Funny people not so funny no more

Stewart Lee has remained funny and has changed his act over the years.

On immigration and UKIP here: https://youtu.be/Zw9qN6_eXOg

In that particular clip, he changed his act to one that Al Murray did 15+yrs previous.

Except Al’s version was funny, without the obvious appealing to your own intelligence that Lee does constantly.

“<span style=”color: #444444; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: #eeeeee;”>Katherine Ryan ..who cares if she is funny or not ..there is just something about her …mmm hmm”</span>

Is it her dead expressionless face? I don’t know if it’s Botox or some kind of terrible accident, but she looks like someone wearing a rubber mask, it’s freeky.

Russel Howard used to be funny but he started off being a social commentator, went into a preachy phase and now is just a grumpy old man, like me!

McIntyre was a single set comic IMHO, everything he does seems a mild rehash of his early stuff, wobbly hair, terribly middle class children problems, annoying wife.

Sadly Peter Kay is the same, there’s not much left to talk about 70s childhoods anymore.

I’m on the fence with Micky Flanagan, I loved his first 2 stand up DVDs and the BBC stuff and even the Cycling thing, but his latest DVD has stepped over the line from ‘everyman’ to surprisingly bitter old cockney and ‘The French’ jokes are terribly dated now.

“Except Al’s version was funny, without the obvious appealing to your own intelligence that Lee does constantly.”

You forgot to add “FACT!”

I’d like to add Al Murray to the scrapheap along with Corden and McIntyre.

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<span style=”font-size: 12.8px;”>Screenshot_20180127-155341[/url] by Neil Hodgson[/url] – Flickr2BBcode LITE</span>

Yep it’s her dead expressionless face ..no doubt about it ..

Oh and I’m not a daily mail reader ..just before someone mentions it !

“Is Stewart Lee sending himself up there or is he just a bit of a ****?”

He plays a character on stage. The ‘Stewart Lee’ character thinks that he’s vastly superior to everyone in the audience and the entertainment industry in general, it’s all part of the joke that he (the character) thinks that what he does is beneath him and is bitter that he doesn’t get the success that he (the character) deserves and resentful of ‘lesser’ talents that do.

If anyone’s interested in hearing a bit more about the processes of comedy then the comedians comedian podcasts are well worth a listen. They’re not supposed to be funny but they are often very good.

Available here, or wherever you get your podcasts from

http://www.comedianscomedian.com/podcasts/

I think there’s a huge step between being one of three or four comedians doing a set at a comedy night, where you can do all your best material and no filler; then you ‘make it’ and you’re expected to come up with 4x as much material and ideally not the stuff you’ve done before.

It’s also key that the audience is good….. I HATE seeing comedy at my local theatre, because it’s so middle class no-one actually let’s themselves go properly. I’ve seen the same act doing virtually the same show at my local and then again at nearby ‘slum’ town, and the difference was immense – just being in an audience that’s laughing and enjoying themselves makes a huge difference.

One that always impresses me is Henning Wehn, the German Comedy ambassador.

Can’t believe we’ve got this far and nobody has mentioned Eddie Murphy. His “We ate the toys” bit from Raw is a brilliant piece of comedy. Something went badly wrong though and he’s now not funny at all.

Have we lost the video tags? Wanted to post the clip of Dennis Pennis taunting Steve Martin.

I HATE seeing comedy at my local theatre, because it’s so middle class no-one actually let’s themselves go properly.

Not sure who I first heard say it (might have been Josie Long) but they referred to Greater London and its suburbs as the doughnut of death. The bit in the middle was fine and you’d get a good audience and once you got out past Reading you were probably in good territory again but the suburbs are apparently renowned for being really, really hard work.

Sums Guildford up perfectly – but it’s also the theatre which is new, modern, soulless……

Same show at (Nep)Aldershot…….. sides hurt from laughing.

That makes sense thanks muppetwrangler,

Not sure who I first heard say it (might have been Josie Long) but they referred to Greater London and its suburbs as the doughnut of death. The bit in the middle was fine and you’d get a good audience and once you got out past Reading you were probably in good territory again but the suburbs are apparently renowned for being really, really hard work.

Things may have changed with increasing gentrification, but I was a regular at Bound & Gagged in Palmers Green for years and it had a better atmosphere than many central London clubs I’ve been to.

Also used to go to many shows in Hertfordshire (got free tickets as the local newspaper’s ents correspondent) and the theatre shows where people were going to see a specific act were fine, however the comedy nights with multiple acts could be very hit and miss.

This thread is less a list of unfunny people and more a roundup of forum posters that have no sense of humour.

Oh, I have a perfectly well-developed sense of humour, in particular when there’s something funny to laugh at…

In a Sunday night comedy club in Stafford, about 8 or 9 years ago we saw dozens of up and coming comics.  Michael McIntyre and Mickey Flannigan (just as they’ve been slated here) were magnificently funny.  Now they’re wealthy. It’s a choice, I guess.

Actually, perchypanther of this parish makes me laugh more that most so-called ‘comedians’ mentioned on this thread…
Which is not damning with faint praise, either.

Johnny Vegas has gone steadily downhill since appearing on TV… his stand-up used to be fantastic, but I guess like has been mentioned with most comedy in that it only has a certain lifespan, so maybe he jumped to TV at the right time

At least the fad of live comedy DVDs for Xmas presents has passed somewhat recently,  still have half a dozen unopened from the past 10 years.

Mr McIntyre, nuf said

Rhod Gilbert, sorry don’t see the attraction ok for 5mins in tv presenting but that’s the limit.

BillBailey, did seem him live once and was dire, quirky does not of itself mean funny, neither does doing something vaguely musical to fill the gaps when nobody’s laughing at your other stuff.

Peter Kay maybe I’m not sufficiently northern but I just faiI to get his stand up or find it funny. Which is a shame as I liked Road to Nowhere and Car Share he’s clearly got talent.

The youngish Scottish bloke who’s name escapes me right know. Very over hyped. Couple of decent gags not enough to build a show or career around.

“McIntyre was a single set comic IMHO, everything he does seems a mild rehash of his early stuff”

Not just rehashing his own stuff – he buys comedian’s old material off them too. Part of his act is material that he bought from Paul Tompkinson  that he used to do in the 90s. For his audience though it doesn’t really matter – they’re waiting to see him do the jokes they know.

“Johnny Vegas has gone steadily downhill since appearing on TV”

A lot of comedian’s need a good audience – his act (such as it was) relied on a lot on riffing off the audience. As soon as you start to become a known face on TV it results in audiences that are TV watchers rather than club-goers coming to your shows. They want to watch rather than give anything back and you end up with a room thats swamped with dead wood.

Cougar

https://youtu.be/mVV4LkD9mPs 

Which one of those symbols is the post video symbol?

Not funny anymore is probably a little harsh, as I still laugh and think he is pretty witty, but Russell Howard seems to have got a lot more ranty since his switch to sky for ‘The Russell Howard Hour (or ‘good news’ as it was on BBC)

just me?

Little & Large

Hale & Pace

The Grumbleweeds.

*EDIT.  Sorry, they were never funny.  Misread post title.

Al Murray has done very well out of the pub landlord character. I’m amazed he managed to keep it going for so long. He now has honorary doctorates from two universities, which tells you a lot about the state of modern comedy.

Steve Coogan has to reprise Alan every 10 years or so as he can’t develop anything new and sustained. A lot of comedians get famous using a persona which is often closer to home than the comedian would like to admit.

Like popular music, I think popular comedy has run out of gas. The two periods of creativity – the idealistic 60s and the nihilistic 70s – have to be replaced by something else. Milton Jones?

Jack Dee’s Lead Balloon is insightful about how difficult it must be to come up with new material when it’s all been done before.

Rick Mayall was a force of nature, and he probably did the most consistently funny body of work, although for some odd reason he ended up playing second fiddle to that monster Greg bloke towards the end of his life.

I see no one has mentioned the Chuckle Brothers. Had me in stitches back in the day.

aracer

Subscriber
davidtaylforth

I’ve never been a comic.
Being able to make the general public laugh is something that sends a shiver up my spine; it’d mean they understood me, that we’re on the same page.
I prefer to be “got” by a select few, those who’re lucky enough perhaps.

video posted. I’m clever.