I've been bodging round to a mate's house and we've been watching comedy specials on Netflix. I'm not a huge stand-up fan, so it's been interesting to see what's out there. Most of the comedians names i don't recognise, especially those out there that aren't below, so it's a real lucky-dip.
Ali Wong: Cobra Baby - 7.5/10 I thought she was consistently funny. Talks a bit about her pregnancy and trapping rich men, but there's a nice arc to the story about her and her husband. I found her faux aggression rather endearing, especially when she's impersonating her mum.
Jim Gaffigan: King Baby 9/10 I find him very funny and when it's over you realise there's only been maybe one swear-word and it's actually been very family friendly, though it doesn't seem that way. He has a great delivery style and this little voice that questions him, too, as an almost side-character.
Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale 9/10 Essentially more of the same, looking at mundane parts of life and talking about food a lot and being lazy.
Anthony Jeselnik: Thoughts and Prayers 1/10 Oh, dear. Too self-satisfied for me. I kept nodding off after 15 minutes. He's very "edgy" meaning there's lots of cruelty in his jokes. I smirked a couple of times and did that "oh, my God i can't believe he said that" thing, but he comes across like a serial killer or a game show host, too satisfied by his own jokes and incredibly smug. He sort of reminded me of Seinfield in that he has a very punchable face without actually doing anything to deserve it. And he's actually not funny. He comes across as trying too hard.
Aziz Ansari at Madison Square Garden 2/10 Another where i kept nodding off. A bit too high-pitched and with long gaps between anything humorous being said (maybe it's the venue, too, waiting for the audience to get a joke then responding after they laughed). I just didn't find his bits particularly funny and the punchlines to the longer pieces were pretty weak. It felt like a long hour or whatever it was.
Donald Glover: Weirdo 7.7/10 I liked him in community so was a bit worried about whether i'd be put off by his stand-up. But it's consistently funny with some good physical comedy touching on growing up, racists, family and just some absurd funny stories.
Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain 7/10 I don't mind Kevin Hart in films and his stand-up was consistently amusing, i thought. Lots of stuff about race and his height and getting famous, but he came across well.
Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theatre 7.5/10 He was pretty good, i like his dry delivery. He told some funny stuff, particularly about hating kids his own kids know. He sort of reminds me of Charles Grodin and i'd like to see him in Grodin's role when they eventually get to remaking Midnight Run.
Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong 9/10 Lots of great, vulgar stuff about his geekiness and failings, and i really like his delivery and even the longer stories are consistently funny with a great pay off. He delivers punchlines really well.
Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark - 1.5/10 - Got bored quickly and turned it off. His decision to do prolonged bits about Scotland and use a terrible Scottish accident wasn't wise. Not very funny either, being another problem.
I don't watch many of these, partly because I don't much like many of today's comedians - Jimmy Carr and Michael McIntyre don't just leave me cold, they enrage me beyond all reason - but I've seen a couple of Frankie Boyle spots. It makes me think that there are so many jokes available to him because others tend to avoid material centered on (for instance) child abuse, cancer and the McCanns, that he has an in-built advantage. Wouldn't know how to rate them.
Dav, I hope you get more replies from better-qualified observers, because so far this thread is dying like John Inman at the British Steel Club & Institute Union, Consett.
I tried watching some comedy acts and there's maybe one funny joke every ten minutes. The audiences must be drunk out of their minds based off of the non-stop laughter.
I HATE John Bishop. Fake, plazzy scouser!!! NOT Funny AT ALL!!! Another Tarbuck! How do these fakers get on! Like TG, McIntire??? Is he even a comic?? I think he appeals to middle/upper class morons! Carr was (maybe) funny once, but his schtick got old and stale quick. I saw Sean Lock live a few months back in town and thought he was quite amusing, but he's just playing the cynical, miserable old git and that's what probably appealed to me.
Ryan Hamilton 8.5/10 Gave this a go on Netflix. Had never heard of him. He looks like a weirder version if Seinfeld, he's even opening for Seinfeld on his next tour. He does remind me of Seinfeld in he has a perma-grin and a dry delivery but he's actually funny. And clean! I enjoyed his set a lot. Will look forward to his lot in future.
One of the consistently best UK comics is Stewart Lee.
Here are two clips not to be missed:. NOW NOTE, although the first looks as though it's going to be political or religious IT ISN'T. Stewart is attacking those other cheap stand-ups that Tall Guy mentioned above, and their superficial style:
The second is pure poetry:
Like Tall Guy, Stewart questions the mainstream comics and they hate him. They really do. Lee Mack wrote articles against him. But he never patronises his audience, has great fun with the audience in fact, and is consistently misunderstood, especially by tabloids. He's a master of irony.
Hannibal Takes Edinburgh 1/10 Hannibal Burress provides a mirthless hour of bits of his act from the Edinburgh Fringe interspersed with boring bits of him in Edinburgh.
