Do you think there is something tragic about stand-up comedians?

jetsonx

Do you think there is something tragic about stand-up comedians?

Basq

Ummmm... elaborate?

jetsonx

standing up there on a stage trying desparately to get people
to laugh at them and their well rehearsed jokes

Basq

It's a job like any entertainer out there. And it gives some people a thrill to be the centre of attention and have an audience hang on your every word.

I say fair f*cks to stand-up's... i'd imagine it's not an easy job!

wb

I say fair play to them. Is there anything tragic about singers, football players, etc? They may not be trying to make us laugh, but they are trying to entertain us. Stand up comedy would be way harder than belting out a few songs if you have a good voice, I'd reckon. There is enough doom and gloom in this fúcking world to be honest. If someone can stand up and make me laugh every few minutes, with witty observations, rehersed or not, fair play to them.

netwhizkid

I like Brendan Grace & Tommy Tiernan, I don't think there is anything tragic about them. Just making a living like us all.

Dave!

err, no, they're just entertainers... Is there something tragic about actors, standing there on a film set, trying desperately to convince an audience that they're someone they're not by reading someone else's well-rehearsed lines?

Have a look at George Carlin... What's tragic about him? He uses the platform to point out inconsistencies in government policies and so on, he tries to make the difference, to change things a bit, and he does it in a hilarious way!

I don't see anything tragic about it at all, I have great respect for him.

I don't get your point either... What about musicians? Up there on a stage trying desperately to get people to like thier rehearsed music...

It can be said for anything!

cregser

It's only tragic when they're bad at it

Otherwise it's an art form that very few people are good at. And it takes balls to put yourself up for ridicule just to find out if you are good at it.

Setun

cregser wrote:

It's only tragic when they're bad at it

Otherwise it's an art form that very few people are good at. And it takes balls to put yourself up for ridicule just to find out if you are good at it.

Has anyone ever seen a bad stand-up act live? I'd say that is pretty tragic, I'd hate to be in the audience for that.

blu_sonic

in the sence that some of them are manic depressive? like stan laurel? apart from that i don't think too much about it, they're just plying their trade

blu_sonic

Daddio wrote:

Has anyone ever seen a bad stand-up act live? I'd say that is pretty tragic, I'd hate to be in the audience for that.

i have and i heckled the chap, to the point where he couldn't deal with it and resorted to shouting fook off at me lol, real witty for a stand up.

ps. it wasn't jst me who thought he was bad, most of my heckles were greeted by far more laughter than he got.

Dave!

blu_sonic wrote:

i have and i heckled the chap, to the point where he couldn't deal with it and resorted to shouting fook off at me lol, real witty for a stand up.

ps. it wasn't jst me who thought he was bad, most of my heckles were greeted by far more laughter than he got.

harsh... what's the point in heckling the guy? i'm sure it's hard enough to get up there and try to make people laugh, and the silence after his jokes tells him plenty about how good of a show he's putting on, so there's no need to be a c*nt.

blu_sonic

yeah i felt bad afterwards initially i thought he could take the piss from me and the show would pick up, but he really was that bad and it was out of bordem really. it was also while i was in college so rag week etc

simu

There' something odd about them alright. Can't quite put my finger on it.

TheVan

There is one massively tragic thing about stand-up comedians and that is....

Karl Spain

simu

TheVan wrote:

There is one massively tragic thing about stand-up comedians and that is....

Karl Spain

Zing!

Sangre

Anyone who can make my sides ache from laughter by just talking is a hero in books.
Love it when hecklers get torn apart. Frank Skinner did a great one.


lolOLolOLOloloLOLol

blu_sonic

i think its tragic when someone in a wheel chair wants to be a stand-up comedian.








Ripped from a mcsavage gag

Karl Hungus

Tragic? Hell no! I firmly believe that Bill Bailey is my own personal prophet.

Beer is Life

Karl Hungus wrote:

Tragic? Hell no! I firmly believe that Bill Bailey is my own personal prophet.

Bill Bailey is excellent, I recently got his DVD Cosmic Jam. Classic!

Setun

Beer is Life wrote:

Bill Bailey is excellent, I recently got his DVD Cosmic Jam. Classic!

That double dvd is some of the best comedy I've ever seen, not to mention the Stan Ellis Experiment and general keys-work and voice sampling. What a show! His pub jokes are brilliant.

Lirange

DaveMcG wrote:

Have a look at George Carlin... What's tragic about him? He uses the platform to point out inconsistencies in government policies and so on, he tries to make the difference, to change things a bit, and he does it in a hilarious way!

Unforunately, Carlin doesn't have as much exposure.

Tis a shame because I believe he possesses the type of humour that would resonate even more in Ireland. He started in the Lenny Bruce era. There's nothing false or dishonest about him. I consider him to be the best comedian of all time. No else has ever done stand-up up passionately for that long without dying or drying up.

Dave!

yeah I agree, he's the best comedian of all time.