The Mt. Rushmore of Stand up comics...

[Raskovnik]

Aug 13, 2014 14:56:49 GMT -5 Welfare Willis said:

Aug 13, 2014 14:51:03 GMT -5 Raskovnik said:

I wouldn't have put Robin Williams on there before he passed, and I'm not going to do it now. It's very difficult to choose just four since there are so many valid choices, and if you asked me later who I think should be on there it may very well be different, but as of right now I'd say:

Carlin and Pryor are locks, they're going to be on there every single time. I don't think I can respect a "Mt. Rushmore" that doesn't have at LEAST one of them. Cosby would probably be on there every time as well. For the fourth spot I'd go with Lenny Bruce. I'm trying to be objective here, as much as I might enjoy certain comedians more (Mitch Hedburg being my all-time favorite).

That's fair. I think Jerry Seinfeld might also deserve the spot.

Absolutely. I was considering him, Eddie Murphy, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Martin, Bill Hicks, and several others. Like I said, there are so many different ones that people could choose and I wouldn't even question it.

[Brood Lone Wolf Funker]

Robin Williams
George Carlin
Steven Wright
Richard Pryor

['Foretold' Joker]

I think it's too difficult to do a Mount Rushmore of stand up comedy as what people find funny can be so very varied. Then adding different countries to the mix shakes it up even more.

If I hadn't read this thread and a friend asked me to name 4 top stand up comedians I'd have probably gone for Rowan Akinson, Peter Kay, Jasper Carrott and Bill Bailey whilst debating including Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Billy Connolly, Paul Merton, Chris Rock and Lee Evans. Pryor, Carlin, Cosby, and Steve Martin wouldn't have even registered as an option.

To me a guy from England, Pryor is the guy in Superman 3, Carlin I know of from Kevin Smith movies and a uni friend having his dvd, Cosby from some american sitcoms whose name escapes me and Steve Martin I just don't find to be that funny anyway. (I am aware they did stand up but they have/had no exposure over here.)

It's so subjective that a Mount Rushmore of standup comedy for my dad might be Les Dawson, Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett and Tony Hancock (none of which mentioned here) while as another example most Americans see Hugh Laurie and think House while most English people think A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Blackadder comedy programs.

[Hawk Hart]

Aug 13, 2014 13:55:14 GMT -5 mizerable said:

Carlin, Cosby, Pryor and Murphy

*Lenny Bruce deserves a nod as well..

I endorse this list.

[DrBackflipsHoffman]

Eddie Murphy doesn't deserve to be anywhere near a Mt. Rushmore of stand up comedy, sorry. He was a fine comic actor for a while, but his stand up material just doesn't cut it. Small parts of Delirious are harmless juvenile bullshit like the BBQ routine and the stuff about James Brown and Stevie Wonder, but given you'd be putting what's available from Murphy up against the material people like Pryor, Carlin, Hicks, Bruce and Cosby have, it's a no contest. You'd be better off giving Police Academy 4 a place before Murphy.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Only one would probably be on a comedy Mt. Rushmore, but my personal list is Lewis Black, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock and Margaret Cho.

[543Y2J]

Robin Williams
Richard Pryor
Billy Connolly
George Carlin

[Push R Truth]

Doesn't matter what 4 faces are on the mountain, within a year Carlos Mencia will have slapped his face on the existing material and acted like it has his face copied four times over all along

[Red Impact]

If I were to pick the four people I found funniest, Williams wouldn't be on there. If I were to try to compose it of 4 people who excelled at different facets of comedy, he'd represent improv most definitely.

[DSR]

Aug 13, 2014 14:42:14 GMT -5 dav said:

Jasper Carrot
Lenny Henry
Victoria Wood
Eddie Izzard

Yes, there are stand up comics outside of the US.

I'd like to think people lean towards US comics because Mt. Rushmore is a US monument. *shrug*

[Ken: The Hero of WWE]

Dave Chappelle should be on their.

[Toxik916]

Way too hard to narrow down but here's my picks.
Richard Pryor
Chris Rock
Louis C.K.
Doug Stanhope

[Danimal]

I'm sorry he's gone but I always thought Williams was overrated as a comedian. Hell of an actor though.

Pryor and Carlin are givens, after that it gets tough. It would be between Rock, Murphy, Louis CK, Cosby, and Lenny Bruce

[kunswwfmark]

I'm kind of shocked no one has mentioned Jerry Seinfeld. Not sure he'd end up on my personal Rushmore, but when you consider his talent, success, and legacy for stand up, there's a solid argument to include him among the all time greatest.

[Urethra Franklin]

Pryor
Rodney
Carlin
Cosby

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

To me it's gotta be Redd Foxx he infuenced just about everybody.
My favorite stand up routine of all time, "we black people are taught to have love for everyone, but I find it difficult to love the midgets, I try to talk to them but all they do is stare at my fly, I don't want anybody staring at my fly unless they're serious about it."

[bluemeii]

Kaufman, Foxx, Bruce, Rickles

[mattperiolat]

Carlin, Williams, Kinison, Pryor. No questions asked.

[crashmatsbazz]

Aug 13, 2014 15:41:12 GMT -5 'Foretold' Joker said:

I think it's too difficult to do a Mount Rushmore of stand up comedy as what people find funny can be so very varied. Then adding different countries to the mix shakes it up even more.

If I hadn't read this thread and a friend asked me to name 4 top stand up comedians I'd have probably gone for Rowan Akinson, Peter Kay, Jasper Carrott and Bill Bailey whilst debating including Jack Dee, Jimmy Carr, Billy Connolly, Paul Merton, Chris Rock and Lee Evans. Pryor, Carlin, Cosby, and Steve Martin wouldn't have even registered as an option.

To me a guy from England, Pryor is the guy in Superman 3, Carlin I know of from Kevin Smith movies and a uni friend having his dvd, Cosby from some american sitcoms whose name escapes me and Steve Martin I just don't find to be that funny anyway. (I am aware they did stand up but they have/had no exposure over here.)

It's so subjective that a Mount Rushmore of standup comedy for my dad might be Les Dawson, Tommy Cooper, Ronnie Corbett and Tony Hancock (none of which mentioned here) while as another example most Americans see Hugh Laurie and think House while most English people think A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Blackadder comedy programs.

Could we have a Magna Carter of Comedy? just a really really rich tapestry depicting all the amazing comedians you've mentioned along with Barry Cryer, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, Eric Sykes, Ardal O'hanlon, Tommy Tiernan (Sorry Ireland), Mark Thomas, Frank Skinner, David Baddiel, Jenny Eclair, Victoria Wood, John Oliver, Andy Zaltzman, Daniel Kitson!!!!, Bob Monkhouse, Al Murray, PETER COOK, SPIKE MILLIGAN, THE GOONS, MONTY PYTHON, Simon Pegg, Chris Morris, Eddie Izzard, Steve Coogan, Sanjeev Bhaskar. Morecambe and Wise, Jerry Sadowitz, Marty Feldman, Sean Lock, Marcus Brigstocke, Tim Vine, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Malcolm Hardee, Arthur Smith, Dave Gorman, the actor Kevin Eldon, Mel Smith, Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Johnny Vegas, Dave Allen, Vic and Bob, Frank Sidebottom etc etc etc.





if i had to pick just 4 though it would be Chris Morris, Daniel Kitson, Peter Cook and Frank Sidebottom. you know i would, i really would.

[Porky's Butthole]

I've seen threads like this before. Like...EXACTLY like this. And I don't remember anyone ever saying Robin Williams as one of the names. I think his death is making people overplay some of his aspects, and I wouldn't put him on the Mt. Rushmore of stand-up comedy. Sorry, he's not that funny of a stand up. HOWEVER, I would totally put him on the Mt. Rushmore of comedic actors. On that, he's the very top of the list.

And my list:
Carlin, Pryor (these two should be mandatory, IMO), Louie CK and Rodney Dangerfield