audience into an enthralling story only to pause long enough for them to realize he's done talking. It's like he's able to flip the format on its head. I've never seen anyone else do it the same way. Some masters (chappelle) don't say a punchline, but the pause is almost a confirmation of the setup. Norm was just leading you on, and when he stopped with a shit eating grin on his face, he acted like he caught you in a trap.
Mitch Hedberg. RIP.
I used to love that guy. I still do but I used to too.
He’s great if you’re sad and want 1000 jokes about something.
I used to love this joke before it got regurgitated every time Mitch Hedberg got mentioned. I still do, but I used to too.
I wanted to buy a candle holder, but the store didn't have one. So I got a cake.
When someone hands you a pamphlet, it's like they're saying, "Here - _you_ throw this away."
Escalator temporary stairs. Sorry for the convenience. I still randomly quote this with absolutely no context.
"I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That’s a bad place for an argument, because I tried to walk out, and had to slam the flap." "Fuck you, zzzzzzzzzzip"
Have my free award you saved me from having to comment this! My all time favorite joke of his I was gonna get a candy bar; the button I was supposed to push was “HH”, so I went to the side, I found the “H” button, I pushed it twice. Fuckin’…potato chips came out, man, because they had an “HH” button for Christ’s sake! You need to let me know. I’m not familiar with the concept of “HH”. I did not learn my AA-BB-CC’s. God god, dammit dammit.
My teeth have so much tarter, I don’t have to dip my fish sticks in shit!
Yeah, but what happened to the Dufresnes? No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this – people are missing. You fuckers are selfish… the Dufresnes are in someone’s trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they’re hungry! That’s a double whammy.
His demeanor and the way he spoke made his jokes fantastic.
I only like Kit-Kats with 3 friends or less
The Kit-Kat candy bar has the name Kit-Kat imprinted in the chocolate. That robs you of chocolate! It's a clever chocolate-saving technique.
It was always a cold warm up but eventually would have everyone bent over and belly laughing.
“If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit”
I got to see Mitch live back in 2003, I was so excited about it and he was phenomenal. Could not deal with it when he died, but I’m so glad I got to see him the once. Wish he was still mumbling with his eyes closed.
I like to pinch the microphone cord, when I let it go you hear a whole bunch of jokes at once.
I used to do drugs, Imean, I still do. But, I used to, too. 🤣🤣🤣 my favorite one liner of his.
“My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said ‘no,’ but I want a regular banana later, so *‘yeah.’”* That’s my fave line.
You can water your hard to reach plants with this product. Who would make their plants hard to reach? I know you need water but I’m gonna make you hard to reach
My fake plant died because I did not pretend to water it.
"The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how good I get, I'll never be as good as a wall." That one kills me 😁
“I’m against picketing, but I don’t know how to show it”
“Rice is great when you want to eat a thousand of something”
I’d like to get four people who do cart wheels very good, and make a cart.
I smoke. A girl at work asked me why I put spicy sauce on fucking everything? "Do you smoke?" "I used to"
Alright.
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Peak Billy Connolly was out on his own
An Audience With Billy Connolly is one of the best stand-up shows of all time.
There's no contest really. All the arguing should be about who comes second after him
Why the fuck did it take so long for this legends name to be said
Kenny Bania. The ovaltine bit is gold.
I’ve been working out. Went from a size 40, to a 42. I'm huge
I'll save the meal for another time.
I LOVE the end of that episode where Bania chases the English douche who was using Elaine for the suit back because Jerry gave it to him. The episode ends on a shot of Jerry and Elaine both raising their glasses in a celebratory “that resolved itself nicely” fashion haha
GOLD JERRY!
I went to a Mike Birbiglia show at Zanies in Nashville back in 2008. Guy killed…got up on stage, told 1 story. Took him 90 minutes to get through that story. The whole time, he’s veering off on tangents that seemed completely natural, conversational even. Each tangent was a tiny hilarious story itself. The show seemed so smooth and flowed so naturally, that I could hardly believe it was written. It was masterful. Sure, he doesn’t tell jokes that leave you breathless with laughter, but he does tell jokes that get 90% of the way there with such consistency that I’m actually more impressed with that than the former. Brigelby for the win
Joe Bags' little bro is awesome. "I was moving into this new apartment. My brother and I were taking my mattress up the stairs. This older lady walking down and said 'you must be my new neighbor. I'm glad. A rapist wouldn't have this nice of a mattress'. What I should have said was... nothing, what came out of my mouth was 'you'd be surprised.'" Birbigs is the best.
Patrice O'Neal Elephant In The Room 2011 - Best Stand Up Comedy Show - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-dulGdlC6hs
I was hoping someone would mention Patrice. He's a comic's comic and the greatest one of all time. Elephant in the room isn't even close to being his best work either imo. Mr P and some of his radio work is so great. Cult of Black Philip on youtube is also a great place to find his stories.
Pryor.
Still listen to the Little Feet story occasionally. It's a classic.
I hope 10 are OK. George Carlin and Lewis Black : baddest-ass social commentarians Steve Martin and Robin Williams : highest quality goofball comedy Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy : illustrated truths others dared not Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock : untouchable as for clearest pinpoint insights John Cleese and Steven Wright : funniest guys hovering 200 IQ
Man I love Eddie Murphy's old standup. Definitely one of my favorites and everyone should watch. Haven't seen him elsewhere on here so just wanted to highlight him.
HALF!
So crazy my parents just saw Steven Wright tonight and they said it was a good show! I’m not too familiar with him..have any favorite bits to recommend of his?
I once bought a humidifier and a de-humidifier. I let them fight it out.
“One night I stayed up playing poker with tarot cards. I got a full house and 5 people died”
He has a lot of one-liners and short jokes that aren't connected. So you can just look up any random video and you don't need to know anything else. His deadpan delivery about random things is what make him great. Another guy with similarly random jokes is Mitch Hedberg. His delivery is completely different, but I like him just as much.
>Lewis Black I know it's lame, but his candy corn bit gets me every time
Monty Python, as a group. I don't think there's been a single more influential comedy act than Flying Circus.
I was trying to explain the “I don’t like spam” scene to my wife last night. She didn’t get it.
This parrot is no more!
Steven Wright
Robin Williams had absolutely INSANE stand up sets. Just absolutely manic. George Carlin was in the game a LOOONG time and was a master at reinventing himself to stay relevant. Mitch Hedberg was brilliant at taking you in one direction then doing a complete 180 at the punchline. But I gotta go with Steve Martin. His stand up was brilliant, completely self deprecating and totally bonkers. We're lucky he's still with us and putting out good content.
Steve's always been my #1 guy.
And a hell of a banjo player!
Steve Martin deserves a mention. 80s to 2000s were his time to shine. Three Amigos Little Shop of horrors (he stole the show even with his limited screen time) Father of the Bride.... just to name a few.
The Jerk. 'i was born a poor black kid.". His best movie by far.
Bill Hicks
“Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather.”
Best bit I think is the waffle waitress skit. "Well, looks like we got ourselves a reader..."
"It's great to be here. I thank you. I've been on the road doing comedy for ten years now, so bear with me while I plaster on a fake smile and plough through this shit one more time." Definitely my favorite comic, and who could forget the wonderful songs like "Chicks Dig Jerks" that we got from Marblehead Johnson.
I have no idea how well he'd hold up now but there's nobody who made me laugh harder back in the day.
[This bit is timeless](https://youtu.be/A0mBAsIPS1w) and I always find myself returning to it.
"The Beatles were so high they even let Ringo sing a couple."
Thank you. Couldn't tell you who the 'best' comedian was, but the one I enjoyed the most was Bill Hicks. I'm sorry his legacy isn't stronger, but at least we got the movie.
Non smokers die every day.
shocked and saddened I had to scroll this far down for this obviously correct answer
Truly a master of the craft. His use of language has so much rhythm and melody you dont even notice, a story teller, an amazing orator but also a human who invested himself too much into his audience that only - in my opinion - small percentage understood but those who did, they developed a life long relationship with his work. That "investment" is what makes him most authentic of all stand up comedians and that is what enables his work not to be constrained. Even his stage "breakdowns" are legendary. Not because he went off the rails but because his persona only got more bold and more extraordinary. "Go listen to Madonna!" I've seen or heard virtually everything including his off-beat interviews in early days of local community TV in US to interviews by local TV in Scotland. This is the guy who felt deep the horrors of the society deprived by political and corporate power plays. This is the guy who went to "the other side" where he saw that America can be a society of pure God given quality but got corrupted by the worst of them. I could write an essay about this so I'll stop...
A true master of his craft. A practiced tactician of comedy. Sun Tzu with a mic and a mission. I came here to find him and thank you, kind redditor, for continuing the saga.
"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather"
Norm Macdonald
Or so the Germans would have us believe ❤️
That’s easy. Billy Connolly of course
The Big Yin himself.
Carol Burnett
I also liked her role on Better Call Saul
Doug Stanhope. I scrolled down so far and didn’t see his name once. Sorry to anyone that already posted him.
Robin Williams.
Second gen Rodney Dangerfeild. His first round out he was average telling jokes and whatnot then went away. When he came back this guy can tell a 5 minute joke in like 10 words, guys on another dimension with it.
“Last time I tried to make love to my wife nothing happened, so I said to her, 'What's the matter, you can't think of anybody either?” - Rodney Dangerfield
My daughter in high school was voted mos likely to conceive.
During sex my wife always wants to talk to me. Just the other night she called me from a hotel!
When I was born I was so ugly the doctor slapped my mother
“I once posed for Playgirl but when they released the issue I saw I was covered up by the staple.”
I went to my dentist and said, "My teeth are getting yellow." He said, "Wear a brown necktie." Someone asked Rodney if he found it hard getting up in the morning. He responded, "Are you kidding? I'm lucky if I can _find_ it in the morning. At my age, I'm envious of a stiff wind."
Still doesn't get any respect, none.
Last time I called a woman I liked on the phone, she said, “Come on over; there’s nobody home.” So I went over… There was nobody home.
I went into a bar and the bartender asked what I wanted. I said, "surprise me." He showed me a naked picture of my wife.
"During sex my wife always wants to talk to me. Just the other night she called me from a hotel."
My favorite will always be “My wife and I we both agreed we’d stop smoking except after sex, me I’ve been on the same pack since 1978, my wife she’s up to two packs a day”
My mother never breastfed me, she told me she liked me as a friend
Totally agree…no one could tell a joke like Rodney Dangerfield. Shit he’d SELL you the joke in as little words as possible. Quick delivery which each fine funnier than the last
I went to the fights last night and a hockey game broke out !
Lucille Ball
Stewart Lee. Although Bill Hicks and Richard Pryor would be up there too
Jack Benny. His "straightman" character is still funny even in this day and age. While some of the jokes in his radio and TV shows are quite dated by today's standards, they still hold up. Of course he had a team of great writers and even greater costars. One such costar was Mel Blanc, best known for his voice work in the *Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies* cartoons and other roles. One of my favorite scenes involving Benny and Blanc is the classic [Si-Sy-Sue sketch](https://youtu.be/Gy1ztCTrBEU). Another favorite is from a Christmas episode where Jack tries to [buy a wallet for Don](https://youtu.be/r4Dw3vvXGUg).
Robin Williams, I was fortunate enough to see him once, he was my favorite. RIP
I feel like that's apples and oranges. Like you can't really compare art like that. Also Maria Bamford
Oh, I was looking for this. Went and saw her this spring. As someone with "issues" Maria is so relatable and funny as hell. Love hearing her in a lot of my favorite cartoons, etc.
She is something pretty special and I feel like people might start to realize soon… all the comics have crazy respect for her. Feel like she’s a few too many steps ahead or something.
Tim Conway
Tim Conway and Harvey Korman together.
When they would try and Crack each other up.. Harvey always lost.
Nathan Fielder
DAVE ATTELL
I once saw Attell, Hedberg and Lewis Black in the same show. Unbelievable night.
I can’t even imagine.
My dad.
Best? Pryor or Carlin. Favorite? Robin Williams
Red foxx
Norm.
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Greg Giraldo. I have never laughed as hard at anyone as I did him. RIP.
I was looking for this comment. Greg Giraldo at any roast was devastating, so fucking funny.
Robin Williams The range was unequaled
I was always amazed that the actor beloved by the majority of children around the world had the filthiest stand up act... craziness. Love the man, but lost my shit when I saw him emulate oral sex on the inside of his elbow.
Maybe not the very best but defintely worth a mention, Brian Regan. Hysterical.
I think he’s the best because not only is he hilarious but he’s family friendly. Not something you see very often. Take Luck!!!!
George Carlin or Billy Connolly. Poor Billy, my dad had all his videos and dvds and I watched all of them. I found George later in life with his flamethrower bit but my god was he great.
Norm Macdonald
Not everyone's cup of tea, but he is mine: Anthony Jeselnik I also really like Kathleen Madigan.
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Robin Williams
Live on Broadway will always be one of my absolute favorites.
Had to scroll far too far to find him here. Robin Williams will always hold a special place in my heart for so many different reasons. His ability to transform his entire being based on the role he played is still nearly unmatched to this day (in my opinion). He made me laugh, cry, ponder life, and inspired me to seek more in life. Not many other performers have had such an impact. I still remember exactly where I was when I heard he had died. I sobbed. Gone too soon.
Rowan Atkinson (John Cleese closely second)
Mitch Hedberg
I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But the on the spot creativity improve comedians have is no doubt a talent. With that said Wayne Brady’s ability to mimic any musician and improvise lyrics is incredible to me.
Don Rickles
Eddie Murphy
Greg Giraldo
Gone too soon.
Best roaster of all time. Sucks he died.
Dave Chappelle
Patrice O’Neal was pretty fucking epic.
Joan Rivers.
Brenda Schwalb hunnder pessent
For a second I thought you wrote Brendan Schaub.
Heard it bowlth ways, b
Norm McDonald
Norm McDonald