I’ve been slacking lately with Top 5 Friday blogs… a thousand apologies, loyal readers!
Today I decided to mix it up and discuss my Top 5 stand-up comedians. Comedy is an under-appreciated art, in my opinion. A musical group can write a 3-minute song and get rich. A stand-up comedian has to write 15, 30 or 60 minutes worth of jokes and perform in front of a drunken audience who won’t hesitate to start heckling if they aren’t impressed. I’m not saying creating music is easy, but a 1988 Casio keyboard can come up with a good beat. Yet there still isn’t a computer on on the planet that can tell a good joke. With that in mind, it’s time to appreciate this under-appreciated art with…
Rogue Hippo’s Top 5 Stand-Up Comedians
******* WARNING- MANY OF THESE VIDEOS ARE NOT SAFE FOR WORK *******
#5 Mitch Hedberg
Mitch Hedberg had stage fright and this picture shows it well. He wore sunglasses and often closed his eyes on stage because looking at the audience gave him anxiety. Overcoming that to become a stand-up comedian is impressive. If you listen to any of his comedy, you’ll quickly notice that he observed the world in a way that allowed him to find oddities hidden within such mundane things as corn-on-the-cob. I’m writing about Mitch in the past tense because he died of a drug overdose in 2005. It’s too bad. He seemed like a fun dude. RIP Mitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVTLFoB6yHk
#4 Daniel Tosh
It’s likely that you’ve heard of Daniel Tosh from his Comedy Central show Tosh.0. It’s a good show. His stand-up is better. He’ll offend some people (correction… has offended some people) but when it comes to the ‘can-comedians-say-offensive-things?’ debate, I’m firmly in the camp that errs on the side of Freedom of Speech. Know your entertainer! Going to a Daniel Tosh show and complaining about offensive jokes is like going to a boxing match and complaining about violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Y_xmEoKKI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMRiTNuwMPY
#3 Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle is the most famous person on my list. Dave doesn’t really need an introduction from me; I’m sure you’ve heard of him. He focuses on racial humor… and he nails it. Watch his Netflix specials. Watch Chappelle Show. Read Pimp. He’s hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8YAK8oMEKI
#2 Jim Jefferies
Jim Jefferies is an Australian who does a lot of dumb American comedy. That seems to piss some people off; but, come on, dumb Americans are funny! He’s also no stranger to controversy, having been in the news for upsetting both feminists and the NRA (so at least he’s an equal opportunity offender). Once again, he’s another comedian with plenty of vulgar and offensive routines; so if that’s not your thing, watch the puppet guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGGQWfLzkeE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uicLtvetNmk
#1 Doug Stanhope
Doug Stanhope is a genius, pure and simple. His delivery style borders on angry and I don’t think it’s an act. Doug has the world figured out; and I honestly think it frustrates him that the world is too stupid to listen. In rant after rant, you’ll find yourself saying “That’s a really good point.” And it is! He’s smarter than any elected official in America; but the problem is that he looks like the kind of guy you’d be afraid to sit next to on a bus. Doug should also embroiled in controversy (because he’s just as vulgar as Tosh and Jefferies) but I think he’s just not famous enough for people to notice. It’s time to change that. Watch Doug Stanhope, spread the word, and let’s make him famous enough to get some controversial media attention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmzKmTIe_m4
*BONUS FOOTAGE* This next clip is great. For some reason, Doug had a conspiracy theorist open his show in Austin, Texas. The audience starts to gets heated and things are boiling by the time Doug finally takes the stage. I think most shows would’ve imploded and it’s damn impressive that Doug was able to regain control. He embraces the chaos, redirects the rage, and tames that audience like a master.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VDLw00Xg7w
Well, that’s it. There are plenty of good comedians that didn’t make the list but these are best of the best, in my opinion. Find a show near you:
Dave Chappelle currently has no shows
Until Next Time,
Rogue Hippo