Classic Comedy: Was It Ever Funny? - US comedy doesn't hold up?

[HowlingChasm]

As much as I like Jerry Seinfeld, and Jason Alexander (to be honest, him as George carried that show) I do feel like the biggest reason Seinfeld was as funny as it was is because Larry David worked for it.

That's basically the consensus. Larry David left after season 7 and then the show turned into a wacky cartoon of itself.

 

[Iron Jaguar]

, I think Alexander is funnier than Seinfeld.

No question about it. Seinfeld can't act and his standup was terrible. That show was only great because of Larry David.
My favourite overall character was J. Peterman. Absolute lunatic.

 

[Judge Dredd]

Bit of a necro. Howard Stern.

Heard him name dropped a few times over the years, but don't know his work. I suspect his story is the same as others in the thread.

Supposedly an edgy comedian of the 90s that fell off in the 2010s and is now a covid vaccine shill.

 

[Stab You in the Back]

Bit of a necro. Howard Stern.

Heard him name dropped a few times over the years, but don't know his work. I suspect his story is the same as others in the thread.

Supposedly an edgy comedian of the 90s that fell off in the 2010s and is now a covid vaccine shill.

Pretty much. Back in the day, Stern used to do anything and everything to appeal to working class white men. He'd make fun of blacks, fags, jews, the disabled, trannies, women... everybody. He'd wish death on people and instruct his audience to harass his enemies. He wore blackface and would repeatedly use the words nigger, fag and retard in his show.

Once he got his foot through the door, though, he slammed it shut behind him. He became a wokescold who cared more about protecting his wealth and position than about entertaining his audience. He banned comedians for being too edgy (Gilbert Gottfried, Norm Macdonald). He stopped even broadcasting from a studio and now hides in his home where he subjects any guests to invasive covid testing before allowing them to enter. He became everything that the old Stern made fun of: old, out-of-touch and self-important.

Its easy to compare, because youtube has millions of Stern clips:

Howard from the 90s:

Howard from 2012 trying to reinvigorate his show:

 

[Rei is Shit.]

I expected this thread to be about Jerry Lewis or Lenny Bruce, maybe even those movies with John Belushi.

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

Lenny Bruce,

ah, the legendary writer of The Rocket Man!

 

[GloryHole Stalker]

Bit of a necro. Howard Stern.

Heard him name dropped a few times over the years, but don't know his work. I suspect his story is the same as others in the thread.

Supposedly an edgy comedian of the 90s that fell off in the 2010s and is now a covid vaccine shill.

Not a comedian in the traditional sense. He was a radio DJ who made his name doing risque radio "bits". From "Morning Zoo" like song parodies, to having strippers and porn actresses come to the studio and get naked (which always struck me as silly since it was on the radio). All in the name of "comedy". There's more to it but that's the short of it.

I started listening to him in the late 80s, stopped listening in the mid 90s. As his goal was always to move into mainstream recognition and acceptance, in the 2010s he started to move away from his edgier persona and eventually disowned his former work. As I understand it, he's now basically a shut in, railing against President Trump, and yeah, he's scared to death of covid.

 

[Overwritten Tapes]

Comedy is usually in context. Things from decades ago wouldn't make sense to a person who didn't experience the time frame

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole 2]

Comedy is usually in context. Things from decades ago wouldn't make sense to a person who didn't experience the time frame

I watched The Chair Company just recently(funny show) and there's this guy listening to old skits and explains it as them being a really popular duo back in the day.