The longform.com guide to standup
October 27, 2013 10:03 PM Subscribe
The longform.com guide to standup. Not a ranking, but rather a collection of links to long form articles about some legendary stand-up comedians.
Featuring: Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Dave Chapelle (previously), Woody Allen, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Gary Shandling, Rosanne Barr, Patrice O'Neal, Louis C.K.
Featuring: Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Dave Chapelle (previously), Woody Allen, Sarah Silverman, Larry David, Gary Shandling, Rosanne Barr, Patrice O'Neal, Louis C.K.
And I'd never seen Rivers do stand-up live, other than her one episode of Louie, so I YouTube'd her and Live at the Apollo is so funny it makes me gasp laughing. I have become increasingly uncomfortable with politically incorrect humor—so much of it strikes me as lazy and ugly—but Jesus shit, Rivers can make a filthily offensive joke that just about tears the laughter out of me. She is remarkably talented.
posted by Rory Marinich at 1:17 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Rory Marinich at 1:17 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
since they aren't listed, I'd like to askmetafilter: Any links to well written longform about either Mitch Hedberg or Bill Hicks? thanks in advance!
posted by mannequito at 2:23 AM on October 28, 2013
posted by mannequito at 2:23 AM on October 28, 2013
Regarding Joan Rivers, I saw a documentary on her (maybe A Piece of Work?), and she is crazy busy, keeping involved with dozens of things at a time, and each with a slightly different trajectory (red carpet coverage, hawking her line of jewelry on tv shopping channels, tons of different performances in different venues (including voice acting), and stand-up comedy wherever she can get a gig), but all aimed at keeping her name in people's minds. When she doesn't have something going on, she seems to get depressed, because people might forget her.
Pairing that with her comedy pieces, and you have a very interesting, complex woman, all the more impressive for the fact that she's 80 years old, and has been in show business for around 60 years.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
Pairing that with her comedy pieces, and you have a very interesting, complex woman, all the more impressive for the fact that she's 80 years old, and has been in show business for around 60 years.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:08 AM on October 28, 2013 [3 favorites]
While not proper longform, here are two decent mid-length articles on Hedberg: Las Laugh: Death of the next Seinfeld (Slate, 2005), and Dead Comedian Of The Week: Mitch Hedberg, The Comic's Comic (Deadspin, 2011)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:24 AM on October 28, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm surprised the New Yorker article about Bill Hicks isn't on there.
posted by the_bone at 9:37 PM on October 28, 2013
posted by the_bone at 9:37 PM on October 28, 2013
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posted by Rory Marinich at 12:17 AM on October 28, 2013