I love good stand-up. And I have seen some great ones.
The one that springs to mind is Richard Jeni (R.I.P). My abs hurt for two days, I laughed so hard.
I always had a blast and laughed like crazy. Many a time I ended up teary-eyed and with a pain my stomach.
During my time in London, I regularly attended shows at The Comedy Store. On Sunday evenings, they had The Comedy Store Players with their improv wizardry. Many of the performers I had seen in the original “Whose Line is it Anyway?”
Billy Connolly’s way of performing - I love the incredulous glee he conveys.
I do like “clever musician bastards”.
(Bill Bailey. Flight of the Conchords)
The majority of standup, however, I have a kneejerk reaction against.
I think Robin Williams would be interesting to watch.
I do think people laugh when other people laugh. But the laughter is genuine. It’s actually funnier when people around you laugh. No one is faking it.
As for the difference between that and TV, I think it depends. Some people like it when there’s studio laughter in shows. Others don’t. I think you just get immune to it, since you know it’s not real. But the real stuff will still affect you.
I knew I forgot someone! 
Sorry, I meant to type “Matt Pandamiglio.”
I love stand-up to death. (To die is easy; making people laugh is hard.
The more precise, pin-pointed, regional/cultural an"inside" joke is, the more universal it’s appeal. This is true of any art. How do Hassaedic (not going to look the word up but I know I’m wrong) Jews get their locks to look that way? Curling irons? I’m not Jewish but I know about wrassling with curling irons.
The good ones go for the “everyman” experiences with relatable anecdotes.
I laugh if it’s funny. I groan if it’s not. (How else are they going to learn? And it’s better than the dreaded…silence.)
If you’re seeing live stand-up in a club, it’s probably being done by a wannabe. Can you imagine the courage it takes to get up in front of a crowd and make an ass of yourself? I appreciate their effort and want them to do good. We all need a good laugh, and it’s easier to laugh at somebody else than ourselves.
I host an open mic in South Korea, and if it’s truly funny, people will laugh. A lot of comics in town look down on sitcoms, but I think they’re mostly full of it. Frasier, Cheers, All In The Family, The Honeymooners, and Everybody Loves Raymond had some brilliant writing.
Some people laugh more heartily when others are laughing; some laughs are infectious.
Naw, it’s Mike Bahooski.
If you guys haven’t checked out John Mulaney, plug him into your Pandora stations. Excellent.
I just call him @birbigs.
I always laughed for real.
There was that one comic though, can’t remember his name. He was from Jamaica.
Between the accent, the caramel skin, the waist length dreads, don’t remember much of what he said but I sure enjoyed watching.
I like standup better than pretty much any other entertainment. I listen to the Sirius comedy channels almost exclusively in the car, and I often laugh out loud while I’m driving down the freeway. I get some weird looks.
Totally agree on Russell Peters, Kathleen Madigan, Christopher Titus and Eddie Izzard. I almost hurt myself laughing at Eddie when we saw him live once, and the joke was in French for pete’s sake. Which I don’t speak all that well, so yay Eddie.
Also Bob Marley. The comedian. Hilarious guy.
Yes they are, by the same definition which makes all Canadians American.
I only go to see comedians I like and I usually laugh my head off even if I’m familiar with the material already from YouTube, etc.
Bill Bailey slays me no matter how often I hear his stuff. In person he is fantastically weird.
And a few years ago I saw Bob Newhart live and he was simply great! Some of his comedy is older than I am but it still works when he does it. For me anyway and most of the audience that was there that night.
So you cringed with embarrassment at John Cleeses Silly Walk sketch or Fawlty Towers? Wow. :dubious:
I like comedy movies so much and like to laugh loudly. It make me fresh and ready to running for work. I think comedy movies helps us to running our heart as a great speed and it cause to serve well health. Laughing keeps our mind fresh and running our heart.
Hunh. That’s interesting. I always thought you were Indian. In the “passport-comes-from-New-Dehli” sense, I mean.
Loach, Vinnie Brand is an amazing guy, I’m a regular at his club and must have heard his “standard” material 100’s of times but he has a way of making it seem fresh. Some of my favorite comedians to see are
Amy Schumer, Judah Friedlander, Jim Breuer, Rich Vos and Bonnie McFarland, Jim Norton and Ralphie May.
I’m going to be seeing Maria Bamford next month for the first time and I’m looking forward to it.
I hope to see Pablo Francisco eventually.
And, as it’s been mentioned, there’s a big difference in styles. I love Jim Gaffigan, TJ Miller, Ron White, Greg Geraldo, Tom Papa. And then some people, like Russell Peters or Dave Attel or Doug Stanhope that I like in small doses. I strongly dislike Chris Rock, Mitch Hedburg and Galifinakis.
But comedy clubs are sad little places with a brick wall that have been dying a slow death for years now. Stand up in a small to mid sized music venue or playhouse setting is great.
The bottom line is you have to find what’s funny to you and do a little research – but it’s out there.