This list is great if you like to laugh and want 100 of something
February 1, 2016 6:22 AM Subscribe
In chronological order from Bert Williams to Amy Schumer, Vulture lists the 100 jokes that shaped modern comedy.
"For clarity’s sake, we’ve established certain ground rules for inclusion. First, we decided early on that these jokes needed to be performed and recorded at some point. Second, with apologies to Monty Python, whose influence on contemporary comedy is tremendous and undeniable, we focused only on American humor. Third, we only included one joke per comedian. And fourth, the list doesn't include comedy that we ultimately felt was bad, harmful, or retrograde."
"For clarity’s sake, we’ve established certain ground rules for inclusion. First, we decided early on that these jokes needed to be performed and recorded at some point. Second, with apologies to Monty Python, whose influence on contemporary comedy is tremendous and undeniable, we focused only on American humor. Third, we only included one joke per comedian. And fourth, the list doesn't include comedy that we ultimately felt was bad, harmful, or retrograde."
This is a very interesting reminder of how short lived humor is.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:53 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 6:53 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
+1 for the Hedberg reference in the title.
posted by dr_dank at 6:56 AM on February 1, 2016 [21 favorites]
posted by dr_dank at 6:56 AM on February 1, 2016 [21 favorites]
FPP references Mitch Hedberg joke in its title; links to list of great jokes that does not include any by Mitch Hedberg.
I feel cheated.
posted by schmod at 6:56 AM on February 1, 2016 [22 favorites]
I feel cheated.
posted by schmod at 6:56 AM on February 1, 2016 [22 favorites]
FPP references Mitch Hedberg joke in its title; links to list of great jokes that does not include any by Mitch Hedberg.
As much as I love and miss Mitch, as a list of jokes that shaped comedy, it's totally reasonable to have Steven Wright and say "see also Hedberg, M."
posted by Etrigan at 6:58 AM on February 1, 2016 [15 favorites]
As much as I love and miss Mitch, as a list of jokes that shaped comedy, it's totally reasonable to have Steven Wright and say "see also Hedberg, M."
posted by Etrigan at 6:58 AM on February 1, 2016 [15 favorites]
No moth joke THIS IS A TRAVESTY
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:01 AM on February 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:01 AM on February 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
FPP references Mitch Hedberg joke in its title; links to list of great jokes that does not include any by Mitch Hedberg.
What happened to Hedberg? Who can eat a time like this? This person is MISSING. Vulture can eat when they've found Mitch Hedberg.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:10 AM on February 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
What happened to Hedberg? Who can eat a time like this? This person is MISSING. Vulture can eat when they've found Mitch Hedberg.
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:10 AM on February 1, 2016 [12 favorites]
What! No Dennis Leary!?
They already put Bill Hicks on there.
posted by kmz at 7:26 AM on February 1, 2016 [62 favorites]
They already put Bill Hicks on there.
posted by kmz at 7:26 AM on February 1, 2016 [62 favorites]
I find the point of this hard to follow. Like, Redd Foxx was a vulgar black comedian, and he influenced Richard Pryor! Yes, well of course he did...
It just seems like a list of talented comedians' jokes with more recent references tacked on. it's kind of generic.
I'm writing this not to shit on it but because I want to like it but am a bit disappoint/confused.
Also no Mitch Hedberg is not just like Stephen Wright. WAY BETTER MORE BETTER than Wright.
posted by sweetkid at 7:27 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
It just seems like a list of talented comedians' jokes with more recent references tacked on. it's kind of generic.
I'm writing this not to shit on it but because I want to like it but am a bit disappoint/confused.
Also no Mitch Hedberg is not just like Stephen Wright. WAY BETTER MORE BETTER than Wright.
posted by sweetkid at 7:27 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
The list is great. It starts to get a little shaky toward the end, which is expected, because it's a list of jokes that shaped modern comedy--and we don't really know the full impact of the newer stuff yet. That said, 12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer and the Hannibal Burress Cosby bit certainly qualify IMO.
posted by duffell at 7:32 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by duffell at 7:32 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Umm…Monty Python? Kids In The Hall? Any sort of sketch beyond SNL
/gets off my Your Band Sucks soapbox
posted by ShawnString at 7:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
/gets off my Your Band Sucks soapbox
posted by ShawnString at 7:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Umm…Monty Python? Kids In The Hall? Any sort of sketch beyond SNL
They did say outright that they were only considering US comics and TV.
posted by GamblingBlues at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
They did say outright that they were only considering US comics and TV.
posted by GamblingBlues at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
Umm…Monty Python? Kids In The Hall?
Permit me to quote from the FPP quoting TFA: "Second, with apologies to Monty Python, whose influence on contemporary comedy is tremendous and undeniable, we focused only on American humor."
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
Permit me to quote from the FPP quoting TFA: "Second, with apologies to Monty Python, whose influence on contemporary comedy is tremendous and undeniable, we focused only on American humor."
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:38 AM on February 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
God, the Who's On First bit absolutely kills me no matter how many times I hear it.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:41 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 7:41 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
And fourth, the list doesn't include comedy that we ultimately felt was bad, harmful, or retrograde.
I feel like this rule kind of renders the effort pointless, or at least seriously cripples it. Not because "How dare they PC gone mad!" but that I'll bet a hell of a lot of influential jokes that shaped the course of comedy over the last century, especially in the earlier decades were "harmful or retrograde". And it's weird to exclude jokes that were influential but that the writers of this piece felt were "bad". A joke that seems bad to a modern audience might have had an enormous impact in its day.
Is this an attempt to create a chronological list of influential jokes? Or just 100 jokes the authors liked and approve of from the last century or so?
posted by Sangermaine at 7:43 AM on February 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
I feel like this rule kind of renders the effort pointless, or at least seriously cripples it. Not because "How dare they PC gone mad!" but that I'll bet a hell of a lot of influential jokes that shaped the course of comedy over the last century, especially in the earlier decades were "harmful or retrograde". And it's weird to exclude jokes that were influential but that the writers of this piece felt were "bad". A joke that seems bad to a modern audience might have had an enormous impact in its day.
Is this an attempt to create a chronological list of influential jokes? Or just 100 jokes the authors liked and approve of from the last century or so?
posted by Sangermaine at 7:43 AM on February 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
This is a good list with a HORRIBLE title. These are not The 100 Jokes That Shaped Modern Comedy. You can't possible create a list like that using only American Humor.
It's also not a list of 100 jokes. It's a list of 100 really important American comedians, each of whom made a lasting impression on the world of Comedy.
But that title isn't click-baity enough, I suppose.
posted by Frayed Knot at 7:43 AM on February 1, 2016 [18 favorites]
It's also not a list of 100 jokes. It's a list of 100 really important American comedians, each of whom made a lasting impression on the world of Comedy.
But that title isn't click-baity enough, I suppose.
posted by Frayed Knot at 7:43 AM on February 1, 2016 [18 favorites]
Without Sid, there’s probably no Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Carol Burnett, Mad magazine, or SNL.
...without which we wouldn’t have Cheers or Seinfeld or Friends or The Big Bang Theory.
Very meta of them to include two such flawless examples of the joke format TVTropes calls Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
...without which we wouldn’t have Cheers or Seinfeld or Friends or The Big Bang Theory.
Very meta of them to include two such flawless examples of the joke format TVTropes calls Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
This is a very interesting reminder of how short lived humor is.
Mediocre or topical humor, sure. But Shakespeare still gets laughs, and he's not the only one predating this list.
posted by BWA at 8:06 AM on February 1, 2016
Mediocre or topical humor, sure. But Shakespeare still gets laughs, and he's not the only one predating this list.
posted by BWA at 8:06 AM on February 1, 2016
Regarding Charlie Chaplin's dinner roll dance in The Gold Rush (1925), I think Chaplin gets to much credit for his possibly most famous bit. If I had more knowledge of the era, I might even go one step further and say he stole that bit.
What I do know, and what I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else, is that Fatty Arbuckle did the exact same bit almost a decade before Chaplin in The Rough House (1917).
posted by dgaicun at 8:06 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
What I do know, and what I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else, is that Fatty Arbuckle did the exact same bit almost a decade before Chaplin in The Rough House (1917).
posted by dgaicun at 8:06 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
Alright fuck this. That hair gel joke in There's Something About Mary makes no fucking sense. First off, she prefaces the application with "Oh, is that hair gel? Great, I need some and I ran out" or words to that effect. Um, no, you don't. Your perfectly maintained bob is entirely devoid of any product and even if it did require it you wouldn't just make a central spike. It's just ludicrous regardless of whether it gel or cum in her hair. Jesus Christ, Farrellys, maybe apply a little logic to your scriptwiting, you lazy fucks. This has bothered me for 18 years, just not enough to ever state aloud. This thread has at last let me vent my frustration and I'm ready to move on with my life.
posted by steganographia at 8:10 AM on February 1, 2016 [60 favorites]
posted by steganographia at 8:10 AM on February 1, 2016 [60 favorites]
Your perfectly maintained bob is entirely devoid of any product and even if it did require it you wouldn't just make a central spike.
The joke is that cum is gross and wouldn't behave like hair gel, but rather do something gross and weird. I'm sure a MythBusters would show that it wouldn't do anything of the sort, but it's funny to think it would.
posted by dgaicun at 8:17 AM on February 1, 2016
The joke is that cum is gross and wouldn't behave like hair gel, but rather do something gross and weird. I'm sure a MythBusters would show that it wouldn't do anything of the sort, but it's funny to think it would.
posted by dgaicun at 8:17 AM on February 1, 2016
Lists, lists, lists. Always with the lists.
posted by davebush at 8:18 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by davebush at 8:18 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
They did say outright that they were only considering US comics and TV.
Which is why they included Peter Sellers.
posted by davros42 at 8:19 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
Which is why they included Peter Sellers.
posted by davros42 at 8:19 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
What's interesting about the inclusion of a Farrelly Brothers bit is that it's just a dumb sight gag, which (while memorable) isn't especially, you know, seminal.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:20 AM on February 1, 2016 [20 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:20 AM on February 1, 2016 [20 favorites]
Not sure I would have gone with "Vatican Rag" over, say, "National Brotherhood Week" for representing Tom Lehrer, but I'm glad the list didn't forget about him.
(Although my personal favourite joke of all time is part of the lead-in to "Alma": "It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.")
posted by tobascodagama at 8:22 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
(Although my personal favourite joke of all time is part of the lead-in to "Alma": "It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.")
posted by tobascodagama at 8:22 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
> "What's interesting about the inclusion of a Farrelly Brothers bit is that it's just a dumb sight gag, which (while memorable) isn't especially, you know, seminal."
Well, technically speaking, it *is* especially seminal.
posted by kyrademon at 8:23 AM on February 1, 2016
Well, technically speaking, it *is* especially seminal.
posted by kyrademon at 8:23 AM on February 1, 2016
***That's the joke***
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:24 AM on February 1, 2016 [26 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:24 AM on February 1, 2016 [26 favorites]
The article makes a pretty good case that it was seminal:
The crazy thing is the film, with this joke prominently featured in its advertising, made nearly $370 million worldwide, which was the most ever made by an R-rated comedy ... It established what is now known as the hard-R comedy, a phenomenon that would really take hold in the ’00s
posted by dgaicun at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
The crazy thing is the film, with this joke prominently featured in its advertising, made nearly $370 million worldwide, which was the most ever made by an R-rated comedy ... It established what is now known as the hard-R comedy, a phenomenon that would really take hold in the ’00s
posted by dgaicun at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
They did say outright that they were only considering US comics and TV.
Which is why they included Peter Sellers.
Playing an American in a film directed by an American, written by 2/3 Americans, and financed by an American film studio.
Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel were British, too -- doesn't mean they didn't do most of their most influential work in the U.S.
posted by Etrigan at 8:27 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
Which is why they included Peter Sellers.
Playing an American in a film directed by an American, written by 2/3 Americans, and financed by an American film studio.
Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel were British, too -- doesn't mean they didn't do most of their most influential work in the U.S.
posted by Etrigan at 8:27 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
Farrellys, maybe apply a little logic to your scriptwiting, you lazy
Spielberg... film logic
Just to deconstruct and destroy the fun <insert rimshot>
posted by sammyo at 8:31 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Spielberg... film logic
Just to deconstruct and destroy the fun <insert rimshot>
posted by sammyo at 8:31 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Weird, huh? I thought the list proved beautifully that good humor will always be funny. Any list like this will always be imperfect. It takes little insight to point the imperfections out. It's just sad that fact apparently displaces the humor for some people. Thanks so much for posting this...I can't tell you how much I needed these laughs today.
posted by txmon at 8:38 AM on February 1, 2016
posted by txmon at 8:38 AM on February 1, 2016
Reading through this was fun. And having quibbles with it is also fun. Here's a few:
Where's Stan Freberg?
Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. probably deserves to be included, given it had an impact on an actual national election. The best single Hicks performance, imo, is Sane Man. For Williams, it's the special at the Roxy (the one where he brings John Ritter up on the stage).
And if I had to pick one Murphy performance, it'd be Raw, Delirious or maybe Beverly Hills Cop.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:39 AM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Where's Stan Freberg?
Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. probably deserves to be included, given it had an impact on an actual national election. The best single Hicks performance, imo, is Sane Man. For Williams, it's the special at the Roxy (the one where he brings John Ritter up on the stage).
And if I had to pick one Murphy performance, it'd be Raw, Delirious or maybe Beverly Hills Cop.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:39 AM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Hell is being forced to write a listicle that will satisfy everybody. -Sartre
posted by duffell at 8:42 AM on February 1, 2016 [13 favorites]
posted by duffell at 8:42 AM on February 1, 2016 [13 favorites]
Really, just take it as an opportunity to watch some joke clips.
posted by cashman at 8:48 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by cashman at 8:48 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
The Story of Everest gets even funnier when you realize there was a live audience who had to sit through all 200 thimbles being reset.
This list is pretty good, but there is a glaring omission in the form of prank shows, that one that used to air at 2:45 in the morning on NY1 with the tuna fish in particular.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
This list is pretty good, but there is a glaring omission in the form of prank shows, that one that used to air at 2:45 in the morning on NY1 with the tuna fish in particular.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I liked this a lot, and I love that there were a few pieces and even a couple of comics I hadn't heard of before - can't wait to sit and play through everything when I have a swatch of time.
I think excluding British / Canadian comics was a huge mistake, and while I understand limiting it to 100 means things have to get left out, I do think some of the people ignored were glaringly missing. I mean, "Ernie Kovacs, who’d be all over this list had he not died young in a car accident"?? Maybe they couldn't find any of his clips that were worth posting, but he absolutely paved the way for so many TV comics. Scott Thompson's work on Kids In The Hall (which was on American TV) should have made the cut. Mark Russell (who I never liked as a comedian but who definitely made a mark on how to do "safe" political humor that you can see in Colbert today). Chris Elliot should have been there for his Guy Under The Stairs if not for Get A Life. And Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback - which was brought back because it inspired so many of today's comedy writers. I would have loved to have sen Anna Russell's How To Write a Gilbert And Sullivan Operetta, but I can't see a throughline from it to anything today, so that might be why it was omitted.
So glad to see Elayne Boosler and Paula Poundstone on the list. Would have liked to see Rita Rudner there too - she made it okay to be funny and actually glamorous.
Also not sure I agree with all the picked clips -- The Harpo and the mirror scene from Duck Soup was pretty seminal, and I while I'm not sure I would take out What's Opera Doc, I think the list is incomplete without Duck Amuck for metacommentary.
TL;DR there's nothing less funny than talking about what's funny (just ask Freud), but this was a treat.
posted by Mchelly at 8:51 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think excluding British / Canadian comics was a huge mistake, and while I understand limiting it to 100 means things have to get left out, I do think some of the people ignored were glaringly missing. I mean, "Ernie Kovacs, who’d be all over this list had he not died young in a car accident"?? Maybe they couldn't find any of his clips that were worth posting, but he absolutely paved the way for so many TV comics. Scott Thompson's work on Kids In The Hall (which was on American TV) should have made the cut. Mark Russell (who I never liked as a comedian but who definitely made a mark on how to do "safe" political humor that you can see in Colbert today). Chris Elliot should have been there for his Guy Under The Stairs if not for Get A Life. And Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback - which was brought back because it inspired so many of today's comedy writers. I would have loved to have sen Anna Russell's How To Write a Gilbert And Sullivan Operetta, but I can't see a throughline from it to anything today, so that might be why it was omitted.
So glad to see Elayne Boosler and Paula Poundstone on the list. Would have liked to see Rita Rudner there too - she made it okay to be funny and actually glamorous.
Also not sure I agree with all the picked clips -- The Harpo and the mirror scene from Duck Soup was pretty seminal, and I while I'm not sure I would take out What's Opera Doc, I think the list is incomplete without Duck Amuck for metacommentary.
TL;DR there's nothing less funny than talking about what's funny (just ask Freud), but this was a treat.
posted by Mchelly at 8:51 AM on February 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
Thanks Horace Rumpole for posting this. That Whoopi Goldberg clip is one I'd been looking for. For years. I thought it was titled Fontaine. It's probably one of the most underrated pieces of standup comedy on film. That opening 15 minutes with her playing Fontaine is so memorable and masterful to me, I'm surprised they went with the surfer part.
posted by cashman at 8:52 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by cashman at 8:52 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I had a great time reading this last night. I though it was very effective when it boiled these bits down to their influence on subsequent pieces, such as "Lazy Sunday," being a major driver of YouTube.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:53 AM on February 1, 2016
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:53 AM on February 1, 2016
Which is why they included Peter Sellers.
Well, they weaseled out by attributing the line to Kubrick. If we put Sellers in the running for Dr Strangelove, it's got to be the red line phonecall though: it's amazing how Sellers conjures up the Russian premier, when we don't even hear him speak let alone see him on screen.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Well, they weaseled out by attributing the line to Kubrick. If we put Sellers in the running for Dr Strangelove, it's got to be the red line phonecall though: it's amazing how Sellers conjures up the Russian premier, when we don't even hear him speak let alone see him on screen.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Also no Mitch Hedberg is not just like Stephen Wright. WAY BETTER MORE BETTER than Wright.
Mitch Hedburg jokes feel to me like they're something anyone might think of if they could just find a really good weed connection. Steven Wright jokes feel to me like something that someone who, 40 years in, still finds his human suit itches, might think of.
posted by Diablevert at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
Mitch Hedburg jokes feel to me like they're something anyone might think of if they could just find a really good weed connection. Steven Wright jokes feel to me like something that someone who, 40 years in, still finds his human suit itches, might think of.
posted by Diablevert at 9:28 AM on February 1, 2016 [9 favorites]
I remember being incredibly baffled as a kid by "Take my wife... please," because I'd never been given any context for it, so I didn't understand that it was meant to be initially understood as "take, for example, my wife."
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:36 AM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
Buster Keaton is rightfully on the list, but they picked the wrong clip. The railroad gag from the General is solid, but it's not as good as the motorcycle scene from Sherlock, Jr. That one still gets chuckles 92 years later.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:02 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Pater Aletheias at 10:02 AM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
Okay. For the record, Will Rogers was doing his routine well before the 1930s (he died in 35). Buster Keaton, if reduced to a single moment, would be the front of the barn falling on him and him slipping through the second floor window. "Who's On First?" was a turn of the century (19th to 20th) vaudeville routine, although Abbott and Costello perfected it. Burns and Allen should be remembered for the pants joke.
George: What about Willy?
Gracie: Well, he broke his back.
George: Broke his back? How did he do that?
Gracie: Well, on account that he's left-handed.
George: He broke his back because he's left-handed.
Gracie: Yes. Well, you see, what happened was he had a doughnut in his right-hand pocket and when he went to take it out with his left hand...
George: He broke his back?
Gracie: Yah!
George: Well you tell Bessie, the next time to tell Willy that if he's got a doughnut in his right-hand pocket to try to take it out with his right-hand.
Gracie: Yah. But that's hard to do when you have your pants on backwards.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:13 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
George: What about Willy?
Gracie: Well, he broke his back.
George: Broke his back? How did he do that?
Gracie: Well, on account that he's left-handed.
George: He broke his back because he's left-handed.
Gracie: Yes. Well, you see, what happened was he had a doughnut in his right-hand pocket and when he went to take it out with his left hand...
George: He broke his back?
Gracie: Yah!
George: Well you tell Bessie, the next time to tell Willy that if he's got a doughnut in his right-hand pocket to try to take it out with his right-hand.
Gracie: Yah. But that's hard to do when you have your pants on backwards.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 10:13 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Funny stuff and even managed to include The Aristocrats but, in the end, Winters kills...
posted by jim in austin at 10:37 AM on February 1, 2016
posted by jim in austin at 10:37 AM on February 1, 2016
Also no Mitch Hedberg is not just like Stephen Wright.
This is true.
He's also like Emo Phillips.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:58 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
This is true.
He's also like Emo Phillips.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:58 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Burns and Allen should be remembered for the pants joke.
as a lefty, I find that problematic, but what do you expect for the time
/hamburger
posted by sweetkid at 10:58 AM on February 1, 2016
as a lefty, I find that problematic, but what do you expect for the time
/hamburger
posted by sweetkid at 10:58 AM on February 1, 2016
Also no Mitch Hedberg is not just like Stephen Wright. WAY BETTER MORE BETTER than Wright.
Mitch Hedburg jokes feel to me like they're something anyone might think of if they could just find a really good weed connection. Steven Wright jokes feel to me like something that someone who, 40 years in, still finds his human suit itches, might think of.
Agree to disagree, I feel like Steven Wright sounds like Amelia Bedelia from the books I read as a child.
Did you misspell Hedberg because I misspelled Stephen?
posted by sweetkid at 11:00 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Mitch Hedburg jokes feel to me like they're something anyone might think of if they could just find a really good weed connection. Steven Wright jokes feel to me like something that someone who, 40 years in, still finds his human suit itches, might think of.
Agree to disagree, I feel like Steven Wright sounds like Amelia Bedelia from the books I read as a child.
Did you misspell Hedberg because I misspelled Stephen?
posted by sweetkid at 11:00 AM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Comedy is like a banana, best consumed on the spot - Sartre
By which I mean some comedy has a shelf life and that's okay.
posted by bleep at 11:33 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
By which I mean some comedy has a shelf life and that's okay.
posted by bleep at 11:33 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Excellent choice on which Simpsons moment to choose. I remember watching that episode for the first time; pretty sure that was the first time the show made me laugh to the point of respiratory difficulty.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 11:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 11:49 AM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Did you misspell Hedberg because I misspelled Stephen?
I'm just a terrible speller.
posted by Diablevert at 11:57 AM on February 1, 2016
I'm just a terrible speller.
posted by Diablevert at 11:57 AM on February 1, 2016
Count me as among those who don't get the list. I really enjoyed the first two thirds of it. It had the benefit of pointing to those bits that have marinated in our consciousness and can truly be considered historically important. But the recent stuff (last decade) just was nonsense. It became some disjointed list of social justice talking points apparently intending to make comedy Look Important based on some issues the writer thinks is important today rather than some historical importance from comedy.
Comedy is comedy. One type of comedy is the type that plays on prejudices and leads to more acceptance. But that's just a type. It's not the reason for comedy. Youngman's "take my wife, please" joke is not great because it somehow played upon patriarchal tendencies. But look at the more modern stuff. Everything included seems to imply the humor is tied almost exclusively to some belief about what is important today in a certain segment of the internet. I don't know if Maria Bamford is going to be remembered 80 years from now like Youngman, but I doubt it. I think she is occasionally funny now, but I wouldn't put her in the top 20 stand ups working now. And I really enjoy Mark Maron, but I cannot for the life of me understand why his story about Sandler is important or memorable. I'm a big Hannibal Burress fan, and that has absolutely nothing to do with Bill Cosby. All the things that make me laugh when I think of Hannibal jokes does not include the Cosby comment.
The last part of the list feels contrived.
I'd rather them include someone like Hedberg, Sam Kinison, or Patrice O'Neal who I think will have more lasting impact on comedy than some random quote from Lena Dunham. And why not include Robert Schimmel who talked about his testicular cancer decades before Tig Notaro did and was a hell of a lot funnier about it? Speaking of testicular cancer, what about Tom Green sucking a cow teat? Not my cup of tea but did seem to push boundaries of comedy on TV and inspire Borat type stuff. Or what about Mike Birbiglia and his refinement of the One-Man-Act hour long story/comedy? That seems important. Patton Oswalt's nerd-comedy? No Eddie Murphy stand up? John Belushi's joke from animal house about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor or anything from the Blue Brothers is probably more impactful in comedy circles than 40 year old Virgin, the poo scene from Bridesmaids, or Ellen DeGeneres lip-synching (and why on earth is the very good stand up comic Ellen's entry relegated to lip synching a song?).
Ugh, the last bit of that list from 2000 on just made no sense.
(Oh, and while I do give props to Gilbert for his 9/11 joke, I prefer Louis C.K.'s joke: You can tell how bad a person is based on how soon after 9/11 you masturbated or how long you waited. For him, it was between the two buildings going down. That is funnier, though I recognize that Gilbert's is being applauded due to its temporal proximity to 9/11 and I salute him for that).
posted by dios at 12:02 PM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Comedy is comedy. One type of comedy is the type that plays on prejudices and leads to more acceptance. But that's just a type. It's not the reason for comedy. Youngman's "take my wife, please" joke is not great because it somehow played upon patriarchal tendencies. But look at the more modern stuff. Everything included seems to imply the humor is tied almost exclusively to some belief about what is important today in a certain segment of the internet. I don't know if Maria Bamford is going to be remembered 80 years from now like Youngman, but I doubt it. I think she is occasionally funny now, but I wouldn't put her in the top 20 stand ups working now. And I really enjoy Mark Maron, but I cannot for the life of me understand why his story about Sandler is important or memorable. I'm a big Hannibal Burress fan, and that has absolutely nothing to do with Bill Cosby. All the things that make me laugh when I think of Hannibal jokes does not include the Cosby comment.
The last part of the list feels contrived.
I'd rather them include someone like Hedberg, Sam Kinison, or Patrice O'Neal who I think will have more lasting impact on comedy than some random quote from Lena Dunham. And why not include Robert Schimmel who talked about his testicular cancer decades before Tig Notaro did and was a hell of a lot funnier about it? Speaking of testicular cancer, what about Tom Green sucking a cow teat? Not my cup of tea but did seem to push boundaries of comedy on TV and inspire Borat type stuff. Or what about Mike Birbiglia and his refinement of the One-Man-Act hour long story/comedy? That seems important. Patton Oswalt's nerd-comedy? No Eddie Murphy stand up? John Belushi's joke from animal house about the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor or anything from the Blue Brothers is probably more impactful in comedy circles than 40 year old Virgin, the poo scene from Bridesmaids, or Ellen DeGeneres lip-synching (and why on earth is the very good stand up comic Ellen's entry relegated to lip synching a song?).
Ugh, the last bit of that list from 2000 on just made no sense.
(Oh, and while I do give props to Gilbert for his 9/11 joke, I prefer Louis C.K.'s joke: You can tell how bad a person is based on how soon after 9/11 you masturbated or how long you waited. For him, it was between the two buildings going down. That is funnier, though I recognize that Gilbert's is being applauded due to its temporal proximity to 9/11 and I salute him for that).
posted by dios at 12:02 PM on February 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you explain what comedy is.
posted by bondcliff at 12:56 PM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
posted by bondcliff at 12:56 PM on February 1, 2016 [10 favorites]
I was hoping against hope that this list would include the greatest religious joke of all time (as determined by me), so I guess I'll just have to drop it here. To be imagined being delivered in the voice of Emo Phillips:
Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"
He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.
posted by vverse23 at 12:58 PM on February 1, 2016 [29 favorites]
Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"
He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.
posted by vverse23 at 12:58 PM on February 1, 2016 [29 favorites]
>What happened to Hedberg? Who can eat a time like this? This person is MISSING. Vulture can eat when they've found Mitch Hedberg.
Mitch Hedberg isn't missing, he just took the wrong exit off the highway.
posted by Catblack at 1:08 PM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
Mitch Hedberg isn't missing, he just took the wrong exit off the highway.
posted by Catblack at 1:08 PM on February 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
I don't know if Maria Bamford is going to be remembered 80 years from now like Youngman, but I doubt it. I think she is occasionally funny now, but I wouldn't put her in the top 20 stand ups working now.
That's cool. I, on the other hand, would put her in the top 1. So there's that. I think I would have picked something off of Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, though.
posted by Errant at 1:47 PM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
That's cool. I, on the other hand, would put her in the top 1. So there's that. I think I would have picked something off of Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome, though.
posted by Errant at 1:47 PM on February 1, 2016 [6 favorites]
Bacon, Beans, and Limousines is a great set by John Stewart Will Rogers
Mary's Interview is really a great glass ceiling story byTina Fey Mary Tyler Moore.
I haven't seen many roasters do as fine a job asJeffrey Ross Don Rickles on the Dean Martin Show
While when we think of send ups at awards shows we all think of more recent ones,Ricky Gervais Bob Hope set the tone for awards shows being a light roast.
posted by Nanukthedog at 2:01 PM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Mary's Interview is really a great glass ceiling story by
I haven't seen many roasters do as fine a job as
While when we think of send ups at awards shows we all think of more recent ones,
posted by Nanukthedog at 2:01 PM on February 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Great point about trailblazing comics, Nanukthedog Sartre.
posted by maxwelton at 1:42 AM on February 2, 2016
posted by maxwelton at 1:42 AM on February 2, 2016
I'd just like to give props to the Vulture for not succumbing to ad-view-inspired impulses, and making this a single page. It's gigantic in terms of page weight, but still a Good Thing.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:43 PM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:43 PM on February 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yeah, same here. I wouldn't have posted it if you had to click through 100 slides.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:13 PM on February 2, 2016
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:13 PM on February 2, 2016
(Oh, and while I do give props to Gilbert for his 9/11 joke, I prefer Louis C.K.'s joke: You can tell how bad a person is based on how soon after 9/11 you masturbated or how long you waited. For him, it was between the two buildings going down. That is funnier, though I recognize that Gilbert's is being applauded due to its temporal proximity to 9/11 and I salute him for that).
That's a good way to put it.
posted by anothermug at 5:18 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
That's a good way to put it.
posted by anothermug at 5:18 PM on February 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Great work, in the main. However, no Firesign Theatre? That, I can see, I suppose (too singular - if you get me - possibly), but no Bob & Ray? Really?
posted by On the Corner at 1:11 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by On the Corner at 1:11 AM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Ernie Kovacs, who’d be all over this list had he not died young in a car accident"
"Died young"?
He was a few days off of being 43.
And where are Bob and Ray?
posted by BWA at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2016
"Died young"?
He was a few days off of being 43.
And where are Bob and Ray?
posted by BWA at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2016
43 isn't too young to die? Brutal.
posted by sweetkid at 6:08 PM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by sweetkid at 6:08 PM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also died too young (in my estimation, anyway, of not enough life, which 43 also qualifies for):
Mitch Hedberg (37)
Andy Kaufman (35)
Bill Hicks (32)
What's the cutoff for "having had a good enough run"? Hell Pryor was only 65.
posted by sweetkid at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Mitch Hedberg (37)
Andy Kaufman (35)
Bill Hicks (32)
What's the cutoff for "having had a good enough run"? Hell Pryor was only 65.
posted by sweetkid at 6:29 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
See, this is why I love that Tom Lehrer one-liner. No matter your age, there's some legendary, over-achieving asshole who did something brilliant and then died younger than you.
(The antidote to this is recognising all the counter-examples who got started late. The late, great Alan Rickman being the example that comes most easily to mind. He first TV role was at 32 and his first film role (Die Hard!) at 42.)
posted by tobascodagama at 6:36 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
(The antidote to this is recognising all the counter-examples who got started late. The late, great Alan Rickman being the example that comes most easily to mind. He first TV role was at 32 and his first film role (Die Hard!) at 42.)
posted by tobascodagama at 6:36 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
At 43 Ernie Kovacs had 30 - 40 years of potential wasted. The cult of youth is sort of ridiculous, especially when it comes to comics, who usually need life experience and hard knocks to hone their work.
Pete Davidson (SNL) is kind of a fascinating case to me because at 22 he's like a child prodigy of comedy. Most funny 22 year olds are only funny to other 22 year olds, but he has really broad, mature material. I know people say he had early tragedy (father died in 9/11) but he's just super sharp and brave. Started working comedy circuits in NYC at 16.
Still if he died at 42, God forbid, yeah that would be too young.
posted by sweetkid at 6:46 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Pete Davidson (SNL) is kind of a fascinating case to me because at 22 he's like a child prodigy of comedy. Most funny 22 year olds are only funny to other 22 year olds, but he has really broad, mature material. I know people say he had early tragedy (father died in 9/11) but he's just super sharp and brave. Started working comedy circuits in NYC at 16.
Still if he died at 42, God forbid, yeah that would be too young.
posted by sweetkid at 6:46 PM on February 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by caddis at 6:42 AM on February 1, 2016