That's just like your opinion, man. I was brought up Muslim, and the Jewish sense of humor is something I could relate to innately. I feel incredibly lucky for my perspective. Anyway, comedy is all pain, you know, and coming from my background, it has been my great pleasure- more than I can convey- to understand what I have about the Jewish-American experience through their great comics. It's been one of their primary ways of contribution to American culture, and the contribution is immeasurable
Couldnt agree more with Connolly. Hecklers are the most disrespectful jackasses in the world. Stop trying to pull focus away from the person YOU PAID to see. If you want to be heard, go do standup yourself and dont hijack another persons act.
Yeah, I think the Edinburgh Festival influences a lot of British acts, so its all about creating an hour long show. So a lot is about the performance, thus creating a lot of character acts and shows with a lot of narrative. Where as in America, comedians write shorter jokes and observations to get the biggest laughs without having to get the audience to invest too much. I'd say it all comes under the blanket of stand up though, after all it is one person on stage creating laughs.
Well exactly, American comedy hasn't really moved on much from the looks of things; Canada stand-ups outperform their American counterparts over here. And Minchin is Australian. Overall the most ground-breaking, boundary pushing comedy is performed in Britain, especially at the Fringe.
Also I have to point out that the yank who's saying that american stand up is superior isn't wrong, not only is there a stigma attached to not writing their own material but they also have more evolved jokes and a more evolved scene, saying the British can't do stand up though isn't correct, someone like Stewart Lee is a better comedian than a fair amount of Americans but for the most part your right.
Americans obviously invented stand-up, but not comedy. And it has evolved very differently. Britain, now has much more diversity in styles and the biggest arts festival in the world. There is as much, possibly more, influence from British comedy than American nowadays.
Good comedians, but not really pushing the envelope. The Mighty Boosh, Paul Foot, Stewart Lee, Daniel Kitson, Tim Key, Tony Law (Canadian), Jack Whitehall, Terry Alderton, Frankie Boyle, Nick Helm, Glenn Wool(Canadian), Henning Wehn(German), Josie Long, Simon Munnery, Bill Baily. Seeing most of these guys shows, genuinely feels like you're watching something that is just that extra bit special. Russell Brand even does crazy stuff that you just don't witness with regular stand-ups.
Being a comedian, I can actually agree that there are more Jewish comedians than any other group. Black people follow a close second. You have to have a desire to up the ante artistically.
Lenny Bruce Groucho Marx Roseanne Barr Lewis Black Woody Allen Larry David Mel Brooks Dave Attell Rodney Dangerfeild Sandra Bernhard George Burns Andy Kaufman Richard Lewis Jackie Mason Don Rickles Joan Rivers Mort Sahl Jerry Seinfeld Sarah Silverman Jon Stewart The Three Stooges Marc Maron I think it's a fair few Jewish people.
What do you mean pushing the envelop? These guys are more entertainers than comedians. In America, comedy is more about the words and less about how you say them. We push the mental envelop, you may push the performance aspect but that is less stand up comedy and more stage comedy.
bar chris rock and dave chappelle nearly all the u.s stand ups that are big in the u.k are jewish, this is a bbc documentary hence why most people think the best u.s stand ups are jewish. The same way you think all our best dramas are costume dramas about rich people and their pleb servants
I've seen this doc and the American stand-ups in this are poor, the Kamua guy goes as far to say that he thinks irony shouldn't be used because some people don't get it. That's not to say you don't have brilliant comics, but they just aren't at the forefront of it any more. Eg. the Set List show that Provensa is making is amazing, but it's an idea that mock the week have used for years.
pfft ... Woody Allen... seriously, what black magic did this guy use to get people seeing some brilliant writer where there is just a sneaky, little creep who tells jokes... reminds me of Jimmy Saville.... And may I add...GO DYLAN! The spell needs to be broken...
Kamua isn't very good. He has a decent show but he doesn't represent American comedy at all. Anthony Jeselnik, Hannibal Burres, Amy Schumer, Colin Quinn, Jim Norton, Greg Giraldo, Patrice Oneal, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Jeff Ross, Bill Burr. All those guys would destroy English comedy.
Jewish? All of 'em? How about? George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle... and many bloody more. Well, who can expect arrogant O'Briain to have consideration for the impression of things people other than himself have.
![The Art of Stand Up - BBC HD [3/10]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
