100 greatest stand ups
I've been watching, only switched the TV on at about number 48 though, (but looked up the list after) and very pleased to see people like Robert Newman and Stewart Lee getting some praise...
Anyways, top 50, lets see how it goes. Will be interesting to see how much popular opinion matches my own likes and dislikes.
50 - Bob Hope - Guilty, as with Jackie Mason a little later, of not knowing nearly enough about him, all I know is they are both seen as legends of their era.
49 - Graham Norton - One of those, who like Jimmy Carr nearly did, overstayed his welcome, by being on every channel for about 28 hours a day, being chirpy and camp all the time. I saw an old live show of his, and he was really good, but overexposure I fear has done him permanent damage.
48 - Ken Dodd - Another of those stand ups who gives value for money, I've heard tales of him being booked for an 8pm show, and effectively being pushed off stage by the theatre boss around 1am because people want to close and go home, because he just loves to perform. One of those who isn't shown in his best light by the occasional TV performance, like Bob Monkhouse.
47 - Jackie Mason - Ok, I admit it, no clue, apart from being a US Jewish stand up guy, and pretty old.
46 - Rob Newman - Yes the other half of the 'Professors' from 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience', having undergone a rebirth, and no such a radical, that he cycles to gigs. Don't expect a series of knob gags from this guy, as he tends to bury himself deeply in literature and history, while still managing to be extremely funny and engaging.
45 - Paul O' Grady - Formerly the drag act Lily Savage, somehow taking a tired old idea like the drag act and making it into something new and 'alternative'. Since dropping 'her' has stepped away from stand up pretty much and concentrates on his chat show.
44 - Robin Williams - Looking at his recent movie roles, from 'Patch Adams' onwards, you'd be forgiven for dismissing Robin Williams outright. However , give the guy a stage, an audience and a microphone, and he can entertain with the best of them.
43 - Johnny Vegas - In some way , similar to Ricky Gervais, in that he is playing a character, and I remember really enjoying seeing him live in Redhill maybe 10 years ago. I've never seen a stand up whose act was mainly based on pity, and to me, it worked!
42 - Dara O'Briain - To me a little too new to have formed any huge opinions on him, but he makes a great host of 'Mock the Week' and having seen his stand up DVD, he can certainly handle an audience well, has a good chemistry with them.
41 - Stewart Lee - If you remember Stewart Lee from 'Fist Of Fun' and the 'real Rod Hull' and the other silliness that went along with it, then you really don't know Stewart Lee. Among other things, the director and co-writer of the 'Jerry Springer Opera'. Very much my style of humour, so if you're a big fan of the Peter Kay style of comedy, I'd give Stewart Lee a miss, but if you like Bill Hicks and the like, try Stewart Lee, there's no jelly involved!
40 - Sean Hughes - Still going strong, and a personal favourite, quite gentle humour really, but one of those few genuinely likable types you'd happily get on with in a pub, just listening to him ramble on in his own way.
39 - Jenny Eclair - Maybe the female equivalent of Frank Skinner, I've not heard anyone except Frank get close to the obscenity of her act, in terms of detailed sexuality, and refreshing to see a woman dare to go where most men won't (insert your own puns here).
38 - Andrew 'Dice' Clay - From what I've seen of him, seemed to think saying C*** a lot was a fair swap for having no natural comedic ability. American audiences loved him and he sold out large theatres, whereas most of the UK hasn't heard of him. His main act was reciting nursery rhymes where the characters had sex and swore a lot.
37 - Jim Davidson ? Jim Davidson?? Ok, as much as I might personally dislike him, I have to admit he was a fairly influential figure of his time. I still hate to watch when he's outright stating his hatred of all women though.
36 - Mark Thomas! Good to see he's even been noticed, with this being voted for by the 'public' who I wouldnt trust to vote the right way on Celebrity Big Brother with only Harold Shipman and Mother Theresa left in.
35 - Denis Leary - Now I've always liked his stuff, but I still have a bit of trouble with the accusations of plagiarism that hounded him. As Bill Hicks himself said, about the similarity of their acts. 'Yes, I copied Denis, and just to be awkward I performed it before him'
34 - David Baddiel - Again, surprised to see some of these people being remembered, although I'm guessing its the 'Mary Whitehouse' stuff that is getting him votes, and not his books, or his current shows on radio such as 'Heresy'
33 - Roy Chubby Brown - Now until I saw a documentary on him, and read up on him, I was prepared to dismiss him as another Jim Davidson type, but he's a very smart man, with a finely honed act, and a dedicated following. He's also been to court last year for attacking a man with his umbrella, after repeatedly asking him to stop swearing in front of children at the coast. After all, there's only so far shouting C*** can take you, and he's thrived in a business where so many others have faded.
32 - Steven Wright "I was an only child....eventually..." If you've never heard of this guy, you've probably read half his act in those emails that do the runs thru offices of 'funny quotes LOL' as his act was a slow , measured delivery of surreal punchlines. 'for my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifer, I like to put em in the same room and watch em fight it out...then I poured wax into the humidifier and now my room's all shiny.' Summed up by 'Is it weird in here, or is it just me?'
31 - Bob Monkhouse - Coming from someone who's known for their love of dark humour, you may be surprised to see me rating Bob so highly, but again, he was a true craftsman at work on stage, and of course, most people only know him for his gameshows.
30 - Lenny Bruce - sadly virtually unknown in the UK. Arrested 3 times for 'obscenity' between '60 and '62. Its almost unthinkable to think nowadays of police being sent to gigs waiting to arrest a comic the moment he said 'cocksucker', but they'd regularly drag him off stage and kill the show, taking him to the police station. I believe it was just a move by a threatened religious and moral majority in the US at the time.
29 - Bernard Manning - I didn't know he'd played Las Vegas! While not being 'my kind' of comedy, I can at least respect his showmanship and following, and I actually don't believe he has this huge well of hate for other races or sexuality, he just knows that a lot of people find that his old style act sells a lotta tickets!
28 - Joan Rivers - I can't say I'm a fan, and I'm surprised to see her even showing up in the list.
27 - Daniel Kitson - Another surprise, but in a good way this time, I've only heard a terrible quality bootleg of his act, he's a rambling, sweary improvisational stand up, with some qualities of Eddie Izzard, but at the same time very different. He also has a stutter, but pushes thru this to be very funny indeed, and often will show up for a 1 hour slot and still be going over 2 hours later. (insert obvious stutter joke here then feel guilty).
26 - Frank Skinner - Horribly underrated imho, and certainly not just a football gagsmith, and possibly the filthiest stand up on the whole list, and that's including Chubby Brown and the like.
25 - Steve Coogan - Yes, you may have seen Saxondale, but that doesn't disqualify him from the list, as his Alan Partridge work alone earns him a good placing here.
24 - Eddie Murphy - Yea so he's behaved poorly over the Mel B (or C, how should I know), and that's relevant to his comedic abilities how? My problem is that he's dont nothing of real merit since his Beverly Hills Cop days. Back when he was doing stand up he was great tho I think.
23 - Lee Evans - If you've ever seen a live show of his, you'll know the nervous thing he does is no act, unless he can sweat pints on demand, heh. His style isn't for everyone sure, but he earns his place, nevertheless.
22 - Jo Brand - It's a little disappointing that she used to spend so long on fat and periods, but then it did get her noticed, and I do think perhaps she's not as well suited to shows like QI as she is in her natural habitat of the stand up show.
21 - Ben Elton - I find it a shame that so many comics hate Ben Elton, and I can't help but feel some of it is down to his huge success, as he certainly has a few quid in the bank from his 10 or so best selling novels, and his royalties from Blackadder and the like. It's very easy to say he did Thatcher jokes and knob gags, but he can take a lot of the credit for changing the direction comedy was going back in the 80s.
20 - Jasper Carrott - Anyone of my age grew up with him on TV, and I imagine I'm in the majority of remembering him as a funny guy. Perhaps a bad move on his agent's part getting him the 'Goldenballs' gig (a competitor to 'Deal or No Deal'). It's pretty obvious someone thought, Hey, Channel 4 dug someone popular up from the 80s and gave em a game show with no skill or knowledge involved and its a winner! Lets do the same! Oh hang on, lets make it obscenely complicated and about an hour too long, too.
19 - Les Dawson - Another master of wordplay, and a legend of his time.
18 - Alexei Sayle - Along with Ben Elton, perhaps changed the path of comedy for all time with his act on stage, and his taking over the job of compere at the Comedy Store. Only someone with his on stage persona could have dealt with the hundreds of drunken clubgoers showing up each week wanting to be entertained, and especially considering this was the start of alternative comedy, so he was introducing a lot of godawful acts!
17 - Dylan Moran - All I can say is if you haven't seen 'Monster' his live show, or 'Black Books' the TV series, see them! He's made the character of drunken irish curmudgeon his very own. 'Children in Need? when was the last time you saw a child NOT in need..children in need of a jeep, children in need of more cake...' An interviewer stated that he was one of those select comedians, like Ross Noble and Eddie Izzard that you can't retell his act down the pub and be funny, but this doesn't distract from his genuinely excellent act.
16 - Al Murray - One of the few 'character comedians' on the list, along with Steve Coogan and a few others. There's a rather unfair comment on character comedians, that they're like ventriloquists, using their characters to say things a normal person couldn't get away with, but then, how is that such a bad thing? Also, it takes a certain kind of mind to stay in character and improvise at the same time.
15 - Jerry Sadowitz - now, people like Jimmy Carr and some others have been billed as 'saying the unsayable' when it comes to dodgy, borderline jokes. The difference is, where Jimmy Carr will go 'oooh' and back off when he hits his audiences comfort zone, only probing it, Jerry Sadowitz doesn't even register there is one. Of course, sometimes it could be hard to tell when Jerry Sadowitz is being funny and when he's just being outright offensive, but its no wonder he's not well known when even on his website he pretty much tells anyone who wants to book him to 'F*** off and leave me alone you bunch of C***s'.
I'll post the least offensive quote I can find of his, as I know a few people read this at work and the like.
"I know what it's like for victims of the tsunami as I drank a glass of water really quick once". The strange thing is, I've seen one of his live shows, and he's excellent with an audience, just dont heckle him!
As someone did at the Montreal Comedy Festival one year, where he possibly had the shortest gig ever, opening with the line 'Good evening moose f***ers' and then 'I tell you why I hate Canada, half of you speak French, and the other half let them' to which an outraged audience member got on stage and punched him. damn, that was a long one, but then no-one has heard of him, so no harm done.
14 - Woody Allen - Not really a fan, but haven't heard/seen much of his work, except for some old stand up stuff that didn't grab me.
13 - Jack Dee - The turning point for Jack Dee was when he'd had a long string of godawful nights at comedy clubs, with lousy audiences, and decided flat out he wasn't going to bother trying to 'connect' with his audience any more, and was going to just go out there and talk about stuff. It seems a star was born, only in the UK though, as we're a nation of moany bastards who thoroughly enjoy it.
12 - Jimmy Carr - I think the masterstroke Jimmy Carr performed was finding the perfect time to be the act that he is, along with having a fine delivery and style, along with the material to back it up, his only danger was for a while being on Channel 4 all day every day it seemed. Never good to overexpose yourself to the point of being irritating.
11 - Ricky Gervais - Again, one of those character comedians, except that the character is called Ricky Gervais. I've thoroughly enjoyed 'the Office' and his stand up shows, but I think maybe his showing at the Princess Diana gig showed him to be not the world's greatest improviser. There again, if you can craft excellent stand up and entertain for an hour, you don't need improv skills.
10 - Ross Noble - Has a similar weird genius to that of Eddie Izzard, in his ability to ask why someone is walking into the show late, to talking about monkeys in trilbys, why foil is shiny, and then 40 minutes later remember he was talking to the couple at the front about their late entry. He either makes improvisation look effortless, or he makes his act looks effortlessly improvisational. He seems to be able able to riff on any topic and talk nonsense for ages with no apparent effort.
09 - Chris Rock - In my opinion, he could be nearly the Bill Hicks of our generation, making politics, war, racism, and other huge, serious topics funny, while at the same time making you think.
08 - Victoria Wood - Not a fan personally, but I can respect her act and her talent.
07 - Bill Bailey - Perhaps single handedly stopped the phrase 'musical comedy' emptying a theatre, by making the humour about the music, instead of just hanging a few puns on a tune. also wonderfully surreal, like Ross Noble or Eddie Izzard.
06 - Bill Hicks - only number 6? robbed! Also was interesting to see his filming from the Waco incident. I also never knew that there was an 'Early Day' motion passed in Parliament in the UK on the 10th anniversary of his death, while it passed pretty much unnoticed in America. As I stated in my IT crowd review, its a shame the US audiences don't seem to either appreciate, or maybe its just they don't get offered, intelligent comedy.
When once asked 'Why are you not proud of being an American? If you hate America so much, why don't you leave?', he stated simply ' Well, as for being proud of being American, my parents F***ed there, I didnt have much to do with it, and I'd leave American if I wasn't scared I'd become a statistic of their foreign policy.' Amazing also how listening to his stuff from the 80s is so relevant now. His anger about pointless wars, Bush's incompetance, and godawful music in the charts, etc, all still hit home like he said it all yesterday.
05 - Harry Hill - A loss to the profession of doctors, when he quit to seemingly just arse about on stage enjoying himself. The thing about Harry Hill is he makes it seem like he's just messing about, but if you listen to the way his act is interwoven and rolls back on itself, it's really well crafted, without coming across like a smartarse, who wouldn't like Harry Hill though? Hell I don't even hate him for doing 'You've Been Framed'
04 - Richard Pryor - His bravery hit me, to be doing material about his life, his mother being a prostitute and his drug addictions etc. Also just being black and on stage talking about it was quite a wild thing back in his time. On top of that, a damn funny guy!
03 - Eddie Izzard - What can you say about this guy that people don't already know? One of the first stand ups to dare to make humour about subjects like history, philosophy, language, and other 'big' subjects, and actually make them funny.
02 - Peter Kay - I like him, hell, he's a likable guy, but I do feel he's overrated, but I lay the blame on the media for lumping far too much praise on him too early. He's good, but damn, who could be THAT good?
01 - Billy Connolly - Again! It's always Billy bloody Connolly! Again, I actually like him, and his material, but number 1 seems a bit much. Note I filled this in before Peter Kay's section had even finished, as I knew it was going to be him. (update - and it was, with these things, if you haven't seen Billy Connolly by number 10, he's number 1.)
A few honourable mentions from the 51-100 bracket...
Emo Phillips - Still going strong, his showing on '8 out of 10 cats' really proved to me he's still 'got it' even if he's lost the wild hair. ' I used to have a big gay following...but I ducked down an alley and lost him' ' The Scots are the toughest people in the world, a headband is considered a silencer'
'I used to be scared of pretty girls, until one confessed they're just as scared of me.'
Steve Martin - Seems to have suffered the same cinematic fate as Robin Williams, but I have an ancient VHS of a live show of his, and damn he was good on stage, a really manic individual, who, like Eddie Izzard, seemed to be just throwing the whole act together, but deep down you feel every moment has been crafted carefully.
Dave Gorman - To me, more famous for his themed shows than general stand up, such as his 'Are You Dave Gorman?' that grew from a stupid bet into a monster, where he spent thousands of pounds and months of his life hunting down other Dave Gormans(Gormen? he wondered for a moment). He's a great entertainer, and works well with his old flatmate Danny Wallace, who again deserves to be more than just a wit to Anne Robinson's 'straight man' on those big british quizzes.
Mitch Hedberg - a meandering mental wanderer, like Steven Wright, seemed to always be on something mind altering, which would explain a lot of the material he came out with. 'I saw this wino, he was eating grapes. I was like, "Dude, you have to wait."
'I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a girl who would get really mad if she heard me say that.'
Tim Vine - currently filming a second series of the excellent sitcom 'Not going out' with Lee Mack, Tim holds the world record for most jokes told in one hour, at 499, beating the previous record of 362. That would be impressive enough, but he's geniunely witty with it, a master of wordplay and puns, and a rare family friendly act, with no swearing or adult content. A few of his lines, some are groaners, but that's part of the fun of his act!
'When I was at school people used to throw gold bars at me. I was the victim of bullion.'
'The other day someone left a piece of plasticine in my dressing room. I didn't know what to make of it.'
Someone on another blog made the very valid point that it's a shame this could not have been voted for by comedians, then perhaps there'd be some new names, new faces, new material in the line up, in my opinion the only reason someone like Jim Davidson would make a top 100, is because there's millions of idiots who really think he's the height of comedy, whereas they couldn't find a comedian who had any praise for him.
On a related note, I was sad to read of the death by suicide of Richard Jeni, a fine US comedian. I think it is true in many cases that good comedians come from an unhappy background.
Anyways, top 50, lets see how it goes. Will be interesting to see how much popular opinion matches my own likes and dislikes.
50 - Bob Hope - Guilty, as with Jackie Mason a little later, of not knowing nearly enough about him, all I know is they are both seen as legends of their era.
49 - Graham Norton - One of those, who like Jimmy Carr nearly did, overstayed his welcome, by being on every channel for about 28 hours a day, being chirpy and camp all the time. I saw an old live show of his, and he was really good, but overexposure I fear has done him permanent damage.
48 - Ken Dodd - Another of those stand ups who gives value for money, I've heard tales of him being booked for an 8pm show, and effectively being pushed off stage by the theatre boss around 1am because people want to close and go home, because he just loves to perform. One of those who isn't shown in his best light by the occasional TV performance, like Bob Monkhouse.
47 - Jackie Mason - Ok, I admit it, no clue, apart from being a US Jewish stand up guy, and pretty old.
46 - Rob Newman - Yes the other half of the 'Professors' from 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience', having undergone a rebirth, and no such a radical, that he cycles to gigs. Don't expect a series of knob gags from this guy, as he tends to bury himself deeply in literature and history, while still managing to be extremely funny and engaging.
45 - Paul O' Grady - Formerly the drag act Lily Savage, somehow taking a tired old idea like the drag act and making it into something new and 'alternative'. Since dropping 'her' has stepped away from stand up pretty much and concentrates on his chat show.
44 - Robin Williams - Looking at his recent movie roles, from 'Patch Adams' onwards, you'd be forgiven for dismissing Robin Williams outright. However , give the guy a stage, an audience and a microphone, and he can entertain with the best of them.
43 - Johnny Vegas - In some way , similar to Ricky Gervais, in that he is playing a character, and I remember really enjoying seeing him live in Redhill maybe 10 years ago. I've never seen a stand up whose act was mainly based on pity, and to me, it worked!
42 - Dara O'Briain - To me a little too new to have formed any huge opinions on him, but he makes a great host of 'Mock the Week' and having seen his stand up DVD, he can certainly handle an audience well, has a good chemistry with them.
41 - Stewart Lee - If you remember Stewart Lee from 'Fist Of Fun' and the 'real Rod Hull' and the other silliness that went along with it, then you really don't know Stewart Lee. Among other things, the director and co-writer of the 'Jerry Springer Opera'. Very much my style of humour, so if you're a big fan of the Peter Kay style of comedy, I'd give Stewart Lee a miss, but if you like Bill Hicks and the like, try Stewart Lee, there's no jelly involved!
40 - Sean Hughes - Still going strong, and a personal favourite, quite gentle humour really, but one of those few genuinely likable types you'd happily get on with in a pub, just listening to him ramble on in his own way.
39 - Jenny Eclair - Maybe the female equivalent of Frank Skinner, I've not heard anyone except Frank get close to the obscenity of her act, in terms of detailed sexuality, and refreshing to see a woman dare to go where most men won't (insert your own puns here).
38 - Andrew 'Dice' Clay - From what I've seen of him, seemed to think saying C*** a lot was a fair swap for having no natural comedic ability. American audiences loved him and he sold out large theatres, whereas most of the UK hasn't heard of him. His main act was reciting nursery rhymes where the characters had sex and swore a lot.
37 - Jim Davidson ? Jim Davidson?? Ok, as much as I might personally dislike him, I have to admit he was a fairly influential figure of his time. I still hate to watch when he's outright stating his hatred of all women though.
36 - Mark Thomas! Good to see he's even been noticed, with this being voted for by the 'public' who I wouldnt trust to vote the right way on Celebrity Big Brother with only Harold Shipman and Mother Theresa left in.
35 - Denis Leary - Now I've always liked his stuff, but I still have a bit of trouble with the accusations of plagiarism that hounded him. As Bill Hicks himself said, about the similarity of their acts. 'Yes, I copied Denis, and just to be awkward I performed it before him'
34 - David Baddiel - Again, surprised to see some of these people being remembered, although I'm guessing its the 'Mary Whitehouse' stuff that is getting him votes, and not his books, or his current shows on radio such as 'Heresy'
33 - Roy Chubby Brown - Now until I saw a documentary on him, and read up on him, I was prepared to dismiss him as another Jim Davidson type, but he's a very smart man, with a finely honed act, and a dedicated following. He's also been to court last year for attacking a man with his umbrella, after repeatedly asking him to stop swearing in front of children at the coast. After all, there's only so far shouting C*** can take you, and he's thrived in a business where so many others have faded.
32 - Steven Wright "I was an only child....eventually..." If you've never heard of this guy, you've probably read half his act in those emails that do the runs thru offices of 'funny quotes LOL' as his act was a slow , measured delivery of surreal punchlines. 'for my birthday I got a humidifier and a dehumidifer, I like to put em in the same room and watch em fight it out...then I poured wax into the humidifier and now my room's all shiny.' Summed up by 'Is it weird in here, or is it just me?'
31 - Bob Monkhouse - Coming from someone who's known for their love of dark humour, you may be surprised to see me rating Bob so highly, but again, he was a true craftsman at work on stage, and of course, most people only know him for his gameshows.
30 - Lenny Bruce - sadly virtually unknown in the UK. Arrested 3 times for 'obscenity' between '60 and '62. Its almost unthinkable to think nowadays of police being sent to gigs waiting to arrest a comic the moment he said 'cocksucker', but they'd regularly drag him off stage and kill the show, taking him to the police station. I believe it was just a move by a threatened religious and moral majority in the US at the time.
29 - Bernard Manning - I didn't know he'd played Las Vegas! While not being 'my kind' of comedy, I can at least respect his showmanship and following, and I actually don't believe he has this huge well of hate for other races or sexuality, he just knows that a lot of people find that his old style act sells a lotta tickets!
28 - Joan Rivers - I can't say I'm a fan, and I'm surprised to see her even showing up in the list.
27 - Daniel Kitson - Another surprise, but in a good way this time, I've only heard a terrible quality bootleg of his act, he's a rambling, sweary improvisational stand up, with some qualities of Eddie Izzard, but at the same time very different. He also has a stutter, but pushes thru this to be very funny indeed, and often will show up for a 1 hour slot and still be going over 2 hours later. (insert obvious stutter joke here then feel guilty).
26 - Frank Skinner - Horribly underrated imho, and certainly not just a football gagsmith, and possibly the filthiest stand up on the whole list, and that's including Chubby Brown and the like.
25 - Steve Coogan - Yes, you may have seen Saxondale, but that doesn't disqualify him from the list, as his Alan Partridge work alone earns him a good placing here.
24 - Eddie Murphy - Yea so he's behaved poorly over the Mel B (or C, how should I know), and that's relevant to his comedic abilities how? My problem is that he's dont nothing of real merit since his Beverly Hills Cop days. Back when he was doing stand up he was great tho I think.
23 - Lee Evans - If you've ever seen a live show of his, you'll know the nervous thing he does is no act, unless he can sweat pints on demand, heh. His style isn't for everyone sure, but he earns his place, nevertheless.
22 - Jo Brand - It's a little disappointing that she used to spend so long on fat and periods, but then it did get her noticed, and I do think perhaps she's not as well suited to shows like QI as she is in her natural habitat of the stand up show.
21 - Ben Elton - I find it a shame that so many comics hate Ben Elton, and I can't help but feel some of it is down to his huge success, as he certainly has a few quid in the bank from his 10 or so best selling novels, and his royalties from Blackadder and the like. It's very easy to say he did Thatcher jokes and knob gags, but he can take a lot of the credit for changing the direction comedy was going back in the 80s.
20 - Jasper Carrott - Anyone of my age grew up with him on TV, and I imagine I'm in the majority of remembering him as a funny guy. Perhaps a bad move on his agent's part getting him the 'Goldenballs' gig (a competitor to 'Deal or No Deal'). It's pretty obvious someone thought, Hey, Channel 4 dug someone popular up from the 80s and gave em a game show with no skill or knowledge involved and its a winner! Lets do the same! Oh hang on, lets make it obscenely complicated and about an hour too long, too.
19 - Les Dawson - Another master of wordplay, and a legend of his time.
18 - Alexei Sayle - Along with Ben Elton, perhaps changed the path of comedy for all time with his act on stage, and his taking over the job of compere at the Comedy Store. Only someone with his on stage persona could have dealt with the hundreds of drunken clubgoers showing up each week wanting to be entertained, and especially considering this was the start of alternative comedy, so he was introducing a lot of godawful acts!
17 - Dylan Moran - All I can say is if you haven't seen 'Monster' his live show, or 'Black Books' the TV series, see them! He's made the character of drunken irish curmudgeon his very own. 'Children in Need? when was the last time you saw a child NOT in need..children in need of a jeep, children in need of more cake...' An interviewer stated that he was one of those select comedians, like Ross Noble and Eddie Izzard that you can't retell his act down the pub and be funny, but this doesn't distract from his genuinely excellent act.
16 - Al Murray - One of the few 'character comedians' on the list, along with Steve Coogan and a few others. There's a rather unfair comment on character comedians, that they're like ventriloquists, using their characters to say things a normal person couldn't get away with, but then, how is that such a bad thing? Also, it takes a certain kind of mind to stay in character and improvise at the same time.
15 - Jerry Sadowitz - now, people like Jimmy Carr and some others have been billed as 'saying the unsayable' when it comes to dodgy, borderline jokes. The difference is, where Jimmy Carr will go 'oooh' and back off when he hits his audiences comfort zone, only probing it, Jerry Sadowitz doesn't even register there is one. Of course, sometimes it could be hard to tell when Jerry Sadowitz is being funny and when he's just being outright offensive, but its no wonder he's not well known when even on his website he pretty much tells anyone who wants to book him to 'F*** off and leave me alone you bunch of C***s'.
I'll post the least offensive quote I can find of his, as I know a few people read this at work and the like.
"I know what it's like for victims of the tsunami as I drank a glass of water really quick once". The strange thing is, I've seen one of his live shows, and he's excellent with an audience, just dont heckle him!
As someone did at the Montreal Comedy Festival one year, where he possibly had the shortest gig ever, opening with the line 'Good evening moose f***ers' and then 'I tell you why I hate Canada, half of you speak French, and the other half let them' to which an outraged audience member got on stage and punched him. damn, that was a long one, but then no-one has heard of him, so no harm done.
14 - Woody Allen - Not really a fan, but haven't heard/seen much of his work, except for some old stand up stuff that didn't grab me.
13 - Jack Dee - The turning point for Jack Dee was when he'd had a long string of godawful nights at comedy clubs, with lousy audiences, and decided flat out he wasn't going to bother trying to 'connect' with his audience any more, and was going to just go out there and talk about stuff. It seems a star was born, only in the UK though, as we're a nation of moany bastards who thoroughly enjoy it.
12 - Jimmy Carr - I think the masterstroke Jimmy Carr performed was finding the perfect time to be the act that he is, along with having a fine delivery and style, along with the material to back it up, his only danger was for a while being on Channel 4 all day every day it seemed. Never good to overexpose yourself to the point of being irritating.
11 - Ricky Gervais - Again, one of those character comedians, except that the character is called Ricky Gervais. I've thoroughly enjoyed 'the Office' and his stand up shows, but I think maybe his showing at the Princess Diana gig showed him to be not the world's greatest improviser. There again, if you can craft excellent stand up and entertain for an hour, you don't need improv skills.
10 - Ross Noble - Has a similar weird genius to that of Eddie Izzard, in his ability to ask why someone is walking into the show late, to talking about monkeys in trilbys, why foil is shiny, and then 40 minutes later remember he was talking to the couple at the front about their late entry. He either makes improvisation look effortless, or he makes his act looks effortlessly improvisational. He seems to be able able to riff on any topic and talk nonsense for ages with no apparent effort.
09 - Chris Rock - In my opinion, he could be nearly the Bill Hicks of our generation, making politics, war, racism, and other huge, serious topics funny, while at the same time making you think.
08 - Victoria Wood - Not a fan personally, but I can respect her act and her talent.
07 - Bill Bailey - Perhaps single handedly stopped the phrase 'musical comedy' emptying a theatre, by making the humour about the music, instead of just hanging a few puns on a tune. also wonderfully surreal, like Ross Noble or Eddie Izzard.
06 - Bill Hicks - only number 6? robbed! Also was interesting to see his filming from the Waco incident. I also never knew that there was an 'Early Day' motion passed in Parliament in the UK on the 10th anniversary of his death, while it passed pretty much unnoticed in America. As I stated in my IT crowd review, its a shame the US audiences don't seem to either appreciate, or maybe its just they don't get offered, intelligent comedy.
When once asked 'Why are you not proud of being an American? If you hate America so much, why don't you leave?', he stated simply ' Well, as for being proud of being American, my parents F***ed there, I didnt have much to do with it, and I'd leave American if I wasn't scared I'd become a statistic of their foreign policy.' Amazing also how listening to his stuff from the 80s is so relevant now. His anger about pointless wars, Bush's incompetance, and godawful music in the charts, etc, all still hit home like he said it all yesterday.
05 - Harry Hill - A loss to the profession of doctors, when he quit to seemingly just arse about on stage enjoying himself. The thing about Harry Hill is he makes it seem like he's just messing about, but if you listen to the way his act is interwoven and rolls back on itself, it's really well crafted, without coming across like a smartarse, who wouldn't like Harry Hill though? Hell I don't even hate him for doing 'You've Been Framed'
04 - Richard Pryor - His bravery hit me, to be doing material about his life, his mother being a prostitute and his drug addictions etc. Also just being black and on stage talking about it was quite a wild thing back in his time. On top of that, a damn funny guy!
03 - Eddie Izzard - What can you say about this guy that people don't already know? One of the first stand ups to dare to make humour about subjects like history, philosophy, language, and other 'big' subjects, and actually make them funny.
02 - Peter Kay - I like him, hell, he's a likable guy, but I do feel he's overrated, but I lay the blame on the media for lumping far too much praise on him too early. He's good, but damn, who could be THAT good?
01 - Billy Connolly - Again! It's always Billy bloody Connolly! Again, I actually like him, and his material, but number 1 seems a bit much. Note I filled this in before Peter Kay's section had even finished, as I knew it was going to be him. (update - and it was, with these things, if you haven't seen Billy Connolly by number 10, he's number 1.)
A few honourable mentions from the 51-100 bracket...
Emo Phillips - Still going strong, his showing on '8 out of 10 cats' really proved to me he's still 'got it' even if he's lost the wild hair. ' I used to have a big gay following...but I ducked down an alley and lost him' ' The Scots are the toughest people in the world, a headband is considered a silencer'
'I used to be scared of pretty girls, until one confessed they're just as scared of me.'
Steve Martin - Seems to have suffered the same cinematic fate as Robin Williams, but I have an ancient VHS of a live show of his, and damn he was good on stage, a really manic individual, who, like Eddie Izzard, seemed to be just throwing the whole act together, but deep down you feel every moment has been crafted carefully.
Dave Gorman - To me, more famous for his themed shows than general stand up, such as his 'Are You Dave Gorman?' that grew from a stupid bet into a monster, where he spent thousands of pounds and months of his life hunting down other Dave Gormans(Gormen? he wondered for a moment). He's a great entertainer, and works well with his old flatmate Danny Wallace, who again deserves to be more than just a wit to Anne Robinson's 'straight man' on those big british quizzes.
Mitch Hedberg - a meandering mental wanderer, like Steven Wright, seemed to always be on something mind altering, which would explain a lot of the material he came out with. 'I saw this wino, he was eating grapes. I was like, "Dude, you have to wait."
'I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a girl who would get really mad if she heard me say that.'
Tim Vine - currently filming a second series of the excellent sitcom 'Not going out' with Lee Mack, Tim holds the world record for most jokes told in one hour, at 499, beating the previous record of 362. That would be impressive enough, but he's geniunely witty with it, a master of wordplay and puns, and a rare family friendly act, with no swearing or adult content. A few of his lines, some are groaners, but that's part of the fun of his act!
'When I was at school people used to throw gold bars at me. I was the victim of bullion.'
'The other day someone left a piece of plasticine in my dressing room. I didn't know what to make of it.'
Someone on another blog made the very valid point that it's a shame this could not have been voted for by comedians, then perhaps there'd be some new names, new faces, new material in the line up, in my opinion the only reason someone like Jim Davidson would make a top 100, is because there's millions of idiots who really think he's the height of comedy, whereas they couldn't find a comedian who had any praise for him.
On a related note, I was sad to read of the death by suicide of Richard Jeni, a fine US comedian. I think it is true in many cases that good comedians come from an unhappy background.
posted by SenseofTumour at 9:55 AM
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