Why Massachusetts produces so many comedians......
Jay Leno; Conan O'Brien; Steve Carrell; Dennis Leary; Amy Poehler; Lenny Clark; Dane Cook; Patrice Oneal; Steven Wright; Louis C.K. (age 7) and on and on, were all born in Eastern Massachusetts and grew up around here. Not a bad list, but why? Easy. With the hypersensitivity of some on the wrong side of the political spectrum, a world where words mean everything and actions nothing; only three groups remain who are acceptable targets for comedic routines. Italians; Jews and the Irish are the only acceptable targets in todays wah, wah world, most likely because all three groups find their own groups pretty damn funny themselves and don't cry when dissed. Unsurprisingly Eastern Massachusetts has huge populations of all groups and therefore comedians are born and thrive here because of the nature of the populace here. I wonder what the list from Portland and Minneapolis looks like........just sayin
Comments
last commentI think anothrr big factor is East Coast guys grow up busting balls and fucking with each other. You learn to get funny quick.
Log in to vote
^ That’s Brooklyn baby not the whole east coast
Log in to vote
East Coast is Philly and Up. No one can compete with Boston though.
Log in to vote
^Come on down to Bensonhurst or East New York we’ll show you how it’s done Boston beanies LOLOL
Log in to vote
You guys couldn't hang with the Boston suburbs.
Log in to vote
I've lived most of my life in the south west and west, so I don't have a dog in this fight. But if "Boston beanies" is an example of New York's finest, I have to side with the people from Boston.
Log in to vote
replace dane cook with bill burr and that list will be more on point.
dane cook - 2-3 decent jokes over several years onstage does not qualify one to be considered on par a comedian as those listed.
Log in to vote
also, in my opinion, Steven Wright should be at the head of the list of Boston comedians.
Log in to vote
Patrice O'Neal was the best crowd worj guy I ever saw live. I'd put Rich Vos just behind him. These were from being there. Bill Burr and Robert Kelly are two if the best both Boston guys. I think the New Jersey guys tend to be better than NY guys. Jim Norton, Jim Florentine, Rich Vos, Artie Lange (when not coked to the gills) all kill.
Log in to vote
nyc has a decent group:
don rickles
dice clay
chris rock
martin lawrence
dave attell
george carlin
gilbert gottfried
edde murphy
andrew schulz
damon wayans
Log in to vote
Andrew “Dice” Clay was overrated. Once you get past the dirty nursery rhymes, there is not much left.
Log in to vote
My list of funniest comedians would include Foxworthy, Engvall, Larry the cable guy, and Ron White not from Boston, and no politics in their humor, I’d include Louis Black from Philadelphia and the funniest man ever to take the stage George Carlin of NYC and honorable mention to Richard Pryor and Chris Rock none of your beantown guys make my list
Log in to vote
Yeah Portlanders are easily offended pussies. Joking around is kinda hard
Log in to vote
No doubt there are lots of NY guys but I think right now the biggest names kind of shifted away.
All the old O&A guys were great when they would just sit around and crack on each other. Jay Mohr, Jim Breuer, Vos, Patrice, Burr , Norton, Kelly, Otto and George, Jim Jeffries. I never listed to Stern much but O&A some of the best shows were just them all fucking with each other.
Log in to vote
25 your list stops in what 1987?
Log in to vote
^ Maybe according to icee I’m a member of the geriatric clique
Log in to vote
I tell you whom I like lately is that ventriloquist Jeff Dunham
Log in to vote
Last night I met a drunken female ventriloquist. She told me that she wanted to sleep with me, but I wasn’t sure if it was her or the bottle of tequila talking.
Log in to vote
Florida produces a lot of comedians judging by tuscl
Log in to vote
Joe Rogan talks about this a lot, how there were so many great comedians coming out of the Boston and NYC areas. There's probably a lot of factors going on there. I would never want to try to be comedian in today's world, FUCK THAT. The already established guys, they could be somewhat safe and get away with saying something off color but an up and comer? Forget it, in today's world they will make sure you never work again anywhere. Not worth it. I don't see another great wave of comedians for a while, it's too risky and hyper PC right now.
Log in to vote
If you’re referring to me I’m a product of Brooklyn NY and a transplant to Florida not a native here
Log in to vote
^ that was to Lyon loco
Log in to vote
one main reason why about 85% of the comedians are funny is that they are from cities like nyc, philly, chicago, and boston. those cites are cold as fuck 5 months out of the year. you develop thick skin and a sense of humor under those conditions.
Log in to vote
^^ you know I thought Louie Anderson has some great stand up material back in the day. He won several awards early in his career without all that shit talking, and he was from cold as fuck Duluth, MN. His dry sense played well in Half Baked with Dave Chappelle as working up to manager from being a fry guy at the burger joint. It set up for a funny ass punchline when his coworker got on the mic and told everybody to fuck off.
Best comedians are Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, but Sam Kinnison was best at stand up.
Log in to vote
Penn (gillette); Steve Sweeny; Jimmy Tingle; Paula Poundstone; Dana Gould (wife's former neighbor); Boston Area College grads - Howard Stern; Rosie O'Donnell; Jason Alexander; Paul Reubens; Jane Curtin; Hank Azaria; Presidential impersonator Jim Morris (only person on either list that I went to junior high with); and on and on. Its so tough to live here our choices are laugh or kill each other; hence the comedians.
Log in to vote
@winex. If you are fucking a ventriloquist, does the dummy do the moaning?
Log in to vote
There was a comedy club/Chinese restaurant in Boston called Ding Ho where new comedians were nurtured, maybe a little like 2nd City in Chicago. At one point the owner of Ding Ho lost the club in a poker game -- in a moment the primordial soup of comedy in Boston disappeared forever
Log in to vote
Comedy is a refuge frim how depressing places like boston or philadelphia or baltimore are
Log in to vote