Who are your favorite comedians?

[Mladen]

I went through both pages of this thread and was surprised that there was no mention of Norm Macdonald. He's been one of my favorites for about twelve years now.

Other top comedians (stand up in particular) in no specific order:
Louis CK
Bill Burr
Marc Maron
Patton Oswalt
George Carlin
Jim Jefferies
Ricky Gervais

[TAC]

They just announced a Bill Burr show at Fenway this summer.

I heard that on his podcast. He seems really thrilled to perform and throw the opening pitch there.

He joined the Red Sox broadcast last night for a half inning, and was really funny.

[Stadler]

Ricky Gervais is on my list too.

[ReaperKK]

They just announced a Bill Burr show at Fenway this summer.

I heard that on his podcast. He seems really thrilled to perform and throw the opening pitch there.

He joined the Red Sox broadcast last night for a half inning, and was really funny.

I've always wanted him to announce a game, whether is baseball or football or something else it doesn't matter. One of the funniest things about his podcast is when he talks about games he's seen.

[T-ski]

I went through both pages of this thread and was surprised that there was no mention of Norm Macdonald. He's been one of my favorites for about twelve years now.

Other top comedians (stand up in particular) in no specific order:
Louis CK
Bill Burr
Marc Maron
Patton Oswalt
George Carlin
Jim Jefferies
Ricky Gervais

Norm was definitely great, I just don’t think people think of him as a stand up comedian as much as the think of him as a funny person.

[KevShmev]

And Jim Gaffigan is spectacularly funny

I hate (and that is no way an overstatement) that high voice he does that is such a big part of his act.  That makes me want to rip my ears off and throw them at the screen.  Thus, to me, he is spectacularly unfunny.   Humor is subjective, and many think he is funny, so be it, but I honestly feel that a lot of his appeal is that he doesn't really curse, as that sucks in a lot of watchers who do not want to be bludgeoned with cursing non-stop during a skit (those people still do exist, hard as that is to believe ).

[King Postwhore]

Watch "The Green Room" on YouTube. 2 season of it. Comedians all talking subjects at the time. Amazing show.

[faizoff]

They just announced a Bill Burr show at Fenway this summer.

I heard that on his podcast. He seems really thrilled to perform and throw the opening pitch there.

He joined the Red Sox broadcast last night for a half inning, and was really funny.

I've always wanted him to announce a game, whether is baseball or football or something else it doesn't matter. One of the funniest things about his podcast is when he talks about games he's seen.

Bill did one game live on his podcast I believe, don't remember which Patriots game it was. Someone on youtube then lined up the footage with his commentary and rants and it was hilarious. I think he said he's never doing that again lol.

[Stadler]

And Jim Gaffigan is spectacularly funny

I hate (and that is no way an overstatement) that high voice he does that is such a big part of his act.  That makes me want to rip my ears off and throw them at the screen.  Thus, to me, he is spectacularly unfunny.   Humor is subjective, and many think he is funny, so be it, but I honestly feel that a lot of his appeal is that he doesn't really curse, as that sucks in a lot of watchers who do not want to be bludgeoned with cursing non-stop during a skit (those people still do exist, hard as that is to believe ).

I know what you're saying though; there are comedians like that for me too where the schtick is just too much.

[T-ski]

And Jim Gaffigan is spectacularly funny

I hate (and that is no way an overstatement) that high voice he does that is such a big part of his act.  That makes me want to rip my ears off and throw them at the screen.  Thus, to me, he is spectacularly unfunny.   Humor is subjective, and many think he is funny, so be it, but I honestly feel that a lot of his appeal is that he doesn't really curse, as that sucks in a lot of watchers who do not want to be bludgeoned with cursing non-stop during a skit (those people still do exist, hard as that is to believe ).

The thing that first drew me to Gaffigan was the way he incorporates the fake audience persona into his act that makes fun of his jokes. While it doesn’t bother me, I can see how one might find it annoying.

[pg1067]

And Jim Gaffigan is spectacularly funny

I hate (and that is no way an overstatement) that high voice he does that is such a big part of his act.  That makes me want to rip my ears off and throw them at the screen.  Thus, to me, he is spectacularly unfunny.   Humor is subjective, and many think he is funny, so be it, but I honestly feel that a lot of his appeal is that he doesn't really curse, as that sucks in a lot of watchers who do not want to be bludgeoned with cursing non-stop during a skit (those people still do exist, hard as that is to believe ).

I can understand feeling that way about the voice, but it's one of the things that I think makes him hilarious.  The cursing thing is no important to me, but it is sometimes overdone (and, while not a comedy thing, it's one of the main reasons why I stopped watching the Jerry West hatchet job show after 20-30 minutes).

[TheCountOfNYC]

I commented Mitch Hedberg earlier in the thread, but I want to shout out my two other favorite comedians.

Bill Burr is probably my all time favorite comedian, even though Mitch was my first love in comedy. Bill’s way of viewing life matches up pretty consistently with my world view, and hearing my inner monologue come from someone who is actually funny is always fun.

A lesser known comedian that I’m a huge fan of is Steve Hofstetter. He’s most known for dealing with hecklers, but his comedy is so much more than that. He and Burr are similar in that they talk a lot about inconsiderate and awful people, but where Bill is more explosive, Steve is more calculating, calmly plotting revenge and breaking down why people are wrong. Despite this, he has one of the quickest wits I’ve ever seen, which is a huge part of why his heckler videos are so popular, as he can adapt to unplanned situations and keep the crowd laughing better than almost anybody. His quick wit also shines in his post show Q&A’s. If you haven’t heard of him, I highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel, where he posts heckler video and Q&A videos regularly, and even has a few full standup sets on there for free.

[Cool Chris]

Don't know if I'd list him as a favorite, and I haven't been to a ton of comedy shows, but I saw Jay Mohr live maybe 15 years ago, and I have never laughed so hard in my life. There were jokes I missed and had to ask my buddy about because I was laughing so hard at the previous joke.

[pg1067]

I've never seen his standup, but Jay Mohr did some sports talk radio stuff here in SoCal a while back.  Could not stand him.  Arrogant, entitled prick.

[TAC]

I fucking can't stand him. He has a face that says "punch me".

[Cool Chris]

Glad I brought him up!

[KevShmev]

I fucking can't stand him. He has a face that says "punch me".

Why are you talking about Brad Marchand in this thread?

[pg1067]

I fucking can't stand him. He has a face that says "punch me".

Unpopular opinion (?):  I kinda feel the same way about Dennis Leary.

[TAC]

I'm indifferent on Dennis Leary. I don't find him particularly funny. He does the narration on Behind The B, the behind the scenes show of the Bruins. He's fine on that.

[Cool Chris]

I remember watching him when he starting out. I liked his stand-up but thought his "I smoke a lot" schtick got old really fast. I have only seen him in acting roles a couple times but thought he was great in what I saw. Can't say I have seen or heard him in any capacity in many years.

His song Asshole should be our national anthem.

[Stadler]

I'm indifferent on Dennis Leary. I don't find him particularly funny. He does the narration on Behind The B, the behind the scenes show of the Bruins. He's fine on that.

I like him on the shows he does.  He was very good in "The Job", he was AWESOME in "Rescue Me", he was very good in the Christmas show thing he did last year (or the year before) and now he's in a serious role on Law And Order: Organized Crime.   

[TAC]

I'm indifferent on Dennis Leary. I don't find him particularly funny. He does the narration on Behind The B, the behind the scenes show of the Bruins. He's fine on that.

I like him on the shows he does.  He was very good in "The Job", he was AWESOME in "Rescue Me", he was very good in the Christmas show thing he did last year (or the year before) and now he's in a serious role on Law And Order: Organized Crime.

I believe you. I’ve never watched any of those shows.

[King Postwhore]

I'm indifferent on Dennis Leary. I don't find him particularly funny. He does the narration on Behind The B, the behind the scenes show of the Bruins. He's fine on that.

I like him on the shows he does.  He was very good in "The Job", he was AWESOME in "Rescue Me", he was very good in the Christmas show thing he did last year (or the year before) and now he's in a serious role on Law And Order: Organized Crime.

I believe you. I’ve never watched any of those shows.

Color me shocked.

[Melphina]

Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Bobby Lee, Anthony Jeselnik, Bob Kelly, Colin Quinn, Gabriel Iglesias, Ron White, Dane Cook, Denis Leary, Eddie Murphy, Steven Wright, tons of others...

RIP to my other favorites who are no longer with us: Patrice O'Neal (bar none, the funniest person I've ever listened to, no matter the context), Greg Giraldo, Mitch Hedberg, Otto & George, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bob Saget, Gilbert Gottfried, Bill Hicks, Sam Kinison, even more I'm forgetting...

[TAC]

Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Bobby Lee, Anthony Jeselnik, Bob Kelly, Colin Quinn, Gabriel Iglesias, Ron White, Dane Cook, Denis Leary, Eddie Murphy, Steven Wright, TAC, tons of others...

Definitely!

[Melphina]

Oh you're a riot for sure 

[Melphina]

Just bought tickets to see Bill Burr in November. I've never seen him before and he's my favorite living comedian. I listen to his podcast every week. Can't overstate how excited I am. Gonna go with my best friend who has a similar appreciation for him.

[TAC]

Just bought tickets to see Bill Burr in November. I've never seen him before and he's my favorite living comedian. I listen to his podcast every week. Can't overstate how excited I am. Gonna go with my best friend who has a similar appreciation for him.

Awesome.  Where's the show, Mike?

[Melphina]

Just bought tickets to see Bill Burr in November. I've never seen him before and he's my favorite living comedian. I listen to his podcast every week. Can't overstate how excited I am. Gonna go with my best friend who has a similar appreciation for him.

Awesome.  Where's the show, Mike?

Peoria, IL. Got floor tix! I hate to say it but I kind of hope he's cranky because that's when Burr can be at his best 

[ReaperKK]

Just bought tickets to see Bill Burr in November. I've never seen him before and he's my favorite living comedian. I listen to his podcast every week. Can't overstate how excited I am. Gonna go with my best friend who has a similar appreciation for him.

You're in for a treat, I love Bill Burr and I've seen him live a few times. If you haven't check out the Anything Better podcast with Virizi, I think it's now better than his standalone podcasts.

[KevShmev]

I have to admit that I thought of Bill Burr yesterday when reading about that Depp/Heard trial.

Burr once said on Conan about the MeToo movement, "This whole 'believe women' thing, I am like, 'all of them?' I tell you what, I'll give you 87%! But the other 13%, those are the ones who will key your car or light your shit on fire."

I am pretty sure Amber Heard is in that 13%, although she would opt more for shitting on your bed than lighting yours on fire. 

[Stadler]

I have to admit that I thought of Bill Burr yesterday when reading about that Depp/Heard trial.

Burr once said on Conan about the MeToo movement, "This whole 'believe women' thing, I am like, 'all of them?' I tell you what, I'll give you 87%! But the other 13%, those are the ones who will key your car or light your shit on fire."

I am pretty sure Amber Heard is in that 13%, although she would opt more for shitting on your bed than lighting yours on fire. 

There should be a thread on that trial.  My wife was OBSESSED with it, and watched most of it online.  What a SHIT SHOW.  If anyone ever needs an example of "Outrageous overshadowing" that's it.   She is batshit crazy (and I think she's smokin' hot; it's for my therapist to decide if the two are related, I guess) but he's no walk in the park either.   It definitely makes it hard to sort through.  This trial involves "#MeToo" issues, but I think it's far trickier to ascribe easy mantras like "no means no" to ongoing, interdependent situations like this.  They BOTH drove each other to behaviors that would in any reasonable context be unacceptable, and when you add in the level of medication - illegal and legal; Depp is a walking fucking pharmacy; his doctors ought to be audited for real - it makes for a complicated stew.

[KevShmev]

There should be a thread on that trial.  My wife was OBSESSED with it, and watched most of it online.  What a SHIT SHOW.  If anyone ever needs an example of "Outrageous overshadowing" that's it.   She is batshit crazy (and I think she's smokin' hot; it's for my therapist to decide if the two are related, I guess) but he's no walk in the park either.   It definitely makes it hard to sort through.  This trial involves "#MeToo" issues, but I think it's far trickier to ascribe easy mantras like "no means no" to ongoing, interdependent situations like this.  They BOTH drove each other to behaviors that would in any reasonable context be unacceptable, and when you add in the level of medication - illegal and legal; Depp is a walking fucking pharmacy; his doctors ought to be audited for real - it makes for a complicated stew.

Oh yeah, there is no doubt that Depp is his own special kind of trainwreck, but Heard went out of her way to try and ruin his life and his career, so she comes off far worse in this story.  Not sure being better than Amber Heard is worthy of getting a bump in the public eye (seems like anyone who isn't a trash human being is better than her), but it is working out well so far for him.  He won in court, and by all accounts, he is winning big time in the court of public opinion.  Of course, you still have the "women never get believed" bull shit from the "believe women every single time" crowd, but this is a world where some still love Antonio Brown, so there will be always be some who defend the indefensible.

[TAC]

I obviously know who John Pinette is, but I've been doing a dive on him on youtube and he has been absolutely killing me.

[King Postwhore]

I saw him in the late 80's at Faneuil Hall.