The Stand-up Comedian Thread

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Simple Torture]

And I disagree with the "always a guy comment" -- Tig Notaro, Ali Wong, Amy Schumer, Whitney Cummings, Maria Bamford, Sarah Silverman...women are killing it in standup right now.

I in no way meant that there aren't any woman who are killing it right now--far from it! More of just the idea that it's mostly men who ascend to legendary status as classic stand-up comedians. The women you mention are workhorses and two are among my favorites (Tig and Bamford), but their careers are a lot more varied than people usually expect from a "stand-up comic."

I'd just argue that most of the SNL cast from that era came from improv groups rather than standup. Huge difference, obviously, but I'm just being nitpicky because I'm an SNL geek.

You're right, I shouldn't have conflated the two. Most of the people from the '90s and '00s who used SNL to launch huge careers did have more of an improv background (Mike Meyers, Chris Farley, Will Farrell, Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon, etc.), but there were and continue to be plenty of people with primarily stand-up backgrounds in the casts (Chris Rock, Norm MacDonald, Janeane Garofalo, Jim Breuer, Colin Quinn, etc.). It might also be interesting to take a look at the history of stand-ups in the SNL writers' room, from Larry David to John Mulaney.

I can't say for sure, but I have a hunch the internet has made things easier for comedians. Twitter is built for one-liners, and I've found comics on Youtube way easier than I would have by watching hours of Comedy Central in the late 90s...Yea, I feel like it's way easier to find funny comics now. A text message from a friend can lead me to a good standup set on Youtube.

Easier for comedians, sure, but I think what I was trying to get at how sometimes it can seem like comedians are wearing themselves thin, and how that can be frustrating for fans who sometimes just want to put on a comedy special in the background while washing dishes. It can also be a crisis of choice, sort of like when you load up Netflix and there are so many options that you freeze and think, "Well, I can't decide, I guess I'll just watch another episode of The Simpsons."

And while I'll be more than happy to reiterate my dislike of Chris Hardwick, I'll also happily report that I've discovered some really great fresh comics by watching At Midnight. There are a bunch of people who weren't on my radar--like Hari Kondabolu, Beth Stelling, Mamrie Hart, Ron Funches, Emily Heller--whom I follow closely now since seeing them there. You've got to get through some real groaner episodes sometimes to get to the good stuff, but it's worth a few episodes a week to discover some really good material.

[knee tunes]

with a knife

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[knee tunes]

see, im a natural!

[epilogue]

D,T's brush-off of standup is disheartening, and seems oddly out-of-character for the guy, given his general positivity, proximity to the performing arts in general, and proximity to the Comedy Cellar in particular.

So, wait. Just because I work in the performing arts, I have to like all the different forms? I don't... what?

And it's not a brush-off, champ. I've sampled a lot of it. Been to a lot of it live. And it isn't my favorite thing. Some of it's good, a lot of it is awful. Yes, it's better in person, like improv. It's okay for something to not be my thing, trag.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Jorge]

Joey is right in that stand-up comedy is mostly terrible, but I think that's true for most forms of art.

[BurtReynolds]

D,T's brush-off of standup is disheartening, and seems oddly out-of-character for the guy, given his general positivity, proximity to the performing arts in general, and proximity to the Comedy Cellar in particular.

So, wait. Just because I work in the performing arts, I have to like all the different forms? I don't... what?

And it's not a brush-off, champ. I've sampled a lot of it. Been to a lot of it live. And it isn't my favorite thing. Some of it's good, a lot of it is awful. Yes, it's better in person, like improv. It's okay for something to not be my thing, trag.

yeah Trag you fucking piece of shit.

[Strat]

i mean, what is the deal with that joey guy? Its like he loves the performing arts, but he hates standup! what is the deal?!

[epilogue]

Joey is right in that stand-up comedy is mostly terrible, but I think that's true for most forms of art.

Yeah, that's probably true. Further reason to not waste time on the ones you like the least. It's hard enough with the ones you like. Amirite?

[epilogue]

In all honesty, I have wanted to go to the Comedy Cellar for a long time. It's definitely on my NYC to-do bucket list. I'll hit it up one of these days. I've heard nothing but good things. Seems like one of those places where every night is a good time.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[epilogue]

What's wrong, trag?

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[epilogue]

I had coffee today for the first time in like 10 days. That's probably why.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[lennytheweedwhacker]

i really enjoy john mulaney

[epilogue]

Any opinion on this, Durds? The only one I'm really committed to for our trip in October is breakfast at Pondicherri:

http://ny.eater.com/maps/best-new-new-y ... ts-heatmap

I am so totally out of the loop. I haven't been to any of those places.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.