Posted on by Michael Halpern

Top 5 Stand-Up Comedians

When writing about the very best stand-up comedians in the world, it can be a daunting task to come up with a funny opener. So please forgive me for straight passing. Without further ado, here are the top 5 stand-up comedians in the world right now:

1) Chris Rock – Chris Rock is nothing short of a living legend, the King. Hell, he’s also the Queen, the Prince, and the Princess. He’s the entire royal family of comedy. He absolutely killed it hosting the Oscars in primetime with millions watching around the world, and the last time I was at the Comedy Cellar, he showed up out of nowhere and did an hour of brand new material that had the entire room buzzing. There is no question that Rock deserves the #1 spot.

2) Louis C.K. – Louis C.K. has been a major catalyst for the stand-up comedy explosion in recent years. He is an inspiration and trailblazer for creative people in every field. It doesn’t matter what venue he is performing at; he can take down any room. I have seen him at the Comedy Cellar multiple times, as the headliner at Irving Plaza, and at a Wounded Warriors Project charity event, and he had the audience in stitches each time. He has also conquered television, starting with his underrated 2006 HBO show, Lucky Louie, through his hit show on FX, Louie, and now as a co-creator of the show Baskets. That is a resume only Chris Rock can top right now.

3) Bill Burr – Here is what I wrote about Bill Burr in my F is for Family Review, “Burr is a mastermind at finding comedy in how men think, and why we act like we do. While being funny is surely his number one goal, what makes him great are that his insights cut on a much deeper level. Some try to pigeonhole Burr as the typical Neanderthal man, but it is that exact stereotype that Burr loves to play on, and ultimately rejects using ‘hilarious wisdom.’” Hey, if comedians can repeat their material every now and then, so can I.

4) Jim Gaffigan – Jim Gaffigan performed at the same Wounded Warriors Project charity event that I mentioned earlier, and being completely objective, he might have actually outdone Louis C.K. on that night. The entire theater was putty in his hands. He is the undisputed champ of “food comedy,” and if you haven’t seen his famous 5-minute bit on Hot Pockets, just stop reading this article right now and watch it. Gaffigan has been doing his thing for years now, and he is slowly but surely climbing his way up the stand-up comedy ranks.

5) Gary Gulman – Gary Gulman is the underdog of the group, an up and comer who is destined for a big breakout in the near future. He is a tall, handsome man with an athletic build, whose stand-up comedy style is that of an awkward, overweight kid who got no ass growing up. Just watch his hilarious bit about Donald Trump, Bill Gates, and Billionaires from his 2012 comedy special, In this Economy, and then go on Netflix and watch the rest of that special, along with his 2016 special, It’s About Time. I guarantee you become an instant fan.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)

Posted on by Michael Halpern

Jim Gaffigan, The Jim Gaffigan Show Review

Jim Gaffigan is a pioneer in the stand-up comedy world, blazing a trail for food obsessed people everywhere. He made “food comedy” a category all unto itself. You have to only watch his famous 5-minute bit on Hot Pockets to see what I mean. But Gaffigan is more than just a food comic. He has quietly built a reputation as one of the best stand-up comedians in the world. And he has now taken that finely tuned comedic material, and poured it into his new, aptly named show, The Jim Gaffigan Show.

The Jim Gaffigan Show centers around Gaffigan’s life as a stand-up comedian living in Manhattan with his wife and five children. The major themes of the show are food, family, friends, work, religion, and well, more food. In one scene, Gaffigan’s wife mocks him for getting banned from Big Gay Ice Cream, an ice cream shop in New York. His idea of cheating in Las Vegas is eating an entire red velvet cake in his hotel room alone at midnight, and then sheepishly lying to his wife about it, telling her he only ate half of the cake at midnight and the other half in the morning. He gets into a fight at the airport after eating another person’s momentarily unattended fries off their plate. The man has a problem, and it is hysterical.

While Gaffigan is certainly the star, Ashley Williams kills it in her role playing his wife, and carries more than her fair share of the weight. She is so convincing, that when I first saw the show, I thought it might have actually been Gaffigan’s real wife playing the role. Adam Goldberg plays the role of Gaffigan’s best friend, portraying a typical New York comic like Dave Attell. Michael Ian Black plays the role of Gaffigan’s wife’s gay best friend and ex-boyfriend. The obvious tension this creates between Gaffigan and Black is hilarious.

The Jim Gaffigan Show has flown mostly under the radar, which is odd because Gaffigan is an extremely popular stand-up comedian. Maybe it is because the show airs on TV Land, which despite its name, has yet to make much of a mark in the TV world. But the show deserves more exposure, and in the current comedy landscape where depraved humor is flourishing, it is nice to see a legitimately funny show that also has a heart. You can watch the first five episodes of Season 1 here. The schedule for Season 2 has not been released yet.

By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com