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Steve Martin, before his first LP when he was on the rise, was just incredible. He was so influential that when you see the old stuff now it's hard to realize how different he seemed at the time.

Of the current crop, Amy Schumer is really funny.

When it comes to stand up, I can't even say it's hit or miss for me. Mostly miss. I've seen some Louis CK recently and he closed one show with this great bit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkjmzEEQUlE

Love his TV show too. I also like Ricky Gervais. Loved the once where he did the Noah's Ark routine.

For an older one...Scott posted this on Facebook a couple of years ago and I thought it was a piss. My wife didn't like it so much so I tortured the hell out of her and still do sometimes with "It's Magic" and "I'm fewlin' ya and ya don't like it". I thought this bit was genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJiUVp890TY

Then: Lenny Bruce, with an Honorable Mention to Bill Hicks

Scott Dolan wrote:As for new folks, you know, I'm not sure I have a favorite. I haven't seen a decent stand up comic in a long, long time. Chris Rock, I guess?

This

Then: Jack Benny, hands down.
Not so back then: Bill Cosby. (He doesn't seem to do much funny stuff any more.)
Now: haven't seen anyone in a long time that really got to me other than Colbert and Stewart, and I'm not so sure they qualify by the standards of the previously mentioned two.

My all time favorite is still George Carlin.

Current stand up comedians I like are Bill Burr, Louis C. K., and Sebastian Maniscalco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-diau1UxLc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Swzvm-gXHg

My modern favorite was Greg Giraldo until he offed himself, but I still love watching clips of his act and roasts.

Louis CK is the funniest guy out there today, IMO. He covers all my bases and hits all my buttons, and I like his performance style.

All time, definitely Pryor on top of the pyramid, with Carlin, Cosby, Klein, and Lenny Bruce.

Richard Pryor
Chris Rock
Dave Chappelle
Alonzo Bodden

Scott Dolan wrote:You know, it'll sound odd coming from someone like me who loves Carlin, or cats like Marc Maron and Bill Hicks, but I just never got Lenny Bruce. Not even a little.

Lenny Bruce paved the way, so to speak. Onstage he dared to go where no man had gone before. RIP, Lenny, you motherfucker!

My current favorite is Maria Bamford.

I agree with June that Jack Benny was very funny in his day, as was Richard Pryor.

Lenny Bruce
Stan Freberg

And the greatest ever.....The Goons.


Current
Julian Assange

steve(thelil) wrote:Steve Martin, before his first LP when he was on the rise, was just incredible. He was so influential that when you see the old stuff now it's hard to realize how different he seemed at the time.

Ah yeah. I saw Steve Martin before "Let's Get Small" came out in Fresno. The other good memory was seeing Robin Williams at one of the comedy clubs along Broadway (in San Francisco)...after a show "over the hill" at the Keystone Korner.

walto wrote:My current favorite is Maria Bamford.

I can only take so much of Bamford, but she was great in The Comedians of Comedy

My current favorite is probably Louis CK, but that may be a combination of his standup and his brilliant TV show.

I agree that Louis CK is very smart and very funny; I don't name him as a fave because I find him so unlikeable. He just seems like an asshole to me, and the fact that he realizes some of his faults and can be self-critical at times only makes up for so much.

I guess he just rubs me the wrong way.

Another guy with the occasional brilliant routine in him is Patton Oswalt.

Scott Dolan wrote:I've seen a couple of CK's stand up routines and have to admit I found him to be rather mediocre. Like, Jim Gaffigan mediocre.

He's funny, but I'm not sure why he has been put on the pedastal he's on.

I think he's absolutely hysterical, and him being a divorced, paunchy dad, a lot of his material cuts deep with me.

As to your comment about Lenny Bruce, I love listening to him the way I love reading James Thurber. I don't laugh out loud, but I smile and nod a lot. He was more pure courage than pure comedy, but you have to give him his due as a truthteller at a time when that was downright dangerous.

Obviously, Carlin was a disciple of Bruce, but one negative way in which they both were alike is that they pretty much sucked at the ends of their lives and careers. Bruce took to reading his court transcripts on stage, and Carlin tossed out all his funny characters and observations to just be a grumpy old fuck bitching about politics and religion; he got applause but not laughs.

I dig Lewis Black.