MetaFilter posts tagged with comedian

Dawn French interviews Russell Brand

mhjb — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:48:43 -0800

Russell Brand talks to Dawn French about comedy, revealing a peculiar and compelling intelligence apparently gleaned from TV and substance abuse. Part 1, 2, 3, 4 [YT]

Remembering Dennis Wolfberg

JHarris — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:11:02 -0800

Dennis Wolfberg was one of the most distinctive voices (literally) from the stand-up comedy boom of the early 90s. A former schoolteacher, he became a fixture on the fledgling network Comedy Central roughly fifteen years BCM (Before Carlos Mencia). His vocal style and inflections had a way of selling the most outlandish comparisons. He was a guest on both Letterman and Carson, and had guest-starred as Gooshie on Quantum Leap on multiple occasions until he tragically died from cancer in 1994. Some of his most memorable routines were his experience with Fiber One cereal and encounter with a sigmoidoscope,, his wife's pregnancy and his twins' Bris. His HBO special is available in its entirety on YouTube: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 (most of part 3 linked above).

Butsky! Vutsky!

tellurian — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:46:23 -0800

Virtual Vaudeville [shockwave] Watch a 3D simulation of legendary comedian Frank Bush in a vaudeville performance from a variety of perspectives. Switch between any of eight perspectives at any time and read the extensive hypermedia notes to gain a richer understanding of the performance in its historical context.

Bernie Mac Dead at 50

Duck_Lips — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:55:02 -0800

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Bernie Mac has died. Bernie Mac most recently seen at a Obam campaign event and King of Comedy has died at 50-years old. Known for his tv show based on his own life as caretaker of his sister's kids. .

Jerry Clower: A superb Southern storyteller

Daddy-O — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:33:44 -0800

Jerry Clower (Wikipedia article) started telling his funny stories to boost sales when he was a seed and fertilizer salesman. He went on to become a successful comedian and Grand Ole Opry star. Here are some of his stories (all YouTube links): A Coon Hunting Story On the Jerry Reed Show (check out Jerry's collar!) The Burning Building A New Bull Fishing with the Game Warden Examples of a Redneck (Shame on you Jeff Foxworthy!) Bird Huntin' At Uncle Versies Wanna Buy a Possum? (with bizarrely unrelated video)

All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.

miss lynnster — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:36:12 -0800

Charlie Chaplin Filter. That first link features 60 of his short films. Here's more: A Dog's Life (1918, 35 minutes) The Kid (1921, 67 minutes) A Woman of Paris (1923, 84 minutes) The Gold Rush (1925, 71 minutes) The Great Dictator (1940, 125 minutes) Monsieur Verdoux (1947, 133 minutes) City Lights (1931, 87 minutes) His final directorial effort was A Countess From Hong Kong (1967, 120 minutes), in which he had a cameo. Chaplin accepting his honorary Oscar on April 10, 1972, as part of his first visit to the United States in 20 years.

On Victor Borge

disillusioned — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 02:39:46 -0800

A world-class comedian, Victor Borge could please a crowd with his Phonetic Punctuation or Inflationary Language bits. But he was also a brilliant pianist, as showcased when he improvised an impressive encore to a piece he had only heard and never played before, much to his apparent delight. Still better was when he'd merge the two passions, like in Page-Turner or The Minute Waltz. He entertained for more than 75 years, performing up to 60 shows even at 90 years old. He died peacefully in 2000, just two days after performing a concert in Denmark, on the blue here, before dots were all the rage. Thanks to an obscure link from jinjo the other day for turning me on to Mr. Borge.

The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.

miss lynnster — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:01:35 -0800

Thirty years of George Carlin specials. (Yep, NSFW. Duh.) Yeah, this is the post where people can listen to his stuff and debate whether he stopped being funny ages ago, wasn't funny in the first place, never stopped being funny, or was brilliant but then sucked but then did some funny stuff here and there. Blah blah blah. Knock yourselves out. | Previo usly. On Location: George Carlin at USC 1977 Carlin at Carnegie 1982 Carlin on Campus 1984 Playin' With Your Head 1986 What Am I Doing In New Jersey 1988 Doin' It Again 1990 Jammin' In New York 1992 Back In Town 1996 You Are All Diseased 1999 Complaints & Greivances 2001 Life Is Worth Losing 2005 And in closing... here he is performing at the 2007 Narcotics Anonymous World Convention in San Antonio. His 14th HBO special (apparently taped at this show) will be shown on cable in March '08.

Daniel Kitson stand-up comedy set from 2004

Ira.metafilter — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:03:30 -0800

A recording of stand-up comedian Daniel Kitson's Edinburgh show from 2004, about dancing and other things. (4-part audio (click next), can also download from the podcast feed on this page, has rude words so possibly NSFW, funny)

I'm a high tech lowlife.

Happy Dave — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 14:09:59 -0800

I'm a modern man, I'm a modern man, A man for the millennium, Digital and smoke free. - George Carlin hits one out of the park with the first four and a half minutes of this hour and a half Google Video. Then it's back to his stock in trade.

He ate a lot of sandwiches -- who doesn’t man, sandwiches are easy to eat.

myopicman — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:16:07 -0800

Comedian Mitch Hedberg died two years ago this Thursday. On March 29, see if a local deli will severely ruin their reputation as a tribute to his memory.

Goodnight, Mr. Jeni.

thanotopsis — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 19:06:51 -0800

Comedian Richard Jeni, 1957-2007. Even his website has gone dark.

"I'll die young, but it's like kissing God"

hortense — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 23:58:51 -0800

Lenny Bruce -Swear to Tell the Truth 1995 documentary of the rise and fall of the patron saint of samizdat 1:40 nsfw language nudity via

Nehmen Sie meine Frau, bitte!

madamjujujive — Fri, 26 May 2006 04:13:55 -0800

Lost in translation. British Comedian Stewart Lee explores comedy in Germany and finds it stymied by the peculiarities of language and sentence construction. Mark Liberman at Language Log disagrees. And an extended essay by Josh Schonwald explores in greater depth how the German comedy scene is transitioning (PDF) from the more traditional kabernett to a burgeoning stand-up comedy scene, which is characterized by one observer as being in "the Bob Hope phase of comedy."

Rick Moranis - Alt Country Balladeer

Parlour Tricks — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:43:40 -0800

Rick Moranis - Alt Country Balladeer. Whatever happened to Rick? The former SCTV star and 80s/90s movie comedian apparently doesn't miss "acting." His new album of humorous country songs is nominated for a Grammy.

Nipsey Nipped

me3dia — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 12:19:30 -0800

Nipsey Russell, comedic "poet laureate of television," dead
The opposite of pro is con
That fact is clearly seen
If progress means move forward
Then what does Congress mean?

Happy Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) Day

dhoyt — Sat, 23 Jul 2005 14:39:33 -0800

Happy Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) Day • "PRD was created by the sex-positive group of redheaded friends, the Drunken Redheaded Sluts, as a hilarious way to denounce the 'bum rap' that self-gratification got Paul Reubens, while honoring the man’s erotic curiosity and zany character." The celebration will start with a pub crawl, followed by a Pornographic After-Party to benefit the The Center for Sex and Culture, and climax with a Midnight Mass with Peaches Christ (NSFW).

Is the wig on straight?

adrober — Thu, 26 May 2005 11:06:48 -0800

Rip Taylor on the web! For those who need a little confetti in their life.

Another death

revgeorge — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 08:55:55 -0800

Mitch Hedberg is said to have died of an apparent heroin overdose (Howard Stern confirms). Mitch was a fantastic comedian, and it's sad to think that he won't get the attention he deserved because he shares a death day with someone else. You can hear clips from his CDs Mitch All Together and Strategic Grill Locations on Amazon. (Previous MeFi thread on Mr. Hedberg)

Okay the numbers are in

IndigoJones — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 06:29:51 -0800

Okay, the numbers are in. Now that die hard fans of the UK edition have vented, I'm curious to know what those who have not yet had the pleasure of Ricky Gervais' company make of the American version of The Office. Comments?

Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you.

Slack-a-gogo — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 19:53:44 -0800

Dave Allen drank whiskey and smoked cigarettes while telling jokes about sex and the church from his swivel chair on BBC2 in the early 70's. Some called him the "Irish Lenny Bruce" and he was a major influence on England's alternative stand comedy scene. He passed away this week and is fondly remembered by Eddie Izzard and other current British comedians.

Dreamghost — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 10:06:09 -0800

"You people are stupid."

That's what Dave Chappelle had to say to a crowd of 4000 plus after he had walked off the stage in Sacramento in protest. What got the comic so riled up? According to Chappelle, it was audience members who wouldn't "shut up and listen - like you're supposed to." Chappelle then went on to vent his frustration on the success of his TV Show and the extra attention it has brought him.

Chappelle's harshest words thou were addressed to those audience members who worship entertainers and athletes.

"Stop listening to celebrities," he said. "They do what they do for money - that's all. I don't even know why you're listening to me. I've done commercials for both Coke and Pepsi. Truth is, I can't even taste the difference, but Pepsi paid me last, so there it is."

Andy Kaufman - Dead or Alive?

ric — Sun, 09 May 2004 13:21:26 -0800

Has it been 20 years already? "Andy himself stated that were he to fake his death, he would return 20 years later to the day. MAY 16TH 2004 IS THAT DAY."

Bill Hicks Tribute

moonbird — Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:58:50 -0800

A very good tribute from the Guardian regarding the life and legacy of philosopher-comedian Bill Hicks.

It is compelling and significant that the final words on Hicks's last record, Rant In E-Minor, are a prayer: "Lift me up out of this illusion, Lord. Heal my perception, so that I may know only reality."

Alberto Sordi

elpapacito — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 12:13:21 -0800

Alberto Sordi, one of the greatest italian actor of all times, died today. Just wanted to let all the italians around the world without .it TV access know. He'll be so incredibly missed.