50 best stand-up comics of all time - Rolling Stone

[JudyM]

Last edited Sun Feb 26, 2017, 10:55 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/lists/50-best-stand-up-comics-of-all-time-w464199?utm_source=huffpo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=feb2017

To help lighten up our weekend

What's your favorite clip?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I wish RS had included Belle Barth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_Barth

[JudyM]

15. Ha! Not likely.

Thanks for these, I'd never heard her before. And that wiki entry is funny, itself: In 1953, Barth was arrested and fined 25 dollars for her act; several other cases against her were thrown out of court, including one lawsuit for 1.6 million dollars, brought by two schoolteachers who claimed that Barth's act had corrupted them morally and harmed their health.

[Docreed2003]

2. 1,2,3....couldn't argue with any of those choices...

I do think Eddie Murphy is unfairly placed at 25. The guy's career has had many highs and lows but his stand up career was always outstanding. He deserves to be higher than 25.

[underpants]

3. The exclusion of Jake Johannsen is a mistake

Given the inclusion of the likes of Garofalo (not a fan) and Albert Brooks (movie maker and voice work not really standup) Jake should definitely be in the list.

Moms Mabley is a great entry - flat out hilarious.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. "Two women are walking down the street.....

one says to the other - "I smell hair burnin'"

The other one says -

"Maybe we're walkin' too fast" - Moms Mabley

Another great was Totie Fields.

I agree about Johannsen, but Emo Phillips was also hilarious;

[underpants]

7. LaWanda Page "Ester" was who I couldn't think of

Yes Emo was very good. Was the "Emos" named after him or was he just the first one we saw? He did a skit on Dave that made me cringe but that's what good comics do.

Loved Johannsen. I love the "other voice" comedians like Gaffigan and Izard.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. I don't think a lot of people realize who Gaffigan is impersonating when he does the high pitched ..

woman's voice. He's mocking a hypothetical audience member in the front row who is upset with his humor!

[underpants]

13. I agree

Keven Meany did it as his mother. Gaffigan does it as a prudish old lady.

[Laffy Kat]

19. Oh gosh, his sing-song voice makes me cringe.

Not my cup of tea.

[A HERETIC I AM]

24. Phillips is a bit of an acquired taste!

[eppur_se_muova]

9. Agree on Jake. He may be too subtle for some people.

(Not saying he's all *that* subtle, but you have to be, well, more "awake" than usual to get some of his stuff.)

[NightWatcher]

10. I saw his late show once in St Louis back around 2000

He was all out of fucks to give and went for over an hour. We were doubled over laughing. I've seen a few comics but he was the most "on" that over ever seen or heard a comic live or on tape.

[underpants]

12. His special in the 90's about the space aliens was a masterpiece

He kept looping back to ".....the aliens"

Saw him several times on Dave and his humors really spoke to me.


Still working a lot. I've read about him doing a lot of corporate gigs.

http://www.jakethis.com/

[JudyM]

14. Yeah, he's good!

[red dog 1]

45. + 1

Jake belongs on the list

[Coventina]

4. Bob Newhart deserved to be much further up the list.

[nadine_mn]

27. I have about 3 CDs of his stand up as a young man

and made the mistake of listening once while I was driving - laughed so hard I nearly had to pull over.

His one sided phone calls are so great! Oh and the driving exam!

[AgadorSparticus]

33. I would agree with that. I loved bob newhart.

[doc03]

6. Rodney Dangerfield number 26, WTF these people smoking? Half the

people above him I never heard of. Some of them wouldn't even have a act if not for four letter words.

[underpants]

8. I agree. Sykes at #50?

Sykes and Rock are literally in perfection mode these days.

Rodney did the unthinkable- he stopped touring and created his own club. As wild as he was he did that so he could be around his kids. His club was not only another venue but when Rodney gave you the okay it was like Johnny having you over to the couch.

[BeyondGeography]

26. I'm with you

Rodney had serious game. The jokes were rapid fire and the schtick was unique and immortal. From experience, he could turn a room of stoned teenaged TV-watching longhairs into tear-stained, side-aching begging-for-mercy LOL babies.

[red dog 1]

44. Rodney deserves to be in the top 10

Seinfeld shouldn't even be on the list, imo
Neither should Billy Connolly, the only non-funny comic in "The Aristrocats"

[MurrayDelph]

16. I admit to be prejudiced because she's a friend

but Elayne Boosler should have been a lot higher on the list.

And agree that Totie Fields should have been on the list instead of some of these newcomers (who are too new to be on a "all-time" list).

[JudyM]

17. Elayne's got a great sense of humor! Bet she's fun to hang with.

[rurallib]

18. Ellen Degeneres? Where is she? Did I miss her?

[Initech]

23. And no Lewis Black! Lame!

[bathroommonkey76]

20. I can't believe

Norm McDonald didn't make the list.

And I'd include Robin Williams and Seinfeld in the top 5.

[OilemFirchen]

21. No Buddy Hackett?

Meh.

[Initech]

22. Easily my favorite standup album of the modern era - Lewis Black's "The End Of The Universe"

A very close runner up would be Dave Attell's "Skanks For The Memories"

And third place would be Bill Maher's "But I'm Not Wrong"

[JudyM]

31. Lewis Black has some serious talent! He can get a little dark and uncomfortable, but still good.

[Initech]

32. His absence from the list is very noticeable.

[red dog 1]

43. + 1

Lewis Black belongs on the list..and Dave Attell too.

Dave Attell's Comedy Central show "Insomniac" was hilarious, especially the one where he was in Portland, OR & visited the cartoonist "Callahan"..one of the funniest cartoonists of all time, imo.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. Wanda Sykes is very funny, one of my favorites - and I love Bob Newhart!

He reminds me of my Dad!

[nadine_mn]

28. Glad to see Mitch Hedberg on the list - I think he can be underrated

Pains me to see Bill Cosby. I grew up listening to his comedy albums and they were so funny, but he is a rapist and overall shit person and that is a damn shame.

[nadine_mn]

29. I had several comedy albums as a kid - Rivers, Martin, Cosby and Williams

My mom was not good at supervision, so 12 yr old me retelling Rivers' jokes got me in trouble (he was so dumb when he saw a sign that said "wet floor" he did, he could only count to 21 if he was naked)

[JudyM]

30. Too funny! CNN has a new series "the History of Comedy" and one show is all women, it has a nice

segment on Rivers. Worth watching.
http://www.cnn.com/shows/history-of-comedy

[Metsie Casey]

34. George Carlin. Best ever

[Metsie Casey]

35. Carlin and kids

[link:

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[Metsie Casey]

36. Redd Foxx

[Metsie Casey]

37. Clip

[link:

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[red dog 1]

40. Sanford & Son

a truly great sit-com

I had a couple of Redd Foxx albums when I was younger, and he was hilarious!

[Metsie Casey]

46. Do you have the Spotify app ?

Some albums are on there.

[red dog 1]

47. Nope

[Metsie Casey]

48. It's free with commercials. No commercials, 10 bucks and change a month

[red dog 1]

38. No Jim Gaffigan?..No Sarah Silverman?..No Paula Poundstone?

But Billy Connolly and Freddie Prinze make the list?

[JudyM]

39. I know, I thought Paula Poundstone too, one of my favorites. Well it's not the be all and end all

list, for sure. Still fun to see all the clips, though.

[red dog 1]

41. Agreed!

(K&R, by the way)

[First Speaker]

42. I would have included Judy Tenuta and Gilbert Gottfried...

...maybe there isn't Cosmic Significance in either one, but for sheer ability to make people laugh, I think they're both in the Top Ten...