My top 10 stand up comedians of all time

There is nothing more entertaining to me that to watch a really good stand up comic live and in person.  I have seen some really good stand-ups and some really awful ones in my time.  I will spend a whole night sometimes watching Comedy Central when they run their half hour comedy specials.  I really admire these guys who get up in front of an audience and try to make people laugh because I'm sure that's not easy task on a nightly basis.  They have to keep their material current and different every night.  I was thinking about my favorite stand ups of all time and their overall influence on the entertainment business.  I came up with a top ten list and the criteria I used was not just their ability as a stand up but how they were able to translate their stand up careers into television and movie success.  Some of the people on my list excelled at just the stand up, some were able to use their stand up material to further their career in movies and tv.  This is my list and would love to hear someone else's list if they want to share. 

10.  Lewis Black -  I think only Sam Kinison would get more worked up during his comedy routines than Lewis Black.  I remember when I first saw Black on the Daily Show and just couldn't stop laughing at how mad he appeared to be getting during one of his rants.  I then remember watching him doing his stand up on Comedy Central and thinking where has he been for the last 20 years.  The man is probably in his mid 50's and it seems like he just burst on to the scene.  One of funniest things I have ever seen was when he was on the Daily show recently and talked about Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourettes.  I believe you can watch it on You Tube.  The guy is just flat out hilarious.

9.  Sam Kinison - Ironically Sam is right underneath Lewis Black on this list.  Both of these comics entertained me because of how much energy they have on stage and  how crazy they get during their stand up.  I remember when I was younger just laughing my ass off watching Sam on all of Rodney Dangerfield stand up specials on HBO.  The guy would just have me in tears when he would talk about women he had dated and then he would just explode into a tirade about how much of a F'n whore they were.  I don't think it was a shock to anyone to find out that the guy had a cocaine habit because of how much energy he would have for his stand up.  I will always remember his role in Back to School as the crazy history professor.  "Push those rice eaters back to the Great Wall of China"..."SAY IT! SAY IT!"

8.   Chris Rock -  I am flat out amazed at how funny Chris Rock the stand up is and how terrible his movie roles are.  The guys just has no luck when it comes to movies.  The only movie that I truly enjoyed was a movie that was a huge flop....Pootie Tang....Everything else has just been mediocre at best.  That being said the guy has some of the best stand up of all time.  I really enjoyed his work on SNL also.  I hope that one day he can make a movie that really spotlights his talent because right now.....his movies blow. His stand up material alone puts him on this list though.

7.  Eddie Murphy -  Eddie Murphy is a mixed bag to me.  I absolutely loved Murphy pre 1990.  The guy was an absolute riot.  His stand up was amazing.  His characters on Saturday Night Live were legendary.  He had an amazing film career going as well that included  films like Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, and my personal favorite Coming to America.  Then all of sudden he started making family films.  I understand that the money was right but he seemed to lose that edge that made him so damn funny.  I enjoyed the first Nutty Professor movie but then he started making nothing but these kid friendly movies...and not good ones.  I have to say though that his early career successes trump any thing he did later.  The guy was a genius and maybe eventually he will revisit that side of him.  Hopefully he finds himself before we get Pluto Nash 2.

6.  Bill Cosby- I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of the Cosby show.  I enjoyed it when i was younger and recognized what it meant to not just the African- American community but to all tv viewers.  The show was a classic.  What puts Bill Cosby on my list was one comedy special...Bill Cosby himself....I absolutely loved his stand-up.  It might be my favorite stand up show of all time.  I liked it that much.  I like the comedians that use profanity and controversial material but to me if you can make me laugh just using normal every day life stuff and you don't have to depend on being shocking and vulgar then....I respect that.  I think some comedians aren't creative and depend on being rude and crude to get their laughs.  Cosby was a great story teller and could make you laugh just by the looks on his face. 

5.  Jerry Seinfeld-  I remember first seeing Jerry on one of Dangerfield's HBO comedy specials when i was a kid.  I remember liking him and thinking his material was pretty good.  I can't say that I enjoy all of his material but for the most part I really get his sense of humor.  Let's face it though, the reason he is on this list is because his television show is my favorite of all time.  I know that most people liked George and Kramer's character and I completely understand that..George was my favorite.....but I think Jerry's character on the show was very underrated.  I just loved how superficial he was in regards to dating and other life issues.  His stand up material was all over that show.  I feel that of all the comics on this list, Jerry's sense of humor was probably the most like mine. 

4.  Dave Chappelle -  Where have you gone Dave Chappelle?  I know the reputation that most comics have is that they are unhappy people.  I guess Chappelle got too famous too fast.  Dave Chappelle is kind of like the Jim Brown of comics...meaning he left the game in his prime and hasn't been heard from since.  I think Chappelle's stand up is genius but it almost pales to his Comedy Central show Chappelle's show.  My wife and I used to sit and watch that show all the time when we first dated.  I will never forget the episode where Wayne Brady guest starred and uttered the words..".Im Wayne Brady Bitch" and then proceeded to shoot someone outside a night club.  I have loved Chappelle ever since I first saw him in Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and then several years later in Half Baked.  I miss Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood stories, I miss the blind black kkk leader Clayton Bigsby, I miss the whole show.  I hope that Dave surfaces soon and brings back his brand of comedy.

3.  George Carlin -  This guy is a legend...bar none.  I have probably seen more of his stand up than anyone on this list.  I love his takes on politics, religion, and life in general.  Its hard to believe that the guy is gone now.  I remember watching the very first SNL with him as host.  The guy was a genius.  He was so consistently funny for so many years.  Most stand ups have a window of when they were funny and they eventaully taper off.  Not George.  I think some his newer stuff was just as funny as his stuff 30 years ago.  I wished that he could have translated his material better into movies or telvision but to be honest I dont think TV could really handle his true comedic self.  I did though enjoy him as Rufus in the Bill and Ted movies:)

2.  Richard Pryor -  I still remember my first experience involving Richard Pryor.  I believe my parents had a comedy Album(Showing my age) of Pryors back when I lived in North Carolina some 30 plus years ago.  I remember playing the album when I was like 5 or 6 years old..Im sure I would have gotten in trouble if my parents knew i was listening to it.  I was only 5 or 6 years old but it made an impression on me.  I didnt understand probably anything that guy was saying but it was still funny to me.  I even remember a specific bit called ...Super N(word).....a spoof on Superman.....something like faster than a bowl of chitlins...able to leap a slum in  a single bound...Look up in the sky ...its a crow , its a bat...no its Super N word...I appreciated it more when I got older but still at 5 years old I was laughing at the guy.  Pryor had kind of a hard life but all those hardships were turned into some of the greatest stand up of all time.  His movie career was ok but it nowhere compared to what he did as a stand up.  I strongly recommend renting or buying some of his past stand up if you have never seen it.

1.  Rodney Dangerfield - Anyone that knows me knew who my number one comedian would be.  This guy was awesome.  Caddyshack and Back to School are two of my favorite comedies of all time.  It's hard to believe that he didn't get his big break until he was in his 50's.  His stand up was one of a kind.  I sometimes will spend hours on you tube watching some of his old stand up on the Tonight Show.  I think what really makes Rodney Stand out in my eyes is his influence on the comedians of today.  He helped launch the careers of some of the greatest comics of all time.  Tim Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinison, Bob Sagat, Rosanne Barr, and Andrew Dice Clay are just some of the comics that Rodney mentored.  I just loved his one liners. "Boy is my wife a bad cook......In my house we pray after we eat"   The guy just made me laugh looking at him.   I will never forget Rodney Dangerfield attempting the Triple Lindy at the end of Back to School.  The guy will always be a legend in my book.  Ive got mad respect for ya Rodney!