# Are there any comedians like Mitch Hedberg, or was he one of a kind **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986 "2016-06-10T00:55:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/1 "2016-06-10T00:55:24Z")
There have been one liner comedians like Rodney Dangerfield, but has anyone had a style similar to Hedberg? ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/2 "2016-06-10T00:58:58Z")
Steven Wright? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/3 "2016-06-10T01:03:28Z")
I thought Hedberg was definitely a minor-league Steven Wright. But so were lots of other comics, who tried doing absurdist one-liners. I’ve seen them, but not often enough to remember their names. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/4 "2016-06-10T01:08:34Z")
Demetri Martin also says odd things instead of regular jokes. As does Zach Galifianakis. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/5 "2016-06-10T02:14:15Z")
John Belushi Gary Giraldo Lenny Bruce Chris Farley Let’s hope there are not many more like Mitch. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/6 "2016-06-10T03:26:02Z")
Milton Jones out of the UK [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXfvbO-Doqw) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/7 "2016-06-10T05:50:17Z")
Mitch was both observational and philosophical. I’d compare him to Stephen Wright and George Carlin, but not many others. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/8 "2016-06-10T10:14:46Z")
Same as the above. I saw him before he died and he was great. He will always be great. Except that he is dead. Long live Mitch Hedberg. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/9 "2016-06-10T10:16:25Z")
That reminds me: this week, I learned the word [paraprosdokian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraprosdokian). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/10 "2016-06-10T10:32:43Z")
I’d say the closest in style would be Demetri Martin. “I think they named oranges before they named carrots. ‘What are these?’ ‘Those are orange: oranges.’ ‘What about these?’ ‘Oh, shit. Long pointies? We’ll go by shape now?’” ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/11 "2016-06-10T11:20:37Z")
_If you’re flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit._ - Mitch Hedberg I want this on a t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/12 "2016-06-10T13:04:55Z")
Daniel Tosh for me is the best of that style. Hedberg seemed like a lot of stoner acquaintences I knew, just a little bit funnier. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/13 "2016-06-10T13:57:44Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Daniel Tosh for me is the best of that style. Hedberg seemed like a lot of stoner acquaintences I knew, just a little bit funnier. Tosh does that style of comedy? I had no idea. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/14 "2016-06-10T14:06:58Z")
I’d never compare Tosh to Hedberg. Tosh reminds me of immature teen boys who think gross-out humor and humiliation is funny. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/15 "2016-06-10T14:08:02Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I’d say the closest in style would be Demetri Martin. > > “I think they named oranges before they named carrots. ‘What are these?’ ‘Those are orange: oranges.’ ‘What about these?’ ‘Oh, shit. Long pointies? We’ll go by shape now?’” “How can they tell which one is a walrus, and which is a vampire walrus?” “I saw a man in a leather jacket and thought, that guy is cool. I saw a man in a leather vest and thought, that guy is not cool. Therefore I deduce that coolness lies in leather sleeves” > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Tosh does that style of comedy? I had no idea. Kinda sorta. He does go into storytelling mode too, but they’re usually really short stories. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/16 "2016-06-10T14:49:51Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > _If you’re flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit._ > > - Mitch Hedberg > > I want this on a t-shirt. I always want to add an addendum to this joke: \* - unless you’re a table ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/17 "2016-06-10T17:06:30Z")
Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/18 "2016-06-10T17:54:51Z")
I saw him live, and he was obviously _waaaay high_, and he sucked. I was disappointed, 'cause I thought he was hilarious. (on TV) Dave Attell and Lewis Black redeemed the show. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/19 "2016-06-10T18:02:39Z")
Tosh is funny in his own way, but really don’t see him as the same genre as Mitch. I loved Mitch, and feel like we lost someone who would have evolved into the Carlin of the next generation. **Gatopescado** , not surprised to hear he was too strung out to perform at a show. He fought (and lost) some pretty serious drug addictions throughout his too-short career. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986/20 "2016-06-10T18:03:06Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I saw him live, and he was obviously _waaaay high_, and he sucked. I was disappointed, 'cause I thought he was hilarious. (on TV) > > Dave Attell and Lewis Black redeemed the show. Ho shite! I saw that tour. Dave and Lewis rocked but yeah Mitch was either high, drunk or both. He was stumbling around and slurring words. And his set was pretty short. It was sad as I really like his jokes. There was some funny bits with him when the audience figured out he was wasted we started finishing his jokes for him, like most everyone in the audience participated. He thought that was funny. He started making funny comments after we’d finish a joke like, “why is he even up there”, “he should get an audience member to come up and do his show so he could go get a drink”, “he should be paying us”, and some other quips I can’t remember. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-comedians-like-mitch-hedberg-or-was-he-one-of-a-kind/756986.md?page=2)