Comedians - Funny/Unfunny Hup!

For some reason I felt as though I needed to address this issue; Good and Bad Comedians and the rare accounts of those who seem to suit everyone. So I figured I'd make a list of particular comedians I know and why I do or don't like them....

I'm well aware that many of you will both agree and disagree with me on these topics but so what!

Jimmy Carr - It's something about deadpan comedy and me that I just don't like. And the fact that he specialises in deadpan comedy should give you a hint about my attitudes to this guy. Bottom line, I don't like him, and it's for the simple reason that he relies on the deadpan tempo that I feel he gets his laughs. I think the fact that a lot of people think he's so funny that I dislike him even more, some people quoting him as the funniest man ever. I just don't see it and part of me feels that deadpan comics lack humourous talent for the simple reason that most of their laughs are based on how they are saying it more so than what they're saying.

Des Bishop - Definitely like this guy. Yeah he swears and it does get the laughs, but it was thanks to his two shows on RTE "Des Bishop Work Experience" and "Joy in the Hood" that you see the genius behind his act. Like a lot of comedians, he makes fun of everyday habits of our culture and all that, but he gives it that little extra by invigourating his performance to the point where it becomes really intense but he still manages to get the joke across by what he's saying. It's also a sign of a decent worker when he decides to spend his summer learning the Irish language so he can legitimately have the opportunity to make fun of it later on!

Dara O'Briain - I used to like this guy a lot until one particular episode of The Panel. Ed Byrne made some joke (it was so long ago I forget what it was), and then Dara re-used the joke moments later and kept referring back to it and I kept thinking to myself "Ok, get on with it, it wasn't your joke to begin with". I slowly realised that he was doing it more often and gradually I grew to dislike him simply over that. The point was further pressed when Colin Murphy took over the host seat and realised just how unfunny I found Dara to be.

Tommy Tiernan - I'm undecided over this man. The problem I tend to have with him is that I feel people are laughing more at his intense performance than they are at what he's saying. The difference between himself and Jimmy Carr is that the things he says are actually quite good, but because of his performance people tend to overlook it. It is almost a style unique to him that I have rarely seen it used by others. Des Bishop perhaps coming close.

Ruben - I wish I knew more about this guy cause he is just a class act. He does kindof silent skits, his two most known ones being "The Stag Night" and "The Hitchhiker". There's just something about it that's so true and so entertaining.

Jason Byrne - In some regards he's better known for a more silly kindof comedy, but at the same time he does come out with some top notch jokes, namely "The Power of the Hand" from his DVD. People have often said that they expected more from him or something but really, the guy does little wrong and generally appeals to most Irish people.

Colin Murphy - Since the Blizzard of Odd I've been a huge fan of this guy and his performances on the Panel further this appeal. He works his jokes well, both the build-up kind and the instantaneous one and rarely fails to get a laugh with what he says. All round thumbs-up!

Karl Spain - I still dislike this guy despite his impressive performances on the Panel for the simple reason that I really...REALLY didn't like the "Karl Spain Wants A Woman" programme....'nuf said!

Andrew Maxwell - I don't think anyone has made me laugh as hard as Maxwell has. Whether it's his bad language or his general dirty kindof attitude this guy just never fails to get a laugh.

Trevor McDonald - This guy is the best, 10/10, funny, always and everywhere. If you haven't watched News Knight I suggest you stop reading this right now and go watch it. Seriously. Go! Now! Fuck off!

Neil Delamere - He just never goes wrong. He's always funny and can usually get a good laugh out of some story he makes into a completely and totally improbable situation.

Finally, there's one final issue I need to address here. Female Comedians. I don't find them funny...any of them, and I'll explain why. The only places I've ever seen female comics is on "The Liffey Laugh", "Just for Laughs" and Paramount Comedy. Out of those, all of them have been deadpan-esque, and as I explained with Jimmy Carr, that doesn't cut it for me. Secondly, the nature of the jokes on these shows has always been around sex with their husbands or lack thereof, or sex with strangers or something along those lines. One particular woman really annoyed me. For her act, she first removed her underwear. Then inserted one of those things that make those duck noises (can't think of the word) into her "forbidden fruits"...or so the audience was led to believe anyway. She then lowered the mic and started to play. People laughed. Then she inserted another into her ass, and played again, and people laughed again. Then she put one in her mouth and played and the audience was in fits. I don't find any of that funny whatsoever. I couldn't understand what the joke was meant to be, was it (a) the joke that she's apparently blowing wind to play all those instruments (fart jokes are never funny...ever), (b) that she likes to have all her 'holes' filled, or was it (c) that women will put anything up there. Not actually being the comedian I wouldn't know, but I thought it seemed pretty offensive towards women, and worse, there were women in the audience laughing.....IT'S NOT FUNNY!!! The other was some joke made about breast milk. Breasts-related jokes are rarely..and I mean rarely funny. The word "boob" is often used in a childish manner and "tit" is often used in an aggressive sense and I cannot stand when comedians refer to breasts jokes. The only time I can recall a decent one was from Father Ted where Mary says to John "You've a face like a pair of tits!", to which he replies "Yeah, well at least that's one pair between us!".

I've probably left out loads of comedians there, but I just couldn't think. I also feel the end turned into a bit of GMG. And with the exception of Des Bishop, I really don't find any American comedians that funny at all, because we all know that Americans laugh at shit...literally!

~The Damo