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    #1

    Angry Comedy

    Since the latest Gilbert Gottfried fiasco, my wife and I have been talking about stand-up routines that we enjoyed when we were younger and it occurred to us that off-colour comics seem to be going the way of the dodo.

    Back when I was a kid, Gilbert was already into full swing, being one of the most offensive (and descriptive) comedians around. At the same time we had George Carlin, always great for some angry humour (with a touch of the offensive), Bobcat Golthwait (who was really only offensive if you treasure the English language), and Sam Kinison (by far, his offensiveness was usually tied directly to his experiences: Women and church).

    While we were talking, it occurred to us that...well shit...who else is there? Andrew Dice Clay? Occasionally reviving the character when he needs money (seems to be about once every ten years the Diceman returns for a five stop tour around Las Vegas...and nowhere else, it seems).

    Are there that few people out there that appreciate the truly offensive? (As a point of reference: http://www.examiner.com/howard-stern...at-roast-video )

    So what's the deal? Leary seems to be heading downhill in a hurry...and I really don't see that many comedians of that caliber anymore. Sure, Gabriel Iglesies and Ron White are great, but they're stand-up is pretty standard fare.

    Well?

    (Note: "offensive" is more than just slinging racial slurs. Read the link above for an illustration of what *I* mean to be "offensive" )
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    #2
    Re: Angry Comedy

    I think it just gets old after awhile. You can only handle paying someone to scream at you for so long before it stops being funny & just becomes strident.

    George Carlin was absolutely hilarious and had a greater proportion of observational/experiential humor to buffer his rants. He also had the savvy to keep his material updated & fresh. He made the transition from beatnik/hippy to 'modern older guy' quite well. A lot of comics get stuck in their 'era' - Dennis Leary whining about meat & cigarettes for 20 years just isn't all that relevant.
    The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

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      #3
      Re: Angry Comedy

      Yeah...I really don't find jokes about childhood molestation funny. Actually, I don't really find celebrity roasts all that funny either. Now, I laugh my ass off at old school Robin Williams, George Carlin, Eddie Izzard and Lewis Black...so I don't think its inability to find offensive things funny...but I really just find Andrew Dice Clay and Dennis Leary to be nerve gratingly annoying. I need humor that more than pissed off whining...it actually needs to be clever in some way.
      Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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        #4
        Re: Angry Comedy

        Plus - everyone's so lawsuit-happy, entertainers have to be a little careful these days.
        sigpic
        Can you hear me, Major Tom? I think I love you.

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          #5
          Re: Angry Comedy

          I generally like Denis Leary, but it is probably true that once you've seen one of his specials, you've basically seen them all. I think that generally, observational humor has always been the backbone to stand up comedy. As such, the ones that can't mix angry comedy with good observational humor, you're going to get old. Fast.
          Cogito ergo sum.

          My blog type thing: RaineV1.tumblr.com

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            #6
            Re: Angry Comedy

            Personally I'm bored with Denis Leary... But then, the type of comedy I prefer is the dead-pan back comedy stuff you find in the UK and Aust (we stole it from the UK ^_^). That and self-deprecating humour, which Aussies seem to do so well.

            I agree with Perzephone. It just gets boring. I'm sure it'll swing round back to angry comedy eventually.

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              #7
              Re: Angry Comedy

              I still think the greatest comedian of all time was Dave Allen.... his target was mostly the Catholic Church, but his humour was basically observational and very funny. Plus it was the way he told his stories... he had a way of becoming everyone. Some people at the time (early seventies) found him highly offensive. But I thought - and still think - he was brilliant. There's quite a few clips of him on YouTube if your interested. Loads of people copied him.
              www.thewolfenhowlepress.com


              Phantom Turnips never die.... they just get stewed occasionally....

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                #8
                Re: Angry Comedy

                Louis C.K. is probably my favorite standup comedian right now. He's not angry but he is cynical, so it's the closest thing (I think) these days to an off-color comedian. Even his show was funny.

                Louis CK - All Chewed Up - I Fucking Hate Deer
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPas5Xu0_8M&feature=fvst
                Louis CK Describes His Subtle Hatred For Deer


                And Denis Leary was funny for a few minutes back in the day, but he got old in a hurry.
                No one tells the wind which way to blow.

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                  #9
                  Re: Angry Comedy

                  I think ist's like Perzephone says - it comes and goes, in cycles. The best comedians want to be fresh & new, and what has been done has been done, so they do something else. Eventually what was old will fade from memory, then it becomes new again.

                  Once the limits of comedy have been pushed into abysmal bad taste, there's no where else to go - unless somebody wants to shit on stage (which would probably be considered a form of performance art)... You see the same kinds of cycles in all the arts - push the limits as far as they will go, then retreat into a more classic style, but modified, with broader limits.
                  Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                    #10
                    Re: Angry Comedy

                    This is comedy to me ... Simple ... Clean ...

                    I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them ... John Bernard Books


                    Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official; "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done."

                    The Chief nodded in agreement.

                    The official continued; "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"

                    The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied.. "When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water. Women did all the work, Medicine Man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

                    Then the chief leaned back and smiled; "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that."
                    ​



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                      #11
                      Re: Angry Comedy

                      (I know I'm very late in this discussion, but what the heck.)

                      I don't know much about stand-up comedians, but I am a HUGE fan of Bill Cosby. Now I never knew he was a comedian; I know him from The Cosby Show. I always thought he was hilarious on the show. The thing I love about him is that he can say things that normally wouldn't be all that funny, but end up being hysterical because of how he says it.

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                        #12
                        Re: Angry Comedy

                        I don't find it all that funny really. I like comics who are critical of our institutions and who aren't exactly PC, but the 'anger' thing just doesn't do it for me. My all-time fav is Eddie Izzard. I also have been finding Dylan Moran quite funny lately.

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                          #13
                          Re: Angry Comedy

                          Originally posted by DanieMarie View Post
                          I don't find it all that funny really. I like comics who are critical of our institutions and who aren't exactly PC, but the 'anger' thing just doesn't do it for me. My all-time fav is Eddie Izzard. I also have been finding Dylan Moran quite funny lately.
                          Eddie Izzard is my all-time fav to.
                          http://thefeministpagan.blogspot.co.uk/

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                            #14
                            Re: Angry Comedy

                            I really tend to like comedians that are more edgy and don't have a "theme". Like okay Jeff Foxworthy is alright, and Jeff Dunham is a great performer... But I tend to like comedians like Lewis Black and Wanda Sykes. Though right now I am thoroughly enjoying Mitch Hedberg (R.I.P.)
                            sigpic

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