After ignoring the hype for as long as I could, I finally checked out Hulu, mostly because I knew they had shows I watched when I was a kid, like Emergency! and S.W.A.T., along with nostalgic classics I’d always wanted to watch but had never seen, like The Time Tunnel .
Turns out there’s a lot of movies there, too, as well as a ton of classic SNL clips. There are short commercials in most of the programming, but they’re not that intrusive or offensive to me; at least they don’t crank the volume up to ear-bleeding levels like they do on broadcast TV. Overall, it seems like a fair trade to me as a television viewer (as an actor whose residual checks are ever-smaller because of online reuse, I’m not crazy about it, but that’s not the point of this post.)
I have this nifty new iMac, with a monitor that’s bigger than the first TV I bought for myself with Star Trek money when I was in my teens. It’s got a better picture than the first TV I bought when I was officially an adult, and I won’t even address how vastly superior it is in memory and performance to pretty much every computer I’ve owned so far, including the MacBook Pro I’m using right now.
Suffice to say that it makes a great replacement television while my big screen HDTV is awaiting a replacement lamp, and I’ve been relaxing a little bit every day with some of those classic shows I mentioned above.
It was the SNL clips, though, that I’ve loved the most, and they’ve sent me down memory lane to my teen years, when I was just discovering stand-up comedy.
Remember when we’d get together to watch HBO comedy specials from people like Steven Wright and George Carlin? Remember the first time you saw Delirious and Raw? I miss those days. I guess it’s cool that Comedy Central provides an outlet for today’s comedians and the comedians who rip them off, but I miss the excitement of watching a new special or going to a theater to watch a comedy movie.
Anyway, I was thinking about some of my favorite comedy films and specials, and came up with this incomplete list:
Everything Bill Hicks ever did
Bob Saget at the 9th Annual Young Comedians Special
Howie Mandel at the Young Comedians All-Star Reunion
A Steven Wright Special (which is inexplicably available anywhere I looked online. Sad)
That’s just what I get off the top of my head; I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff that I just haven’t thought about in years. Oh! Like comedy albums. Damn, I could go on forever with those. Arizona Bay, Meat Bob, I Have a Pony, Class Clown, Louder than Hell . . . damn. Do they even make comedy albums any more?
I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but all that stuff would become a huge influence on me, as a writer and performer. All the time I spent listening to those albums and watching those specials on crappy VHS copies that I wore out paid off the first time I set foot on the stage at ACME so many years ago.
I was really attracted to comedy as social commentary (surprise), but there was stuff that I enjoyed just for yucks, like Howie Mandel blowing up a glove on his head and Emo Phillips . . . well, being Emo Phillips.
There are some great comedians coming up today. I love Paul F. Tompkins, Dimitri Martin and Patton Oswalt. Again, I’m sure there are others, but those are the guys who come to mind right away.
Feel free to add and share your faves in the comments.
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for Steven Wright, did you mean unavailable? I agree that his stuff should be out there to be purchased if that is what you meant.
And yes, they still make comedy albums, we just don’t hear about them much.
I’ve got on vinyl, Wanted Richard Pryor…which is hysterical, my uncle gave to me when I was 16 lol
Live on the Sunset Strip is pretty hilarious as well, I must have watched that on HBO like a million times over one summer vacation, of course when mom wasn’t around. I remember alternating between D&D, The Hobbit on my C64, HBO, my guitar, TNG, and Richard Pryor, the rest is kind of a blur. lol
someone told me I could download those old c64 games with an emulator…somewhere.
Louis CK, Marc Maron, Todd Barry.
What about Mitch Hedberg!? God I miss Mitch, he was just brilliant. Such a shame…
Meanwhile, Steven Wright DOES have a new album, it’s called I Still Have A Pony and you can download it from iTunes.
Delirious has to be one the funniest routines I’ve ever heard. My brother and I can quote part of it for just about any situation in life. Eddie Murphy definitely need to do standup again.
Let’s see… I dig Brian Howard, Phil Johnson, the whole Sound & Fury crew (Dave Cox, Richard Maritzer, Shelby; heck, all the denizens of the Ha-Ha Hacienda), the Reduced Shakespeare Company. And yet, I’ve not made it out to ACME. Sigh. Trust me, I’ve been chastised for this, it’s all handled.
I remember watching Delirious on HBO when it came out…tears rolling down my cheeks from laughter.
I second Punx on Mitch…died way too soon (like all the rest), but I did get to see him live. Funny MFer.
You are one of only three humans that remembers Meat Bob: You and I, and *perhaps* Bob himself, although I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.
“I lost my job the other day. No no, wait. That’s not right. I didn’t lose my job. I know where it is. It’s just when I go there, there’s this new guy doing it.” Rad.
Was on hulu a few days ago to look around. I think I found one or two shows that interested me. Oh well.
I sooo wish I could afford an iMac, or even one of their notebooks. Sadly, the cost is the primary reason I brought a toshiba last week instead. The secondary reason being that it was the only decent machine that was Vista free.
Hulu gets more stuff daily, maybe itll be something I likes =D
I watched most of 101 most memorable SNL skits on E!; Eddie Murphy was hilarious. And I do emphasize WAS.
And remember…
“It’s Midnight in Montana, and I Can’t Get My Dick Out of This Cow.”
Diseased and Complaints and Grievances were the last two truly funny shows George did. Life is Worth Losing and It’s Bad For Ya were just too damned depressing.
congrats on your new Macquisition!
One of the great things I like about the internet (high speed that is) is that it’s putting us in touch with our past. Things that I thought I would never see again- others are looking for too- it’s out there!
Wil! How quickly you forget!
Try this one: http://www.hulu.com/bad-astronomy
🙂
Mitch Hedburg’s already been mentioned, but I’m going to mention him anyway. Don’t even TRY to act like I didn’t buy that donut. I’ve got the documentation right here!
Demitri Martin is a lot better than I expected him to be after seeing Trendspotting on TDS. I’m a huge Stephen Lynch fan, but it’s probably NSFW (Not Safe For Wife). Lynch takes funny premises and then launches them WAY, WAY, WAY over the line of good taste, but in such a funny (and musical) way that you don’t mind so much.
I second everyone who has said Mitch Hedberg, as well as Demitri Martin and Stephen Lynch.
My favorite currently is this late ’80s-early ’90s comedy group from Australia called the Doug Anthony All Stars. Those three are the funniest, most outrageous group I have ever seen in my life, and I never fail to get a laugh from ’em. They had a TV show back in the ’90s for two seasons called DAAS Kapital, and I’ve got four episodes on my computer and have seen 5 more on YouTube. They’ve been broken up since ’94, but dear gods are they funny.
(One of ’em, Paul McDermott, hosts an Australian game show called Good News Week, and I watch the new episodes online, thanks to my LiveJournal friend/DAAS-related material pimp Leya. It’s just as good because Paul is funny as hell on his own, the cheeky bastard.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/business/30google.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1214875575-3z9hPMpfXG2t33PdmIW12Q
Growing up, my favorites were all the Bill Cosby albums (yep, vinyl), like “Why Is There Air?” (To blow up volleyballs, any Phys Ed major knows that one)…and “Revenge” (Buck Buck…come on down…Fat Albert) and “I Started Out As A Child” (Arnie, go down 10 steps and cut behind the black Chevy.)
In Jr. High and High School, we found Carlin, rest his soul. “A Place For My Stuff” (while you go out and get….more stuff.) and “Carlin on Campus”, and “FM & AM” and “Class Clown” along with Eddie’s “Delirious” and Richard Pryor’s “Live on the Sunset Strip” were staples.
Oh, and Cosby’s “Noah…this is the Lord…..RIGHT!”
I didn’t even think of comedy troupes. If we’re adding troupes, I’d have to cite The Frantics and the cast of SCTV.
I should probably go ahead and add in Dr. Demento and Weird Al, too.
Holy crap, they have every episode of Highlander.
I am in heaven.
I know they were relative late comers in the 80’s, the first season being 1990, but what about In Living Color? All that early Jim Carey stuff was awesome.
And I don’t know why, but every time I used to see those fly girls…I’d get a boner.
🙂
I always enjoy the reaction from people who only know Bob Sagat from Full House when they encounter his blue work.
“Everything Bill Hicks ever did.”
You, sir, are my new best friend.
I also like Hulu’s offerings: I’d estimate that I divide my online video time between them and YouTube. (Who else has John Cale on “I’ve Got A Secret” playing Satie and Frank Zappa on Steve Allen playing a bicycle?)
Doug Stanhope is very much in the tradition of Bill Hicks but has his own point of view. Takes standup seriously, too.
Zach Galifianakis is funny.
When I was beginning junior high (around 81-82ish), I remember going through my parents’ LPs. Some I lidtened to, some I put aside as decidedly uncool. but one album – the one they thought was well-hidden – was played whenever they went bowling, and that was the SNL LP from 1976 (http://tinyurl.com/6xg7zd – not a rickroll, unlike SOME bloggertypes who rickroll unsuspecting Twitter followers 🙂 )
Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase doing ‘Word Association’ – oh man.. The height of teh funny for a midwestern girl like me, and I can quote the whole skit to this day 🙂 I miss that album.
Oh, comedy albums. I listened to Cosby, Woody Allen. I’m still in awe of the Firesign Theater’s best stuff.
There was this one Bobcat Goldthwait special a long time ago that I thought was great at the time. Kevin James and Brian Regan get me, too.
Back in high school, I used to tape HBO comedy specials and watch them over and over memorizing them all until the tape died: Steven Wright. Bill Cosby. Emo Phillips. George Carlin.
But don’t forget the women of comedy!! The HBO special that I remember the best was called “Women Of The Night”, hosted by Martin Short (who I never could stand, ugh) and featuring the HBO debuts of Ellen DeGeneres, Judy Tenuta, and Paula Poundstone. All three segments had me laughing until I couldn’t breathe.
(Oh, and no love for Robin Williams?? His “Live At The Met” was a staple of our dorm viewing when I was in college. To this day I have a TiVo Wish List set up to record any time he’s a guest on a late-night talk show. That man never fails to make me almost piss myself laughing.)
Comedy albums still get made, but for every David Cross or Brian Posehn, there’s a Dane Cook. Take that as you will.
I understand Judah Friedlander has an album coming out soon, and I’m looking forward to it almost as much as the wide release of his film “Full Grown Men.”
Comedy albums still get made, but for every David Cross or Brian Posehn, there’s a Dane Cook. Take that as you will.
I understand Judah Friedlander has an album coming out soon, and I’m looking forward to it almost as much as the wide release of his film “Full Grown Men.”
Jake Johannsen is a fave of mine. If you’ve every heard his bit about not wanting to eat tomatoes, you’ve cried. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and I repeated “Mai Tai is Polynesian for dumbf***” in our slightly inebriated college days. Thank you for THAT, Robin Williams.
One of my all-time favorites is Eddie Izzard, Dress to Kill. That is pretty much the funniest, smartest stand up routine EVER.
I got to work with Emo last year at the San Francisco Improv Festival…he’s just an amazing person. Really nice, and fantastically funny.
He wrote an entire 15 minute set in the 30 minutes before he went on stage, and it was… surreal.
Clay
To my delight, my 9 year old daughter has taken an interest in the corny goodness of A-Team.
We Hulu’d it for a while, but the “Watch Instantly” part of Netflix has pretty much taken its place recently. (To the point that the mailing discs around bit has become almost irrelevant.)
Netflix went with VC-1. It looks good, but I wish their was a player for the Mac.
In addition to the above…Lewis Black anyone?
“If it wasn’t for my horse…”
This is totally unrelated, but I’m a newcomer to Mac computers and I was wondering if you could compile a list of your favorite Mac programs, similar to the one you just did with your favorite comedy sketches.
I totally love your blog, and I keep telling my friends every day “omg, wil wheaton is just as big a geek as i am, if not geekier!”
Well, either I’m just old enough, or I’m the only dork who really likes Steve Martin’s albums. (Yes.. I have them on vinyl.)
I remember buying Sam Kinison’s first record (on cassette), and when my Mom found out she made me take it back to Wal-Mart.
Geez.. I am getting old.
Several of my favorites have been mentioned.
Bill Hicks.
Louis CK.
David Cross.
Jake Johanssen.
Zach Galifianakis.
Marc Maron. (“Of course I wanna have sex with 15-year old girls… That’s why there’s a law..!!”)
The only female comedienne who consistently makes me laugh is Janeane Garofalo.
I try to watch other lady stand-ups with an open mind, and don’t really get into them.
Hulu sounds like yet another reason why I should get hi-speed internet.
I’d like to see all the early Kids In The Hall, from their HBO days.
Rawk On!
]@/\/\!3
The wife and I love standup. Our first date was Daniel Tosh at the Improv.
I had the good fortune of seeing Sam Kinison perform at Bally’s. Richard Belzer opened for him. A performance to remember.
I also loved all of Steve Martin’s stand up albums.
Amos and Andy, Richard Pryor, Buddy Hackett, and of course, Bob Newhart. The stuff Bob didn’t do on TV.
Glad a couple of people finally mentioned Jake Johannsen; I just about wore out the video tape with his special “This’ll Take About An Hour” back in the day. Other comedy specials I recall that I don’t think have been mentioned: Bob Nelson, “Nelson Schmelson”; Larry Miller, “…Just Words”; and a couple of the HBO Young Comedians specials, including the 6th (hosted by the Smothers Brothers, featuring Jerry Seinfeld, Harry Anderson, Richard Lewis and Howie Mandel) and the 8th (including Paula Poundstone, Bill Maher, Carol Leifer, Joel Hodgson (!) and the Amazing Johnathan).
As far as albums, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, George Carlin, Monty Python (“She came over all dead, so we’ve given her the afternoon off.”), Tom Lehrer, Lewis Black and Weird Al, just to name a few (oh, and Eddie Murphy’s first album; wouldn’t go near Old Spice after that).
I left this until last, but a special mention must be made of Rick Reynolds’ amazing one-man show, “Only The Truth Is Funny.” It’s not all laughs (because it’s all true), but it’s still one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Just for clarification, I love Bob NewhartsTV stuff also, but we were talking Comedy/ stand up.
The three I knew by heart as a kid were Robin Williams, “Live at the Met”; Billy Crystal, “Mahvelous”; and Bill Cosby, “Himself”…
then later on I found the earlier Cosby stuff… man it cracks me up…
And EVERYTHING ‘Weird’ Al EVER RECORDED… we had ALL of those…
Dennis Leary – No Cure for Cancer.
Really funny, and it has aged about as well as Raw and Delirious, which makes is that much more fun to cringe at.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7862730076018325919
Darn. That Hulu thing doesn’t work in the UK.
Kinda seems stupid to me. If you’re going to put content up that’s been around For A While(tm), then barring international use just seems to buy the worst of both worlds. Actors get shrinking residuals cheques, and folk in backwater hinterlands like the UK don’t get to enjoy the material. I can see the point with new stuff – Sky TV gives SciFi a lot of money for Galactica, I understand, and want the viewership figures (and therefore ad revenue) to go with it.
Material from the 80s, though? C’moooooon….
Whinge, moan, bitch, complain, etc. PS: Compliments on your sense of humour. To think that it set you on a grand voyage to realise your destiny as Mushy Shorts… 😉
I used to be a big fan of SNL until a few years ago. It’s just not the same anymore.
As for stand-up, one of my favorite is Eddie Izzard. I’ve seen all of his DVD performances, and when he came to Indianapolis this year, my friends and I didn’t hesitate to snatch up tickets. We were not disappointed, except maybe just slightly because he wasn’t in drag, but he’s still hilarious either way.
Bill Hicks is the dude. It has to be said.
No british comics/programmes there i see…… 🙂
I’ve got to put in another vote for Eddie Izzard. Dress to Kill kills.
I still get chills when I hear the intro music to “Earache, my eye!”.
I agree about your list of comedy specials, especially “Himself”. So many parenting insights there.
Steve Martin’s Wild And Crazy Guy album was the first comedy album I ever purchased. I think I was 12 – he was over my head once in a while, and far more dirty than my mother would allow. In other words, BRILLIANT! And Bill Cosby’s Wonderfulness helped form my sense of humor in my childhood.
I learned many of the Monty Python skits by listening to the LPs long before I ever saw the Flying Circus on television. And Dr. Demento! He came on my little plastic box radio about 10:00 at night on a hard rock station – so I’d catch the end of some “Mott the Hoople” song, or Stairway to Heaven, and then it would be time to “Wwwwwwwwind up my radio” and the good Doctor would play Weird Al’s cassette tape of “My Bologna”, and maybe Ogden Edsel’s “Dead Puppies” later on. Classic comedy!