Left-wing or socialist leaning comedians around the world?

[tribalfusion]

The landscape has shifted so much since Hicks died, but pretty much every one of his positions is anti-establishment, but who knows if he would have wound up like Rogan in this age. People who don't like Hicks think he would have, but they're a touch biased ;)

It's difficult to say but it's worth noting that Hicks went on to make more overt left-leaning comments and references later on in his career. I think someone like Stanhope is a more interesting comparison point in any case in terms of his commitment to comedy.

[Noodle Lizard]

Yeah it's very difficult to tell because lots of anti-establishment people seem to think the establishment is "woke people on twitter"

Could the reason for this be that the influence of "woke Twitter" is felt well beyond Twitter, with a lot of their talking points parroted (cynically or otherwise) by mainstream media and corporations? It's somewhat baffling to see McDonalds endorsing police reform, for instance.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

"Don't vote for them, it only encourages them." Billy Connolly was being glib when he said that in the '80s, it was a throwaway gag, as he's always been engaged with left-wing politics. He lives in a castle, he's friendly with members of the Royal family, but I can't imagine him ever voting Tory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Connolly#Political_views

For years he was dead against Scottish independence, but it looks like he's recently come to the conclusion that it's a good idea.

Damn, this thread has sucked me in.

[Jake Thingray]

Mate, from one cunt-toner to another: you have the tone of a cunt

Afraid I do wonder if tribalfusion believes that "Mitchell and Webb do good impressions", and has a rather turgid parable about "cackling gays" ruining things at a religiously motivated soup kitchen.

[tribalfusion]

Afraid I do wonder if tribalfusion believes that "Mitchell and Webb do good impressions", and has a rather turgid parable about "cackling gays" ruining things at a religiously motivated soup kitchen.

I have no particular interest in Mitchell and Webb. Thanks for posting.

[Jake Thingray]

Glaring omission of Ben Elton anywhere in this thread (or the right-wing thread, chucklehead).

He was the most prominent left-wing comedian of the 1980s

And the more out-of-touch members of the Tory press think he still is now.

[a peepee tipi]

I already mentioned Dave Anthony actually.  He is a DSA member too and definitely fits here...


https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,81304.msg4255749.html#msg4255749

Shit my mistake, cool to see another fan

[tribalfusion]

Shit my mistake, cool to see another fan

No worries; I was hoping posters might discuss individual comedians on that list but that mostly hasn't happened. Glad to see you enjoy his work. Do you have any other suggestions as to other comedians in that vein?

[Ray Travez]

It's somewhat baffling to see McDonalds endorsing police reform, for instance.

they've clearly not done enough to bring Hamburglar to justice

[tribalfusion]

Just a bump to see if anyone has any other suggestions....

[Action Fish]

Sean Morley.
https://twitter.com/seanmorl

His podcast, Mandatory Redistribution Party (I haven't listened to much, so can't vouch)
https://twitter.com/mandoparty

[RicoMNKN]

Johnny Vegas is a socialist, isn't he?
Seem to remember I read The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists after seeing him enthuse about it.

And Francesca Martinez seems very involved in left-wing politics.

[Sin Agog]

Remarkably Tom Lehrer's still a-fucking-live, and he was a pretty big anti-establishment figure- very pointedly against nuclear armaments and did big pushes for civil rights in front of the wine-sipping intelligentsia who needed to hear it.  Julian Cope wrote an article about how Lehrer smuggled subversive satirical leftie politics into his parents' household just by dint of looking like a dweeb on the piano.

[tribalfusion]

Another bump...one thing which is noteworthy so far is that almost everyone under discussion is at least late 30s and usually 50s and up.  Is it fair to say that there hasn't been a generational renewal of the sort of left comedian represented by Rob Newman, Mark Steel and Mark Thomas etc?

I had seen Chris Coltrane mentioned as an heir to that tradition but he seems to have vanished entirely and I haven't found much in the way of prominent peers in this regard.

I would also like to add:


Matthew Alford (UK)

Charlie Demers (Canada)

Fred Dube' (Quebec)

[Sebastian Cobb]

Carlin is a good example of someone who was impacted by left currents but was not engaged in politics in a more systematic way and also fell into right-wing misanthropic views periodically as well.

There are similar elements in Bill Hicks (earlier on in particular) and especially in people like Doug Stanhope.

I noticed Stanhope's openly binned libertarianism now. Still a misanthrope obviously, but I guess that's his act.

[tribalfusion]

I noticed Stanhope's openly binned libertarianism now. Still a misanthrope obviously, but I guess that's his act.

I saw that too. He even suggested he appreciated Sanders and pissed off some of his libertarian fans.

[RicoMNKN]

Stanhope's libertarianism never really bothered me as it always seemed more about the right to do what you want with your body rather than the usual libertarian desire to not pay tax and fuck the poor.

Glad he's dropped it though.

[Dog Botherer]

had a quick scan of the thread and didn't see Patton Oswalt mentioned. definitely remember him expressing a huge amount of frustration with the Democratic party as a whole and has appeared on Chapo Trap House multiple times and also the straight up anarcho-communist Street Fight Radio.

[tribalfusion]

Stanhope's libertarianism never really bothered me as it always seemed more about the right to do what you want with your body rather than the usual libertarian desire to not pay tax and fuck the poor.

Glad he's dropped it though.

I agree...Stanhope can be perceptive and was about as good as it gets in terms of that sort of libertarian (probably why he is jettisoning it too) but it did show up in some disappointing ways now and then in his routines and conversations.

Fellow traveller Australian Steve Hughes on the other hand seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

[tribalfusion]

had a quick scan of the thread and didn't see Patton Oswalt mentioned. definitely remember him expressing a huge amount of frustration with the Democratic party as a whole and has appeared on Chapo Trap House multiple times and also the straight up anarcho-communist Street Fight Radio.

You're right, he deserves a mention too. Has it shown up much in his actual material? I am not super familiar with his work but what I saw didn't seem to go there much.

[pcsjwgm]

Victor Lewis-Smith

[tribalfusion]

I thought I'd check back in and see if anyone has any new suggestions for this one.

As I mentioned earlier, it seems that almost everyone under discussion is at least late 30s and usually 50s and up. Is it fair to say that there hasn't been a generational renewal of the sort of left comedian in the UK represented by Rob Newman, Mark Steel and Mark Thomas etc.?

[Old Nehamkin]

I thought I'd check back in and see if anyone has any new suggestions for this one.

As I mentioned earlier, it seems that almost everyone under discussion is at least late 30s and usually 50s and up. Is it fair to say that there hasn't been a generational renewal of the sort of left comedian in the UK represented by Rob Newman, Mark Steel and Mark Thomas etc.?

I think you could go further and say that there hasn't really been a "generational renewal" of comedy talent in the U.K. media full stop, in that broadcasters are commissioning ever less original comedy programming and the stuff that still exists is increasingly dominated by an ageing, complacent Gen-X establishment (who seem to be asserting a tighter and more stubborn grip than even their boomer forebears did.)

I imagine there are plenty of young left-wing people out there doing comedy in some form or another, but they're much more likely to be doing so on twitter or youtube or on podcasts than via traditional media - a ladder which is just getting pulled further and further up. The general trend seems to be that it's harder and harder to get famous and easier and easier to stay famous.

[tribalfusion]

I think you could go further and say that there hasn't really been a "generational renewal" of comedy talent in the U.K. media full stop, in that broadcasters are commissioning ever less original comedy programming and the stuff that still exists is increasingly dominated by an ageing, complacent Gen-X establishment (who seem to be asserting an even tighter and more stubborn territorial grip than even their boomer forebears did.)

I imagine there are plenty of young left-wing people out there doing comedy in some form or another, but they're much more likely to be doing so on twitter or youtube or on podcasts than via traditional media - a ladder which is just getting pulled further and further up. The general trend seems to be that it's harder and harder to get famous and easier and easier to stay famous.

What you write makes sense though almost no one has mentioned any younger left-wing UK comedians working in ANY medium so it doesn't seem to be simply a question of access to the BBC for example.

[Chriddof]

I don't think you can underestimate just how moribund the British media industry is at the moment. A lot of modern day British creatives who are left wing and who you could call comedians do things like Twitch streams, Youtube videos, "shitposts" etc instead of stand up sets and sketch shows. That's partially because a lot of people are more into livestreams / random online stuff as a source of comedy these days, and getting something commissioned for UK TV is simply not worth the time and effort.

Not to mention that streams and stuff tend not to get noticed here, or at least not in Comedy Chat. Limmy gets some coverage, at least. Meanwhile, the BBC continues its slide into irrelevance for anyone under the age of 30, along with every other linear channel. Also this is worth looking at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/arts/transgender-comedy-uk.html

The BBC won't go near this, because they're so insanely transphobic.

[tribalfusion]

I don't think you can underestimate just how moribund the British media industry is at the moment. A lot of modern day British creatives who are left wing and who you could call comedians do things like Twitch streams, Youtube videos, "shitposts" etc instead of stand up sets and sketch shows. That's partially because a lot of people are more into livestreams / random online stuff as a source of comedy these days, and getting something commissioned for UK TV is simply not worth the time and effort.

Not to mention that streams and stuff tend not to get noticed here, or at least not in Comedy Chat. Limmy gets some coverage, at least. Meanwhile, the BBC continues its slide into irrelevance for anyone under the age of 30, along with every other linear channel. Also this is worth looking at:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/26/arts/transgender-comedy-uk.html

The BBC won't go near this, because they're so insanely transphobic.

Thanks for the link and the reply more generally. Are there are people you feel are doing comedy of a left bent in the various streaming areas whom you feel merit a mention in this thread?

Pandemic aside, would they not be working clubs theoretically as well?

[phantom_power]

Sarah Silverman is very pro-Bernie on Twitter and has caught a lot of flak for not siding with Clinton

Josie Long has been one of the few UK comedians who have been prominently socialist and pro-Corbyn over the last few years

[KennyMonster]

Josie Long has been one of the few UK comedians who have been prominently socialist and pro-Corbyn over the last few years

Yeah but as I've just added to the Baddiel thread, she is part of the Cosmic Shambles network of podcasts and they've interviewed David Baddiel for their exclusive, Patreon members only strand "Tips for Existence".

It might be that only Robin Ince has interviewed him, not Josie, but its mightily disappointing to see that this is the case from some people who pride themselves on being rationalist and evidence based in their approach.

In a Book Shambles podcast interview last year Robin also let so-called scientist Adam Rutherford get away with saying that Labour had a problem with Anto Semitism without challenge too.

[phantom_power]

I will take her unequivocal and vocal support of left wing politics as an indicator of her views over her being part of a network of podcasts where one of those podcasts interviewed someone who has expressed opinions I disagree with any day of the week

[Pink Gregory]

They interviewed Nimco Ali a few years ago and it was awkward to say the least.

Ian Dunt has also been on Book Shambles as well.