It seems to be a common opinion that Carrot Top is the bottom of the comedic barrel and yet he’s a Vegas headliner, a spot usually reserved for top drawer comics like Seinfeld or Leno. Why the disparity?
Because people are idiots.
I think it’s because ragging on Carrot Top is sort of the hip thing to do. Or at least it was a decade ago, and now it’s just a habit with a lot of people. I’d wager that the vast majority of people who dislike him only know him from an annoying commercial or a throw-away cameo. I’m betting that the amount of people who have seen him perform and don’t like him is vanishingly small.
For what it’s worth, I saw his show once in the late 90s and it was hysterical. A lot of what he does is really damn clever, some is dumb, he’s pretty dirty – it’s a nice mix that had the audience in stitches. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he kills on a fairly regular basis. How he gets people in the seats in the first place is a mystery to me, but I imagine he’s got a Vegas show because, however he does it, he makes money for the casino.
I know his reputation, but I saw him live in the 90s and laughed very hard. Perhaps he is overexposed.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a hack or even if you have no talent. If you bring in the people then you’re a headliner. That’s what counts in Vegas if, you make money.
Perhaps Carrot Top works for less. For example:
Let’s say comic A will draw in 100 people and you can get $25/ticket. That means the $2,500 dollars. Since it costs a certain amount of salary to hire “comic A” you have to charge at least $25.00 a ticket to make any profit.
But lets say Carrot Top will be willing to work for $5.00 a ticket. And he can in 700 people. That is $3,500
In this case Carrot Top is a better headliner. Because people are willing to say "I’ll see Carrot Top, so what if he’s no good, I ONLY spent $5.00.
But other will say “Well I’m not spending $25.00 to see ‘Comic A’ I’d rather gamble with the money.”
I like your analysis Markxxx, because I wouldn’t turn around to see Carrot Top.
And while the subject is (or relates to) Vegas Headliners, can somebody explain Wayne Newton?
What’s to explain? Consummate showman, extremely talented, hard worker. Just because he isn’t your cup of tea doesn’t mean that a whole bunch of people aren’t willing to pay to see him when they’re in Vegas. Hell, I wouldn’t go see Barry Manilow even with free tickets, but he’s been selling out at the Hilton for years.
I’ve always enjoyed Carrot Top. His style of prop comedy and punnery is such an easy target, but I think is act is clever and original. I’d say he’s one of the most underrated comics.
For the same reason Celine Dion was a headliner in Las Vegas for many years. Talent doesn’t matter there.
That’s a canard. Celine Dion is very talented. I don’t like her, but I can’t and won’t deny her talent. Vegas headliners exist for the same reason Branson exists: there are people out there with money who like that kind of entertainment.
For that matter, that’s the same reason hookers exist!
And blow! In fact, forget about Vegas!
Has anyone who hasn’t been to Las Vegas ever heard of Danny Gans? He’s a freaking rock star there but I’ve never heard of him or even seen his name in print anywhere else in my life.
To be fair, I think Andrew Dice Clay still plays there as well, and he’s never been even a little bit funny.
He does know some cute nursery rhymes.
If that was true, I’d be headlining there. It’s obviously bullshit. Celine Dion isn’t your cup of tea (or mine, I don’t like her at all) but she’s got a hell of a voice, and that sells ( or at least it did - I think her show’s done now.)
Ninety-nine percent of the time we have one of these “I don’t understand why X is popular” threads, the people who feign misunderstanding are just saying “I don’t like her/him and so neither should anyone else.” I don’t know how a smart person could honestly not understand the appeal of Celine Dion, even if, like me, you don’t like her; she’s got a popular style of music and she’s extremely good at it. Woman’s got pipes, and some people just enjoy hearing the standards really belted by someone with pipes. Carrot Top’s popular because he tells funny jokes; it’s not much more complex than that. Really good standup comedians are very rare, and if he can get one good laugh every five minutes he’s doing better than most.
I’ve never seen Carrot Top’s show but I know people who have and *every one * said they were surprised at how funny it was.
Vegas is a different world. Someone just a little bit famous can be a headliner there.
Ed
From what I understand he has the reputation he does because he’s the type of comedian that other stand-up comedians look down upon - i.e. he uses visual gimmicks rather than wry observational humor to make his point. And I’m not saying the guy’s not talented. I personally think he’s pretty funny. But there’s also a little bit of envy that while other comics have busted their butts trying to lure audiences with smartly-written material, he becomes a huge star by playing with stuff like rubber chickens and kitchen utensils.
Whenever you hear someone on a sitcom, late-night talk show or wherever, make a snarky remark about him, there’s a good chance it was a former stand-up comic turned television writer who penned the line.
This is pretty patronizing, not to mention ridiculous. You think he’s funny; therefore, it’s a fact, he’s funny, and anyone disagrees has some kind of hidden agenda and is only defensively pretending not to like him.
Dude. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a standup comic. But Carrot Top is not funny. He’s astonishingly, frighteningly, science-fictionally UNfunny. (This is a fact, and if you disagree, you have a hidden agenda: you’re probably gay for redheaded, plastic-surgeried steroid freaks.)*
*For the satirically tone deaf: this a joke to make a point.
Were there certain bits/routines he did that stand out as especially unfunny? Or did you maybe just happen to see him on a bad night?
I’ve had an experience similar to RickJay’s – everyone I’ve asked who has actually seen a Carrot Top show said that it was hilarious. Every single person. Not that I have a gigantic sample size or anything (N=a dozen, maybe), but still, you’re the only person breaking that admittedly minor trend, so I’m just curious about which parts you found especially, astonishingly, frighteningly unfunny.