Stand Up Comedy Ramble
I’ve been listening to comedy since I was little. The person how made me laugh most when I was young (I’m now 28) was Tony Hancock, his black and white BBC shows were so dank and miserable, I couldn’t help but love him. Then came along Billy Connolly, and like most young people I listened to it on the cassette player with the sound turned way down so my parents didn’t hear that I was listening to bad language. I took a break from stand up until my teens and that’s when I got into Richard Pryor and that changed everything. When you get into something so good you can’t help but want more. And more I got over the years, and here’s a basic top five (+1) of my favourites, not who I think is the best or in any particular order either. Click on their names to watch their specials.
A little Anglophobic I know, but the Americans have a different pace and rhythm, and social commentary that I like. They tend to be a lot more raw and open about their person trials and tribulations. Comedy comes from the heart, and the more you show the more laughs you’re going to get because it disarms people and relaxes them for the most part. And by heart I mean your vulnerabilities. And being able to open a dialogue that normal people can’t, George Carlin and Bill Hicks did that a lot but I found them to be a bit preachy overly condescending in their method, but great nonetheless.
Chappelle is picking up his stand up again, Burr has a new special coming out soon I think and a great podcast, Pryor is still dead, and Louis is taking over the world as usual. Ramble over with, time for some roast chicken!
