Stand up comedy

This is more a recommendation request rather than a recommendation thread, about any stand up comics that you think are rather exceptional.

Of current comics, I don't think that Stewart Lee can be matched, though I'd love to see other forummers recomendations.

Of all time comics, though it may be cliché, I believe that Bill Hicks is the best stand up comic of our times, and this belief is mainly based upon the bootleg show of his which has earned the title of "Bill Hicks VS the audience".

It's a stunning show, where a man who is seemingly on a mental breakdown manages to perform a masterpiece of stand up comedy.

My personal top 2 stand up comics would be Bill Hicks and Stewart Lee.

I'd loved to be proved wrong though, so please prove me wrong.

Vikas is the second best stand up comic of all time

bucky would be the first...but i don't think he stands for too much

the ACB NSP as a comedy troupe should be in the running...skully and his spiv mates' justifications of the selections of haddin, bung and fleas (and prior to that - the koalas) are always good side slappers...

Ian Bell is a stand up comedian whenever he bats while Harmi also rates (not for the verbals but more for physical comedy)...

Modi of course is a master of absurdist 'goon show' comedy (sometimes I think spike milligan is still alive and running the BCCI)

Karti posts showed an unbleievable sense of the ridiculous

embee wrote:Vikas is the second best stand up comic of all time

Snorfle.

That's possibly the first time I've laughed in relation to Vikas.

Who is rated ahead of him?

karti

Lee Mack is seriously funny.

I had to check 3 times to see who started this thread.

Indeed.

Omid Djalili is a brilliant standup IMO.

Daniel Kitson is well tops

Umer Shariff is/was quite good

Stand up, knock down, it's two sides of the same campaign.

Billy Connolly - no question!

Lay down misere Mick. I think they were looking for something out of left field.

Eddie Izzard is quality. He's pretty mainstream, but he's also immensely off-beat. I'd stick him right near the top of the list.

He's hardly mainstream yet is he? He still frightens the horses of Middle England.

But give him time. Look what happened to the likes of Alexei.

Mick Sawyer wrote:Billy Connolly - no question!

He's a bit like Lee Evans in that although I think he is a naturally funny person, I don't find his material particularly strong. I find them both a bit boring.

Frankie Boyle is damn fine. If Scottish.

Andy Parsons is better. Frankie is just a professional sadist with a grin.

Andy Hamilton

Andy Flintoff ...

PeterCS wrote:Andy Parsons is better. Frankie is just a professional sadist with a grin.

And glasses.

Of the suggestions so far, Izzard and Djalili.