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The Shark Deck. I’m Johnny Mack and something a little different today. I’ve wanted to revisit this topic. I did it originally back during the pandemic. It’s from Rolling Stone their fifty best stand up Comics of All Time list.
Now, a couple of caveats. This list is from February fourteenth, twenty seventeen, so obviously between then and now some things have changed. For example, it’s not as cool as it once was to say, yeah, I love Dave Chappelle. It’s definitely not as cool as it once was to say, yeah, Louis C.K. Is the new Carlin.
Right. So there’s that, and there’s also things like, was Tom Sagora any kind of name in twenty seventeen, I don’t think so Bert Kreischer, I don’t think so. Now the Cigar and Kreischer fans they were great, you know what I mean, They’re more popular now than they were in twenty seventeen. What got me started here is I was recently doing a story and I saw the tig Nataro was on the list, and I was curious. I’m like, okay, I like tig Nataro.
She’s probably like forty nine forty forty seven. She’s like in the mid thirties, and that made me want to revisit this list and see, all right, what’s up here? So I’m just going to read the list and comment as I go along. I have not prepped for this. Number.
Fifty is Wanda Sykes, Okay, kind of have to see who else is on the list or not before judge. Forty nine is A Z’s. I’m sorry, I’m not sure if you made this list today as Z’s would still be on the list. For one thing, he was comedy canceled, and two I don’t think the body of work is there. I think maybe back in twenty seventeen he was a bit of an IT comic and he’s not it at all right now.
Forty eight is Margaret Show Forty seven Elaine Boozler. Nice to see her on the list. She may not be a name, you know, Rolling Stone wrote, imagine the prototypical female comic of the nineteen eighties, big hair, suit jacket with shoulder pads and the sleeves rolled up the brick wall behind her. You’re imagining Elaine Boosler. I used to really enjoy her back in the day.
Forty six Reggie Watts. I just think that’s crazy. I like what Reggie Watts does, But is he one of the fifty best stand up comics of all time? I don’t think so. Forty five Freddie Prinns.
You maybe two youngs remember Freddie Prince, not Freddie Princes Junior. Freddie Prinns. He was a comet that big sitcom Chico on the Man. He died by suicide at age twenty two. He only had one album called Looking Good and one early HBO special.
He was a comedy monster for a very brief time. Forty four. Russell Peters good pick. He’s under the radar in the States, international superstar. Love it good name to have on the list.
Forty three, Amy Schumer forty two, Phyllis Diller forty one, Bernie Mack forty Gary Shandling. Yeah, he was a really good stand up starting to become forgotten, which is a shame. Probably more known for his sitcom work or television work. Now and You Forget. He was in the running to host The Tonight Show Johnny Carson had two rotating permanent guest host, Jay Leno and Gary Shandling.
Gary passed away in twenty sixteen. Wow, it’s been a minute. Thirty nine Mom’s mably interesting pick there. I’m not that familiar with her work. Thirty eight Roseanne Barr.
So there’s an example of someone who if we redid this list today, I bet Rolling Stone doesn’t put Rose and Board thirty eight. Who knows? Thirty seven Sam Kinison. I probably would have Sam Way higher on the list. Again, another shooting star, but for a few years they are Wow.
Sam was amazing and one of those acts that when you first saw him you were like, wow, this is different. Thirty six Daniel Kitson Are you like who? Am I like? Who? Let’s read the paragraph using stand up in theater into carefully structured silla ventures.
This British comic scrutinizes bits of his biography while contemplating bigger issues than a nature of time, memory and individual perception. Kitson’s incredible command of language and craft is apparent, whether mulling the death of an ant or a scathing review of his act as he swirls in and out of odd tangents. Interesting pick to put on the list here. I’ll be curious to see him any other British comedians make the list. I don’t know what to do with that.
That just that totally through me. Thirty five Tig Nazaro, I like, take a lot. Is she the thirty fifth best stand up comedian of all time? It seems a little high to me. I don’t know.
Thirty four Patton Oswalt thirty three Jeanine Garoffalo, all right, so right there, I would put ahead of Jeane Garoffalo. Thirty two Patrese O’Neil. The comedians love him. I never enjoyed my time with him. He just had this thing where he would go at everyone just to make uncomfortable and just made himself a person he didn’t want it being around.
I know the comics love him, but so I can’t judge him. Clearly didn’t enjoy my time with him. Thirty one Sarah Silverman. I would put Tick Nataro ahead of Sarah Silverman, no doubt. Thirty Woody Allen, didn’t we cancel him?
Twenty nine, Dick Gregory twenty eight, Robert Klein twenty seven, Red Fox twenty six, Rodney Dangerfield twenty five Eddie Murphy. So it’s interesting, right, Eddie in some ways was the Beatles, and in other ways there’s not much of that work there, and none of it in the last forty years. So yeah, I guess it is hard to put him in the top five. And yet for people of a certain age, being my age, Eddie Murphy was the man, partially because we were too young to realize he was just doing a cover actor Richard Pryor. Really, well, let’s take the break here and come back and do the top twenty five, twenty four Susie Eddie Izzard, twenty three Don Rickles love it.
Maybe he should be hard. We got to see as we get closer. Twenty two Jonathan Winters. I know people love him. I never got at twenty one.
Bob Newhart fantastic. Have you ever listened to Bob’s stand up work? I know you know him from the sitcoms. Have you ever listened to his stand up comedy? It’s all fifty check your calendar.
John sixty years old now, but it’s really fantastic. Number twenty Mitch Hedberg, all right, I love Mitch Hedberg. I don’t know if Mitch Hedberg should be ahead of Bob Newhart, and I love Mitch Heedburg. He’s in like the top five of my personal list. Who’s your personal list.
Johnny Mack. Maybe I’ll do that at the end. Nineteen Albert Brooks. M seems high to me. Maybe I’m just too young.
Eighteen Kevin Hart all right? Kevin Hart sells out arenas and he’s really famous, and he’s in movies and everybody who loves him. Is he really that good of a stand up? Though? I don’t know about this list at all?
Seventeen is Bill Burr all right? Sixteen Billy Connolly love it? Fifteen Stephen Wrights fourteen Andy Kaufman, interesting pick Andy, Andy’s like his own category. I don’t know. You could tell me any Kavian is the greatest of all time.
You could tell me he’s not really a statup. I don’t know. Fourteen Andy Kaufman Sure Thirteen Bill Hicks. That’s bad news for Dennis Leary twelve Robin Williams. Eleven Steve Martin, you’re ready for the top ten here?
Ten marked Saul rolling Stone. Writers just trying to prove they did some homework. Nine Dave Chappelle eight Bill Cosby. I told you that Sliss would probably be a little different if we did it now. Seven.
Jerry Seinfeld six, Joan Rivers five Chris Rock, four, Louis c. K He’ll be lower now. Three Lenny Bruce. Interesting to George Carlin. And can you figure out who number one is?
If I gave you all those other name James, Yes, of course number one. Richard Pryor. All right, nothing egregious there in the top ten Johnny Mack, what is your personal list? M I don’t know how to rank them, but off top of my head, I’m a big fan of Carlin. I’m a big fan of Headburg.
Being my age, I loved Eddie Murphy, but I can’t ignore that Eddie Murphy’s doing a really good cover actor Richard Pryors. I’d have to throw Pryor in the mix. Even though I’ve always enjoyed Eddie’s material more than Richard. It’s a little challenging there for me. I do like the kind of comic like Matt and Hospital Brian for saying I do like that style of comedy a lots.
I do like Bill Burr a lotts h. I don’t know if I’m ready to give you a definitive five Kennison. Kinnison was awesome. Don’t have to give you a top five. How about this?
It’s five hundred years from now, we’re alpen Heaving at the cool comedy club. Who’s playing? I want to see Hedberg, Kinnison, George Carlin, Eddie Murphy, that’s for given, one more named John, and Shang Wang. I want to see Shang Wang. He can open.
I’m not your comedy news for today, John, there was no news today. You know what I mean. It’s how I lock out the show. Follow show for free on Apple, podcast, Spotify, YouTube, wherever you get your shows. See you tomorrow,