Dodson reflects on the art of the comedy special from the OG Richard Pryor to Dave Chapelle to Doug Stanhope. He argues that where comedy movies can feel contrived or artificial, a good special brings a truth and realness that makes them the apex medium of the genre. And wraps by sharing five recommendations for comedy fans who are hungry for new material.
Fan of the Joe Rogan Podcast or not, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better description of the ultimate comedy special: an hour-plus long stand-up feature. There will be a list/rankings below, but there is no denying the power of Richard Pryor’s Live on the Sunset Strip, the funniest stand-up comedy special ever made. This is especially true because of its staying power; go watch a clip and try not to laugh.
Comedy movies are built on contrived situations played out, a suspension of disbelief is required. The best part of a true stand-up comedy feature is the performer makes you believe in the situation. McLovin was never going to do all those antics with some cops. Patrice O’Neal might really have stood on the edge of the beach with a white baby to ensure he was found if he drowned. His story on the tragedy of the Miami University football players in that cap-sized boat made you laugh but it also made you think.
Fan of the Joe Rogan Podcast or not, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better description of the ultimate comedy special: an hour-plus long stand-up feature. There will be a list/rankings below, but there is no denying the power of Richard Pryor’s Live on the Sunset Strip, the funniest stand-up comedy special ever made. This is especially true because of its staying power; go watch a clip and try not to laugh.
Comedy movies are built on contrived situations played out, a suspension of disbelief is required. The best part of a true stand-up comedy feature is the performer makes you believe in the situation. McLovin was never going to do all those antics with some cops. Patrice O’Neal might really have stood on the edge of the beach with a white baby to ensure he was found if he drowned. His story on the tragedy of the Miami University football players in that cap-sized boat made you laugh but it also made you think.
That is another hallmark of greatness: Great comedians make you think more than you laugh. Rarely will any comedy, from conservative to slapstick satire make you think about how to effect positive change in your world. You don’t have to be a card-carrying disciple of George Carlin to appreciate the analysis of society given by Jon Stewart or Dave Chappelle or Katt Williams.
Chris Rock has remixed his Tambourine special into a new inside look at the process and an extended cut including new jokes. Honestly, it made the original special even better in my eyes, sitting what had to hit the editing floor in order for the OG special to hit the notes that it did. Sure, I could get that from buying a DVD of How High or Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but those clips just aren’t the same as seeing Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle bounce back a story about Eddie Murphy being brought on the stage by Richard Pryor.
Pryor then just sat on the steps just feet away and watched as Eddie destroyed the room. That’s not a scene that was cut and rehearsed, both the moment and the retelling of the times, that’s life. Nothing makes us laugh more than a life lived. We’ve all laughed at weird moments. Times when it might not be expected that we laugh, some might even think we are having a mental breakdown.
And that is why the standalone, one-person comedy special is the Ultimate Comedy Movie. As an art, it is the greatest art. It’s why kings kept jesters around. For my money, Bernie Mac’s I Ain’t Scared Of You Motherfuckers is the best five minutes of comedy ever performed. Sure, jesters could have been killed, but they didn’t have indoor plumbing, the first amendment, or other luxuries. What’s a few weeks in the dungeon or gulag?
Might see an old friend from the comedy road gigs through the villages between New York and Los Angeles. I kid, I kid. Except for those two towns called Nebraska and Kansas. In the jester days, even they tried to catapult over those cornfields.
The watchlist on Netflix and Prime are growing stale. They haven’t been able to film many of our favorite shows and movie releases are being pushed back because of the pandemic. We all need a reason to laugh.
Without further adieu, here is a list of the Top 5 standup comedians that should have their work cataloged in the United States Library of Congress. I’ll leave alone Richard Pryor’s works, as they should all be included as national monuments. Every version of Mudbone is gold and a memory into a different time.
1. Dave Chappelle’s Killing Them Softly was just the start. Through all of the Sticks and Stones thrown at him, Dave has come out on top as perhaps the now undisputed GOAT of our generation.
2. Patrice O’Neal died too soon. He was always willing to tackle the Elephant in the Room with the unpopular opinion, then make you understand the point so well you agreed with his crazy outtakes on the situation.
3. George Carlin had his Complaints and Grievances. No one was complaining about the funny kid from NYC being the man who broke the ice after the attacks of September 11th. Live from New York, the greatest philosopher of our time was not an academic, he was a comedian.
4. Chris Rock stays with his schtick in Tambourine, but he stays in style as well. His refinement of the edge he had in Bigger in Blacker was only sharpened by his divorce.
5. Doug Stanhope, because it’s the pandemic and we all need a drink. The Great White Stanhope gives No Refunds while on his trip to Oslo: Burning a Bridge to Nowhere, Before Turning a Gun on Himself in a Beer Hall Putsch. Hey, there is No Place Like Home, and dark comedy is where I’m most comfortable.
