Favorite Stand Up Comics
I couldn't find another thread about just stand up comedy, if it should be moved, so be it.
Just wanted to see who everyo
What a great story.
It was my first stand-up appearance on Letterman, and I had to follow the funniest man in the world. I was a punk kid from rural Ontario and I was in my dressing room, terrified. I was on the phone to a friend back home when the funniest man in the world ambled by. There was no one else on the floor. In shock, I told my friend who just walked by. Only the funniest man in the world. I guess he heard me say his name, 'cause in an instant he was at my side. He was a Jewish tailor, taking my measurements. He went down on his knees, asked which way I dressed. I told my friend on the phone that the funniest man in the world was on his knees before me, measuring my inseam. My friend didn’t believe me so I said, “Could you talk to my friend, sir?” The funniest man in the world took the phone and for ten minutes took my friend’s Chinese food order. I laughed and laughed and it was like I was in a dream because no one else was there. No one. The place was out of Moo Shoo Pork, and there was nothing he could do about it. He angrily hung up on my friend and I was about to thank him when he said I hadn’t even tried the jacket on. Then the funniest man on Earth dressed me, a complete stranger, and I remember he ended with a Windsor knot. He spoke mostly Yiddish, but when he finished he was happy with his job and turned me to a mirror to present myself to me. No one witnessed any of this. When he left my dressing room, I felt alone. As alone as I ever remember feeling. Until today.
#RIPRobinWilliams
—Norm Macdonald, August 12th, 2014
A+ thanks for sharing.
man norm was such a treasure.
one elite talent talking about another.
They are like the only two celebrity deaths that I actually cried over. Robin cause he was my moms absolute fav and Norm cause I started doing standup the same day he died.
loved norm, was my favorite comic, it's weird though as i always talked about how great he was and never got much agreement but then after his death his best jokes all went viral and i think people found a new appreciation for him
you got clips you don't mind sharing of your standup?
what was the process for getting started in doing that - would love to read an exhaustive tr
loved norm, was my favorite comic, it's weird though as i always talked about how great he was and never got much agreement but then after his death his best jokes all went viral and i think people found a new appreciation for him
It's kind of crazy he never made the A-list or whatever. He's such a prolific comedian, and it's all great with the exception of his very early stand-up. He would have been great as a late night talk show host. Have you ever seen the Back to Norm sketch show? The description says it was a pilot, but I think it was supposed to be a one-off. Don't quote me on that.
People are agreeing with him. I'm like, "Whaaat?"
Discovered his online show, Norm Macdonald Live, not long ago. So good!
Can download them all here - https://archive.org/download/Norm_Macdon...
i am just in love with the opening to this special it's just awesome and i'm sure as many of use have pursued serious interests or even careers in gambling, we can all relate all too well
if you love norm and somehow haven't seen dirty work do yourself a favor.
chevy chase so great in that too.
Holy crap, this has just popped up on a UK reddit thread. We are not impressed!
(If you don't know, Peter Kay is one of the biggest comic acts ever in the UK. This guy is a tribute act, literally copying his routine word-for-word. Madness!)
Current challenge on the sub is seeing how far we can get watching his 4:19min showreel before tapping out.
Average at the moment is around 30sec.
a standup cover comedian is not something i ever imagined happening, why wouldn't you just watch the original on tape instead?
ya that's just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard of
Sorry in advance
wow british chris farley sucks
It’s always strange to see very early Norm, but not nearly as strange as very early Daniel Tosh. I used to think of their first eras of demeanor as similar and thought that both grew into their more confident selves. But after seeing that stuff more recently, Norm was pretty much the same, just younger lol
It’s always strange to see very early Norm, but not nearly as strange as very early Daniel Tosh. I used to think of their first eras of demeanor as similar and thought that both grew into their more confident selves. But after seeing that stuff more recently, Norm was pretty much the same, just younger lol
Norm's early stand-up was/appeared more contrived and didn't contain as many layers. He definitely got a lot better as the years went on.
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Just posted on Mark Normand's channel.
Norm's early stand-up was/appeared more contrived and didn't contain as many layers. He definitely got a lot better as the years went on.
He did develop over time but I also think he had a lot of that in him but knew that he had to break in with the simpler comedy.
His podcast was beyond awesome and I feel like his best work overall. He had no apparent limits and touched on a lot of stuff that comics are shying away from these days to great effect. While the Netflix version is very good, it didn't have the magic of the podcast.
He did develop over time but I also think he had a lot of that in him but knew that he had to break in with the simpler comedy.
His podcast was beyond awesome and I feel like his best work overall. He had no apparent limits and touched on a lot of stuff that comics are shying away from these days to great effect. While the Netflix version is very good, it didn't have the magic of the podcast.
I believe it has more to do with trial and error and figuring out what worked best. In the clip about Sinbad that I posted, he mentions how early on he would memorize every word and how he no longer did that. There are some comics (and writers, songwriters, etc.) that do their best work early on, but then there the ones who work super hard at what they do and figure out new ways to make things work. Some of the insights he shared made it clear that he thought really deeply about comedy.
There's an essay of sorts that he wrote on Twitter where he talked about how stand up comedy as it's primarily done is a craft and not an art. Art can be a part of it but that comes later. The idea is that you have to make something happen; say something and get the entire audience to laugh at the same time. It's like building a good chair. The most important thing is that it's functional; it's comfortable, the legs are even, and it won't fall apart. Adding intricate details are of secondary importance. Then he talked about how stand up comedians don't actually come up with laughs. The idea is that a comic tells a joke and the audience does what it's going to do, but neither the comedian nor audience decides what is funny. Funny just is. It's like building a chair from a set of instructions. Great read. If I can find it, I'll post it here.
Norm Macdonald Live was great.
Saw this dude on David Cross' podcast a couple of weeks ago and he was great. This special is even better!
Broken YouTube LinkJosh Johnson is probably the best up and comer right now. He’s actually a step or 2 beyond up and comer but still. His older stuff was very good even though he was like 17 or something. Lately, he’s been dropping long sets on various subjects that are really great. There was a 30 minute or so bit about the Kendrick vs Drake feud and his latest is an hour+ on Diddy and that whole thing. It’s all pretty much off the cuff and he’s yet to miss.
