I’ve been hooked on comedy albums as of late, particularly the genius work of Louis C.K., my new favorite stand-up comedian of all time. I think I have a non-sexual crush on him; no one makes me laugh as much as he does. It doesn’t matter how wicked or vulgar he gets, it’s all gold in my eyes. One of the things I most admire about him is how often his material changes instead of using the same old stuff over and over for decades. It’s a testament to just how funny he is.
Also? Dane Cook totally stole his material! It’s so obvious now. Fuck Dane Cook anyway. I haven’t liked him or Carlos Mencia for awhile now and I take back what I said in this entry because Louis DOES do the material better, *I* just didn’t know any better back then. You have to check out his old HBO series, Lucky Louie, and be sure to tune into his current series, Louie when it returns to FX later this year.
If I had to put together a list of my other favorite comedians right now, they would be:
The late, but great Mitch Hedberg. There won’t be another like this guy. Until Louis came into my life I’d listen to Mitch’s work often. I’m still sad that he died.
Nick Swardson – his half hour show on Comedy Central, Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time, is bizarre but great (who doesn’t love a wheelchair-bound cat addicted to drugs?), and he was so funny on Reno 911 as Terry (the gay guy on rollerskates). I absolutely loved him in Grandma’s Boy which he co-wrote and happens to be one of my favorite movies. He also wrote another favorite of mine – Malibu’s Most Wanted. No wonder Adam Sandler took him under his wing. The guy is hilarious!
Aziz Ansari – Ever since I saw him on the last season of Scrubs (albeit briefly), I was hooked. He’s highly entertaining on Parks & Recreation and his stand-up is engaging.
Russell Peters – His racial comedy never stops me laughing. I love when he does he’s accents, particularly the Indian one. “Someone gonna get a hurt real bad!”
Dave Chapelle – His stand-up can be hit or miss, but I always found the Chappelle Show funny and enjoyed him in Half Baked. It’s too bad he’s dropped off the face of the earth.
Strangely enough, the only one I’ve seen live so far is Aziz but I hope to change that once the other guys make their next circuit.
Interesting how the list only includes male comedians. I think it has to do with the material. Women just can’t pull off talking about diarrhea or how much their kids are assholes and I like that sort of thing. If I had to pick one female I do find amusing, though, it would be without a doubt Wanda Sykes, and she’s a lesbian, so it’s clear I only like comics who like women. ;)