Do you find Tommy Tiernan funny?

Mars Bar wrote: »

His stand up is pretty bad IMO. As mentioned, he's very shouty. However, he was on Alan Davies' chat show lately and he was funny when he was just telling stories.

That's kind of what he does live these days ............ a lot of posters on here seem to remember Tommy shouting a bit in a couple of his early dvd's which they are now using as a basis for their criticisms .......... lazy and ill-informed at best.

My rule for deciding if a Comic is funny or not (for me obviously) is "am I laughing?" ........ if yes, then yes, I find said Comic funny ........ simple as that and as simple as it needs to be really.

You can generally tell the calibre of a comedian by the make-up of his audience.

For TT it's mainly a braying mob of GAA jersey-wearing knuckle heads.

Dominick Square Sprawl wrote: »

Ok .......... Of the people I listed, I would list Daniel Kitson, Demetri Martin and Mark Thomas among my favourites.

I also love Robert Newman, Bob Newhart and Mort Sahl.

So let's take Daniel Kitson (I like Mark Thomas and Demetri Martin is okish) ......... I don't find Daniel Kitson funny, which is just my own personal opinion and one that I am, I'm sure you'll agree, entitled too.

But what if I was to take my opinion one step further and say that, in actual fact, Daniel is not funny ......... anybody who thinks he is funny is just fooling themselves and pretending to find him funny because that's what all the "cool" people think and I know this to be true because I don't find him funny!

Sounds crazy doesn't it?

It is crazy ......... but that's what you are saying about Tommy Tiernan and his ("fake") fans ........... crazy!

Dominick Square Sprawl wrote: »

So what you're saying is that there is no such thing as an unfunny comedian.

There are very few things in this world more honest than a stand up comedy audience, to be fair.

kylith wrote: »

I disagree with your assessment of people as 'lazy and ill-informed'. I am in the Tommy Tirenan = shouty camp. If he spent enough of his career shouting for myself and others to write him off then that is his problem, not mine. I'm not going to keep revisiting comedians (or musicians, or whatever) for years and listening to something I don't enjoy on the off-chance that they've changed their style to something I might like.

Tiernan made a name for himself as a shouty comedian and, for better or worse, he now lives or dies by that persona.

He seems to be doing quite well despite your boycotting him

kylith wrote: »

And good luck to him, but he's not to my taste and it's neither lazy nor ill-informed for me to say so.

I have no issue with people's personal opinions on Comics or Singers or Actors or whatever but let me ask you this ......... do you agree with the Op?

That people who find Tommy Tiernan funny are just pretending to find him funny because they have convinced themselves that he's funny??

Or do they (me) actually just find him funny?

MadDog76 wrote: »

What "league" are you referring to?

Never mind, it doesn't matter ........... as we're now comparing Comedians like-for-like, here's a question for you .......... was it Tommy Tiernan or Dylan Moran who won a "So You Think You're Funny? Award" AND a Perrier Comedy Award?

Erm, Dylan Moran has won both? Also was listed as the 14th best ever stand up in a run down on Channel 4 a few years back, as well as Le Monde listing him as the best stand up comedian of all time. And winning a BAFTA for comedy.

Dylan Moran is also perhaps the most popular stand up in all of Australia, and sold out the Sydney opera house for a few days straight extremely quick, with tickets if I recall starting at $120+.

MadDog76 wrote: »

Correct .......... as has Tommy

Given the way you asked the question, and call me skeptical here, but I don't think you aware of Moran having won it too.

Anyway I'm not a fan of Tommy, but to each their own I guess. The fact however is that he would barely be known beyond Ireland, whereas Dylan Moran has won a BAFTA for a comedy show he co-wrote and created, was named by a French newspaper that happens to be one of the most famous in the world as the greatest comedian of all time, and is one of (if not the) most popular stand up in all of Australia on the other side of the world, where he can sell out one of the most prestigious venues in the world at high prices without even the slightest bother.

True that comparing awards and such is silly, but Dylan Moran is the greatest stand up to ever come from Ireland, exemplified in his critical, commercial, and international successes, and it's really not even close.

Billy86 wrote: »

Given the way you asked the question, and call me skeptical here, but I don't think you aware of Moran having won it too.

Anyway I'm not a fan of Tommy, but to each their own I guess. The fact however is that he would barely be known beyond Ireland, whereas Dylan Moran has won a BAFTA for a comedy show he co-wrote and created, was named by a French newspaper that happens to be one of the most famous in the world as the greatest comedian of all time, and is one of (if not the) most popular stand up in all of Australia on the other side of the world, where he can sell out one of the most prestigious venues in the world at high prices without even the slightest bother.

True that comparing awards and such is silly, but Dylan Moran is the greatest stand up to ever come from Ireland, exemplified in his critical, commercial, and international successes, and it's really not even close.

I was fully aware that both had won as I'm also a big Dylan Moran fan .......... I asked the question to demonstrate that, when it comes to what makes individuals laugh, you can't really compare Comedians .......... Tommy and Dylan have won two identical awards but they are two very different Comics so shouldn't (actually can't) be compared to eachother.

Why does Harry Hill make some people laugh yet I'm left stone-faced watching/listening to him?

Let's compare Harry Hill to Bill Hicks .......... which one is better?

Silly questions which could only result in silly answers ........

MadDog76 wrote: »

I was fully aware that both had won as I'm also a big Dylan Moran fan .......... I asked the question to demonstrate that, when it comes to what makes individuals laugh, you can't really compare Comedians .......... Tommy and Dylan have won two identical awards but they are two very different Comics so shouldn't (actually can't) be compared to eachother.

Why does Harry Hill make some people laugh yet I'm left stone-faced watching/listening to him?

Let's compare Harry Hill to Bill Hicks .......... which one is better?

Silly questions which could only result in silly answers ........

I'll agree in terms of awards and the likes not meaning anything in something as subjective as comedy, but having the kind of international reach that Dylan Moran's stuff has had really does set him apart from the others to come from Ireland, in my opinion. Then again, I don't tend to find Irish stand ups in general to be very good - for a nation known for or wit (and/or that likes to think of ourselves in such a light), we really are not very good at producing comedy.

But that's a whole separate gripe of mine.

I don't even see why him being shouty is criticised. It's not all that he is. Bill Burr is very shouty too. Doesn't mean that's all his comedy is.

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

It's a hack tactic used in comedy to deflect from the fact that you have no jokes.

But it's not an either or situation. You can be shouty and have the jokes to back it up. Bill Burr that Tarzana mentioned is a perfect example of this.

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

being popular in Australia is a bad thing isn't it?

Billy86 wrote: »

I'll agree in terms of awards and the likes not meaning anything in something as subjective as comedy, but having the kind of international reach that Dylan Moran's stuff has had really does set him apart from the others to come from Ireland, in my opinion. Then again, I don't tend to find Irish stand ups in general to be very good - for a nation known for or wit (and/or that likes to think of ourselves in such a light), we really are not very good at producing comedy.

But that's a whole separate gripe of mine.

I agree, Ireland does not produce great Comics .......... Dylan Moran actually proves that point as, although being quite good, he is not amazing yet he is one of the best we've produced which is slightly embarrassing.

Tarzana2 wrote: »

The UK is full of top class comedians and Dylan is regarded with the best. He's better than quite good.

Again, that is subjective ........ for me, he is quite good ......... sometimes even very good ........ but only sometimes.

Tarzana2 wrote: »

Agreed, it is subjective. But to say he isn't highly regarded outside of Ireland is wrong.

That's true, he is ........... I just wish we had better than him to show off ........ still a fan of his though.

Not one bit funny tbh just loud and annoying.

kylith wrote: »

Do I think they're lying? No, I think people have different senses of humour so some people will find him funny and some will find him unfunny and both are correct. People who like him aren't lying and people who don't like him aren't lazy or Ill-informed.


Dylan Moran, Dara O'Briain, Andrew Maxwell, Ardal O'Hanlon, Colin Murphy... Yeah, ireland doesn't produce internationally popular, successful comediaans at all...

Andrew Maxwell, Ardal O'Hanlon and Colin Murphy ......... the standard is low.

I do like Dara O'Briain though!