I just dropped in to see what condition comedy was in
It's early on a Sunday morning. That's why I'm easy... but that's beside the point.
I was browsing through facebook (Why the hell isn't there a decent alternative yet?) and saw a post someone had liked. I can't find it, so I'll do my best to reference the few lines I actually absorbed. It was speaking about comedy, and the opinions of comedians regarding the current state of comedy and society.
One of the comedians talked about the most was Bill Burr. The article referred to a current special as well as a recent one, and included his comments about how he felt about some of the material once a little time has passed. There were also quotes from Chris Rock.
I'm not personally a huge fan of either of these guys. They have their audience, and I'm not part of it. I think I may be in the minority when I say that, and it's an area where the article is probably dead on. However, while it seems to want to find ways to justify comedic tastes good, bad, and otherwise, i want to approach things differently.
There is such a thing as good comedy, and there is such a thing as bad comedy. There are comedians who tell jokes in a way that makes you pause and think for a moment, and there are others who throw out whatever thought occurs to them on whatever topic is at hand, regardless of how it may come across. There are comedians who think rape jokes are funny or racist jokes are funny. The only funny rape line I ever personally heard was from Robin Williams. "Imagine Daffy Duck raping Elmer Fudd".
This is where our society seems to be rather unclear on a few things. Comedy is like anything else subjective. You may or may not find it interesting and/or entertaining. Like other arts, it has no obligation to cater to you. If Bill Burr or any other comic wants to make jokes about women that may seem distasteful, they are entitled to do so. They don't have to change ANYTHING about their act to please you, and they shouldn't have to.
As someone who abhors censorship in general, it brings to mind the saying I would remember when I heard about someone bitching about any given TV show. If you don't like it, change the channel. That goes for comedy. If you don't like the comedian, go find one you do like. There are a lot of them out there in all sorts of mediums. There are Netflix specials, Hulu specials, podcasts, live shows, and more, although I can't think of anything else at the moment.
The best news of all is if you find something you like, odds are it will lead you down a wonderful comedic rabbit hole that you will bury yourself in as long as possible. That's what happened to me. Growing up, I was a fan of the big names we all knew. George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Emo Philips, Sam Kinison, etc. One of my favorite tapes to this day is a double tape by Andrew Dice Clay - The Day The Laughter Died. There's something magical about it. I could listen to it for at least an hour. Back. Get it?!
Time and technology opened up this whole new world. I think Bob and Tom were my gateway to a whole new world of comedians. I discovered guys like Heywood Banks and (racking my brain to think of who I heard on that show back in the day) John Fox, RIP.
Now we have podcasts! I can't even remember how my listening started, but I think Marc Maron was my first. Isn't he everyone's first? From there I found Eddie Pepitone, Nick Kroll, and a few others, and when they turned up on other shows, I followed them there and became a fan of even more shows and comics, and so on. Through Comedy Bang Bang (Once called Comedy Deathray) (I guess bang bang is less violent?) I found Paul F Tompkins, who led me to Jen Kirkman, who probably led me to someone else!
These are the voices I choose. They're smart and funny. One show might feature the dumbest and silliest jokes that do a great job of making you smile on an otherwise crappy day, and another might offer intelligence and humorous insight to what is going on around us.
For silly fun I recommend Comedy Bang Bang, Todd Glass, and Improv4Humans. I can listen to these almost any time.
For more thoughtful comedy, I like Off The Air with Chick McGee, I Seem Fun with Jen Kirkman, The Long Shot Podcast, and The Judge John Hodgman podcast. These usually require my full attention so I don't miss anything.
The list of shows that I listen to is much larger, but those fit (for me) nicely into those categories. If you like awesome stories that deserve to be heard, find Risk! Want fun facts? There's No Such Thing as a Fish. Have mental illness questions or concerns? The Mental Illness Happy Hour with Paul Gilmartin is outstanding.
Find what you like. Listen to it. Love it. If you don't like it, just ignore it so the rest of us that do like it can have a little fun once in a while, m'kay?
--Oh, and Gilbert Gottfried has a podcast that truly lives up to its name. He has interviewed some amazing hollywood names, and I have heard some terrific stories, and hilarious jokes! It's totally worth checking out, along with the rest of the shows I've listed!
