Comedy- where is it/is it dying out?
Discussion
As a child of the 90's (school 80's), I went to Ben Elton's sell out tour, Lee Evans, Bottom! etc and I loved the comedy that was cutting, etc etc. It seems that since the second decade of the 00's it's gotten quieter, more game shows, calmer and comedy seems to be on the wane.
True? Or am I wrong? I love a good laugh. Where is it?
True? Or am I wrong? I love a good laugh. Where is it?
I'll be honest, I've never found Ben Elton in any way remotely funny. Same with Rik Mayall. Everything they've been involved with has been overthought BBC drama school s
te that just doesnt grab me with wit. I wince more than laugh when I see/hear their stuff.
The best live gig I've ever been to was Dara o'Briaine, he's worth watching/seeing and has quite a few buddies on Twitter who're also very funny. Not just Irish delivery=laugh, genuinely funny people IMO
te that just doesnt grab me with wit. I wince more than laugh when I see/hear their stuff. The best live gig I've ever been to was Dara o'Briaine, he's worth watching/seeing and has quite a few buddies on Twitter who're also very funny. Not just Irish delivery=laugh, genuinely funny people IMO
I too have noticed a wane in comedy of late, maybe it's as we get older.
John Cleese summed it all up for me in this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCj6YNIpqmA
John Cleese summed it all up for me in this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCj6YNIpqmA
MG-Steve said:
MadOne said:
The best comedian around these days is Kevin Bridges.
Plenty of comedy gigs out there; you just need to know where to look. Went to Adam Buxton's show at the BFI 2 weeks ago (recording for his DVD); saw Dylan Moran last year, went to Whose Line is it Anyway? when it was on in London last summer (and the summer before that). Comedy is one of those things that will never die out, although your changing/evolving tastes might make it harder to find stuff.
It's been dumbed down so much to in recent times the appeal is gone. Personalities have been removed from comedy TV wise.
Regarding the YouTube and the vloggers/amateur film makers, it's crying out for someone with a decent sense of humour to do some work. The opportunity is there for the taking.
Regarding the YouTube and the vloggers/amateur film makers, it's crying out for someone with a decent sense of humour to do some work. The opportunity is there for the taking.
I look back at the 90s and there were loads of sitcoms and sketch shows that were funny and enjoyable; Shooting Stars, Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Game On, Alan Partridge etc...
In the 00s and 10s I can only really think of The Inbetweeners! Plenty of decent stand-up though.
In the 00s and 10s I can only really think of The Inbetweeners! Plenty of decent stand-up though.
I've been going to see a lot of live comedy for 25+ years and have noticed the same trend.
Back then, comedy was all about small clubs, comedians would have maybe a residence at The Comedy Store as the holy grail of their work, after a long and heavy grind round the small clubs and art centres of this country, gradually honing their acts and getting better as they went. In 1995 I recall seeing a (then unknown) young Irishman called Graham Norton at my local comedy club, despite the fact that I don't like him so much on TV these days he was pant-wettingly funny back then, as a jobbing comedian, with a proper day job too. He stopped after the show and chatted to people, being genuinely funny about what life on the road was like.
Nowadays I think that not-necessarily-funny people see it as a career choice. They reckon that just because they have 'top bants' with their university mates they are three gigs away from sitting next to Russell Howard on a comedy panel show and getting a leading role in a sitcom alongside Jack Whitehall.
A relative of mine had a bit of a mid-life crisis when she turned 50 and decided that she was going to cast off the drudgery of being a dowdy middle-aged mum of teenagers working in HR and would 'do stand-up', going on one of these week long courses that promise to turn Average Joe into Bill Hicks overnight. We went along out of family loyalty to support her 'show' at the end of it, where these 'comics' would do their 3 minute skit to an assembled audience and we would all laugh riotously. Except nobody laughed, because none of it was very funny. I knew it would be cringeworthy, but didn't expect the Grand Canyon-eque chasm of despair as person after person failed to get any laughs with their supposed humour. Being naturally funny is a gift, not something that can be taught, as many people seem to think.
Back then, comedy was all about small clubs, comedians would have maybe a residence at The Comedy Store as the holy grail of their work, after a long and heavy grind round the small clubs and art centres of this country, gradually honing their acts and getting better as they went. In 1995 I recall seeing a (then unknown) young Irishman called Graham Norton at my local comedy club, despite the fact that I don't like him so much on TV these days he was pant-wettingly funny back then, as a jobbing comedian, with a proper day job too. He stopped after the show and chatted to people, being genuinely funny about what life on the road was like.
Nowadays I think that not-necessarily-funny people see it as a career choice. They reckon that just because they have 'top bants' with their university mates they are three gigs away from sitting next to Russell Howard on a comedy panel show and getting a leading role in a sitcom alongside Jack Whitehall.
A relative of mine had a bit of a mid-life crisis when she turned 50 and decided that she was going to cast off the drudgery of being a dowdy middle-aged mum of teenagers working in HR and would 'do stand-up', going on one of these week long courses that promise to turn Average Joe into Bill Hicks overnight. We went along out of family loyalty to support her 'show' at the end of it, where these 'comics' would do their 3 minute skit to an assembled audience and we would all laugh riotously. Except nobody laughed, because none of it was very funny. I knew it would be cringeworthy, but didn't expect the Grand Canyon-eque chasm of despair as person after person failed to get any laughs with their supposed humour. Being naturally funny is a gift, not something that can be taught, as many people seem to think.
PurpleTurtle said:
Nowadays I think that not-necessarily-funny people see it as a career choice. They reckon that just because they have 'top bants' with their university mates they are three gigs away from sitting next to Russell Howard on a comedy panel show and getting a leading role in a sitcom alongside Jack Whitehall.
Way to p1ss all over my chips there... and to think I truly believed I could have been sat next to Russell Howard?!Civpilot said:
Quite enjoy watching Jim Jeffries when he goes off on a rant. He's both very funny and very astute. His "Gun Control" skit is brilliant, as is his Donald Trump moan (pre election).
Plus he also told Peirs Morgan to fk off on TV which is always worth some credit 
Big fan of Jim Jefferies, not one to mince his words. NSFW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-HB6uPTLUYPlus he also told Peirs Morgan to f
k off on TV which is always worth some credit Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff