Fast notes on my history absorbing standup
Louis -- he's the first and most standup I've seen. It was high school, I was thrilled, and I watched only him for years, every clip, until the summer after my junior year of college when I studied Rolling Stone's 25 best specials. Before that, Louis' Bill Gates bit stunned me like none other, but I liked other classics. I still like Louis, his history and his present, and I still think he's great, but as my recent post demonstrates, he's on a plateau. I've seen all of his specials plus a bunch of extra stuff.
Dave Chappelle -- in the aforementioned Rolling Stone query, I was really impressed by bits of Killin Them Softly. Previously, somehow I had this idea that Dave Chappelle was obnoxious. I had the same idea of Kevin Hart, until the twice-aforementioned query. Anyway Killin Them Softly really impressed me, and still does. I still call it possibly my favorite standup special. I like all of Dave's standup, though he's also on a long(-winded) plateau, comprising discourse that's not actually that funny, hence (-winded). But I have some inherent respect for him. It may even be irrational. It may even be contra-rational. He has some leaderly quality to me. This may be deep and racial, but I also just think he's a good speaker. He has some profound charisma which enabled his almost immediate teenage success and sustains his controversial reign. I've seen all of his specials.
Kevin Hart -- I wrote this dude off instantly in high school, but revisited during the Rolling Stone query, and have since liked and respected him, and I even love some of his material. I think his first few specials are awesome, and noticeably better than everything after Let Me Explain. I think there are like 3 in the latter category? Those all seemed oddly unfunny, like he forgot how to cash in on his setups. Or like he literally forgot to write the ends of those jokes, the punchlines. Anyway everything up to and including Let Me Explain seemed great to me. I've seen all of his specials.
somehow ordering those 3 that way made sense to me (the first two are solid up there for sure), but the rest will be a bit random
Richard Pryor -- I've seen two specials, 1979 and Sunset Strip. I like the former quite a bit, which seems well above the latter. I don't think there's much in the universe of pre-1980 comedy that I really like (unless we're including Shakespeare and the Bible and such), but I genuinely liked Pryor's 1979 special. The humor there transcends all the other stuff that aged poorly... including what I believe was Rolling Stone's #2 to Pryor's #1, Carlin's USC special. Everything around that time feels dated. But I still like Pryor's 1979.
Chris Rock -- I've seen Bring the Pain and a couple other partials. I respect his skill, even when I don't totally respect what he says or how he says it. It's not entirely my taste. Maybe it's a little too aggressive in style. Maybe I'm being really shallow here. But I do like and respect it.
Anthony Jeselnik -- despite his consummate douchebaggery, I am in the back of my mind waiting for his next special. It's just really exciting to me. I found out about him from a friend using him as a thesis for our shared dislike of shock for the sake of shock. Yet upon watching him, I'm shocked and I love it. It's not just the shock though... I really do think he's creative and intelligent. It's not like the Aristocrats joke, or Bill Burr roasting Philadelphia. It's very crafty. I've seen basically all of his standup material that's available.
Neal Brennan -- I've seen 3 Mics and Blocks, and I was thrilled both times. I don't think he's the greatest comic out there, and maybe he won't be a star, but there's something underdog legend about him, and his comedy still seems great, not to mention its genre-bending. I was floored both times by his honesty and revelation.
Nikki Glaser -- I was impressed by her on the roasts, and now I've seen most of her specials out there. I think she's really really good, though her persona and content only go so far for me. It just seems like incessant sex jokes. But ignoring the redundant content, the jokes themselves seem awesome.
Taylor Tomlinson -- I've seen a couple partial specials and a few bits here and there. It's growing on me, especially as she reveals some honest psychological stuff, though I doubt she'll be just my type.
George Carlin -- I've seen a couple specials and a bunch of bits (rants). I like and respect him, though if I remember right it's rarely very funny to me. But I'll watch him in his old age rant in the same way I'll watch Dave Chappelle. There's some comedian charisma behind the angry intellect.
Ali Wong -- I've seen one special and a couple of bits. I think she's good, though I'm not the target audience. It really seems to be woman-oriented, or some subset.
Mitch Hedberg -- I really like Mitch Hedberg. I wish he had more content. He died young, and even then repeated lots of jokes on various shows. We'll never get more Hedberg content, barring posthumous tomes. I really like him as a persona and as a comedic style. It's so unassuming. From what I can tell I've seen basically every joke he has on YouTube.
Nate Bargatze -- I like this dude, although it doesn't achieve much besides a warm, friendly chuckle. I will freely chuckle. But he's not really pushing me or shredding me or anything. I've seen a couple specials and some bits.
Robin Williams -- this is a really tough issue for me. I really want to love and admire him, and I suppose I do as some sort of martyr? But here's the thing: I rarely think he's funny. I've seen the Met special, bits of others, talk show appearances... I rarely think it's very funny. I guess it didn't age super well, but it also just seems insane, maybe a little obnoxious, but also desperately admirable? I'd feel confident in my take if I didn't hear others saying he's so genuinely funny, in the 21st century...
Ellen -- I grew up watching her show, which got less funny to me over time (I aged, and so did she?). To my surprise, years later, I actually really enjoyed her one special... I don't remember the name. I feel like it was around 2008. Then a later special I thought was decent. That's all I've seen of her standup proper. I did see her as the first woman telling jokes on Johnny Carson... right? I feel like that was good.
Bill Burr -- I hear a lot of praise for him. He seems strong, in his own way, but I feel like it's (pretentious alert) below me. I haven't seen enough. Maybe it's just his style, maybe even accent, but it seems so crass as to be obnoxious. Contrast that with current Dave's slow, thoughtful growl. Burr is like an angry teenager. But again, all I've seen are bits here and there.
Amy Schumer -- I have liked this, though it doesn't seem super groundbreaking anymore. Just decent jokes. I've seen a couple partial specials and some other bits. The first I saw of her was on SNL some years ago, which I thought was really good, at least at the time. I've seen lots of good comedy by women since then, so it may not be so novel to me now.
Eddie Murphy -- I liked the one in the red suit, but not the followup one quite so much. And even the red suit one was ambivalent -- some really brilliant stuff, some childish stuff. I think he was sort of a child at the time anyway. Like 21? Really prodigious though.
Bo Burnham -- I remember not loving this guy until I tried half of Inside. Then I liked him. Then I watched all of Inside, and then I really liked him. I mean, he's always kind of immature and annoying in a fundamental/intentional sort of way, but I'm really into him as a deeper artist. His musicianship is impressive; he redefines comedy sometimes; he's says some profound and intelligent things; he has some artistic subtlety (sometimes). And when he isn't subtle, he admits it. I can't back everything he does as a sometimes petty comedian, but secretly I really do support him. I've now seen a few specials and some youtube content.
John Mulaney -- this guy seems alright, but I haven't liked him as much as others seem to. I've seen parts of a few specials.
Jimmy Carr -- I think he has some really good jokes (I like the fast one-liners), although I put him under Anthony Jeselnik. I guess I like comics when I can relate to their personalities... Dave and Anthony and Louis are all relatively calm thoughtful guys. I like their "cool" factor. Jimmy Carr isn't cool. But he has some good jokes. I've seen parts of a few specials, and some random work.
Tom Segura -- I've seen parts of a few specials. I feel like I've given him a good try. He seems good, maybe really good, but to me, ultimately inferior to Louis CK. Why am I comparing them like that? I don't know, chubby white guy, kind of intellectual and kind of juvenile, good observation of mundane situation... Anyway Tom Segura seems good but not novel to me.
Rodney Dangerfield -- I'm an ironic big fan of his tv appearances. It's so wholesome to me, and clever, and impressive, and actually funny. He's talented and wholesome... so why not? I've seen lots of his tv appearances, that's it.
Jerry Seinfeld -- I've seen bits of his specials, and some Seinfeld-embedded standup. Nothing wrong with it. It's classic. But maybe so influential that it's just self-evident now? The problem with influence is you sort of date yourself by baking yourself into the future, so you become obvious, uninteresting.
Maybe I'll resume this later. I probably have some more to list.
