Stand-Up Comedy

[mickO)))]

I have been into standup comedy on and off over the years. I love all the classics like Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld, Louis CK, Eddie Murphy, Ricky Gervais etc.

I also like Burr, Marc Maron and Joey Diaz.

George Carlin is someone I have know about for years, seen bits and pieces that I enjoyed but I need to check out more.

I always thought the standard in general was lacking which is what puts me off. I feel there are many good comics but very few great ones which I find surprising for an art form that's been around for what now at least 60 years? Especially when you see awful comics like Joe Rogan selling out stadiums again and again.

My biggest disappointment was going to see Chris Tucker live it's one of the few gigs of any types that I left early he was just awful.

Bill Hicks is another one that I don't understand how people can find him funny his mannerisms just make me want to punch him in the face. I have 3 or 4 of DVDs at home I tried over and over again to get into him but it just never happened.

[John Kimble]

Re: Hicks, I sometimes wonder am I missing something? Similar to another thread here where someone dismissed NWOBHM as just sounding like pub rock, maybe I need to view him in the context of that particular era. I dunno. I can listen to Pryor and Carlin, who predated him, and still get belly laughs. The most I can raise from Hicks is a wry smile. At his worst though, just insufferable.

[Pedrito]

He was groundbreaking in his time. I remember seeing him way back, I was very young and it was just so different. Fell in perfectly with Grunge etc. Then nearly all comedy became edgy and political to the point that it's all over the tv all the time, all them shite political satirists we see in the States; John Oliver, Trevor Noah all them gimps. He was dangerous and rebellious but just like Varg and black metal and punk and grunge, his style got absorbed into the mainstream. He was class in his day though.

[Eoin McLove]

Yep, Bill Hicks was dreadful. I never got one single laugh from anything he ever said.

Tiernan did a really interesting tv show years ago where he went over to try and break America,  where nobody knew him. He was playing tiny venues and was completely calm in his delivery. His jokes and his natural charm and charisma were brilliant. His leppin' and screeching kind of kills his jokes for me.

[DeletedUsermNqGIiIuGy]

Tommy T was really good at the start at least I though as much. But then it seems he got lazy and went for the 'cheap laughs'. As most have said, screaming and swearing all the time. One of his jokes about China not giving a shit about what anyone thinks of them.. he literally just walks around the stage for what feels like 5 mins just saying fuck off over and over again. It's not the swearing.. it's more that he just keeps going on and on with it.
The first special was great, and the following two I saw were grand but not as good. No idea what he's at these days or what his stand up is like but the two times I saw him years back he was hilarious live to be fair.

[StoutAndAle]

A few names there that I haven't heard of. Thanks guys.

Yup, all the aimless roaring and swearing turned me off Tiernan for a long time. Not the fact that he was swearing but more that he was doing it to almost pad out his stage time. Sort of like;

"Why did the chicken cross the road? Yeh FUCKIN' HOO-ER of a FUCKIN' chicken yeh! FUCKIN' STRUTTIN' IN HE-OOR ACTING THE BIG FUCKIN' MAN. Crossin' the FUCKIN' ROAD. Look at this FUCKIN' CHICKEN FUCK!"

But when I saw him last February he was low key (for Tommy) and as funny as in his early days. Just told his stories and got great laughs. Apparently Chris Rock does the same thing to work up an hour. Goes to comedy clubs and turns off every Chris Rock switch and just does his material. If it gets laughs without him resorting to stage persona - then he feels that it works. Still though, his last Netflix hour - "Tambourine" - is rubbish.

Speaking of low key - I forgot to mention Todd Barry. Who did a crowd work tour, no set material and he absolutely killed (unlike Tommy Tiernan who tried the same thing around Europe and had a near breakdown on camera in an RTE documentary). He's other specials of scripted material are class too.

I saw someone mention Chris D'Elia. His stand-up shows are criminally unfunny. It's like he adopted Keanu Reeves "Ted" persona and Pauly Shore's "The Weasel". His podcast guest appearances can be good though, his off the cuff gags are funny. Either way - he's landed himself in the height of shit now...

[DeletedUsermNqGIiIuGy]

I saw someone mention Chris D'Elia. His stand-up shows are criminally unfunny. It's like he adopted Keanu Reeves "Ted" persona and Pauly Shore's "The Weasel". His podcast guest appearances can be good though, his off the cuff gags are funny. Either way - he's landed himself in the height of shit now...

Yeah his stand up is fucking woeful but hilarious when paired with Callen.

Saw all that this morning when I woke up, jesus that's mental. tbh all I've seen in the pictures of emails/texts are quite tame and nothing close to what he's been accused of. But he's already getting called a peado/ and accused of grooming young girls. Gona wait to see if there's anything more shown on it but he released a statement about it.

"I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point," D'Elia said in a statement obtained by Deadline. "All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me. That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That's MY fault. I own it. I've been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better."

Regardless, his career is done now. You get accused of this these days and you are automatically guilty even if proven innocent. Sad stuff 

[Caomhaoin]

Bernie Mac, God rest him, was hilarious way back when.

For sheer outrageousness, Bernard Manning was quality as well, man of his time.Lovely fella by all accounts, some really evil jokes though, asking auld wans in the crowd if it was cold in the ground this morning hahahaha.

Always enjoyed a bit of Brendan Grace and some of the earlier D'Unbelievables was great craic too. Not fashionable but that skit with the two Gaurds, the simple auld salad, ah here, amazing.

[Carnage]

There's a decent documentary about Bernie Mac (it's called something like I Ain't Afraid Of You Motherfuckers), worth a look.

[Caomhaoin]

Sounds about right:) He'd have been 'big time' if he wasn't so unbelievably foul-mouthed. He seemed to be genuinely mental. Although Eddie Murphy was knocking around those days too.

Unlike Eddie who mocked white people constantly, Bernie did the opposite, which wouldn't go down too well on the twittersphere circa 2020.

[Pedrito]

Bernard Manning has some great one liners in fairness.

[John Kimble]

I was prompted to check out some of Joe Rogan's stand up just to see if it is as bad as some people here have made it out to be. Christ, it really is. I really enjoy his podcasts, and think he normally comes across quite well in perhaps a more 'casual conversation' type scenario, but I was genuinely shocked at how bad his stand up is.
Although to be honest here, hand on heart, I must confess to being a bit of a fan of Peter Kay. I dunno if that qualifies as a guilty pleasure in comedy circles. There's nothing remotely cerebral there, or even dark, but he's a good storyteller and just naturally funny. Also a big fan of Tim Vine. I mean, I do like Stewart Lee, but sometimes you just want jokes and puns.

[Eoin McLove]

Tim Vine is hilarious. I also think Peter Kay is funny.  As you said, it's not exactly high brow, but funny comes in all different sorts of ways.

[John Kimble]

Yeah, I think some comedians are just naturally funny and don't have to try too hard, material-wise. I wasn't expecting too much but my missus got us tickets for Micky Flanagan a few years ago. Really enjoyed it. Again nothing mind blowing, just mundane observations on day to day life, marriage etc, but delivered really well. Maybe that's why I couldn't warm to the likes of Bill Hicks, just comes across as a dick.

[Pedrito]

Peter Kay is a legend. Love his stuff. 'That's a taste sensaation'

I also love watching old Jason Byrne..some of his stuff was gas and David O'Doherty aswell. Just dopey, stupid stuff.

I don't need my comedy highbrow and political, fuck that. Another lad I love is Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson too. Ricky Gervais not bad either.