A few months ago I wrote an article about my favourite female comics, and after consideration I felt it only fair to flip the coin. The basis of my original piece held the perspective that there were a ton of women comediennes out there that were not getting equal recognition to their male counterparts simply because of their gender and the stigma of women as ‘unfunny.’
With male comics the issues are slightly different. While there isn’t the gender bias there, comedians and comediennes alike (let’s not forget the women!) have fallen into the pressures of what I like to call the Apollo-syndrome. Largely speaking, people watch comedy on TV and decide that they know about comedy or have had their fill. This means that the thousands of talents that don’t make it onto our screens go largely unrecognised unless sought out at lovely events like comedy fringe festivals.
Now, let me get one thing straight before I get going: I am not against TV comedy. There have been some incredibly talented comics that have made it onto our screens. Indeed, I’m glad that some of my favourite stand-ups are getting the recognition they deserve by creeping into our homes every week. Talents such as Dylan Moran and Johnny Vegas have worked hard and have earned their status. But firstly, I feel that the distance between viewer and comic that a screen produces takes away some of the funny as you lose the human element and the electric atmosphere that you get in live stand-up and, secondly, creating a hierarchy of funny people tells viewers that beyond those who make it on television there is very little to no talent elsewhere, at least none worth paying to go and see.
So that is what my Top Ten List is about. It isn’t a herald for all the big names that are littered across our screens that, yes, I do enjoy (like Eddie Izzard and The Mighty Boosh boys). It isn’t putting down those comics who I perhaps appreciate less but are constantly shoved in my face as ‘the face of comedy’; I won’t mention names but you know who you are, Michael McIntyre. It isn’t even an ode to my all-time comic heroes; the Billy Connolly’s and Bill Hicks’ of the world. What it IS is a list of comics that I have seen over the last few years that I think are doing some really intelligent and, at times, radically brilliant stand-up. It is a list of comics that are working today that, if you can, you should definitely go and see. It is a list of comics that, in my humble opinion, are largely not getting the recognition that they should. Hopefully you will have heard of some of these comedians before but also hopefully you haven’t as then I wouldn’t be doing my job properly.
One last disclaimer is that my top ten are not in order of best to worst as I simply couldn’t choose and furthermore, I sort of felt that it would go against my anti-hierarchy values. These values stem from my belief that nobody will agree as there are different types of comedy for different types of people; ‘good’ and ‘bad’ is just too subjective. So here we go…
1) Bo Burnham
Most people have heard of Bo Burnham for his musical comedic satire that exploded on YouTube a few years back. Indeed, that is when I first got wind of him. What many may not know though is that Mr. Burnham, at the ripe age of 22, has now performed at two Edinburgh Fringes (2010 and 2013) and toured both of his carefully constructed shows. I can’t speak for his 2010 show as I haven’t actually seen it but I did see his show at last year’s Fringe. Five times. I have also watched the full show on YouTube about ten times since. If I had to describe it in one word it would be ‘perfect.’ Not because his humour is ‘perfect’ for everyone; I do understand that some people won’t get his satire. I say ‘perfect’ because every second of his show has been so carefully constructed, so completely designed, so well thought out that it cannot be structurally faulted. This show had lights, it had songs, it had satire, it had spectacle, it had poems and one liners, it had tricks and simplicity and quite plainly it would have utterly failed had it not been for the graft and genius of Burnham, who spent the last three years back in his homeland of America fabricating the show until… well… Perfect.
2) Simon Munnery
Almost opposite to Burnham, Simon Munnery is most definitely not one of the new kids on the block. He knows what he’s doing when it comes to his art. And yes, I can only pretentiously refer to what Munnery does as art. This comedian merges stand-up and film in his latest tour show, Flym, in what he calls ‘live cinema.’ It truly is masterful entertainment and allows Munnery to manipulate his medium in a truly comedic manner. Flym plays with storytelling and general absurdity implementing animation, live music, and an appreciation for a good close-up. I honestly don’t want to ruin this for you in case you get the chance to go see Munnery in action but what I will say is this was by far one of my favourite shows of last year.
3) Tony Law
For me, Tony Law is in between reaching that all-over television fame and still working the circuit. Almost exactly where he needs to be and yes, he has a large and loyal fan-base. But, I was shocked to find that, when asking around, not many people even recognised his face. So for those people: Law is FUNNY, Law is loud, Law is Canadian, Law is surreal, and Law is sure to provide you with a great night out.
4) Liam Williams
Admittedly, Liam Williams is a fairly new discovery for me. I first encountered him in the basement of a pub performing to drunken Scots in Edinburgh last summer. I had to stand at the back with a pillar blocking my view. That didn’t stop me going back six more times. If you are unaccustomed to live comedy and Williams is in your area I urge you to go; not that he should only be exclusively available to those new to the circuit. What I mean by this is that Williams provides an experience close to what most people expect from comedy. There is no audience participation or throwing of dead rats (as a young Russell Brand did many moons ago). It is just really intelligent, wonderfully written dry comedy. And, to boot, last Edinburgh Fringe (2013), Williams was handed a coveted nomination for Best New Comer from the prestigious Fosters Comedy Awards for his first ever solo Fringe show.
5) Tim Key
The true star of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. Tim Key’s mixture of poetry and what I can only describe as awkward unfiltered peculiarity is a subtly potent combination. Indeed, Key is just a bit of a paradoxical conundrum. He is a unique everyman. He is brings out the forwardness of British sensibility. He times his inability to hold his tongue perfectly. He is effortlessly hard-working. I realise I am not giving much for you to grab hold of but that is exactly what Key does. I cannot connect him to language. In other words, Tim Key has to be seen to be believed but his comedy really is some kind of genius.
6) Paul Currie
Okay, Paul Currie requires some background knowledge. Currie is a circus entertainer without a circus. He has dabbled in mime, puppetry, and street performing. Needless to say this is at the core of Currie’s act and he employs his past expertise to create a one-man-surreal-comedic-circus. This comedian is not for the faint-hearted. At times his act involves audience participation which can range from becoming a still prop to kissing his milky beard (although this was optional when I saw him at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe). For those who are brave enough to venture into the world of Currie you will discover very quickly that it is well-worth the trip. Currie is a mesmerising mixture of physical comedy, musical enchantment, wonderful escapism, and shabby spectacle.
7) Daniel Kitson
Kitson is quite simply an extremely accomplished comedian and what’s more, he’s a Yorkshireman! He began performing at the age of 16. And has notoriously built a reputation on shunning television offers (a plus for my not-actually-anti-anti-TV-work theory) although he was, reluctantly, part of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights. He has been described by comedy stars as wildly accomplished with Stewart Lee even describing Kitson’s comedy as ‘as good as it gets.’ On asking comedians and comedy-enthusiasts what acts they felt I should include for this article I was repeatedly told that to not include Kitson in my top ten would be close to a criminal act. Initially I was dubious as I felt that even a comedy-fan novice should have heard of Kitson, although to not include him on a top comedian’s list would clearly be blasphemy and so I eventually conceded. Kitson is not only an incredible compere (the MC of a comedy night) but he also has an impeccable knack for story-telling, even having collaborated with the likes of Tim Key (number 5), songwriter Gavin Osborn, and musical comedy genius David O’Doherty.
8) Mike Wozniak
Wozniak didn’t come to my attention until my comedy-enthusiast boyfriend got tickets to his Fringe show last summer. I wasn’t particularly excited to go. It was far from where I was working, it was at the awkward time of 12.10pm and when you work at the Fringe you have such limited free-time that you really have to pick what shows you see carefully. Needless to say I thought it would be terrible. Indeed, when we turned up there was probably about a queue of about four or five people. I was sceptical. I could not have been more wrong! The show itself was themed around the notion of ‘showbiz’ and Wozniak played perfectly to his situation making humour out of the delusions of stardom and completely subverting my expectations. The reasons that I thought the show would be terrible were the very reasons why I left a convert. Indeed, by the end of the Fringe, Wozniak left with a precious nomination from the Fosters Comedy Awards under his belt. I almost hope he never becomes a success so that his act isn’t tarnished. Having said that, it wasn’t just the content of the set that made the act spectacular but it was Wozniak’s ability to feel out and toy with a specific atmosphere; whatever he does he can turn a situation into comedy gold.
9) John Kearns
I’ve mentioned the Fosters Comedy Awards and a couple of the nominees. Kearns was a winner last summer. And what’s more he won having gone to the Fringe with the Free Fringe. For comedy novices I’m not sure you can understand how much of an achievement this is. To put it in perspective only 4 or 5 acts are nominated for each category each year out of thousands of acts, with the Free Fringe being largely ignored (until now!). The nominations are made after a handful of judges have shortlisted those acts twice. This means they have seen that specific show A LOT. They have been to hundreds of shows multiple times and so to get nominated your show has to be something spectacular in order to stay in their mind and make an impact. This was made more difficult for Kearns’ show as it included cross-dressing and, of course, making every male audience member get up on stage and pretend to defecate, in other words… controversial! If these credentials don’t illustrate enough evidence to say that Kearns provides the perfect alternative comedy experience then I truly think you are a lost cause to comedy. Granted, Kearns’ act may not be for everyone but if alternative comedy interests you then you would be hard pressed to find a more suited act to your tastes.
10) Reggie Watts
I must admit, I tossed over whether or not to include Reggie Watts. He’s an American musical comedian and as we’ve seen, I’ve already got Bo Burnham on my list to fit those criteria. After all there are so many talented male comedians that I want to include. However, Watts’ charisma and talent won me over. Watts’ style of comedy does what it says on the tin… or does it? Marketed as comedic hip-hop and R’n’B artist with a loop machine, Watts performs at music events globally but he offers a twist. If Tony Law and Jay Z made a baby then Reggie Watts would be the product. In other words, Watts merges music, sound, and language to create a new surreal entertainment. Multi-lingual Watts is renowned for messing with the merging of sounds across languages and produces what is perhaps the first truly international act, although that is not to say that if you cannot speak English and German and Chinese (etc.) you cannot enjoy Watts. His charismatic and weird comedy is applicable and transferable to a range of genres and scenarios, which makes for truly enjoyable comedy. I would even say that Watts’ comedy is one of a small handful that would work well on television, which is just as well as he very rarely appears in the UK.
So there you have it: my slightly alternative Top Ten List. I hope I have inspired even a pocketful of you to go out and get involved in comedy. It is an integral tradition that stems all the way back to court jesters and I would hope that an enjoyment of this art form continues to flourish outside the tele-box. Look up your local comedy clubs and support this hard profession against the assumption that success only comes when you’re on Live at the Apollo!
Image Sources:
2) http://missitchy.squarespace.com/faheyblog/?currentPage=2
4) http://edinburghfestival.list.co.uk/article/52944-comedy-fringe-debut-liam-williams/
5) http://www.list.co.uk/article/39352-best-of-2011-comedy/
6) http://mrpaulcurrie.com/pictures/
7) http://sabotagetimes.com/people/daniel-kitson-is-operating-in-a-league-of-his-own/
8) http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/preview-week-ahead-feb-10-16
9) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23808788
10) http://chicagomaroon.com/2012/02/21/uncommon-interview-reggie-watts/
Katya Balfour-Lynn