It's saddens me to find out how many people of my generation have no clue who Lenny Bruce was. More than just a soundbite from Rent or the inspiration for the film Lenny, he transformed stand-up comedy. His bold and honest routines shocked and entertained. Being so far ahead of his time, however, he paid a price for his vision. Convicted of obscenity, he paved a trail that virtually all comics since have tread. If only they performed with the honesty and insight that Bruce brought to the microphone.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Lenny BruceTop......Next
This is a fantastic, thorough page. A great introduction for beginners, and a voluminous source for all Bruce-o-philes.
Carlin was the first stand-up comic I ever saw on television. The fluid prose and rhythmic poetry of his routines illustrated his profound love of language...all language. He is certainly the greatest living comic. If you can't find something in his lengthy career to laugh at, then you aren't human. He is also one of the few on this list who have committed to performing stand-up througout his life and not "graduating" to movies.
George Carlin's PageTop......Previous......Next
Although there are a number of nice fan sites, this one, maintained by Carlin himself has all of the information you could want, or promises to eventually have it.
The man has been through some damn hard times. From growing up in a whorehouse to working mafia joints to living through drug problems and many failed marriages, Richard Pryor probably has more reason not to be funny than just about anyone. That's probably the exact reason that his comedy is so damn funny. And for you squeamish folk, he uses curse words like a Beethoven Sonata uses the dark keys. And with the same effect I might add.
Richard PryorTop......Previous......Next
This keen site has a splendid timeline and a great deal of information. It's got style.
Bill Hicks is the greatest living dead comic. Vastly underappreciated in the U.S., he was quite popular in the U.K. Still, he has been compared (not without reason, I might add) to Lenny Bruce for his propensity to spin truth and a wicked insight into a sinisterly hilarious fabric of comedy. His routines make me laugh each time I hear them. His blatant honesty about drugs, pornography, advertising, politics and everything else easily separate him from most other comics who would rather spend their time focus on minutiae and wacky bits. His February 1994 death of pancreatic cancer has been the greatest blow to comedy since Jay Leno's appointment as the permanent host of the Tonight Show. He was not a genius. He was a fucking genius.
BillHicks.com Links PageTop......Previous......Next
The links page for Bill Hicks.com. The site is maintained by Bill's childhood buddy, Kevin Booth. It is the most comprehensive resource for Hicks information on the web.
Before they went on to separate, amazing careers in film and theater, Mike Nichols and Elaine May were a sensational comedy team. They met in Chicago in the late fifties in the same pool of Primordial Ooze that spawned The Second City. Their scenework was as intelligent and funny as any you will ever run into. Strike that, it is as intelligent and funny as any you will ever run into. Their material is as hilarious today as it was when they first improvised it. They've recently collaborated on a few films together, and I, for one, am thankful.
The Nichols and May SiteTop......Previous......Next
Sadly, I have not been able to find a web site that is dedicated to this incredibly gifted comedy duo. I plan on constructing one myself, but that has yet to occur.
Forget the wonderful films, forget the Oscar nominations, forget the pedophilia, and you'd still have fond memories of a neurotic Uber-Jew who would spin surreal yarns and absolutely slay an audience with his bookish wit. His comic fiction is also killer. Woody Allen has contributed more comedy to more media than anyone else.
Woody AllenTop......Previous......Next
One of many Woody Allen Pages on the web. It's a bit sparse and outdated, but the link always works (which is more than I can say for some other Allen pages).
Albert Brooks (nee Albert Einstein) put out two comedy albums so brilliant that you have to wonder why he didn't put out a third (or fourth or fifth). His appearances on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show were so damn funny and bizarre that I've never understood why he wasn't more of a household name. Then I saw The Muse and stopped wondering.
Another Kooky Krazy PageTop......Previous......Next
A very thorough and damn friendly site for Albertphiles.
Andy Kaufman was like no one else. The oft-made comparisons between Andy and the Dada artists are very valid. He was probably the first stand-up to really look at comedy as an art rather than as a skill. If all you know Andy Kaufman from is his portrayal of Latka Gravis on Taxi, you've got a lot to learn.
The Andy Kaufman HomepageTop......Previous......Next
This page has a great deal of information on Andy's career and life. It also has some great stories and links.
Steve Martin played the big rooms. Really big rooms. His brilliant stupidity comes across well on his albums and in many of the films he's written. His plays come across as merely brilliant. He's probably responsible for more comedy on Saturday Night Live than most of the people who've actually been on the cast. He's also such a convincing performer that you might even believe that he's an idiot. He's not.
Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy GuyTop......Previous......Next
OK, so it hasn't been updated in a while, but is has great excerpts from Cruel Shoes and great info. Not only that, but this guy ponied up the $119 for the domain name.
You probably haven't heard of Lord Buckley. I personally blame a misdirected educational establishment. The Self Ennobled Lord Buckley is the poet laureate of stand-up. He told stories that we've all heard before, but made them seem brand new. And exciting. He shook up language to incorporate bits of the beats, Jazzmen, and black culture. When he spoke, it was in a tongue you'd never heard before but understood right away. Who else could've dubbed Jesus "The Nazz" and turned Shakespeare into "Willie the Shake?"
Lord Buckley OnlineTop......Previous......Next
It's the Ace Lick.
OK, so maybe he's made some crappy movies. But years before Patch Adams, Williams tore stand-up a new a-hole through sheer energy (and lots of cocaine). His stream of consciousness riffs only seem passe today because he's been on the scene for over twenty years. He raised the speed limit in front of the microphone, and made a lot of folks look damned lazy.
Robin Williams WorldTop......Previous......Next
This is like most other Williams site on the web. It focuses primarily on his film career, but has some nice links.
A young comic who has yet to enter the mainstream of the industry despite an impressive wit and a hypnotic stage presence. If you haven't heard of him yet, don't worry, you will.
Jethro Nolen's Sparse WebariumTop......Previous
A small but growing resource on this new comic talent. Informative, if a bit self-referential.