10 foreign stand-up comedians you should pay attention to

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The genre of stage comedy, built on the interaction of the comedian with the audience, has long reached the Russian audience. Lifehacker has compiled a list of popular foreign stand-up artists, whose experience is often adopted by domestic representatives of the genre.

1. George Carlin

American comedian, actor and writer, winner of numerous awards and stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the development of theater. George Carlin is one of the pioneers of the genre and the founders of modern stand-up comedy. Comedians' track record is measured in specials - full-length concerts in front of a wide audience. With them, artists go on tours, they are released on various media and shown on TV. The first such concert of Karlin is dated 1977, since then he has produced more than a dozen specials.

Throughout his creative career, Carlin ridiculed the vices of Americans, such as the cult of celebrities, the consumer society, and hypertrophied religiosity. He died in 2008 at the age of 71 from heart failure.

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2. Dylan Moran

Dylan Moran is an Irish stand-up comedian who is also best known for his starring role in Black's Bookstore. Many of Moran's jokes are built on stereotypes about the Irish, and some of the performances are accompanied by drinking whiskey (probably tea) and smoking cigarettes. Dylan Moran does not try to be scandalous, his stage character is a kind and sloppy Irishman, always in a melancholic mood. In addition, Moran is one of the few foreign stand-up artists who performed his show in Russia. The artist has six specials and a dozen movie roles.

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3. Bill Burr

Bill Burr is a master of bold statements like "the world needs a new plague" and "there was nothing special about Steve Jobs." This is followed by black humor and cold argumentation. Burr's speeches amuse some, arouse hatred in others, and someone is forced to reconsider the existing system of values. Burr is now one of the most influential figures in American stand-up: many call him the new Carlin, and comedian Anthony Gesellnik prophesied him the title of "the next big comedian" after Louis C. Kay.

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4. Louis CK

One of the most popular, quoted and productive stand-up comedians of our time. Rarely goes beyond the comedy of observation: describes situations from personal experience, exposes the shortcomings of family life, talks about sex, fatherhood and relationships with people. Louis CK does not hide his shortcomings, his performances are full of self-irony. The audience empathizes with the comedian and, of course, recognize themselves in the monologues.

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5. Dara O'Brienne

Irish comedian Dara O'Brienne is a master of improvisation. A significant part of his performances is based on communication with the audience. The artist cannot be won in the exchange of witticisms, but Dara does not set the task of humiliating the interlocutor. His jokes highlight both him and the object of ridicule. The comedian's performances are distinguished by a lively and energetic presentation, and his humor is often based on ridicule of human stupidity. Especially often goes to psychics, astrologers and all kinds of charlatans.

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6. Stuart Lee

Stuart Lee is a writer and intellectual, one of the most respected stand-up comedians. Connoisseurs of his work are advised to watch the performances in the original or with subtitles: not only the content is important in them, but also the intonation. Stuart Lee's jokes are funny, but according to fans, not for everyone. The comedian leads the story in a special manner: it all starts with a monotonous entry, repeating the same phrases, and ends with an emotional climax and a powerful final thought.

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7. Tim Minchin

British Australian comedian, actor and musician. Minchin himself describes his performances as "funny cabaret shows", he considers himself first of all a musician, and only then a comedian. In monologues and songs, it touches on taboo social topics, such as religion. On his shows, he usually appears in front of the viewer barefoot, with protruding hair, lowered eyes and in a tailcoat. Thus, he emphasizes the difference between a real person and a stage image, simultaneously discrediting himself as one of the modern "icons".

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8. Jimmy Carr

Jimmy Carr is an arrogant and cynical English stand-up comedian who does not spare the audience in verbal skirmishes and over and over again shocks fans with more and more daring jokes. His performances are dynamic: the comedian rarely tells long stories, preferring bombardment with short jokes.

It's hard to find a social group that Carr hasn't touched on in his monologues: he doesn't hesitate to joke about dwarfs, overweight people, or people with disabilities. It is justified by the fact that in most cases even the most daring jokes turn out to be funny, and the hero on the stage is just as invented as the situations described in the monologues.

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9. Eddie Izzard

Eddie Izzard, one of the most unusual stand-up comedians in the UK, is a transvestite, often performing in women's outfits. His humor is also unusual in the comedian's diagnosis of dyslexia. The disease prevents Izzard from reading the prepared script, so the narration is sometimes chaotic and with leaps from topic to topic. The artist claims that the films and sketches of "Monty Python" made the strongest impression on him, and his performances are nothing more than an interpretation of the video works of this comic group.

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10. Beau Burnham

One of the youngest and most promising representatives of the musical stand-up genre is a comedian, writer, musician and actor. Burnham already has three live albums and an army of fans who appreciate the comedian not only for humor, but also for catchy songs.

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