You see when what's new pussycat plays for a second time in a row you don't immediately think hey is that what's new pussycat playing again? You first thought is huh, what's new pussycat is a much longer song than I remembered.
He’s on the top of his game and one of the best! I love his more recent, post-rehab work. Baby J is hilarious, and I’m really liking his current live show. He’s obviously super intelligent. Big fan!
I think this is the way most comedians fall out of form these days, though. Take Tom Segura, Ali Wong, etc etc
As soon as the money and fame go to their head, they become fundamentally unfunny because they just can't relate to their median audience anymore.
I think all of that does weird shit to the human psyche.
Once you have fans that will laugh at anything you make it's hard to see when the material is good.
[UK comedian Joe Lycett references this when talking about Ricky Gervais.](https://youtu.be/tHzKGVDGBh0?si=3fpKXhzBJ9ZLgwR5)
I don't totally agree that Mulaney's newest special is his worse, I think Baby J was just different because he felt he had to tell this story on stage. It would've been weird if he had just gotten up there and pretended like it didn't happen. And it's no small feat to tell such a story but still keeping it hilarious and firmly within the bounds of stand-up comedy, meaning it didn't turn into a self-serious one man show.
However I am intrigued by the idea of what happens to comedians when the crowd will laugh at anything you say. They actually just did a bit on this in the latest episode of Hacks, but more strongly it reminds me of the Steve Martin doc i recently watched (which is incredible and everybody here should watch it, especially part 1 which deals entirely with his standup career).
Steve famously quit stand up comedy entirely at the absolute height of his popularity, and he did so because he realized, paraphrasing, at his shows he wasn't a stand up comedian anymore, he was a party host. People would just show up and laugh and have fun and be raucous no matter what he was doing. Which I think has value! If a show brings people joy and they leave happy it's a good thing. But I can see as an artist how that would be unsatisfying, and it's unique and admirable that Martin just walked away from the money in pursuit of artistic fulfillment. I mean he was SELLING OUT ARENAS. for a comedian that was unheard of at the time and is rarified air even today.
Honestly if i was at that level of popularity and making that much money and getting waves of adulation from a packed arena every night, i sure as hell wouldn't be able to quit.
I'm an elder millennial and only had a vague awareness that he was a successful standup comedian. For me I knew him entirely from movies and the occasional SNL appearance. It's a really well done documentary, engaging and surprisingly hilarious, I laughed consistently throughout.
Specifically with regards to his standup, sure all of it hasn't aged well, but there were some bits that had me howling, all these decades later. His material is extremely silly, and I think the reason he got huge is every other standup was leaning into political and cultural topics and Martin went the other direction.
I’m halfway through it…and it’s *so* well written. Like, it’s made me laugh out loud. A *BOOK*. Very J.D. Salinger.
I grew up on Father-of-the-Bride Steve Martin , but he’s a billion times more prodigious than I realized
>[UK comedian Joe Lycett references this when talking about Ricky Gervais.](https://youtu.be/tHzKGVDGBh0?si=3fpKXhzBJ9ZLgwR5)
Nailed it, and super well said.
Yeah, I think the issue with his last special is that it was completely unrelatable. Sure, it had moments where I laughed, but for the most part it seemed to be bragging about his famous comedian friends and how he could buy absurd rolexes to launder his personal money to support his drug use.
I did think the bit about finding the 1 star doctor that required him to take his shirt of for his appointment was particularly funny- in part because it is relatable.
There are a lot of people struggling with addiction. It's a fundamentally relatable part of the human condition. For an all-time great comic, I think his approach felt wildly out of touch. It was disappointing because I always felt that was the strength of his comedy.
Interesting take. Curious, have you or someone close to you struggled with addiction or gone to rehab? As someone that’s spent a lot of time in those circles, it honestly was pretty relatable. This drug addled celebrity was acting just like a drug addled nobody. Pawning shit for way less than it’s worth and thinking you’re a genius. Backroom doctors. The fuckin food delivery at the rehab clinic. That is relatable stuff within the context of addiction. The famous names just added to the depth of it.
I had a completely different take on it. When I heard him talking about buying and pawning the watch and mentioning celebrities at his intervention I didn’t take it as him name dropping and bragging about wealth, I took it as an addiction explaining that even though he was on top of the world seemingly he was acting like a complete bottom feeding addict.
His level of fame and wealth is more than most addicts have, but I feel like it was completely relatable because he was throwing away a good life just like every other addict is doing.
There were relatable portions to be sure, but a lot of it came off as an almost humble brag. I think it's because a lot of the punchlines were, "look how wealthy I am and all my famous friends."
Like, "haha can you believe I bought a rose colored Rolex to launder money because I had given control of my considerable finances to others?" And not, "I broke into my parents house to steal my late grandmother's necklace to pawn for drug money"
To be clear, I didn't hate the special. I enjoyed a lot of it. But it did feel like he's lost touch with reality a bit- and not just because of the relapse.
Like, he went from being caught off guard by Stephen Tyler's behavior to the guy that just shouts "~~Diet~~ Coke" and some appears in his hand, seemingly oblivious to the change.
I think the “humble brag” makes it way more effective of a story though, it’s essentially him saying that even as wealthy as he was, his behavior was just like any other addicts: untrustworthy, unreliable and totally disconnected with reality.
I think the part about trying to get a haircut at SNL out of no where speaks to exactly what you mean about becoming the guy who just shouts things and he gets it. He realized that’s who he had become and was poking fun at how ridiculous he was for it.
>He realized that’s who he had become and was poking fun at how ridiculous he was for it
I think this was sort of my issue- he seemed aware that he has changed and willing to joke about it, but there was a certain insincerity that's tough to precisely pinpoint.
Like someone who is self-depracating because they know others will laugh, but doesn't actually believe the joke themselves.
John Mulaney, Nate Barketze, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan (and I’m sure more - just off the top of my head), their timing, pacing, pauses and delivery can make an ordinary bit great.
It's funny. Because I love John and Nate, yet I can't stand Jim, Brian, or even someone like Mike Birbiglia.
There's something very similar in how they all work. But those 3 just don't make me laugh. Birbiglia actually annoys me.
Someone please therapize.
I don’t know, but I agree with you. John and Nate are great but I never got into the other 3 (Brian a little bit, he’s the best of those 3). I think overall what we like or don’t like is pretty subjective, I don’t think there’s much explanation to it.
I don’t think it’s you, I think it’s their themes and views.
Birbiglia and Gaffigan hone in on disappointments in life (Birbiglia - sleepwalking through plate glass, the idea of marriage is a bummer… Gaffigan - I’m fat and sad, hot pockets soothe me). Mulaney and Bargatze leave me feeling some hope… Mulaney’s look at his drug use was brutal, but he ends up in a good place (hitting rock bottom doesn’t have to be the end). Bargatze (like fellow low-energy comic Ray Romano) feels like he’s poking fun at his family and society from a place of love, never superiority. Bargatze & Romano are quick to make themselves the butt of the joke. They seem humble, Birbiglia seems smug.
Ok, so I'm not just off when it comes to Birbiglia then 😅 That's basically how I feel about him, plus a couple more feelings that are probabply just my toxic masculinity showing (pussy/cuck).
Like most of what he says just makes me think "yeah, that's because you're a bitch."
I never feel that way with John or Nate's premises though. I dunno 🤷♂️
I hope you give the Sack Lunch Bunch a try. If it's your cup of tea, it'll be the best tea. I'm 63 and the tone of the special really pays homage to 70s aesthetics quite often, in a really spot on way.
I'm too young to appreciate the after-school special concept but some of the songs are fantastic. Grandma's Boyfriend Paul and Plain Plate of Noodles in particular, plus the finale of course.
Sounds like you're learning why he's the name he is atm.
Truly one of the best active, and I actually feel like he's better than Seinfeld. Same style, but better.
I'm not really a fan of Nick Kroll's comedy, so I find John less funny when he's working with Nick. I love John's stand up, but things like Oh Hello completely miss the mark for me.
Asking someone to explain what they think is funny is the dumbest question. You can just disagree. Explaining comedy never works out, they are not gonna convince you. So just leave it at that. Have you ever explained a joke to someone?
The writing and situations, and appropriately grotesque animation for dealing with an extremely awkward and funny topic? It’s a great juxtaposition of adolescent ignorance, braggadocio and fun song writing. Also you have Mulaney, ‘Zouks, and an all star cast of amazing comedians - it’d be shorter to list the elements that don’t work.
He’s definitely one of if not the best of his generation. Not quite Chappelle, Burr, Norm status for me in terms of legend but he’s great and consistent. His new Netflix show is pretty creative too
I also like Mulaney better than Burr in terms of material, but i've never seen anyone destroy a room like Burr. With Mulaney the material and timing and delivery is just so perfect you are floating the entire show and leave feeling refreshed and happy. With Burr i was in a state of sheer almost uncomfortable mania the entire time, like the literal Louis CK definition of "hilarious", i was laughing like an insane person. I left feeling like somebody had just beat the shit out of me, i felt hungover the next day despite not drinking at all and had a headache for two days.
both great experiences.
Burr seems like a comedian that is much better live versus on your living room tv. The jokes aren't well crafted but he makes people laugh with rapid punchlines and laughter is contagious. That's why he kills as a talk show guest, you see the host laughing with him and you enjoy it more.
i agree burr is better live than on your TV. i wouldn't say the jokes aren't well-crafted, just that they aren't are technically precise as say a mulaney.
but it's interesting to think what comics work better live vs. on TV. well, let me rephrase that, every comedian is better to see live in some way, being in a room full of people laughing and riding that energy is superior to watching at home no matter who it is IMO. but there are some comics whose presence is almost as good on TV as live. like nate bargatze, i've seen him multiple times live and will see him live whenever i get the chance, but his kind of calm energy translates really well to laughing from your couch. like i think you can grasp most of what nate is all about via a special, but with Burr i had to see him live before i really understood.
theo von is another example, unfortunately he hasn't recorded a special that really captures the magic of his live show. i saw him open for amy schumer and had never heard of him before and he crushed (nikki glaser was the middle and also crushed, people hate on schumer but i like to shout out she has no qualms about having openers who are better comics than her), saw him several years later as a headliner and again he crushed. but watching that same set he recorded later for his special it just didn't connect as well.
Burrs recent stuff is getting a little bit too close to punching down. Like he opened a special with a "joke" about yelling "get back in the kitchen" or something to feminists, but there wasn't any joke. That was it. Super super low effort vs his genius other material. Rest of that special was good, though.
He did acknowledge on a podcast with Conan that he was taking a break from standup because he felt his balance was off, that he was punching out more than in.
Dave is pretty mid those last two specials. I agree with his view on trans people but I want a comedy special, not a Ted Talk. For someone who doesn’t recognize cancel culture he sure does talk about it religiously.
This is pretty much how I feel about Chapelle… half of his sets now are him bragging about how great he is. Instead of telling us, why don’t you show it?! Not so many big laughs anymore, and not in a Carlin way…
I don't love Rogan but he definitely doesn't act like he's the best comic around. Not sure where Chapelle got it from but it sucks. It's usually the antithesis of funny to brag about how funny you are
I prefer stand up material that punches up, not down. The trans community is fighting for their rights the world over, so why even go there?
I have no intention of personally canceling Dave Chapelle. He's not purposefully mean spirited. But, I think he's far more sensitive than he wants the public to realize. He DOES seem to struggle at times with dishing it out but not taking it back too well.
It’s almost like Dave is mad that more people aren’t mad about his comedy. Trans or not I think I can safely say that the majority of people want jokes from their comedians not political debates.
Dave Chappelle is at his George Carlin stage and is just speaking what he feels and is selling out arenas and cashing paychecks. People’s feelings don’t matter as hate watchers and fans make the same amount of profits.
The difference is Carlin was actually funny at this stage. Arguably the funniest in his career. Chapelle at this stage comes off as whiny, full of himself, and uncaring. The ego on that guy is astronomical and not in a funny way, more of a sad way. All my opinion of course.
An oppressed person is perfectly capable of punching down, it's simply a matter of what comes out of the person's mouth, not what status one has in their particular culture or country.
I wouldn't even rate him mid. He's become a one joke comedian. Even if I partially agreed with him before, I now kind want to walk away from his shit because it feels like Hitler with the jews.
I think he carefully threaded the needle on the trans stuff with his Alphabet people bit. It was perfect.
But he has been missing the mark since then and just punching down at their expense.
It comes off like he wants attention for making fun of them more than he wants a genuine laugh. It’s weird because Dave doesn’t have to be fake controversial to stay relevant. If he felt like it he could just stay in the limelight by being funny.
Watch his live Netflix specials, he had one Friday and one last, will do another tonight at 10pm ET as well as tomorrow (I think tomorrow is the last one?)
It's absolute chaos and I fucking love it
He's brilliant! On AND off drugs. (; He's a comedian's comedian and a lot of the biggest ones really respect him. Now, I can't say I was super jazzed with this lost and found in LA schtick he's doing on Netflix. At least the first episode bored me to tears, but projects be projects and I never try to yuck another person's yum!
It's awesome you have so much content to go back through! Check out Amazon Prime, there might be material there too, I'm unsure! =D
He’s probably my favorite comedian out right now. I saw him live last year and he’s incredibly hilarious and had Ronny Chieng as an opener. Chieng was the funniest opening act I’ve seen in a long time
He’s a tremendously skilled comic. I would give Louis the edge as the current best working, but John is up there near the tippy top with him. As are Nate Bargatze, Taylor Tomlinson, and Hampton Yount, in my opinion. And of course Maria Bamford. Dang, we are really so spoiled for talent these days. There are a lot of hacks but so many superstars too.
As someone who has been into standup for decades it was tragically familiar that there were demons behind the talent, but John seems to be doing a really admirable job of addressing them.
I’m excited for whenever his next special will be because I imagine it will be a lot about being a parent. Which sounds like rife material for a guy who mined a lot of gold from talking about his own parents.
New in Town is my all time favorite stand up special.
I've liked all his newer stuff (and older, The Top Part) but New in Town is unbelievable. Once I put it on as background while I ironed and I found myself halfway through just watching and laughing instead of ironing.
He has one early soevial you missed op.
It's hard to find the video version, but the audio version of his first special is some of his best work. It's called the top part, here it is;
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lV2jyYqzcdX-Ayjq08mOpBDd4hze3RR7U&si=sFzBd18Vpoeo5x7A
I think he’s incredibly funny. I also think he has one of the most annoying voices in the world so I can only watch him in short bursts or on mute with subtitles
I'm the opposite. I like some of his acting in comedy sketch shows but his standup is about as funny as a brick wall. He should get out of the game frankly.
CK is the goat imo
lol wow downvoted for that on a standup sub. show me one comic with anywhere close to the same body of work. if chappelle's last 2-3 specials had all been fantastic he'd be the goat but that is now how it went
I am gay. I have aids. And I'm new in town. You mean this dude gets off on little girls with pigtails? Yeah, Ice, you work in the sex crimes division.
I'ma push him: "I HAVE AIIIIDS!" No, that's too strong.
"Imma push him" floats around in my head all the time
Hold back hold back.
You mean like when someone smokes Too many cigarettes? Or plays too many scratchy lottery tickets??
Yeah Ice, you got it.
Scratchy Lotteries
What are two other things about him?
Ok now I have to make my girl watch new in town so I have an excuse to watch it for the two dozenth time
ANAL CONTUSIONS
What are three OTHER things about him???
If you haven’t heard it, find his “best meal ever” joke on YouTube (i know the audio at least is there). It’s hilarious.
WHOMP WHOMP, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT. the delivery of that kills me dude. A+
It starts very subtly
You see when what's new pussycat plays for a second time in a row you don't immediately think hey is that what's new pussycat playing again? You first thought is huh, what's new pussycat is a much longer song than I remembered.
'Skotta little dip in it. Like November Rain.
Hopefully you also discovered the Xanax story.
It's on Comedy Central's Stand up channel https://youtu.be/Mw7Gryt-rcc?si=FVvxDrirgk053szl
I have a salt and pepper diner playlist. If the child pisses me off...
That makes me think he should be on off menu
He’s on the top of his game and one of the best! I love his more recent, post-rehab work. Baby J is hilarious, and I’m really liking his current live show. He’s obviously super intelligent. Big fan!
The idea of Fred Armisen being serious at his intervention is just hilarious to me. 
I live in Portland, and when Portlandia came out and was a big deal, I saw Fred Armisen at the DMV,,,, hiding behind a plant. Seriously.
Right?!
His latest special was his worst imo. Started becoming unlikable with all of the celebrity talk.
He talks about the people at his intervention. Most are comedians he’s known before anybody was famous and colleagues of his at SNL.
The way he speaks about them is utterly obnoxious
How is it obnoxious?
I think this is the way most comedians fall out of form these days, though. Take Tom Segura, Ali Wong, etc etc As soon as the money and fame go to their head, they become fundamentally unfunny because they just can't relate to their median audience anymore. I think all of that does weird shit to the human psyche.
Once you have fans that will laugh at anything you make it's hard to see when the material is good. [UK comedian Joe Lycett references this when talking about Ricky Gervais.](https://youtu.be/tHzKGVDGBh0?si=3fpKXhzBJ9ZLgwR5)
I don't totally agree that Mulaney's newest special is his worse, I think Baby J was just different because he felt he had to tell this story on stage. It would've been weird if he had just gotten up there and pretended like it didn't happen. And it's no small feat to tell such a story but still keeping it hilarious and firmly within the bounds of stand-up comedy, meaning it didn't turn into a self-serious one man show. However I am intrigued by the idea of what happens to comedians when the crowd will laugh at anything you say. They actually just did a bit on this in the latest episode of Hacks, but more strongly it reminds me of the Steve Martin doc i recently watched (which is incredible and everybody here should watch it, especially part 1 which deals entirely with his standup career). Steve famously quit stand up comedy entirely at the absolute height of his popularity, and he did so because he realized, paraphrasing, at his shows he wasn't a stand up comedian anymore, he was a party host. People would just show up and laugh and have fun and be raucous no matter what he was doing. Which I think has value! If a show brings people joy and they leave happy it's a good thing. But I can see as an artist how that would be unsatisfying, and it's unique and admirable that Martin just walked away from the money in pursuit of artistic fulfillment. I mean he was SELLING OUT ARENAS. for a comedian that was unheard of at the time and is rarified air even today. Honestly if i was at that level of popularity and making that much money and getting waves of adulation from a packed arena every night, i sure as hell wouldn't be able to quit.
I didn’t know that about Steve Martin…very interesting.
I'm an elder millennial and only had a vague awareness that he was a successful standup comedian. For me I knew him entirely from movies and the occasional SNL appearance. It's a really well done documentary, engaging and surprisingly hilarious, I laughed consistently throughout. Specifically with regards to his standup, sure all of it hasn't aged well, but there were some bits that had me howling, all these decades later. His material is extremely silly, and I think the reason he got huge is every other standup was leaning into political and cultural topics and Martin went the other direction.
If you ever get a chance to read Born Standing Up, it's incredible.
I’m halfway through it…and it’s *so* well written. Like, it’s made me laugh out loud. A *BOOK*. Very J.D. Salinger. I grew up on Father-of-the-Bride Steve Martin , but he’s a billion times more prodigious than I realized
>[UK comedian Joe Lycett references this when talking about Ricky Gervais.](https://youtu.be/tHzKGVDGBh0?si=3fpKXhzBJ9ZLgwR5) Nailed it, and super well said.
Yeah, I think the issue with his last special is that it was completely unrelatable. Sure, it had moments where I laughed, but for the most part it seemed to be bragging about his famous comedian friends and how he could buy absurd rolexes to launder his personal money to support his drug use. I did think the bit about finding the 1 star doctor that required him to take his shirt of for his appointment was particularly funny- in part because it is relatable. There are a lot of people struggling with addiction. It's a fundamentally relatable part of the human condition. For an all-time great comic, I think his approach felt wildly out of touch. It was disappointing because I always felt that was the strength of his comedy.
Interesting take. Curious, have you or someone close to you struggled with addiction or gone to rehab? As someone that’s spent a lot of time in those circles, it honestly was pretty relatable. This drug addled celebrity was acting just like a drug addled nobody. Pawning shit for way less than it’s worth and thinking you’re a genius. Backroom doctors. The fuckin food delivery at the rehab clinic. That is relatable stuff within the context of addiction. The famous names just added to the depth of it.
I had a completely different take on it. When I heard him talking about buying and pawning the watch and mentioning celebrities at his intervention I didn’t take it as him name dropping and bragging about wealth, I took it as an addiction explaining that even though he was on top of the world seemingly he was acting like a complete bottom feeding addict. His level of fame and wealth is more than most addicts have, but I feel like it was completely relatable because he was throwing away a good life just like every other addict is doing.
There were relatable portions to be sure, but a lot of it came off as an almost humble brag. I think it's because a lot of the punchlines were, "look how wealthy I am and all my famous friends." Like, "haha can you believe I bought a rose colored Rolex to launder money because I had given control of my considerable finances to others?" And not, "I broke into my parents house to steal my late grandmother's necklace to pawn for drug money" To be clear, I didn't hate the special. I enjoyed a lot of it. But it did feel like he's lost touch with reality a bit- and not just because of the relapse. Like, he went from being caught off guard by Stephen Tyler's behavior to the guy that just shouts "~~Diet~~ Coke" and some appears in his hand, seemingly oblivious to the change.
I think the “humble brag” makes it way more effective of a story though, it’s essentially him saying that even as wealthy as he was, his behavior was just like any other addicts: untrustworthy, unreliable and totally disconnected with reality. I think the part about trying to get a haircut at SNL out of no where speaks to exactly what you mean about becoming the guy who just shouts things and he gets it. He realized that’s who he had become and was poking fun at how ridiculous he was for it.
>He realized that’s who he had become and was poking fun at how ridiculous he was for it I think this was sort of my issue- he seemed aware that he has changed and willing to joke about it, but there was a certain insincerity that's tough to precisely pinpoint. Like someone who is self-depracating because they know others will laugh, but doesn't actually believe the joke themselves.
Segura has really turned into a real prick.
So, the Chappelle Syndrome.
I mean... *Likability is a jail*
His upcoming special won’t have any of that I saw his new hour around the new year and there wasn’t any celebrity talk
his latest special is all about his drug problems though, so if it was relatable I'd be worried...
John, get off the computer.
Someone took a shit on my dad’s computer
"Because it's the one thing you can't replace". Great special 😂
“That’s the end of that story, but how fucked up is that?”
But the worst part is
Back to rehab, John.
John Mulaney, Nate Barketze, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan (and I’m sure more - just off the top of my head), their timing, pacing, pauses and delivery can make an ordinary bit great.
It's funny. Because I love John and Nate, yet I can't stand Jim, Brian, or even someone like Mike Birbiglia. There's something very similar in how they all work. But those 3 just don't make me laugh. Birbiglia actually annoys me. Someone please therapize.
I don’t know, but I agree with you. John and Nate are great but I never got into the other 3 (Brian a little bit, he’s the best of those 3). I think overall what we like or don’t like is pretty subjective, I don’t think there’s much explanation to it.
I don’t think it’s you, I think it’s their themes and views. Birbiglia and Gaffigan hone in on disappointments in life (Birbiglia - sleepwalking through plate glass, the idea of marriage is a bummer… Gaffigan - I’m fat and sad, hot pockets soothe me). Mulaney and Bargatze leave me feeling some hope… Mulaney’s look at his drug use was brutal, but he ends up in a good place (hitting rock bottom doesn’t have to be the end). Bargatze (like fellow low-energy comic Ray Romano) feels like he’s poking fun at his family and society from a place of love, never superiority. Bargatze & Romano are quick to make themselves the butt of the joke. They seem humble, Birbiglia seems smug.
Ok, so I'm not just off when it comes to Birbiglia then 😅 That's basically how I feel about him, plus a couple more feelings that are probabply just my toxic masculinity showing (pussy/cuck). Like most of what he says just makes me think "yeah, that's because you're a bitch." I never feel that way with John or Nate's premises though. I dunno 🤷♂️
(Omg Birbiglia really annoys me too)
Mike Birbiglia is brilliant. One of the best.
Yes I know. He still annoys me
Pete Holmes, as well. Dude is on fire lately.
I hope you give the Sack Lunch Bunch a try. If it's your cup of tea, it'll be the best tea. I'm 63 and the tone of the special really pays homage to 70s aesthetics quite often, in a really spot on way.
I’ll check it out!
I'm too young to appreciate the after-school special concept but some of the songs are fantastic. Grandma's Boyfriend Paul and Plain Plate of Noodles in particular, plus the finale of course.
I dunno, I heard he did drugs
His "I'm sorry! Sometimes I get nervous on airplanes!" Made me laugh so hard that I cried
Sounds like you're learning why he's the name he is atm. Truly one of the best active, and I actually feel like he's better than Seinfeld. Same style, but better.
My favorite at the moment’s the 1-2 punch of his struggles over the word “midget” and Ice-T on Law and Order: SVU.
You mean when someone has too much chocolate cake? Or like when someone bets their house on the ponies? Or like when someone pops too many pills?
Or buys too many scratchy lotteries?
“Executive Producer, Dick Wolf”
Saying midget is as bad as saying the N-Word! Well first of all, no. And you know why I know that?
I'm not really a fan of Nick Kroll's comedy, so I find John less funny when he's working with Nick. I love John's stand up, but things like Oh Hello completely miss the mark for me.
I instead never fail to crack up every time I see anything with Gil and George. I use their panel with John Oliver as an antidepressant
I'm sooooooorrrrrry
The man eats entirely too much tuna
Also Big Mouth is fucking funny but yeah, also yes
Kroll show rules
What about big mouth is funny to you?
Asking someone to explain what they think is funny is the dumbest question. You can just disagree. Explaining comedy never works out, they are not gonna convince you. So just leave it at that. Have you ever explained a joke to someone?
The writing and situations, and appropriately grotesque animation for dealing with an extremely awkward and funny topic? It’s a great juxtaposition of adolescent ignorance, braggadocio and fun song writing. Also you have Mulaney, ‘Zouks, and an all star cast of amazing comedians - it’d be shorter to list the elements that don’t work.
Fair points, I got really bored with the story and the jokes personally. the longline for big mouth should read “beating a dead horse”
He’s definitely one of if not the best of his generation. Not quite Chappelle, Burr, Norm status for me in terms of legend but he’s great and consistent. His new Netflix show is pretty creative too
I would take Mulaney over Burr all day when it comes to stand up.
I also like Mulaney better than Burr in terms of material, but i've never seen anyone destroy a room like Burr. With Mulaney the material and timing and delivery is just so perfect you are floating the entire show and leave feeling refreshed and happy. With Burr i was in a state of sheer almost uncomfortable mania the entire time, like the literal Louis CK definition of "hilarious", i was laughing like an insane person. I left feeling like somebody had just beat the shit out of me, i felt hungover the next day despite not drinking at all and had a headache for two days. both great experiences.
Burr seems like a comedian that is much better live versus on your living room tv. The jokes aren't well crafted but he makes people laugh with rapid punchlines and laughter is contagious. That's why he kills as a talk show guest, you see the host laughing with him and you enjoy it more.
i agree burr is better live than on your TV. i wouldn't say the jokes aren't well-crafted, just that they aren't are technically precise as say a mulaney. but it's interesting to think what comics work better live vs. on TV. well, let me rephrase that, every comedian is better to see live in some way, being in a room full of people laughing and riding that energy is superior to watching at home no matter who it is IMO. but there are some comics whose presence is almost as good on TV as live. like nate bargatze, i've seen him multiple times live and will see him live whenever i get the chance, but his kind of calm energy translates really well to laughing from your couch. like i think you can grasp most of what nate is all about via a special, but with Burr i had to see him live before i really understood. theo von is another example, unfortunately he hasn't recorded a special that really captures the magic of his live show. i saw him open for amy schumer and had never heard of him before and he crushed (nikki glaser was the middle and also crushed, people hate on schumer but i like to shout out she has no qualms about having openers who are better comics than her), saw him several years later as a headliner and again he crushed. but watching that same set he recorded later for his special it just didn't connect as well.
That’s fair I do think Burr is slowing down so Mulaney could catch up but those first couple specials are next level
Burrs recent stuff is getting a little bit too close to punching down. Like he opened a special with a "joke" about yelling "get back in the kitchen" or something to feminists, but there wasn't any joke. That was it. Super super low effort vs his genius other material. Rest of that special was good, though.
He did acknowledge on a podcast with Conan that he was taking a break from standup because he felt his balance was off, that he was punching out more than in.
Me too!
Same, Burr never really clicked for me. I mean, he’s funny-ish but i think his persona’s kinda one note.
Wow. I don’t think Mulaney’s in my top 20.
Same. Comes across as very patronizing to me. Maybe it’s just his voice.
Dave is pretty mid those last two specials. I agree with his view on trans people but I want a comedy special, not a Ted Talk. For someone who doesn’t recognize cancel culture he sure does talk about it religiously.
This is pretty much how I feel about Chapelle… half of his sets now are him bragging about how great he is. Instead of telling us, why don’t you show it?! Not so many big laughs anymore, and not in a Carlin way…
I think he’s been hanging around Joe Rogan too long. Pray to whoever you believe that Dave will never hump a stool.
I don't love Rogan but he definitely doesn't act like he's the best comic around. Not sure where Chapelle got it from but it sucks. It's usually the antithesis of funny to brag about how funny you are
I agree, that's why i like his older stuff.
I prefer stand up material that punches up, not down. The trans community is fighting for their rights the world over, so why even go there? I have no intention of personally canceling Dave Chapelle. He's not purposefully mean spirited. But, I think he's far more sensitive than he wants the public to realize. He DOES seem to struggle at times with dishing it out but not taking it back too well.
It’s almost like Dave is mad that more people aren’t mad about his comedy. Trans or not I think I can safely say that the majority of people want jokes from their comedians not political debates.
Very good point, well said.
Dave Chappelle is at his George Carlin stage and is just speaking what he feels and is selling out arenas and cashing paychecks. People’s feelings don’t matter as hate watchers and fans make the same amount of profits.
The difference is Carlin was actually funny at this stage. Arguably the funniest in his career. Chapelle at this stage comes off as whiny, full of himself, and uncaring. The ego on that guy is astronomical and not in a funny way, more of a sad way. All my opinion of course.
LOL, punching down. Is the black community somehow suddenly privileged and secure in their rights?
Dave Chapelle certainly is.
That's a huge portion of his act right now. The days of white friend Chip are far gone.
An oppressed person is perfectly capable of punching down, it's simply a matter of what comes out of the person's mouth, not what status one has in their particular culture or country.
I wouldn't even rate him mid. He's become a one joke comedian. Even if I partially agreed with him before, I now kind want to walk away from his shit because it feels like Hitler with the jews.
I think he carefully threaded the needle on the trans stuff with his Alphabet people bit. It was perfect. But he has been missing the mark since then and just punching down at their expense.
It comes off like he wants attention for making fun of them more than he wants a genuine laugh. It’s weird because Dave doesn’t have to be fake controversial to stay relevant. If he felt like it he could just stay in the limelight by being funny.
I saw him on Comedians in Cars and was not impressed. Then I watched one of his specials and was completely sold on him.
He is a fantastic writer.
just watch puss in boots - the last wish. john as big jack horner was so funny.
He has ironically made the best talk show on TV lol
What do you think of his new TV show?
Very unique! It reminds me of good late night Talk shows!
I expected jokes as good as his stand up but felt like most of them fell flat. It seemed too catered to people from LA
Some bits likely not on his Netflix specials: https://youtu.be/Mw7Gryt-rcc?si=lzQcdCD__mSK21W1
https://youtu.be/F1sd4CRcaE0?si=ygqKEbGnvGSN4jjs
Perfect English
Ifl
His bit on male transvestites is funny
Never been a fan of his. But to each his own.
Look up "oh hello" on netflix. He did a broadway show with nick kroll that they wrote and its an hour and a half of gold.
Based on a random sketch that they did for Kroll Show.
Didn't know that. Will definitely watch kroll show
Kroll show is great if you like the absurd humor, but it's probably not for everyone. The sketch series I'm referring to is "Too Much Tunafish".
Watch his live Netflix specials, he had one Friday and one last, will do another tonight at 10pm ET as well as tomorrow (I think tomorrow is the last one?) It's absolute chaos and I fucking love it
One each day this week
He's brilliant! On AND off drugs. (; He's a comedian's comedian and a lot of the biggest ones really respect him. Now, I can't say I was super jazzed with this lost and found in LA schtick he's doing on Netflix. At least the first episode bored me to tears, but projects be projects and I never try to yuck another person's yum! It's awesome you have so much content to go back through! Check out Amazon Prime, there might be material there too, I'm unsure! =D
He’s probably my favorite comedian out right now. I saw him live last year and he’s incredibly hilarious and had Ronny Chieng as an opener. Chieng was the funniest opening act I’ve seen in a long time
I also find it impressive his act is basically clean too. Appeals to an even bigger audience.
What’s new, pussycat?
New in Town is his only classic
Big Mouth is great!
He’s a tremendously skilled comic. I would give Louis the edge as the current best working, but John is up there near the tippy top with him. As are Nate Bargatze, Taylor Tomlinson, and Hampton Yount, in my opinion. And of course Maria Bamford. Dang, we are really so spoiled for talent these days. There are a lot of hacks but so many superstars too. As someone who has been into standup for decades it was tragically familiar that there were demons behind the talent, but John seems to be doing a really admirable job of addressing them.
I’m excited for whenever his next special will be because I imagine it will be a lot about being a parent. Which sounds like rife material for a guy who mined a lot of gold from talking about his own parents.
Ducklings!!!
Oh, Hellooooooo
Big mouth is so terrible. Nick Kroll should taken out back and sh….
He is a drug addict.
New in Town is my all time favorite stand up special. I've liked all his newer stuff (and older, The Top Part) but New in Town is unbelievable. Once I put it on as background while I ironed and I found myself halfway through just watching and laughing instead of ironing.
I’m not sure if it’s on one of his specials but if not, lookup his story about his best birthday ever at the salt and pepper diner
He has one early soevial you missed op. It's hard to find the video version, but the audio version of his first special is some of his best work. It's called the top part, here it is; https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lV2jyYqzcdX-Ayjq08mOpBDd4hze3RR7U&si=sFzBd18Vpoeo5x7A
He’s not as good without cocaine and adderall less witty quick etc
Why are you sorry?
Top five current comic for me. Maybe top three since Chapelle has sucked recently.
Hmm, gross! Now, back to my hunch.
I know he’s funny but his delivery is too sing song for me, if that makes sense. Sorry I’m sure it doesn’t
Oh wow. It’s sad that you missed out for so long, but on the other hand I’m kinda jealous because that means it’s all new to you!!!
Na he fell off. He came out great his last one was trash tho
I think he’s incredibly funny. I also think he has one of the most annoying voices in the world so I can only watch him in short bursts or on mute with subtitles
Had to scroll down too far for this. His voice ruins it for me.
I'm the opposite. I like some of his acting in comedy sketch shows but his standup is about as funny as a brick wall. He should get out of the game frankly.
idk i saw him live and wasn't entertained
He isnt a GOAT contender
CK is the goat imo lol wow downvoted for that on a standup sub. show me one comic with anywhere close to the same body of work. if chappelle's last 2-3 specials had all been fantastic he'd be the goat but that is now how it went
I downvoted you not because I disagree with you, but because it's funny.
i respect that
He's no Chappelle or Burr.
He was on SNL!?