Matt Groenig. The Simpson. Futurama. Life in Hell. Three utterly original works, each very successful (not saying AS successful as the Simpson, but successful on their own terms. You have to have some Grade-A smarts to be that funny, that consistently, in that many different ways.
I think Jon Stewart is getting there. He’s not going to have the acting resume at the end of it (especially not the dramatic stuff), but the rest of it fits very well.
Steve Martin.
Jim Henson.
Cool, Miller - I’m not familiar with his stuff outside of acting. Now that I think of it, I seem to recall he had a couple of popular novels…
How is Martin when it comes to stuff like political opinion? Does he do op ed much?
Do people who are fans of his (not just fans of The Jerk and SNL) sort of revere him as a super-intelligent guy?
Seems like if you asked anyone in England who they thought the smartest comedic actor was, they’d say Stephen Fry. I don’t know if I’d pick Steve Martin but I’d love to know more!
Elvis Costello.
His novels have been pretty well received, and he’s done some good dramatic turns in films. The book and movie of Shopgirl are both pretty good, and he his comedy has taken a much more overtly cerebral turn since his “wild and crazy guy” stand-up period of the '70s and '80s. He’s not particularly political that I’m aware of, so Fry has that over him. On the other hand, he did teach himself how to play the banjo, so I think that balances out.
The amazing thing is that she gave the audience the impression that she was a great beauty . . . in spite of her long, pointy nose and an overbight. It takes a class act to pull that off.
My vote goes for Jackson Pollack. I think almost every art student in the last 50 years has attempted to do a Pollack, thinking that it’s something anyone can do. They are wrong.
Oh, and thank god there’s only one Thomas Kinkaid (stretching the term “creative type”).
Williams S. Burroughs.
Frank Zappa.
Jandek.
Alejandro Jodorowsky.
And of course, me. 
Eminem.
The man has some crazy-ass talent.
mmm
In the spirit of Halloween, I give you:
Vincent Price
Boris Karloff
Peter Lorre
Bela Lugosi
Horror movies will never again be as cool as they were when those guys were around.
I think that’s less the actors as it is the change in what constitutes horror these days.
The Three Stooges
Mike Royko
Luciano Pavarotti
Love 'em all.
Michael Jackson. Love him or hate him, there was nobody in his field who could compare to the sales/popularity/media saturation, and then there’s talent, which is subjective. Elvis is another who got to similar phenomenal heights, but I feel he was more on the rock side of things while Michael was more pop, meaning neither was really the equivalent of the other because they were too different.
Kate Bush is unique. No one even comes close to her brand of talent and originality*. A genius without peer.
- In my not at all humble opinion, the only female artists who even belongs on the same shelf are Bjork and Happy Rhodes, her because she made 11 brilliant, original albums, the kind of albums that can be heard a thousand times and they never grow old, never get boring, all on a miniscule, skinny shoestring budget. Imagining what she could have done with the money and resources Kate had/has at her disposal is both mind-boggling and heartbreaking.
Certain periods of Tori Amos come next after Happy.
But Kate was first and paved the way.
Todd Rundgren himself is, I think, unequaled.
Todd totally fucking rocks.
I mean, he’s no Buckaroo Banzai, but then, who is?
Sinatra.
Aretha Franklin.
Sex Pistols.
Marlon Brando.
George Carlin.
Seconded.
Captain Kangaroo