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Eddie Murphy. Richard Pryor. Bill Cosby

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (101)

Richard-Pryor_0.jpg

Let’s think about this: Are there any stand-up comedians better than the three best stand-up comedians? There’s Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby, then there’s everyone else. Bill Hicks, old Dennis Miller, Billy Connelly, Patton Oswalt, Chris Rock — all fantastic, but no one can really compete with the three greatest (at least in their stand-up primes). Call it bad parenting if you want, but I grew up on the stand-up specials from Murphy and Pryor, and listened to Cosby’s on a record player. A record player, people!

Where’s my point? Oh yes: There’s going to be a documentary tonight on Showtime called Why We Laugh, which will explore the influence of black comedy, which will track the evolution of black comedy from Steppin Fetchit to Dave Chapelle, with stops on “Good Times,” Def Comedy Jam, and The Original Kings of Comedy along the way. If you’ve got Showtime, check it out. I have no idea how good it is, but if there are clips from Murphy, Cosby, and Pryor’s routines anywhere in the film, it’ll probably be worth your while. Here’s a trailer:









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Comments

Louis C.K.

Posted by: MonkeyDrummer at February 4, 2010 5:26 PM

Eddie Murphy was not all that as a stand-up. Sorry.

Richard Pryor is the funniest stand-up I can think of. Robin Williams in his prime was a contender. Shut up, I said "in his prime."

Posted by: Jerce at February 4, 2010 5:28 PM

George Carlin. BOOM!

Posted by: MM at February 4, 2010 5:29 PM

Good call on Carlin, for sure.

Ellen DeGeneres, too.

Posted by: Gabs at February 4, 2010 5:31 PM

I'd put Dave Chapelle up there. Guy is funny, clever, funny as shit, insightful, funny and damn funny to boot.

Posted by: Stella at February 4, 2010 5:31 PM

Yes, Micky Dolenz is right: Louis C.K. is probably the funniest comedian working today.

Posted by: Yossarian at February 4, 2010 5:32 PM

Carlin. Infinitely funnier than Eddie Murphy.

Posted by: Pandemic at February 4, 2010 5:37 PM

Pierre Desproges...

Posted by: Candie at February 4, 2010 5:37 PM

I'd agree on Carlin in with those three, but Pryor was the king.

"I remember this one...strike a match like this...'What's that? Richard Pryor running down the street.'"

Posted by: branded at February 4, 2010 5:39 PM

I'd have to agree that of those three Richard Pryor is the only one I'd call best in stand-up.

I think that Dave Chappelle is better than both Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy. So is Mitch Hedberg. So is Louis CK. So is Steven Wright. So is George Carlin. I think Ellen and even Rita Rudner are both better than Cosby but maybe tied with Eddie Murphy.

Posted by: becks at February 4, 2010 5:39 PM

That is probably the only time anyone has ever said Mickey Dolenz is right. And I was there! I saw it happen!

Posted by: Melodie at February 4, 2010 5:40 PM

Sam Kinison. Ohhh,Ohhhhhhh! Clever, poignant at times, hard hitting and in your grill.

Posted by: logar at February 4, 2010 5:40 PM

I don't know if I would rank Chris Rock that high, although he has had his very high points.

If we are going by stand-up work I'd propose Dave Attel and Brian Regan. They have been at it for years and they are still sharp as hell. Ditto on Chappelle too.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at February 4, 2010 5:42 PM

gotta second Louis C.K.

When Patton Oswald was asked in a recent interview about the best comedians working today, he replied, "Well, there are about 5 or 6 guys who are really good, but then Louis C.K. is just operating on a completely different level."

Posted by: dg at February 4, 2010 5:43 PM

It's hard for me to decide on the funniest comedian, but I know who the least funny is. Dane Cook. He's the anti-funny.

Posted by: stardust at February 4, 2010 5:43 PM

Louis C.K., fo sho. And I love Chappelle, too.

Posted by: Jelinas at February 4, 2010 5:44 PM

Henry Rollins doesn't identify himself as a stand-up comedian, but the dude is pretty hysterical onstage. If he wanted to do so, he could be just as great as these three.

Posted by: agent bedhead at February 4, 2010 5:45 PM

Add Robert Schimmel to my guys.

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at February 4, 2010 5:47 PM

I second Carlin & Hicks and have absolute respect for Pryor, although I didn't connect with his comedy as much as others- different cultural touchstones maybe.

Saw some of Ellen Degeneres' early work on Comedy the other night and was amazed. The material itself was middling, but her delivery was blindingly good. If that sounds like faint praise, I would say the same for Billy Connolly who I love, no matter how many insurance commercials he makes. A lot of what they do just wouldn't work as well coming from anyone elses mouth.

Posted by: Squirrelgripper at February 4, 2010 5:48 PM

Eddie Izzard has his moments:

Death Star Canteen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw

Posted by: Rezcat at February 4, 2010 5:49 PM

Louis C.K. is the best stand-up today, and I'll put him ahead of Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby any time. Carlin is better than them too.

And I agree wholeheartedly about Dane Cook, stardust. Dude's about as funny as a fire in a hospital. A very non-funny hospital. Unless that hospital was filled with no one except Dane Cook clones. That would be funny.

Posted by: Gozer at February 4, 2010 5:53 PM

Dane Cook?



I kid people. I kid

Teehee, just thought I'd get some panties in a bunch!

Posted by: ashes at February 4, 2010 5:53 PM

Hee! I have to say, seeing Dane Cook get killed at the end of Mr. Brooks was more fun than it should have been. Oh, um, spoiler.

Posted by: MM at February 4, 2010 5:56 PM

I grew up watching Cosby and Pryor and Carlin (dear God I am old) and I'll say Steve Martin, for a brief period in the 70's, was certainly inventive. He played a mean banjo :-)

Posted by: lil_a at February 4, 2010 6:00 PM

I guess George Lopez isn't black enough for you, huh? Screw you, guys.

Posted by: Bizarro Sofía at February 4, 2010 6:02 PM

Eddie Izzard and Gilbert Gottfried, the man has NO fear.

Posted by: Adam C at February 4, 2010 6:12 PM

Carlin and Pryor are just amazing. Cosby is very funny, but a completely different kind of funny; where Carlin and Pryor are subversive, Cosby's humor is so good-natured, in general. It's hard to compare him to the others.

Posted by: Phaeolus at February 4, 2010 6:18 PM

Billy Connolly and Eddie Izzard FTW! They're the only stand-up comedians I've cared to own on DVD and will watch over and over.

I guess I just prefer British comedy.

Posted by: Whiny Dancer at February 4, 2010 6:19 PM

There was an old Cosby bit on one of those records where he talked about playing football against Hofstra that is as funny as any f-bombing comedian's routine you could name.

But I have to give it to Carlin, just for his love of language. And the fact that he never went soft OR burned out.

Posted by: sansho1 at February 4, 2010 6:22 PM

Carlin is the most glaring omission for me, too, not to mention the only celebrity death that was personally depressing for me. Moreso than anyone else I've met or studied in my life, Carlin first articulated to me what would end up being a major part of my personal ethos. It's startling how much I can trace back to his routines, and he said it all so much more effectively than I could.

Amongst the living, my money's on David Cross.

Props to Louis C.K., Oswalt and Schimmel as well.

Posted by: Benny at February 4, 2010 6:22 PM

Doug Stanhope. Anyone, anyone? I feel he's taking up the huge 'social commentary (but a sick fuck enough to hit your sweet spot)' comedian sized hole that Carlin left behind.

Posted by: jim at February 4, 2010 6:31 PM

All great, though I would place George Carlin ahead of Eddie Murphy at any stage of either of their lives.

Posted by: ChristianH at February 4, 2010 6:33 PM

Also, I love all the attention given in these comments to Louis C.K., but Oswalt, Galifianakis, and Demitri Marten are all as funny if not funnier.

Posted by: ChristianH at February 4, 2010 6:35 PM

Jamie Kilstein, Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey for starters. Did I just blow your mind?

Ricky Gervais is also a fantastic standup comic, though I'm not a fan of his television/movie work (I can't cope with the awkward).

Posted by: Chugga at February 4, 2010 6:41 PM

Damn, I guess it's kind of telling that, when people begin to discuss who is a funny comedian, the answers come back mostly male. It's hard for the women to be as raunchy and foul mouthed as Richard Pryor was without half the audience being grossed out or getting uncomfortable. Audiences tend to get all frowny faced when the dicussion turns to things going in and out of a woman's cooch. I don't want to hear about tampons or heavy flows or vibrators! Pussy juices? Ewww!! That's not comedy! That's just nasty! Seriously, what's a bitch gotta do to gets some recognition up in here? No Mo'nique, Margret Cho, Sarah Silverman, Joan Rivers, Lisa Lampanelli, Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Bernhard, Rosie O'Donnell, Phyllis Diller, Kathy Griffin or Janeane Garofalo? Psht! Whatever, I'm outta here!

Posted by: Peanut_Butter_And_James at February 4, 2010 6:45 PM


I'm a huge fan of Oswalt and Izzard.

However, I think Carlin at his best edges out Pryor at his best, and those are my one two, and I seem to have lots of company.

But, no love for Lenny Bruce?

Posted by: Kosmic Koyote at February 4, 2010 6:46 PM

LENO -- LENO -- LENO -- LENO

LENO -- LENO -- LENO -- LENO

LENO -- LENO -- LENO -- LENO

LENO -- LENO -- LENO -- LENO

Posted by: Kosmic Koyote at February 4, 2010 6:47 PM

Forgetting Carlin on this list is like forgetting Babe Ruth when listing baseball greats. Those three are amazing, but Carlin is legendary.
As for living comedians, I'd throw up the following:
Louis CK (obviously)
Zach (Zack?) Galifianakis
Eugene Mirman
Seth Galifianakis (his twin brother who sometimes mysteriously turns into his brother)
Jerry Seinfeld (in his prime - you can't argue he wasn't influential, even if you hate him)
Robin Williams (in his prime)
Patton Oswalt
David Cross

Posted by: chayes at February 4, 2010 6:48 PM

Seriously, Eugene Mirman. The guy's a genius.

Posted by: chayes at February 4, 2010 6:49 PM

No idea who this Louis CK person is. Seriously. Sorry ... :-)
Of those three, I'd say Cosby.
Makes me piddle my shorts? John Pinnette for honorable mention.

Posted by: Ms MoMo at February 4, 2010 6:57 PM

Mitch Hedberg. Enough said.

And shame on all of you for forgetting.

Posted by: Craig at February 4, 2010 7:12 PM

I'm surprised no has mentioned Bob Newhart. He was really the godfather of the quiet, weird, observational humor that's popular around here. And Redd Foxx deserves a nod as well.

But really, it's a battle for second place after Pryor.

Today's comedians have it a lot tougher, I think. One of the things that made Pryor, and to a lesser extent Murphy and Carlin, great was their willingness to challenge what was acceptable. How do you challenge the boundaries of society when anyone with an internet connection is literally one click away from watching videos of Brazilian trannies getting railed by stallions?

Posted by: Tracer Bullet at February 4, 2010 7:24 PM

Lewis Black!

His routine about Fall is one of the most entertaining bits there is. While his daily show appearences aren't that funny anymore, his stand up from back in the day is hysterical. Of course, I haven't listened to it in about 5 years so maybe it didn't age will, in which case, don't judge me...

Posted by: "luker" the barbarian at February 4, 2010 7:29 PM

"I'm surprised no has mentioned Bob Newhart."


Unforgivable, and since we are bringing up guys from the golden era, we need to put Don Rickles all up in this bitch. The man is STILL working, every night.

/recommends, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

Posted by: BarbadoSlim at February 4, 2010 7:33 PM

No love for Daniel Tosh?

Posted by: ThatGuy at February 4, 2010 7:41 PM

Don Rickles! Amen. Gotta love that guy.

Posted by: MM at February 4, 2010 7:47 PM

George Carlin...next question?

Posted by: laredo at February 4, 2010 7:47 PM

dead - Bill Hicks -"Its just a ride"
living - lots, but Ron White sticks out
and the comments seem to be forgetting about ten or so chicks out there that are really head and shoulders (and boobies) above the rest - especially maria bamford, she s been funny and original and unique for years- (and they also, if i m honest, probably tap in that same desire i have for the chick thats a frontman of a kickass band or can play the fiddle)
oh and i was listening to fresh air on prm today and aziz ansari had me laughing out loud alone in my car in the rain
different shit - conchords, zack galafinaeikgus betwixt those ferns but whatever

Posted by: furtherbeyond at February 4, 2010 7:50 PM

George Carlin, this was too easy.

Posted by: sailboat at February 4, 2010 7:51 PM

How about Phyllis Diller? Joan Rivers? Whoopi? Lisa Lampanelli?

Posted by: mswas at February 4, 2010 7:53 PM

Louis. C. K.
Mitch Hedberg (damn you Craig for saying that first)

Daniel Tosh would have been great if he didn't start doing a comedy show. I think he might be going downhill. But his stand up was great!

Posted by: commanderfunky at February 4, 2010 8:06 PM

I said Mitch Hedberg a very long time before Craig. Craig's just a moron who can't read.

(no offense)

Posted by: becks at February 4, 2010 8:15 PM

eddie izzard and louis c.k., ftw.

as far as clean (as in, SFW) comedy, it doesn't get better than cosby. also, it's a testament to his genius that he is as funny as foul-mouthed comedians because at least for me, cursing is hilarious and makes everything funnier.

cosby never had to delve into the dirty dirty.

Posted by: stopthemadness at February 4, 2010 8:21 PM

robin williams live at the met is some of the funniest shit i've ever seen.

the man was high as a kite, sweating bullets, running all over the damn place, and 150% hilarity.

also, i have to give a shout out to one dana carvey stand up routine: she's chopping broccolay! she's chopping broccol-eye! that whole bit about guitar players kills me dead where i stand every time.

off to youtube with me...

Posted by: stopthemadness at February 4, 2010 8:24 PM

Well, y'all are way too informed and, like, standardful. I was gonna mention several hideous omissions ...

- George Carlin (And dammit Benny beat me to the tribute.)
- Lenny Bruce,
- Bob Newhart,

I'll add maybe even Dean Martin (Seriously. Have you seen his work?) And possibly The Smothers Brothers, although even their stand-up felt kind of like sketch comedy.

I'm not sure Eddie Murphy belongs in this company. His was more a brief flare of genius before he got lobotomized, neutered, and bleached. If you count the shooting stars, you gotta include:

- Sam Kinison (before he went coke and whore crazy),

- Robin Williams & Whoopi Goldberg (before they got that first acting gig that rewired their brains into permanent not-funny)

And if you want to see a pro in action, watch RuPaul get schooled when s/he went off-script and bitchy with Milton Berle at the MTV awards in 1993. Girlfriend was totally smoked.

Posted by: BierceAmbrose at February 4, 2010 8:30 PM

*meekly shouting from the back of the room* Robin Williams!

(phew, I'm not the first to have mentioned him.)

Posted by: meaux at February 4, 2010 8:31 PM

Thank you Peanut Butter and James, those are fabulous women! Margaret Cho's impression of one of those Japanese ghost girls from the horror movies is hands down one of the best bits of physical comedy I have ever seen.

And you can't talk about comedians without mentioning Andy Kaufman. I have only seen a few clips but he seemed pretty damn amazing.

Posted by: Jennifer at February 4, 2010 8:52 PM

chappelle has the torch now.

Posted by: dhighman at February 4, 2010 9:13 PM

@ Agent Bedhead - rollins, for me, is more in a category like the LATE GREAT SPALDING GRAY - anecdotal, funny esque, drama, make point in self centered extreme ego jerk tears if gotta but poignant if youre into it - like in olden days, they had novelists, poets, and essayists; these are the essayists, entertainers via monologue; of course i like extreme punk front row shit and i got the scars, oh the beautiful dance that was the 80's pseudo mosh thang

Posted by: furtherbeyond at February 4, 2010 9:29 PM

I know that I am late to this but thanks Slim, Rickles is still looked up to by the late night talkers.

Buddy Hackett and of course Carlin (mentioned several times).

Posted by: richmac at February 4, 2010 9:38 PM

Pryor hands down was the best ever. Murphy lost whatever he had when he got caught on Sunset Blvd that fateful night with that “Changeling.” Don’t get me started on that hypocrite Cosby and all those “Misunderstandings” he had with all those women.

Posted by: Orrin Hatch at February 4, 2010 10:05 PM

Richard Pryor is the comedian that all others aspire to be. No one has ever been funnier than Pryor was. No one will ever come close to that.

Posted by: Sean at February 4, 2010 10:32 PM

I thought of Joan Rivers, but I've seen so little of her stand-up that I didn't feel right putting her on. But I suppose if people are adding in other people who have brief moments of awesome, she's in like Flynn.

Posted by: Phaeolus at February 5, 2010 12:08 AM

Wow. Maybe I'm hallucinating but not a single mention of Steve Martin?

OK, maybe not top three, but at least top 10?

I'll slink away now ...

Posted by: , at February 5, 2010 12:42 AM

I'm a little young for Joan Rivers stand-up, but I do remember one time in the eighties she was on the Johnny Carson show (you know, when it was Johnny's show). I think she was doing stand-up? Maybe she was guest-hosting, I guess...

Anyway, she told a joke about being a bad housekeeper, and said, "The first time I saw blue water in a toilet, I thought a Smurf had peed!" I still think that's funny.

Posted by: MM at February 5, 2010 1:18 AM

Bill Hicks. 'nuf said

Posted by: joe at February 5, 2010 3:41 AM

I loved Steve Martin. And Robin Williams. (Yeah, I said it, wanna make something of it?)
Carlin was genius. Cosby was great because he was funny without working blue, so we got to listen to that RECORD too. (I'm with ya Dustin). Honestly, Pryor never did that much for me, but I am willing to accept that it was due to my lack of exposure to his work. I didn't care for Chapelle until I got schooled on it, so Pryor is probably in the same category. Now I have to watch my mouth because Rick James comes flying out from time to time.
Bob Newhart is fantastic. Rickles is still cutting heads. Dennis Miller in the 90's always cracked me up. Not so much anymore. Joan Rivers used to be great. She is really well respected by other comedians. She has earned her stripes, and how.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at February 5, 2010 4:36 AM

Wandy Sykes, Katt Williams, Louis CK, and Kathy Griffin. I also heard a recent Garafolo standup bit on a podcast - I forgot how frigging funny she is.

As to the three listed, I think they're apples to oranges to grapes. All great, though.

Posted by: samantha t at February 5, 2010 6:43 AM

Brian Regan is pretty damn funny and one of the clean ones. Also omitting Carlin from the list of Top 3 is unacceptable. He should replace Murphy.

Posted by: TylerDFC at February 5, 2010 7:07 AM

Bill Hicks, Ricky Gervais, Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard, Billy Connolly, Dylan Moran, Janeane Garafolo, Jo Brand (in better days), Robin Williams (ditto), Sandra Bernhardt, Joan Rivers. But definitely NOT Dane Cook or Michael McIntyre. Ugh.

I, too, haven't a scooby who this Louis C.K is. I'll look him up.

Posted by: tarn at February 5, 2010 7:46 AM

Richard Pryor is high on anyone's list, but Eddie Murphy only had two great stand-ups and Cosby was too vanilla for me.

My favorites, because I only care about myself:

George Carlin - only had one bad HBO special, the 2nd-to-last one
Louis C.K. - creates an amazing vibe with the audience; brutally honest
Brian Regan - one of a kind
Daniel Tosh - it's early for him but his stand-up is brilliant and Tosh.O is good shit
Robert Schimmel - flawless delivery
Dave Chappelle - needs to get working again to maintain this spot for me
Louis Black - so angry, so beautiful
SPECIAL MENTION: Mitch Hedberg (would've been one of the greats but a bad heart and drugs combined to take him from us)

I haven't seen Tosh, Schimmel or Black in concert yet, but I look forward to it.

Many others were funny for a time (Kinison, Martin, Miller) but they either flamed out too quickly or never had that defining moment for me. I relentlessly quote material from the guys on my list. I memorized dozens of Carlin's rants when I was 12 and would use them to entertain everyone at school. The 7 Words were gold back then. GOLD!!!!!

Posted by: Kballs at February 5, 2010 8:16 AM

Yeah, I have to go for Eddie Izzard as a personal favorite. Steve Martin and Robin Williams were great back in the day. But I'd definitely swap out Murphy for Carlin.

Posted by: Cindy at February 5, 2010 9:06 AM

I'll back up Dustin on Cosby -- the man's LPs were tremendous. In his prime, he was a brilliant comedian. I listened to Wonderfulness so often as a kid I could recite the whole thing, including intonations and pauses, for years. Decades of pudding pops and anodyne sitcoms have dimmed his legacy as a comic, and that's a shame.

Perhaps I am alone in this, but of the Richard Pryor I've heard, I wasn't impressed. He just didn't do much for me. To me, he's an institution I greatly respect and admire, but he's more important than good. (Lenny Bruce is in the same boat.)

Who was the Greatest of All Time? Who was the master of timing, of bizarre imagery, of bust-a-gut hilarity, of observations taken to new levels, of just plain "holy shit, that's fucking amazing?" Easy. Steve Martin. In his prime, he was worlds beyond anything anyone else has ever done. Listen to his first three albums. They're so perfectly constructed, so brilliant at both playing to and subverting expectations, amazing timing... He was the best there ever was, and it's not even close.

The best working today, I gotta second Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt, Dave Attell, Demetri Martin, and Zach Galifinakis. Maria Bamford is also very, very good. (Yes, I loved the "Comedians of Comedy" tour.)

Posted by: Soulless Merchant of Fear at February 5, 2010 9:11 AM

Eddie Izzard, George Carlin, Robert Klein, Steve Martin, Dave Chapelle, Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt, Lewis Black... Eddie Murphy is definitely replaceable.

Posted by: AbbyNormal at February 5, 2010 10:06 AM

Dustin I grew up listening to Bill Cosby records too! My mom still has 'em, and I'm sure some day, I'll inherit them. The bit where he and his friend go to the movies and watch the same scary movie over and over again, and then get totally freaked out on their way home? That's one of my favorites. Another is the one when he's getting his tonsils out. "The first bowl of chocolate ice cream, I'm just gonna smear all over my body."

Posted by: tamatha at February 5, 2010 10:19 AM

Cosby's "Buck-buck" skit from Revenge remains a classic. Anyone every actually try to play it? We organized a game, drunk of course, in college.

... it ended badly.

Posted by: TK at February 5, 2010 10:39 AM

I'm with you all on Louis C.K. and like Bill Burr a lot. I'm still really bummed about Hedberg.

It's hard to classify anyone as the BEST in comedy, because with those gentlemen you mentioned, you have to consider their act over the arc of time. Will Louis CK still be funny in ten years? Who knows?

Two others who have made my sides hurt from laughing are Wanda Sykes and Jim Jeffries. Jeffries is pretty crass but utterly hilarious.

Posted by: rhombus at February 5, 2010 10:39 AM

Everyone's been mentioned to death at this point so I'll just give my thoughts... Louis C.K. is indeed the best stand-up working today. I also think Oswalt, Tosh, Galifiniakis are also excellent.

Of recent vintage: Seinfeld (the show) has made Seinfeld (the comedian) strangely underrated. Ellen and Chapelle are the other two who had recent runs of genius.

I saw Cosby live about 5 years ago... he started slow and I was actually feeling a bit bad for him, struggling to do topical bits about the Middle East and such. Then he moved into material about his family (new stuff I hadn't heard) and absolutely BLEW THE AUDIENCE AWAY. I've never seen anyone reduce an entire auditorium to tears before... still the master.

Posted by: S.K. at February 5, 2010 10:39 AM

Also, while he's by no means one of the classics, it's still worth mentioning because he consistently cracks my shit up:

Jim Gaffigan

Posted by: TK at February 5, 2010 10:46 AM

I'm ashamed to admit that I own The Original Kings of Comedy. That is some piss-poor standup, for the most part.

Groucho Marx, anyone?

A lot of people say Prior over Murphy, but I skew the other way. They're both absolute kings, though. When I was a kid I had some Flip Wilson on a cassette that really cracked me up, but I haven't heard any of the rest of his routine.

Also, he's not REALLY a standup, but Tom Lehrer was great too.

Also people forget his first life but Steve Martin did a mean standup back in the day.

Posted by: Eep at February 5, 2010 11:05 AM

I think there have folks who could be considered better but these mofos laid the groundwork and turned telling jokes in front of a crowd into a goddamn art.

Posted by: ghunda at February 5, 2010 11:17 AM

I was raised on Cosby and understand the Pryor love, but of all the
living comedians SEAN CULLEN is hands down the funniest man on
the planet. Any Canucks out there who have seen his live show?:
Crippling, weeping, mouth gaping, gasping for breath, rocking
in my seat laughter. Mr. Julian and I are just waiting for him to
get his due.

If you want a top 10 or 20, I would say Patton Oswalt has got to be
in there. Steve Martin was hilarious before he sold out and occasionally
makes almost-redemptive appearances. Aziz Ansari is just coming up
and, as unpopular as it may be, Kathy Griffin makes me cry with laughter
at least once in every one of her stand up routines.

On a side note: FUCK CHRIS ROCK! Misogynistic (and in the real way not in the supposed 500 Days of Summer way) and homophobic.
It's like a dream date.

Posted by: Mrs. Julian at February 5, 2010 11:54 AM

Louis CK, Brian Regan, George Carlin, Bill Cosby...there are so many great ones.

To them, I would add Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and (most importantly) Tim Minchin. If you don't know who that last is, check him out. Now.

Posted by: ingres at February 5, 2010 11:58 AM

Mrs. Julian,
Good call on Aziz Ansari. His latest show on Comedy Central was hilarious. He also makes any show/movie he's in significantly better when he's onscreen.

Posted by: Kballs at February 5, 2010 12:17 PM

Uh, Dave Chapelle's stand-up does not even come close to Eddie Murphy or Bill Cosby.

George Carlin is the only stand-up that clearly should've been mentioned.

Louis C.K. is great but the greatest of all time he is not, same goes for Mitch Hedberg.

All the other people you guys mentioned aren't worth mentioning and I'm gonna go out on a limb and bet the people who are saying Eddie Murhpy's stand-up isn't that funny haven't seen Delirious.

Posted by: Littlejon2001 at February 5, 2010 12:42 PM

Murphy doesn't belong on the list, or even close. He was a huge draw for a while, and he was funny, but skillwise I think he's on the C list with Dane Cook. Funny enough, but hacky and played out.

That said, Pryor and Cosby are obviously a part of the conversation for Best Stand Up Ever, though I think you need to put about 20 other people up there as well.

Posted by: Julius_Goat at February 5, 2010 12:45 PM

I do agree that Pryor and Carlin are the best ever, but there's a case to be made about many of the others mentioned in this thread. We saw Don Rickles in Vegas about 10 years ago and he insulted my friend. It was the highlight of our trip (we also saw Carlin).

I love Bob Newhart, Bill Hicks, Sam Kinison, Mitch Hedberg and yes, Eddie Murphy.

Jim Gaffigan is the best. You can't not laugh at his stuff (same with Brian Regan). I am a stand-up junkie, but here are some of my faves I haven't seen listed yet:

- Jake Johannsen
- Jim Norton
- Harland Williams
- Patrice O'Neal

Oh, and Henry Rollins RULES!

Posted by: SugarKane at February 5, 2010 1:01 PM

I can't believe I forgot about Sean Cullen... I'm a bad Canadian. Cullen rocks the sh!t.

Posted by: S.K. at February 5, 2010 1:38 PM

"as unpopular as it may be, Kathy Griffin makes me cry with laughter
at least once in every one of her stand up routines."

She was on my earlier list, but I just don't understand why so many people think she's not funny. Fine, she does the D-List (also has moments of hilarity), but her stories about celebrities are off-the-hook funny. She's got total balls.

Posted by: samantha t at February 5, 2010 2:24 PM

This is a really dumb reason but I find it hard to watch Kathy Griffen for a long time because her voice is very annoying and she's a tad obnoxious. She is kinda funny though.

Posted by: becks at February 5, 2010 2:48 PM

Like Dustin and so many others, I grew up listening to Cosby's albums. I had them transferred to cassette tape, and I would listen to them every single night as I fell asleep. I knew every routine by heart, and my mom even has a cassette somewhere of me reproducing his Chicken Heart routine word for word. I fulfilled a lifelong dream about 5 years ago when I finally got to see him live, and it was everything I hoped for and more. As good as people like Louis C.K. and Patton Oswalt are, none of them can even attempt to reach the levels of genius in classic Cosby routines. It's why so many comics name-drop him as a major influence.

Carlin and Lenny Bruce are both brilliant for pushing the boundaries of what was allowed on stage. While I tend to go all old man and think too many comedians work too blue these days, I'm still glad they had the balls to not accept the status quo.

And as for Kathy Griffin? We get it Kathy, you know lots of famous people. And hey, you're not afraid to make fun of them! Kudos to you, trailblazer!

Posted by: JustBill at February 5, 2010 2:57 PM

Billy Connolly.

Posted by: frank (aka frank_247 aka the lone Scotsman) at February 5, 2010 7:26 PM

I have not read ANY of the comments, but I have one name for you:

BILL HICKS.

That is all.

Posted by: Maryscott O'Connor at February 5, 2010 7:54 PM

Okay, I've read the comments now... glad a few people mentioned Hicks.

Now... AFTER Hicks, here's my list, in alphabetical order:

Black
Bruce
Carlin
Cho
Degeneres
Garofalo
Izzard
Rock
Stanhope

That's my Top Ten, including Hicks, who headlines. Sorry, he beats out Bruce and Carlin, which is kind of sad, because without them he wouldn't have existed, but hey, that's the way it goes. They paved the way so that he might come into the world and kick fucking ASS.

And Denis Leary, you fucking WISH you were Bill Hicks, and anyone who knew Hicks knows you for the fucking plagiaristic fraud that you are, you piece of shit thief. Stick to acting, you're actually not half bad at it. But one day you really ought to make a full fucking public confession and just fucking ADMIT you STOLE BILL HICKS'S ENTIRE GODDAMNED ACT.

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Posted by: Patty at February 6, 2010 11:28 AM

I'm glad someone mentioned Steve Martin. The man was pure genius.

Yes Richard Pryor was great, but he basically spoke about his own life, and drew all his comedy from just basic observations, ditto with Cosby and Murphy. Carlin was just a ranter.

Steve Martin on the other hand was in a league of his own. The man would be able to think up and say things that's just astounding and mind-fuckingly hilarious. "I was born a poor black child", "It's like those French have a different word for everything". People only seem to remember him as a movie guy, but his stand-up was simply the best ever.

Posted by: Madmonk at February 6, 2010 11:45 AM

I don't know, I'm well aware of George Carlin's stature in the world of comedy, and of his ground-breaking work, but I've never really found him all that funny. Kind of corny, truth be told, and in the end he just seemed like a smug baby-boomer espousing the politics he grew up with. In short, he seemed old-fashioned, and I guess I'm saying I don't think that his material aged very well, while a lot of the other comics that have been listed, are actually timeless, Carlin is very particularly rooted in time, and lifted from that context, the humour disappears.

Posted by: michael murray at February 6, 2010 12:26 PM

Patton Oswalt
Louis CK
Eddie Izzard
Ricky Gervais

and an English comedian called Ross Noble. Seriously, do yourself a favo(u)r and look him up.

Posted by: Ed at February 7, 2010 2:18 AM

Carlin wasn't a baby boomer -- he was born in 1937.

Why would you want to lift any performance or artwork from the context in which it was performed/created? Is that really an indictment of the work? You've just waved goodbye to the notion that topical humor can be funny, since topical humor is rooted in the time and place of its creation.

Posted by: sansho1 at February 7, 2010 10:54 AM

I think Robin Williams took a lot from Jonathon Winters who was always my favorite when I was young. I used to get a kick out of Louie Anderson but he faded. Red Skelton had a way of making you laugh without getting filthy. I also listened to Cosby on records! Pryor ranks as the King. He drew attention to social issues the only way they could be addressed in his time. Lenny Bruce would have been more popular if he wasn't shot down by the conservative media critics.
Nowadays I like Gaffigan, Steven Wright, George Lopez and Lewis Black. I would like to include some women comedians, but the ones who crack me up the most are not big names. I like Margret Cho...she rocks!

Posted by: Dave at December 20, 2010 12:10 PM

Say what you will Carlin is great, Pryor is King!
The best comedian going on today is Katt Williams!
Nobody has made me laugh as hard as this guy, but Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are the most intelligent.

Posted by: Stephanie C at January 9, 2011 10:10 PM