Evan's Extraneous Interests: My Personal Best of Stand-Up Comedy Genres (Pt.1)

January 06, 2023

Evan's Extraneous Interests: My Personal Best of Stand-Up Comedy Genres: Part 1 of 3

As well as being a lifelong music fan, I am also a very big fan of stand-up comedy and comedy in general. The sheer amount of skill needed to craft such brilliantly funny, but also deeply emotional, poignant and thought-provoking shows as many comedians do is unbelievable, believe me, I’ve tried… and failed. So I thought that in this three part series I would go through various comedy genres I have experience with in order to give you what I believe to be the best example of each, all based of course on subjective opinion, as well as just, what I have and haven’t seen.

So where better a place to start than with what most people probably think of when they think stand-up - observational comedy. The skill of an observational comic is to take the hilarity, ridiculousness and relatability of everyday situations, and translate them into riotous routines. And of course with it being arguably the most common genre of stand up, you’re spoilt for choice, the amusing anger of Romesh Ranganathan, the wondrous awkwardness of Mark Watson, the true absurdity and slapstick of Greg Davies, the list goes on and on and on. But if I had to pick the most definitive and quality example of observational comedy, at the risk of appearing rather basic, I’ll have to go with Peter Kay, more specifically, his ‘Live At The Bolton Albert Halls’ special from 2004. Now while some may convincingly argue that his 2000 video debut - the culture defining ‘Live at the Top of the Tower’ - should take this spot, I’d personally disagree. Not only is ‘Live At The Bolton Albert Halls’ filled with many of his classic routines, including musings on chip shops, crappy game shows, and family weddings, it also shows Kay at his most focused, not hampered by overly long closing vignettes, indulgent musical numbers, or unnecessary callbacks, just doing what he does best, for the longest time. It was the first stand-up DVD I ever watched, and turns out it was about as good an entry point as you could get.

But now time to move on to something seemingly less structured, but infinitely more silly - the world of one-liners. But these are more than just simple dad jokes, as many comics in this field expertly craft the most ridiculous of narratives, characters and personas along with it, often with a number of props to their aid. While once again there’s a number of worthy contenders - the joyously filthy and cheeky Gary Delaney, the unapologetically savage Jimmy Carr, or the deadpan brilliance of Milton Jones, - for me it’s Cheam native, the Punslinger himself, Tim Vine who reaches the top of the pile with his 2011 ‘Joke-a-Motive’ show. Armed up to the gills with puns, props, costumes and silly songs, Tim delivers a brilliantly ridiculous, hour-long onslaught. Tales of speedy chocolates, heated debates over phone tariffs, and some impressive celebrity encounters are but a tiny portion of this show, as Tim also delivers an amusing Bee Gees tribute, questions the “torchness” of a variety of objects, and has magician John Archer throw giant rubber darts in his face. Amazing stuff.

Although of course, not all comedy is this light hearted, as some choose to engage in humour of a much darker, edgier, and often more political nature. However, managing to write effective comedy in this style is a difficult tightrope to walk. Spout fully serious, anti-politically correct tirades for cheap laughs, and you get Jim Davidson, a man about as funny as military torture (ironic, considering he himself has tortured the military on multiple occasions). Rattle off edgy statements for shock value, and you get Ricky Gervais, and that’s all that needs to be said really. Equally, successful satire is just as difficult, with much of modern day satire boiling down to saying how “people in power bad”, and angrily espousing morally agreeable statements for applause. However, one example of the perfect balance of these elements is Richard Herring’s ‘Hitler Moustache’, released in 2010. While a lot of what’s in this special may seem abhorrent on paper, Richard’s 100-minute mission to reclaim the Hitler(/Chaplin) moustache for comedy is brilliantly funny, scarily biting, at points uncomfortable, but also deeply thought-provoking, taking aim at Carol Thatcher, BNP leaflets, and posing the question of whether the racists are the real liberals after all, tongue placed firmly in cheek.

I would however also like to give an honourable mention to one Jamali Maddix, whose no-fucks-given attitude translates to great, boundary pushing, provocative comedy, whether it be his half documentary half stand up show ‘Hate Thy Neighbour’, observing humanities darkest and most morally questionable recesses, or his recent ‘King Crud’ tour show, where along with hilarious tales of heartbreak, personal growth and unique life experiences, his ruthless crowd work is proven second-to-none. I should know, I got picked on, and I wrote it down.

So, that's it for part one. Three genres, four wildly opposing yet fantastic recommendations, and plenty more to come. So join me next time to discuss some decidedly more bizarre, nostalgic and outrageously obscene examples. Should be good fun. In the meantime, I hope today's picks make for enjoyable viewing. Until next time.

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