Greatest American Comedians

TheBig3 · 04-14-2010, 11:07 AM

I Have to agree the comdey that straddles just giving your opinion sucks. I used to love janeane garofalo before she did that crap. I don't think Hicks or Carlin are that funny either.

I think some of the best ones out there today are:

Bill Burr
Daniel Tosh
Eugene Mirman

Chapelle was amazing

Also, I don't know how good he is as a comic, but I laugh every GD time I hear this one...

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-14-2010, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Engine

That's too bad. I would have loved to see him - and apparently he was at his peak in Europe where audiences loved him. In the US he mostly played to a redneck audience that half hated him.

That is sad but I'm glad that you at least find Hicks' material worthwhile.

Maybe it's pedantic, but I think this bit is hilarious and timeless..

I've always found Hicks much funnier than Carlin. Hick's opinions were easier to reject, me thinks. He always seemed like he was half kidding or self-deprecated his own beliefs.

boo boo · 04-14-2010, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

This guy is widely appreciated for his comic routines?

Granted, this is the only bit of stand-up I've seen about this guy. I love inappropriate humour, but this comes across more as an idiot who's angry with the world, flaunting his ignorance. False facts, irrelevant arguments .. It's painful to watch.

That clip may not be terribly funny but I agree with a lot of what he says there, you don't have to agree with him and I do think people overrate him but he's by means an idiot and at his best he was one of the most provocative comedians out there.

He is an "angry" comic, that's part of his appeal. In his latter years he started doing more rants than jokes but I still find his rants funny, I don't always agree with him, but I like that he isn't totally partial to any one political side, it makes his opinions a lot more interesting than the usual ranting political commedian.

I also like his choice of words, the guy can be a really crafty wordsmith, especially with the weird poems he would sometimes open his shows with. I'd recommend you check out more of his material. His earlier stuff is less angry and less serious.

TheBig3 · 04-14-2010, 06:57 PM

Are we actually asking about good American comics or is everyone going to talk about the same hipster pre-approved hacks?

I don't want to be an overt douche, but I also don't want to waste my time checking in on this thing if it is.

**Janszoon** · 04-14-2010, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

This guy is widely appreciated for his comic routines?

Granted, this is the only bit of stand-up I've seen about this guy. I love inappropriate humour, but this comes across more as an idiot who's angry with the world, flaunting his ignorance. False facts, irrelevant arguments .. It's painful to watch.

I agree it's not his best material, but it doesn't strike me as "flaunting his ignorance" either.

boo boo · 04-14-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog

Are we actually asking about good American comics or is everyone going to talk about the same hipster pre-approved hacks?

Oh not you too.

It can be argued that Hicks and Carlin are overrated but they're not hacks, and they must certainly influenced someone you're a fan of unless you hate all variations of angry cynical rant comedy.

Which is my favorite kind of comedy for the most part.

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-14-2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBig3KilledMyRainDog

Are we actually asking about good American comics or is everyone going to talk about the same hipster pre-approved hacks?

I don't want to be an overt douche, but I also don't want to waste my time checking in on this thing if it is.

Maybe Bill Hicks is the Greatest American Comedian? I think he's one of the best certainly, and that is the namesake of the thread.
But I guess yeah... we don't have to keep talking about them.

Let's talk Demetri Martin. Like him? Don't like him?

I myself find him hillarious. His Comedy Central show kind of blows, but his stand-up material is always funny.

Guybrush · 04-15-2010, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

I agree it's not his best material, but it doesn't strike me as "flaunting his ignorance" either.

I dunno .. at the start of it, he seems to think it's a good point that 90% of the world's species are gone. Of course they are, you don't see many trilobites crawling around on our beaches today. Still, I've never met anyone who would use that as an argument why we shouldn't worry about extinctions caused by humans in a modern world we ourselves depend on.

It seems ignorant to me because he's criticizing people being worried in a way that makes it seem like he doesn't at all understand what's worrying in the first place. He calls trying to save species arrogant meddling which of course seems so hypocritical seeing as his act is pretty arrogant.

Right after that, he says 25 species disappear each day and would even if we were not on the planet. Way to pull stuff out of your ass, old man!

If I was in the audience, I would've facepalmed so much. It's just not what I want from comedy.

**Janszoon** · 04-15-2010, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore

I dunno .. at the start of it, he seems to think it's a good point that 90% of the world's species are gone. Of course they are, you don't see many trilobites crawling around on our beaches today. Still, I've never met anyone who would use that as an argument why we shouldn't worry about extinctions caused by humans in a modern world we ourselves depend on.

It seems ignorant to me because he's criticizing people being worried in a way that makes it seem like he doesn't at all understand what's worrying in the first place. He calls trying to save species arrogant meddling which of course seems so hypocritical seeing as his act is pretty arrogant.

Right after that, he says 25 species disappear each day and would even if we were not on the planet. Way to pull stuff out of your ass, old man!

If I was in the audience, I would've facepalmed so much. It's just not what I want from comedy.

Here's the key word though. This is not a lecture on ecology by a noted scientist, it's a stand up comedy bit. Carlin's schtick was being a wiseass who is kind of anti-everything. He's certainly not who I would turn to for scientific data. And as I said before that clip is not one of the better things I've seen from him.

Guybrush · 04-15-2010, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janszoon

Here's the key word though. This is not a lecture on ecology by a noted scientist, it's a stand up comedy bit. Carlin's schtick was being a wiseass who is kind of anti-everything. He's certainly not who I would turn to for scientific data. And as I said before that clip is not one of the better things I've seen from him.

I know, I was trying to explain part why I think he seems ignorant. It looks to me like he's basing much of that routine on his own opinions which seem uneducated. The clip fails as stand-up comedy for me because despite all else, I don't think his jokes are funny. I'm open to the idea he might have funnier moments that may appeal, though.

04-14-2010, 11:07 AM	#31 (permalink)
TheBig3 killedmyraindog Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 11,172	I Have to agree the comdey that straddles just giving your opinion sucks. I used to love janeane garofalo before she did that crap. I don't think Hicks or Carlin are that funny either. I think some of the best ones out there today are: Bill Burr Daniel Tosh Eugene Mirman Chapelle was amazing Also, I don't know how good he is as a comic, but I laugh every GD time I hear this one... __________________ I've moved to a new address

04-14-2010, 06:57 PM	#34 (permalink)
TheBig3 killedmyraindog Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 11,172	Are we actually asking about good American comics or is everyone going to talk about the same hipster pre-approved hacks? I don't want to be an overt douche, but I also don't want to waste my time checking in on this thing if it is. __________________ I've moved to a new address