Both were great.

saw him around 84 or 85

also saw Jay Leno back then and he wasn't bad

One of the best things he said that I can remember was about women and cotton balls. It wasn't dirty; just how nasty they look in the garbage after a woman gets through with them.

Never laughed so fucking hard in all my damn life.

I love him, the world lost a great comedian when he passed.

The last three together in some sort of Comedy Central showcase tour.

when he was doing stand-up and was still funny.

Saw him in Miami a couple years ago.

LOVE Eddie Izzard.





As for my answer to OP: Carrot Top and we were laughing our asses off from start to finish.


I've also been to the local Bonkerz or funny Bone or whatever the stupid comedy club here is called now a few times and saw a night's worth of acts but none I remember as being anyone anybody would have heard of....


eta: oh shit, I forgot Kathy Griffin. My daughter is a huge KG fan (from watching her D List show and other TV appearances) so we took her for her 18th birthday.


Good thing we didn't take her the day before she became and adult - some of Kathy's language was quite salty!

[IMG][/IMG]

plus a ton of second stringers. used to go to the comedy clubs a lot.

Jerry was the funniest of them all.

Just local hacks.

The only three I can think of are Paula Poundstone, Jimmy Fallon, and Harland Williams. There are probably more (I too have forgotten the names of opening acts and some smaller names I may have seen here and there), but those are the only big names I've seen.

Oh, and Steve Sweeney who now sucks.

Wow. That may be it. He could eviscerate a heckler like nobody's business.

during the explanation of the invention of golf.

is the only famous comic I ever saw live. One of my regrets in life is that I never saw George Carlin.

Kinison was absolutely hysterical - laughing til it hurts hysterical. He is much missed.

At the end of the show he yanked some guy out of the audience, demanded the phone number of his girlfriend and prank-called her, in all-out Kinison style from the stage. I suspect that fellow got a severe beatdown from the gf the next time he saw her.

Sam was the only guy who ever made me laugh as hard as Robin Williams did when he was in his stand-up heyday.

Both were very good.

Whoopi Goldberg - years and years ago

Lily Tomlin (in "The search for signs of intelligent life in the universe&quot

Bill Engvall

Ron White

Joan Rivers - years and years ago

Robin Williams

Gallagher - years and years ago

Dennis Miller - years and years ago - was the point in which I realized he wasn't funny unless it was on SNL's "Weekend Update" - which he was on at the time - and ironically, the opening act was much funnier:

Rita Rudner - years and years ago, but a second time in Vegas

Louie Anderson - Vegas

Sean Morey (relatively obscure)

That's all I can think of for now ...

adding:

HOW THE HELL COULD I FORGET KATHY GRIFFEN!!!

Jeff Dunham - yeah, I know, I know. But Mrs. ZBDent was really wanting to see him. Had the unlistenable "guitar guy" open for him.

That's about it for Comedians

I know, neither was INTENTIONALLY a comic, but both shows were funny.

Edgar Bergen

I'd rather have seen Groucho than just about anybody, even when he was old as dirt!

He spoke for a film festival.

Acerbic and funny.

Eddie Izzard, Patton Oswalt and a few others whose names I don't remember.

during the "Let's Get Small" days, and Howie Mandel in the 90s in Las Vegas, and Judy Tenuta also in the 90s.

seen many more, but none that became famous

That was awesome - laughed so hard I cried

We had no idea who he was and maybe at that time no one outside of Boston knew who he was. It was at a place with folding tables and chairs. Really cheap. He was hilarious. W really stumbled on to something great.

I've also seen Louie Anderson a few times, but it was a long time ago.

I gave him one of these:

and Jay Leno back when he did his free concerts for the unemployed in Detroit (at The Palace of Auburn Hills). My Brother's friend had tickets and they needed a 4th, otherwise I would not have even gone to that one.

I suppose I may have seen a couple as warm up acts for bands but I don't remember any specific examples.

Edit to add: Jerry Lewis was in "Damn Yankees" years ago and in the middle of his big number he broke character and did a bit of stand up. Does that count? I do go to plays and would have seen a couple other comedians live if we are not talking straight stand up acts.

Last edited Sun Mar 18, 2012, 02:17 AM - Edit history (1)

George Carlin
Jerry Seinfeld
Lewis Black (3x)
Jay Mohr
Broken Lizard
Weird Al
Dave Attell
Charlie Murphy
Bill Maher
Jeffrey Ross

The Unknown Comic
Don Rickles
George Carlin
Richard Jeni
Sam Kineson

I saw Jerry Lewis in a john in Vegas back in 1979, but he was relieving and not entertaining.

And a whole mess of local guys who were pretty funny but never made it big.

I worked at a radio station for a while and went to a whole lot of comedy shows.

Out of all of them, I would have to say Don Rickles was by far the best and then Carlin. Stewart tends to mummble and he was very hard to hear.

i won the tickets on KLOS...lotta years ago.
i've seen others but can't recall any names.

I'd love to see Craig Ferguson and Gabriel Iglesias if they ever come to MN.

I don't think I've been to a comedy club since the 1980's.

Had to mention him since no one else has. Early 70's, and very funny in a sweet, gentle way.

...both on the same bill, at the Hollywood Palace, early 90s.

I had free tickets to a tv taping for some show that lasted maybe one season.

I did not know who was going to be on the bill, but those two were amongst those I saw perform. Don't remember anybody else who performed, they were that forgettable.

Prior to his introduction that night, I had never heard of Carrot Top, and I've barely have heard of him since.

Henny was quite funny, in person, even though he did the same schtick as he always had, as I'd seen on the tv many times before, and barely cracked a smile.

On another occasion, also in the early 90s, I went to a Grammy party at the Hollywood Friar's Club, held by the Los Angeles NARAS Chapter, and ran into Milton Berle. He wasn't there for the Grammy event, he was just hanging out. Just seeing him in person made me laugh, for some strange reason.

Probably around 1979 or so, I also saw Tim Leary doing his so-called "standup" (I had worked on a Leary comic book called "NEUROCOMICS," had met the acid guru several times, so I was on the guest list), but I wouldn't have called it "comedy."

Amusing, entertaining, sometimes enlightening, and yes, funny - in an offbeat way - but not, so much, "comedy." Also, the venue was the Los Angeles Masonic Temple on Wilshire Blvd, which was interesting, in and of itself.

Believe it no not he really talks that way. A lady in our party went up to speak to him after his show and she said, "He really talks that way."

I saw Ron White just two nights ago.

I gotta see Lewis Black and Wanda Sykes if they ever come here.

I remember the "Seven dirty Words" Loved his irreverent style, so like Lenny Bruce.

Have gone to a lot of other comedy clubs don't remember names...

the first time at the Warner Theater in DC and then at the Calvin Theater in Northampton Mass.

I'd give up a hind tooth for a chance to see Louie CK live.

Well not really.

But. I do love that guy.

Reggie Watts, Jim Carrey, Ellen Degeneres, Charles Nelson Reilly, Bea Arthur, Mel Brooks, Dick Cavett, Stan Freberg, Penn Jillette, Don Rickles, Bill Cosby, Harry Shearer….

Along with one everyone should know but doesn't

Bill Cosby (with something like a 30 year hiatus between shows)
Jerry Seinfeld
Whoopi Golberg
Jane Condon

I did meet Groucho Marx when I was 8 years old, but never saw him
perform except to tell me to get lost (I did).

I should add our own Ann Richards to the list. She was a politician, not
a professional comedian, but the Bush jokes she told were so good, I
would have paid to see her routine!

Speaking of funny politicians, I also saw Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) do
a 3 minute stand-up comedy routine, and he was hilarious, too. I guess
some politicians actually realize what a crock their profession can sometimes
be. His last line was about how he convinced his district to send him to
Washington. Before running for Congress, he worked in the local government
as a tax collector. He said he asked the voters where they would prefer to have
their local tax collector, around the corner or 3000 miles away in Washington?
They answered by electing him to Congress.

I didn't know much about him at the time, but I thought his act was hilarious. "My body will not tolerate pain," etc. Also appearing were Tony Bennett (who sang "Firefly" as the spotlight flickered) and Judy Garland, who could hardly stand up and never did get around to singing.