Best (current) Comedians

[Sour Masher]

Maniscalsco is terribly unfunny. Just does caricatures of Italian guys with exaggerated faces and movements. Nothing funny at all.

I can't agree completely, but only because I have never been able to watch him long enough to have a full sense of his comedy. He is not my cup of tea either, but he is very popular, so he does it for many. I thought he was better in The Irishman as an actor than any of the stand up I've seen, and he wasn't even that good in that . I am guessing he is the sort of comedian that is funny to a specific group, but his material doesn't have that cross-over appeal many others have. Nothing wrong with finding a niche, especially if it makes you very rich.

But there are so many good ones out there. Despite may of my favs spending an inordinate amount of their talent on cancel culture, it is a great time to be a fan of stand up. Lots of good content out there.

[Sour Masher]

Taylor Tominlson is consistently funny. I heard her on Mike Birbiglia's podcast and it was interesting seeing them workshop ideas and helping each other move from concept to a bit draft stage.

[DMT]

Maniscalsco is terribly unfunny. Just does caricatures of Italian guys with exaggerated faces and movements. Nothing funny at all.

Yeah a few of my friends recommended him and I don't think I laughed once... and I'm part Italian!

[Teenwolf]

I really like Chad Daniels. Regular guy with lots of parenting stories. He put out two specials in the last year fully available on YouTube. Here's the newest one.

[madducks]

[DMT]

That was pretty funny, thanks!

[Gregg]

Thank you. I enjoyed that very much. I think he got stronger as the show went on.

I will be sharing this and dinner Friday Night with Mrs. Gregg.

[Teenwolf]

That Joe Devito clip was alright. I'm sure it would hit harder if I were 50, but I laughed at some bits. Getting injured from doing nothing was good (the bit about putting your back out putting in eyedrops).

I really like Sam Morrill. He's switched to independent Youtube specials, with 2 great full-length specials in the last couple years.

These are highlights from his Comedy Central special. He runs darker, lots of jokes about racism, child abandonment, etc. But he never hits the Jeselnik level of outrage, just toes the line. I respect his ability to derive comedy from the darker and sadder parts of life.

[Teenwolf]

I like all the names mentioned so far--especially Burr, who I don't always agree with, but his manic delivery, when he is on, is up there with the greats to me.

I've also been impressed by both the volume and quality of comedy on Netflix lately. They have released major hour long specials by big names, but also lots of half hour and 15 minute collections by lesser known comedians. Lots of funny stuff. Do a search if you have Netflix. A ton of stuff in the last year is great.

I like Anasari's most recent couple of specials a lot, as opposed to his first specials that were mostly about his love of Kanye West and baller rappers in general. Hasan Minhaj killed it in his special. I know Chappelle got some blow back for his, but I liked them all a lot, although, some more than others. Patton Oswalt is good. Katherine Ryan is funny. I loved Louie CK before it came out, and by it, I mean his dick, frequently. I know he is one dimensional with the food jokes, but I find Gaffigan funny. I liked Ricky Gervais' newest special, which he didn't need to do cuz he has that mad Office money. Tom Segura is really funny. Joe Rogan is kinda funny. I know she isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I think Chelsea Peretti is pretty funny. Joey Diaz can tell a damn good story. He was great on This is Not Happening, which is a great show that has shown me surprising chops from a lot of comedians I didn't respect enough until I saw them on that show. Louie Anderson is another one that fits that category. I guess I like storytelling comedy, as I also like Mike Birbiglia. I am also a sucker for comedians who play music, because even thought he is a pretentious kid, I admire Bo Burnham's talent.

Let me go through your list from 3.5 years ago...

Burr - meh, too much divorced dad energy

Ansari - like all the specials, but didn't like him clowning his own jokes in that Apatow movie, Funny People.

Chappelle - I feel good having disliked the first Netflix special and stopped following well before he declared himself a terf. That last anti-trans special is hot garbage, and Chapelle is 100% irrelevant now.

Gaffigan - Too much food and dad jokes, though he does that style well.

Gervais - Oh, no way. He's the worst, and most pompous without merit. Office money broke him.

Tom Segura - Yes, he's very funny. His podcast with his wife (Christina P) is often hilarious. I love when they look at messed up tik-tok's. My biggest problem with Segura is that he went on Rogan and didn't push back against Rogan's anti-vax nonsense. But he's not politically minded, so I judge him less harshly for it.

Joe Rogan - Is Rogan funny? I watched a special from years ago that was bad. Used to enjoy the show, but he's got the HGH-brain providing dogshit takes on the daily now. He's over.

Chelsea Peretti - She rubs me the wrong way. Too ego-driven or something.

Joey Diaz - Used to watch him on Getting Doug With High, and he does have some good stories. But his show comes across a bit too much like an AA meeting at times. Too heavy for me.

Ari Shaffir - You mentioned his show, This Is Not Happening, which is fantastic. Roy Wood did a good job taking over too. Shaffir is an edgelord, plain and simple. He takes joy in pushing boundaries, daring people to 'cancel' him, and riding that reputation and his Rogan friendship for what it's worth. He can be hilarious, but too often takes the layup with a hard offensive foul.

Louie Anderson - RIP. Will have to watch his This Is Not Happening story as tribute.

Mike Birbiglia - I can't get into his Doughboys podcast because I can't eat almost any of the food, so it's hard to relate. But he's got great taste, as he married Lauren Lapkis, and I love her.

Bo Burnham - I liked him okay, but you really nailed this one. The 'Inside' special is really great.

[Steve 2.0]

Jim Jeffries.

[Sour Masher]

Let me go through your list from 3.5 years ago...

Burr - meh, too much divorced dad energy

Ansari - like all the specials, but didn't like him clowning his own jokes in that Apatow movie, Funny People.

Chappelle - I feel good having disliked the first Netflix special and stopped following well before he declared himself a terf. That last anti-trans special is hot garbage, and Chapelle is 100% irrelevant now.

Gaffigan - Too much food and dad jokes, though he does that style well.

Gervais - Oh, no way. He's the worst, and most pompous without merit. Office money broke him.

Tom Segura - Yes, he's very funny. His podcast with his wife (Christina P) is often hilarious. I love when they look at messed up tik-tok's. My biggest problem with Segura is that he went on Rogan and didn't push back against Rogan's anti-vax nonsense. But he's not politically minded, so I judge him less harshly for it.

Joe Rogan - Is Rogan funny? I watched a special from years ago that was bad. Used to enjoy the show, but he's got the HGH-brain providing dogshit takes on the daily now. He's over.

Chelsea Peretti - She rubs me the wrong way. Too ego-driven or something.

Joey Diaz - Used to watch him on Getting Doug With High, and he does have some good stories. But his show comes across a bit too much like an AA meeting at times. Too heavy for me.

Ari Shaffir - You mentioned his show, This Is Not Happening, which is fantastic. Roy Wood did a good job taking over too. Shaffir is an edgelord, plain and simple. He takes joy in pushing boundaries, daring people to 'cancel' him, and riding that reputation and his Rogan friendship for what it's worth. He can be hilarious, but too often takes the layup with a hard offensive foul.

Louie Anderson - RIP. Will have to watch his This Is Not Happening story as tribute.

Mike Birbiglia - I can't get into his Doughboys podcast because I can't eat almost any of the food, so it's hard to relate. But he's got great taste, as he married Lauren Lapkis, and I love her.

Bo Burnham - I liked him okay, but you really nailed this one. The 'Inside' special is really great.

Yeah, I have soured on some of these guys, although my admiration for Burnham has only grown. Inside was amazing. I agree that Sam Morrill is really funny and so is Roy Wood. I've also discovered Brian Simpson recently and from what I have seen so far, he is one of the more clever and original comedians I've come across recently.

[Sour Masher]

Here is a clip of Brian Simpson doing some of his bits on David Spade's show:

[Todd Zola]

I'm a longtime fan of The Bob and Tom Show, a syndicated morning radio show out of Indianapolis. Aside from an entertaining cast, they have a who's who of comedians as guests, some recurring, some with weekly features and some who come on when they have stuff to plug. The show is downloadable as a podcast from their VIP subscription. I've been introduced to so many comics over the past 20 years from the show.

[revo]

Here is a clip of Brian Simpson doing some of his bits on David Spade's show:

I've been watching a few of "The Stand-Ups" on Netflix and caught his. He's been the best so far.

[Teenwolf]

New Aziz Ansari special out on Netflix is fantastic. It's full of incredibly insightful social commentary about Covid, anti-vaxers, and the failings of capitalism. Also only 30 mins.

Highest recommendation.