Whenever I’m feeling depressed or bored, or simply haven’t laughed in a while, I always turn to standup comedy to cheer me up. Despite the message I got tonmight from a clueless guy who thought the goofy SCUBA mask on my header meant I didn’t care about any of the flood victims, I think now is a perfect time to have a bit of a laugh, even if it’s only to relieve a bit of stress. After all, the ability to laugh in even the most dire of situations is one thing the Thais are known for, right? Anyway, with a kabazillion cubic meters of water bearing down on Bangkok and the mood of the city best described as ‘moribund’, I thought it would be a good time to start a series of posts I’ve been thinking about for a while in which I profile a certain comedian that I like. A bit more of my thoughts on comedy and my first comedian below.
I used to do a bit of comedy in Canada, and even in Thailand, and loved every time I was up on stage, no matter how badly I bombed. Comedy, to me, is an art form that has never really had its full time in the sun. Sure, there have been very famous comedians and every once in a while an album or video or bit will break through into the mainstream, but comedy as an art is generally a niche environment with a loyal but limited community. Of course, everyone likes to laugh, but I bet the average person wouldn’t be able to name more than four or five comedians, and even then they’d probably be the greats – Pryor, Cosby, Rock, Williams, Seinfeld, etc.
“What’s the deal with GregToDiffer.com?”
When I was a kid, I used to lay on my stomach in front of my mom’s hi-fi and listen to her Bill Cosby records in awe. In my opinion, he’s still one of the greatest comedians in history, able to have you in tears with only a few words (he’s still touring too, even at 74 years old). As I grew older I absorbed comedy tapes and, later on, comedy on TV and online, eventually connecting most deeply with George Carlin (more on him at a later date). Some of the best comedians are the ones you’ve never heard of, so I want to start with one that not many know about and who had a short career, but still has the respect of many top comedians today.
Dennis Wolfberg spent 12 years as a teacher before dropping it all to try his hand at comedy. He was known for his unique delivery and bulging, slightly scary eyes. Sadly, there isn’t too much video of him floating around because just as he was getting famous, he was cut down by cancer and died in 1994 at age 48. Below are three videos of his early-90’s TV special with some of his best jokes.
Some funny stuff. Do you have a favorite comedian that I should know about?
One of my favourite documentary movies is Comedian. It's a fascinating look behind the scenes of how hard stand up comedy really is.
Lately I've been listening to a lot of Patton Oswalt. His Skycake bit, etc, etc are pretty damn funny.
Emo Philips .. some of the best one liners and a truly unique delivery …
"When I wake up in the morning, I just can't get started until I've had that first, piping hot pot of coffee. Oh, I've tried other enemas. "
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me. "
"I used to have a big gay following… but I ducked down an alley and lost him."
No need for swearing or racism either, just very very funny.
Comedian is brilliant, it shows just how much a positive attitude can help in comedy as Seinfeld soars and Orny Adams bitches and whines all the time.
Good call on Oswalt and Philips. My favorite Philips scene was in UHF where he cut his finger off. He was also married to Judy Tenuta, one of the worst comedians in history, IMO. What a strange pair they must have made.
Bill Hicks is my all time favorite!
Sadly passing away too early from cancer.
The political satire was spot on for being from the 80s and 90s.
If he could only see us now!
I remember watching Dennis Wolfberg with my dad and I had a tape with this exact set on it. Good memories for sure.