Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Favorite Comedians

I was just commenting on George Carlin in another thread, and I thought it'd be cool for us to share thoughts on our favorite comedians.

My list:

George Carlin
Lewis Black
Chris Rock
Mitch Hedberg
Jim Gaffigan
Bill Cosby
Ron White
Bill Engvall
John Cleese (and the rest of Monty Python)

Amongst talk show hosts, I like Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Bill Maher.

I'm sure there are others that I'm omitting, as this is off the top of my head.

I hear so much about Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor that I really want to get a hold of their stuff. I feel like I'm missing out.

ummmm....Mark Johnson?

George Carlin.

Though not technically a comedian:

Mark Twain.

And of course Mark.

Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean)

The New Jersey Nets should be considered too.

Louis C.K. is very, very funny.
Chris Rock definitely.

Is this some sort of bizarre non-hockey reference?

I appreciate the forum comedians, including, but not limited to, MarkSJohnson, CV, kcarlile, pmbuko, Adrian, and Murph. And Speakergrrl.

I think they are a professional basketball team, but that's kind of debatable

Ooooh, what about ventriloquists? Jeff Dunham and Achmed/Walter. Also Tim Conway/Harvey Korman...those guys were hilarious on the Carol Burnette show.

No favorite comedian here but my favorite stand-up performance is Eddie Murphy Delirious - utter brilliance. I could watch this everyday and it would still make me laugh.

I agree about Delirious. My friends and I could quote it pretty much word-for-word back in High School.

However, for single performances, I'd go with Bill Cosby-Himself. I think it is amazingly funny, and I personally add points for him cursing only once in the whole thing. Also, I still use a number of lines from Himself--"Daddy's great, give us the chocolate cake" and "I hobep that you are sabisfibed" (the latter from the dentist bit).

Himself is a great performance.

Bill Cosby often said that today's comedians rely on cursing too much, like a comedy crutch. Take away some comedians' swear words and they're left naked. Sometimes I'll be watching a comedian and think of Bill's complaint. Katt Williams comes to mind. I agree with Bill - it takes real talent/skill to be funny without cursing.

I got Eddie Murphy's two LPs in the early 80s, when I was in high school, and they are awesome.

I'd agree with Mark Twain as a top humorist. Also, I want to add Weird Al Yankovic to my list. He always delivers.

Who do you think is the worst comedian? My least favorite comedian is Dane Cook.

Worst? Will Ferrell. Not funny. Or maybe it's his movies. Or maybe it's both. Why am I writing like this. I don't know.

That's what I like about Brian Regan.


Will Ferrell is definitely on my worst list.

For worst, I would definitely vote for Dane Cook.

I actually think Will Ferrell is pretty funny, albeit redundant. He did a bit before the NCAA national championship football game between USC and Texas that was hilarious.

I think I've seen Brian Regan on Comedy Central - I may have to TiVo search for him and check him out again.

I really really love Elf. Watching it is a cherished Christmas tradition at medic8r Manor. However, none of Will Ferrell's other works do it for me.

* Except for that extended bit as George W. Bush where he was afraid of the cow. That was LOL funny.

I thought about the Will Ferrel thing more, and I simply cannot accept that anyone who was involved in the "More Cowbell" bit on Saturday Night Live could be listed as one of the worst comedians. When he reprised the role with Queens of the Stone Age playing it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I actually don't like his movies (though I've never seen Elf), and I can see why people may not be amused by Ferrel, but I think generally he is pretty funny.

Weird Al Yankovic is a funny guy. Kurt Cobaine once described him as a "musical genius" .

I also like the collective comedic works of Dave Chappelle. Funny dude also.

Ray I never watched SNL very much at all and am only referring to Ferrell in his movie roles although I thought his "Everybody's doin' it" streaking scene in 'Old School' was hilarious.

I always thought Steven Wright was a pretty funny guy.

I thought Steve Martin's early comedy albums were very funny.

Dana Carvey made me laugh a lot, too.

I have to say I like some of the classic comedy teams like Abbott and Costello, Lewis and Martin ect.

Oh, can't believe nobody said Benny Hill!!

Benny Hill Rocks! Good call Adrian.

:::Ed slaps me on top of the head a-la-Benny Hill:::

Are you really Jackie Wright? (I think that was the little guys name)

I hope not, he passed away in '89!

My sense of humor is definitely influenced by Cosby, Gene Wilder (not strictly speaking a comedian, I suppose), and The Pythons.

A lot of people hate on Andy Dick and I did at one point but I have to admit his reality-comedy show The Assistant that parodied other reality shows made me really appreciate this guys talent. Super funny stuff. I doubt any of guys have seen this show. Only 8 episodes were created and it was never brought back for a 2nd season...lol go figure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Assistant_(television)

I'm not too fond of the sterotypical stand up comic. I simply don't find them funny. There are exceptions. Cosby & Carlin come to mind. I had the pleasure of seeing Cosby live back in the 1970s (80s?). I was mesmerized by this man who walked out onto a bare stage with a microphone in one hand and a chair in the other, sat down and kept my interest while making me laugh for two hours while simply telling me stories. What I found genuinely funny about Cosby and Carlin was their ability to view the human condition from a humourous perspective. That kind of genuine wit is hard to find these days.

Another two humorists that had/have that ability to see the humorous side of everyday life are the late Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry (please forgive me if I posted or linked to this before).

Dave Barry: A journey into my colon -- and yours
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, ``HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BUTT!''

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ''MoviPrep,'' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes -- and here I am being kind -- like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ''a loose watery bowel movement may result.'' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, ''What if I spurt on Andy?'' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the hell the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was Dancing Queen by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, Dancing Queen has to be the least appropriate.

''You want me to turn it up?'' said Andy, from somewhere behind me.

''Ha ha,'' I said.

And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking ``Dancing Queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine . . .''

. . . and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

But my point is this: In addition to being a pathetic medical weenie, I was a complete moron. For more than a decade I avoided getting a procedure that was, essentially, nothing. There was no pain and, except for the MoviPrep, no discomfort. I was risking my life for nothing.

If my brother Sam had been as stupid as I was -- if, when he turned 50, he had ignored all the medical advice and avoided getting screened -- he still would have had cancer. He just wouldn't have known. And by the time he did know -- by the time he felt symptoms -- his situation would have been much, much more serious. But because he was a grown-up, the doctors caught the cancer early, and they operated and took it out. Sam is now recovering and eating what he describes as ''really, really boring food.'' His prognosis is good, and everybody is optimistic, fingers crossed, knock on wood, and all that.

Which brings us to you, Mr. or Mrs. or Miss or Ms. Over-50-And-Hasn't-Had-a-Colonoscopy. Here's the deal: You either have colo-rectal cancer, or you don't. If you do, a colonoscopy will enable doctors to find it and do something about it. And if you don't have cancer, believe me, it's very reassuring to know you don't. There is no sane reason for you not to have it done.

I am so eager for you to do this that I am going to induce you with an Exclusive Limited Time Offer. If you, after reading this, get a colonoscopy, let me know by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Dave Barry Colonoscopy Inducement, The Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132. I will send you back a certificate, signed by me and suitable for framing if you don't mind framing a cheesy certificate, stating that you are a grown-up who got a colonoscopy. Accompanying this certificate will be a square of limited-edition custom-printed toilet paper with an image of Miss Paris Hilton on it. You may frame this also, or use it in whatever other way you deem fit.

But even if you don't want this inducement, please get a colonoscopy. If I can do it, you can do it. Don't put it off. Just do it.

Be sure to stress that you want the non-Abba version.

On the subject of Colonoscopies....
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!'
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!'
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all:
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'

Dudes! You all forgot Rodney!! How about Belushi, Martin Mull, Moms Mably, Louie Anderson, Red Foxx, and currently Zach Galifiniakis (catch his routines tinkling at the piano and rambling on, 'cause I think he's too bombed to stand up). Sarah Silverman can be awesomely good, about 25% of the time. Anyone remember Emo Phillips? Oh crap!-- Cheech and Chong in their day. There were albums of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook where the entire record was one long free-range filth-rant, while they're both completely fossilzed drunk for the entire thing. And c'mon, Dame Edna Etheridge is so fast on her feet, still.
Worst: Lisa Lampinelli

Louis C.K. is pretty much at the top as far as stand-up for me. Other favorites include:

Mitch Hedberg
Dave Attell
Patton Oswalt
Russell Brand
Ricky Gervais
Demetri Martin

I enjoy many more, but there are also a lot of acts I haven't seen.

I'm pretty close to JP as far as talk show hosts. David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Craig Kilborn (I really miss him), and Jon Stewart are all great. I like Jimmy Kimmel, but I never catch his show.

Comedy beyond those areas can make for a broad category. I would agree with Rowan Atkinson being a brilliant performer. Excellent physical comedy with Mr. Bean, and great biting wit as Blackadder.

Larry David has contributed quite a lot to the comedic landscape. I bow down to him.

I'm sure I could go on and on about people who make me laugh, but I'll stop there for now.

Bill Murray
John Hodgeman

CV: Good call on Larry David. He hasn't done much standup in years, but everything about that man is pure comedy gold in my mind. Just watching the way he walks and drives on Curb Your Enthusiasm makes me laugh.

We used to quote Pryor all the time "You betta get away from aroun heah.....YOU done landed on Mr. GILmoh's property". My favaorite Cosby was "To My Brother Russell - Whom I Slept With". Plus one on Dana Carvey with Choppin Broccoli or Massive Head Wound Harry or his impressions of Bush. "Not Prudent at this Juncture"

Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, anyone?

Based upon your above likes, I would suggest checking out (if you haven't already) John Mulaney. Current young SNL writer, his album "The Top Part" is really good. Paul F. Tompkins is another great stand-up comedian. His bit on peanut brittle is stomach pain inducingly funny.

I have to admit, I don't know many of the latest names mentioned by you guys, I'm more familiar with some of the classic comedians.

Here's some good advice on making sure you get payed fairly.

You gotta see it. Zooey Deschanel is positively adorable.

I just watched Jim Jefferies, HBO stand up. He had me laughing pretty hard. Definitely not for the sensitive types and not PG.

I've always liked Robin Williamns. Bill Cosby too.

Yeah, Elf is cute and I've started watching it every year too.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have to remember to check them out.

Goonie-Goo-Goo

You need to get out more, Mark. Perhaps your room has a nullifying effect on brain waves?

I can't believe you guys haven't mentioned Jonathon Winters or the Unknown Comic.

Well, that's why he's unknown.

I always enjoyed Tim Conway when he played the old guy on the CB Show, or Dorf on Golf.

The Carol Burnett show was my favorite for a long time. Many happy childhood memories around her/them/it.

Haha! me too. Korman and Conway used to crack me up, esp when they started to make each other laugh.

the younger generation has no idea.

Hey, it works both ways.

we are still alive, many were not back then, I guess I don't recall saying I am not familiar with new comedians.

And I don't remember saying that no one before my time failed to exist in recordings?

Don't forget The Button Down Mind.

Dang it!! has anyone said BOB HOPE!!! how could we forget him?

Ummm, 'cuz he really wasn't funny?

For "unfunny"....Bob Saget has to be a contender for the Gold Medal.

Don Rickles, Dean Martin and Johnny Carson

Bob Sagat, I have heard, can be very funny in his stand up. Also extremely foul mouthed.

For the ultimate in simply not funny, all you have to do is look at late night television. Mainly Jay Leno, but none of the others are particularly funny, either.

I find Tina Fey really overrated. I used to like her when she first started performing on SNL and not just writing, but I find it hard to stomach her anymore. I probably wouldn't mind her so much if there weren't so many kissing her butt these days.

I can't hate Bob Saget too much since he directed Dirty Work, which made me laugh. Oh, yeah, Norm MacDonald. He's a comedian I can respect. Even if a fair percentage of his stuff falls flat, some of it can be really insanely funny, and he was certainly fearless, which of course didn't work out too well for him at SNL.

While I agree that Jay Leno is the pinnacle of bad comedy, with Jimmy Fallon nipping at his heels, I will always enjoy Letterman and Conan and Kilborn. I got sick of Conan for a while because for a while they kept recycling the same material with too little variation, but I learned to appreciate him again years later. Letterman's monologues suck, and the Top Tens are never that wonderful, either, but the stories he tells in between the monologues and the first guests are almost always hilarious. The interviews are hit or miss, but he finds the right rhythm with a guest, it can be magical.

He was until around 1952. After that, he operated by a formula that, IMHO, became sadly superficial, predictable, and unfunny. But those early years were something special.

Truthfully, I haven't seen much of his early stuff. Mostly, I used to see the USO on-stage stuff. While I respected the cause, I just never found him particularly funny.

Conan is definitely the funniest out all the late night tv shows. Who do you think wrote/co-wrote some of the most classic Simpsons episodes ever? Letterman was pretty good at one point but that is no longer the case. Leno just sucks.

When late night with Jimmy Kimmel started that was really, really good. He had some excellent guests and moments with the likes of Snoop Dog and Mike Tyson that was really refreshing for late night at the time.

Agreed, although I find that Ferguson guy kind of funny.

I'm probably being unfair. I think they're generally limited by the format. I'd forgotten that Conan wrote Simpsons eps.

I don't find latenight that funny anymore. Maybe getting stoned will help? I might even laugh at some of Leno's attempts at jokes

I'm willing to take one for the team and try it....

"Zooey Deschanel is positively adorable." I have a thing for her, actually. She was in a Jim Carey movie I saw pieces of (one where Jim Carey had to tell the truth all of the time), and she was "positively adorable" there as well. She has a bit of a "different" type of look, so I actually assumed I was unusual in having a thing for her.

I've seen Bob Sagat standup on HBO. I couldn't make it through it. I thought it was horrible. I think he definitely overcompensates for his sitcom days. His appearances on Entourage were o.k., but even those got tiresome fast. Same basic problem.

That being said, good call on Dirty Work, CV. I thought that was a cute movie, and in fact just bought it on DVD. Norm McDonald is one of those people who just makes me laugh, almost no matter what he is doing.

On the Tine Fey front, I just recently started watching 30 Rock. I think that show is fantastic. I never got the Tracy Jordan thing, but now I think he is very funny. In fact, I was thinking just last night how there are an unusually number of good Sitcoms on TV now: 30 Rock, the Big Bang Theory, Community, and Parks and Recreation all give me enough chuckles to warrant 30 minutes of my life (each).

Is she on your buckher list?

Assuming I am interpreting what a "buckher list" is correctly, and I am confident I am, then yes should would definitely be on mine!

Maybe....if you could make a reality show out of Carol Burnette Comedy Half Hour??

I'll be willing to bet that cast was just as hilarious off-stage! picture Conway as the "old man" going through McDonalds drive thru.....

I was trying to describe Charo to my daughters over Christmas Break. When I looked on YouTube, a skit from the Carol Burnette show popped up. Charo was in tight lowcut pants with a furry halter top. Tim Conway was a sales guy and Carole came out dressed like Charo but was her mom and had was sagging in all the places where Charo was "pert". It ended up being a competition fot the Sales guy. Hilarious.