By Dhruv Arora:
Stand-Up comedy is one of my most loved art forms and has become essential viewing for me over the past many years. I believe I was introduced to stand-up much later in life, because of which I had to spend a lot of time (not regrettably so) looking up various artists and catching up on things. Here’s a list of some of my favourite Stand-Up comedians of all time, I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed compiling them!
Louis CK: Why?
Lous CK has come to be known as one of the best comedians of this generation, and has gained recognition completely on his own without help from the major labels. In this video, as Louis talks about his (ahem) love for children, you will find out just what it is that makes Louis such a successful comedian.
Sarah Silverman: Low Self Esteem
Sarah’s sense of humor is more in-your-face than some of the others on this list, and she most definitely ranks up there with the best stand-up comedians of all time. This stand-up bit was intended to be a satire on society, one that will make you scream “OH MY GOD did she just say that!” and laugh your bottoms off at the same time.
George Carlin: Religion
Easily one of the best stand-up comedians of all time, George’s stand-up was more social commentary on the world as opposed to basic comedic bits. It will be hard for me to talk about George Carlin on the same league as all of the others here, because I am most definitely going to biased towards him. Why, you ask? Watch this video to find out.
Bill Hicks: On Music and Drugs
Much like George, Bill Hicks is one of the most influential and well known stand-up comedians in the history of the business, and for a very good reason. He too liked to commentate on things that mattered to him, and often spoke about things that would now be considered highly controversial, and that never mattered to Bill though, and this stand-up on music and drugs will tell you the reason why.
Kevin Hart: Confronting My Teacher
Kevin is one of the most entertaining stand-up artists on this list because his strength lies not just in how funny the joke may be, but how he delivers it. Even the smallest things sound funny when coming from Kevin, and this (I’m gonna say fictional) account of him confronting his teacher is a hoot and a half!
Ellen Degeneres: Of Massages and Flying
Although she is now known as the hilarious host of the fantastic Ellen Degeneres Show, Ellen too (not surprisingly) started off with Stand-Up comedy at first, and boy did she nail it! Here she is talking about massages and, well, flying.
Dave Chapelle: Baby On The Corner
Often considered one of the finest stand-up artists (and not exactly known to be very politically correct), this bit features Dave talking about a late night experience of going to an unknown place in a cab. I’ll leave the rest for you to watch.
Russell Peters: Arab Jokes
Probably among the best known modern stand-up artists in the list, Russell Peters has made a name for himself as one of the giants in the stand-up industry. Peters often talks about stereotypes in his bits, and in this segment, he talks about how the world looks at Arab people. Definitely worth your time!
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: Visiting Saudi Arabia
Gabriel Iglesias has come to be known as one of the greats because of his delivery of jokes. Gabriel is not afraid to laugh at himself, and this is why his stand-up bits have often succeeded in making people laugh till they cry. This may be a bit long, but every second is worth watching!
Bill Cosby: Chocolate Cake
A list on stand-up comedy wouldn’t quite be complete without some Bill Cosby on it. Although some say that Bill’s claim to fame was the Cosby Show, many know him as the legendary stand-up and one of the first people to establish stand-up comedy as a (not-so-)serious profession. Here’s one of Bill’s finest bits.
Of course, there are many more stand-up comedians and bits that I would love to include in this list and haven’t had the chance to yet.
Would you like to see more fantastic stand-up comedy bits? Let me on on twitter at @thedhruvarora