Are there are truly great comedians out there today? It seems like we’re missing a generation of jokesters.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Who are these truly great comedians from the Olden Times, in your mind, and what era? I don’t know how to compare current comics with previous ones because the media has changed so drastically — if there’s a problem it’s probably that there are just too many comedians out there now, and as usual the mediocre blunt the impact of the excellent.
Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Hicks.
sigh
all the great current ones are women
and some of them are even old women
betty white(sharp as a tack)
margarent cho (sharp as steel)
rosie odonnell (loud but funny)
sherri shepherd (dumnb but funny as hell)
roseanne (still has it)
phyllis diller (pisser)
tracy ullman
wanda sykes
sarah silverman
ellen degeneres
janine garafalo
it think they are funnier than all the men you listed
wanda sykes and tracy ullman are great. The rest? They don’t make me laugh or think.
dont overlook Kat Williams. He’s really, really smart and he gets his point across in a unique way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93jQI_6G5Cw
also, Jim Gaffigan and dont forget Dave Chappel
Wanda Sykes is alright.
Sarah Silverman’s comedy is too juvenile. I guess I can see her being funny to the stoned college kids that Comedy Central plays to, but I find her lame.
Sarah Silverman’s only funny because her jokes are coming out of such a cute face and I’ve hated Rosie for at last a decade.
Hmm, I think it’s hard to argue that Stephen Colbert is excellent. Other than that maybe Dennis Leary on a good day.
I don’t find Sarah Silverman funny. But then I am not amused by the kind of body part/body function humour that seems to appeal mostly to 4-7 year old males.
Whoopie Goldberg, her one woman Broadway show was pretty amazing. The best comedians can make you laugh/cry and think. Lily Tomlin. Roseanne’s Domestic Goddess struck a real chord with many women-still does for that matter.
I have always liked Whoopie Goldbert. Lily Tomlin, yes. Roseanne – vulgar, not funny.
Dangerfield? Really? Come on, the guy had one routine throughout his entire career: “I get no respect.” Snore.
Bill Maher and Lewis Black, for my money, are the best comedians out there today.
“My wife cut out all sex except for once a month. But I don’t feel bad because she cut some guys out completely.” Or something like that, that clip is hilarious BTW. His standup was far funnier then any of his movies. He discovered Sam Kinison one of my all time favorites. R.I.P. Rodney
I’ve lately become addicted to classic radio and television. Those guys had nothing to prop them up.
Today, only Stephen Colbert is assured to make me laugh every time.
I’m easily entertained The kid cracks me up every time.
louis ck
Interesting question. In political comedy, I don’t think you can go wrong with Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Lewis Black (love his books, too), John Oliver. Robin Williams always makes me laugh. I miss George Carlin. David Sedaris always makes me laugh (whether I’m reading him or listening to him), but I’m not sure he considers himself a comedian. There are others I enjoy (Eddie Izzard, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, Janeane Garofalo, John Leguizamo) but for the past eight terrible years, I’ve mostly been watching or listening to political comedy and haven’t really paid attention to any new talent out there.
All-time greats for me (although some are still with us, I’m not sure they’re still performing as comedians): Lily Tomlin, Andy Kaufman, Bob Newhart, Dick Gregory, the Smothers Brothers, Jonathan Winters, Woody Allen, Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, Carol Burnett, Steve Allen, Nichols & May, Victor Borge, Monty Python, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Burns and Allen.
P.S. I’ll have to admit that the baby laughing at the Newfoundland still has me laughing. Sometimes all we need to make us laugh is the absolutely innocent, totally unexplainable laughter of an infant or toddler.
Nobody mentions Dave Chapelle? (sad face).
Pax
None of them are funny.
I do have a sense of humor but it is very, very dry.
At a corporate function a long time ago, the company brought in a stand-up comedian. He was making hay embarrassing my colleagues who played along with his gags… by assuming the role of butt. He was pretty smart at judging people though… took one look at my face and body language and didn’t even try. 😉
I’m sure that he wouldn’t appreciate my puns, either.
I did watch a bit of Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report. Much of it was quite juvenile, but there were a couple moments that were funny. I saw Dave Barry live, and that was mildly entertaining. I avoid being dragged to movies billing themselves as comedies after having walked out of a couple.
I’d rather be delighted with unexpected comedic moments.