Favorite Standup Special

[Hyorinmaru]

I love a good comedy Special. I'll watch any standup to see if i like it and for the most part I have yet to be dissapointed as for my favorite I narrowed it down to 2 and out of these 2 I couldn't choose between the 2 so technically I have 2 favorites.

Spoiler

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I don't know what it is about these 2 Specials but I laugh at everything no matter how many times I watch them and seeing how i own them I watch them a lot. maybe it's because they show a different side of themselves than they do in the movies they act in (Robin especially). No I'm not black but dave does Black humor in a way I find very funny as for Robin the first time i saw this i couldn't believe it was the same man I saw in movies like Hook & Jumanji and I loved it and still do. IF you have not seen these I highly suggest you watch them on Youtube if nothing else.​

Now i could go on all day about Standup Specials I enjoy and consider my favorite but I'll let you guys get some in before I chime in again.​

 

[SorgFamily]

I have two picks. One is the Dave Chapelle: Live at the Fillmore that you chose and the other is:

His jokes always seem to come to a different ending than I think they will. One of the best examples I can think of is when he's talking about how the "Rick James" thing blew up.

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Then there's one about his most famous topic: racism.

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Definitely not where I thought they were going.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

This was my introduction to Bill Hicks and I never looked back. Initially some of his stuff annoyed me, but as I was about 15/16 at the time I didn't fully understand the points he was making.

Those Chappelle's are pretty dam awesome too!

 

[Karilas]

]Watched and loved all of these so far, except the Robin Williams and Daniel Tosh shows. Haven't seen those two. Don't even know who Daniel Tosh is! Might have to check up on that one, methinks.

Gotta give some British genius a spotlight now...

Spoiler

Bill Bailey's seminal Bewilderness...

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Not to mention his more recent Dandelion Mind...

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Check Bill Bailey out y'all, he's pretty damn awesome. Although Tinselworm was a tad weak.

My second British entry has to be Eddie Izzard. The dude has done so many bloody hilarious shows it's tricky to narrow it down to one or two...

First up, Dress to Kill, the first Eddie Izzard video I ever watched:

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I'll throw in an honourable mention for Definite Article, because at least once in your life you've got to come out of a giant book...

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[JJohns]

I'm not going to post links or videos, not even going to bother with spoilers.

But there are three comics that I enjoy in stand up.....that are still living. Outside of this comment, I won't bring up Richard Pryor or George Carlin, because if you don't like their routines, then you aren't human.

But.....
First off, there's Denis Leary. It's hard to figure out which one I like more, No Cure for Cancer, which is where his career really took off, or Lock 'N Load. It's really not that easy, it's like trying to pick which child you like the best. You're not supposed to do that.

Then, Robin Williams. Everyone talks about his Broadway show, but for me, it's his '85 Live At The Met Special that rings big time for me. He was unabashed, unapologetic, lewd, crude, hopped up on enough cocaine that even Keith Richards asked him to slow the fuck down.

Finally, a comedy special that some people will go "WTF" about, but Bob Saget's That's Not Right. If you thought that Saget in Half Baked was nowhere near his actual comedy bits, you are sadly mistaken. Bob Saget is raunchy. Bob Saget is vulgar. Bob Saget is not Danny Tanner, and this special drives that fact home.

 

[Karilas]

First off, there's Denis Leary. It's hard to figure out which one I like more, No Cure for Cancer, which is where his career really took off, or Lock 'N Load. It's really not that easy, it's like trying to pick which child you like the best. You're not supposed to do that.

I do really like Leary, but I also struggle to get past the sneaking suspicion that he stole his entire persona and most of his material from Bill Hicks!

Oh, on another note, I sought out some Daniel Tosh the other day, ended up watching all of "Completely Serious" on youtube. Really enjoyed it.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Both of Daniel Tosh's specials( Completely Serious and Happy Thoughts) are awesome and I have stated multiple times that he is my favorite comedian. However, my single favorite Stand Up Special happens to be:

I was so hesitant to keep watching due to his accent, as a typical American I didn't want to sit through someone who had a different accent than I, but I am very glad that I did because his content was fucking genius.

[YOUTUBE]LZJ-_OTvsqo[/YOUTUBE]

Don't watch if you're easily offended. I just love the shitting on religion, always a plus in my book when a comedian has common sense.

 

[Xemmy]

George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing
Perhaps George's sickest comedy special ever. When I mean sick, I mean DARK AS FUCK. Once again, for the 13th time on HBO, George killed it. This will forever be my favorite comedy special, and very few rank with it- someone brought up Bill Hicks earlier- Carlin jokes about suicide, the fall of society, and everything that's wrong with this fucking country, all with a sick, twisted, and downright evil sense of humor. One of my greatest wishes was to see this man live, and I never got the opportunity. You'll be missed George.​

 

[ANT1GOTH]

My personal favorite is Katt Williams' "Pimp Chronicles". This man may be short..but he is funny as FUCK. I have never laughed so hard from a comedian. He talks real talk, he always knows what he's talking about and not pulling any BS.
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[Guardian of Takhisis]

I was going to suggest Jim Jeffries but I saw nate already suggested it. Same with the Robin Williams "Live on Broadway." One I'd have to say that I like is Gabriel Iglesias or Jeff Dunham. For Gabriel I'd have to go with his "Hot and Fluffy" special. I especially love his bit about being pulled over by the officer and getting him to laugh from playing the COPS theme. For Dunham I'd have to go with "Spark of Insanity". This special is probably the only one that has all puppets that I like. Big fan of Achmed the Dead Terriorist.

 

[Dave]

As far as I am concerned, the best stand-up special is Jack Dee Live.

The thing about Jack Dee is that he seemingly gets to happiness from doing the single greatest thing in the world. I absolutely adore stand-up comedy and the fact that he doesn't seem to get any enjoyment out of his chosen career path just makes him all the funnier.

His jokes are absolutely amazing and his social commentary in this show is phenomenal. I have never watched a show in which comic timing and delivery were so blisteringly brilliant. His pan-faced humour is just astoundingly good and when you add that to his material, you really have one of the best exhibitions of comedy that you are ever likely to witness. I thoroughly recommend this show to anyone who enjoys stand-up comedy because no library is complete without it.

Jack Dee, being an English comedian, hasn't received enough credit for the work he does. He seems like an insufferable wretch but he manages to transfer all of his hate and blatant disregard for feeling into his comedy and it turns out to be some of the funniest stuff you will ever see.

Watch it now, thank me later.

 

[Cracka Jack]

Easily my favorite current comedian, Mike Birbiglia, and his best special, My Secret Public Journal Live. He basically just talks about all of the horrible things that have happened to him, from stupid peer pressure influenced stunts, to his worst stand-up sets, to just plain weird and uncomfortable moments in everyday life ("You'd be surprised"). The best thing about him as a performer is his ability to make you feel just how awkward these situations were for him when they happened. I highly suggest checking it out.
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[CH David]

I've contemplated this before. Firstly I'll say that I listen to specials on my ipod, I don't just watch on tv. I've got quite a few. There are a lot of great and funny comedians out there, and the two pioneers/greatest are dead. Richard Pryor and George Carlin. Admittedly, I didn't get huge into Richard Pryor, but if I see something of his I will laugh my rear off. Carlin, genius. Class Clown is by far my favorite from him. Robin Williams Live At The Met is one of the funniest things I've ever heard of in my life. I was listening to it on my way to my first day of class at the community college, and I got near the end and he talked about changing his son's diaper. "His shit is green! This is incredible! What do you feed him, algae?" Legit first time I listened to that was that day, and I laughed so hard I cried. Funniest thing I'd heard up to that point. Denis Leary's work is hilarious to me. Jim Gaffigan, up there probably in my top 2-5 favorite comedians, and I probably have to say his special Doin' My Time is my favorite of his. Comedic genius that hits my humor nicely.

Those are all quite great. But for me it's stuck between the three done by my all time favorite comedian, Christopher Titus. Norman Rockwell is Bleeding is great and really was the basis for his show Titus. That was the first special that I watched uncensored on Comedy Central and really got me into enjoying stand-up. The 5th Annual End of the World Tour was my favorite for probably the past three or four years. The CD though, not the special on tv. Yes they are the same material but the delivery is better in my opinion. Love is Evol took a while to grow on me, but it has become one of my favorites and I'll often listen to it at work. The talk about his divorce, his new girlfriend, and even tying his dad and mom back into it is great.

The toss up is difficult between those three. As far as on screen only specials, it's a tie between Norman Rockwell is Bleeding and Love is Evol. The only edge may be that I've liked the former as much for longer. As far as CD and overall, I'll give it to The 5th Annual End of the World Tour. Comedic delivery is tremendous. That isn't a scrap about the ones I listed above or haven't mentioned. Hell I'll mention more now. Dave Chappelle's "Killing Them Softly" still is hilarious. "Gotcha bitch!" "Hey baby! Go home man, what the fuck are you doing up?! I'm selling weed, n***a!" Sam Kinison, hell I can't even say just one for him, he was another guy to help further comedy and it's a damn shame he isn't around. There are tons of others and you get the point after this rambling post.

 

[The Bearded One]

Easily my favorite current comedian, Mike Birbiglia, and his best special, My Secret Public Journal Live. He basically just talks about all of the horrible things that have happened to him, from stupid peer pressure influenced stunts, to his worst stand-up sets, to just plain weird and uncomfortable moments in everyday life ("You'd be surprised"). The best thing about him as a performer is his ability to make you feel just how awkward these situations were for him when they happened. I highly suggest checking it out.
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Yes! I just watched this last week and it was incredible. The stories about his bad stand-up shows had me crying.

Jim Jefferies "I Swear to God" is really good as well. It's not one of my favorites, but I saw it again a couple of nights ago and it was really enjoyable. He pulls no punches and says a lot of things that should ofend a lot of people, but isn't that what stand-up comedy is all about? Pushing the limits?

Bo Burnham's "Words, Words, Words" is pure genius. The dude knows how to use clever wordplay. I didn't laugh as much as I was mesmerized by what he was able to do.

EDIT: I thought I've posted in this thread before. I'm going to get the time to put together a better post of my favorite stand-up specials. Stand-up comedy is my favorite form of entertainment.