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Comedians you've changed your tune on?

Started by Mobius, November 23, 2021, 09:19:11 PM

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Mobius

I'm very lazy so just bung any old shit on Youtube of an evening, and lately it's been that bit on Mock The Week where everyone runs up to the mic and does a quick one liner.

I know that Andy Parsons was a figure of ridicule for a while, seemed to be the comedy namedrop for unfunny comedians... but is he that bad? I find him quite funny and not nearly as annoying as I used to, or thought I ought to because comedians I like took the piss out of him. Or maybe everyone else on MTW just annoys me more. Perhaps as I get older I just can't muster hatred for pretty mild comedians any more.

I've only ever seen him on Mock The Week so he may be a fucking terrible standup I don't know.

Plus it's quite fun to do his voice, and say his name in that voice isn't it? AAANNNDDDDYYY PARSSONSSSSSS


Mister Six

Living outside the UK for the past 15 years or so, I was surprised to discover that Frankie Boyle had transformed from a tedious, mean-spirited cunt who did sub-Jimmy Carr gags about disabled kids to a passionate and thoughtful campaigner for the betterment of a Tory-wracked UK.

Has he ever spoken about why he made that change? Was it a sudden shift, or did his output slowly transition from "cunt" to "actually, not a cunt"?

Johnny Foreigner

I used to be very wary of Chubby Brown, but having carefully watched some of his material, on consideration, I like the way he spits on the weak and stamps on the vulnerable.

up_the_hampipe

Dave Chappelle was one of my all-time favourite comedians, now he's Gervais.

Brundle-Fly

Hale & Pace. I thought they were a bit crap in the late 80s/90s, but on revisiting some of their stuff on YouTube, they've had me roaring with the old 'laffs'.  As people, they've also come across as just really affable fellows which is a bonus. Same for Les Dennis and the late Dustin Gee, who I could not abide as a teenager.

You mellow, I suppose? It's like seeing boyband members on chat shows one despised thirty years ago and now they're just very self effacing and quite likeable. Maddening!


Johnny Foreigner

Talking of which, I remembered Russ Abbot from back in the day and recently decided to have another look at his sketches. Whilst those are, of course, still as bland as they were back then, I have found myself inadvertently whistling some of Russ Abbot's songs, so yes, I suppose you could say that:

'I have changed my tunes'.

non capisco

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on November 23, 2021, 10:31:02 PMHale & Pace. I thought they were a bit crap in the late 80s/90s, but on revisiting some of their stuff on YouTube, they've had me roaring with the old 'laffs'. 


I have to mention it every time Hale and Pace come up, The Man Who Can't Take Anything Seriously sketch is mint and Gareth Hale has the perfect face for it. "A-give us your wallet!"

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Mister Six on November 23, 2021, 09:22:26 PMHas he ever spoken about why he made that change?  Living outside the UK for the past 15 years or so, I was surprised to discover that Frankie Boyle had transformed from a tedious, mean-spirited cunt who did sub-Jimmy Carr gags about disabled kids to a passionate and thoughtful campaigner for the betterment of a Tory-wracked UK.

Was it a sudden shift, or did his output slowly transition from "cunt" to "actually, not a cunt"?

A fair few of those similar "shock comics" from the late 00s/early 10s have made a similar kind of transition (perhaps not quite as brazenly as Boyle has). Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer and Anthony Jeselnik are all "woke" comics now, even though they made their names doing similarly mean material. But Boyle had been making statements about how the BBC had pressured him not to talk about "serious issues" or what-have-you since before he left Mock The Week. But then he did leave Mock The Week and his answer was to do Tramadol Nights. And now he's back on the BBC.

I think he's struggled to reconcile his "new self" with some of the material that made him famous. I think in an interview not too long ago he was still trying to defend the Harvey Price joke as being somehow woke, highlighting "attitudes towards disability", which is astonishingly disingenuous.

Noodle Lizard

---

I don't know if Karl Pilkington counts as a "comedian" as such, but while I never disliked him, I would've never guessed he was capable of making something like Sick Of It. Certainly added a lot of depth to him.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on November 24, 2021, 12:47:58 AMA fair few of those similar "shock comics" from the late 00s/early 10s have made a similar kind of transition (perhaps not quite as brazenly as Boyle has). Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer and Anthony Jeselnik are all "woke" comics now, even though they made their names doing similarly mean material. But Boyle had been making statements about how the BBC had pressured him not to talk about "serious issues" or what-have-you since before he left Mock The Week. But then he did leave Mock The Week and his answer was to do Tramadol Nights. And now he's back on the BBC.

I think he's struggled to reconcile his "new self" with some of the material that made him famous. I think in an interview not too long ago he was still trying to defend the Harvey Price joke as being somehow woke, highlighting "attitudes towards disability", which is astonishingly disingenuous.

When did Jeselnik go woke? He's still doing the same sort of stuff.

I think Boyle's point was about how Katie Price would parade Harvey in front of the media. But it still makes no sense as an explanation. He should just admit that he liked being shocking at one time, and there was more of an appetite for that stuff back then so he went for it.

Quote from: Mister Six on November 23, 2021, 09:22:26 PMLiving outside the UK for the past 15 years or so, I was surprised to discover that Frankie Boyle had transformed from a tedious, mean-spirited cunt who did sub-Jimmy Carr gags about disabled kids to a passionate and thoughtful campaigner for the betterment of a Tory-wracked UK.

Say what you want about his old material, but he was always a better writer than Jimmy Carr. He even wrote for Jimmy Carr.

trabuch

I think I quite liked Andrew Lawrence in his early days. But I'm fucked if I'm pressing next twice on Youtube to see why.

Mr Banlon

Bill Hicks. Was a fan of his when he was actually alive. Looking back on his act now and it's proper cringey tail-end-boomer crap, and it's aged about as well as he did. Like Stewart Lee pointed out, pretty short on material as well. Some pretty homophobic and misogynistic stuff in his act, and conspiracy bollocks too. Reckon he would have become a Qanon-type had he lived.
Sam Kinison. Thought he was hilarious. Fucking hell what a hateful unfunny screechy cunt that man was.
Dave Chappelle. He can fuck right off.


Crenners

Chris Morris used to be breathtakingly funny and challenging. Now he makes well-meaning, slightly naff, forgettable TV movie farce which stinks of research. He's wasting his career.

trabuch

Quote from: Crenners on November 24, 2021, 04:31:29 AMChris Morris used to be breathtakingly funny and challenging. Now he makes well-meaning, slightly naff, forgettable TV movie farce which stinks of research. He's wasting his career.

Where can I see this?


I thought those early Jonathan Pie videos were funny, then he got worse and revealed himself to be a Libertarian free-speech campaigner, playing up to the anti-woke brigade.

YouCantWriteTearsJimmy

Quite a few of those "telling it like it is" comedians, like Gervais, Carlin, Hicks, Pie, etc. Perfect for the angsty teenager, but now they just feel redundant. Dara O'Briain i used to love, but now i get an anxiety attack watching his stand up :D but that's more a me problem.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

#18
Bill Hicks' righteous truth-seeker shtick hasn't aged well at all, and I agree that he sometimes came across as a sad, bitter incel wanker, but... I still maintain that he was a charismatic, funny comedian with a deft turn of phrase.

While that doesn't excuse his rank misogyny and tiresome stabs at low-hanging pop culture fruit - yes, Bill Hicks, we all agree that Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles were more musically significant than New Kids on the Block - he was a cut above yer bog-standard 'angry' comedian. Quite a lot of his stuff was whimsical and daft. I always preferred him in that mode.

Small Man Big Horse

I can think of loads that I used to like but now struggle with, but those who I didn't like but now do is a harder thing to do. Looking through a list of the comedians I've seen in the last few years, whenever I saw Glenn Moore on tv he didn't impress but I thought he was pretty decent live, and I used to vaguely like Sara Pascoe but now love her as her book Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body and recent stand up show were both superb, but other than that I'm struggling to come up with anyone.

BeardFaceMan

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on November 24, 2021, 10:44:44 AMBill Hicks' righteous truth-seeker shtick hasn't aged well at all, and I agree that he sometimes came across as a sad, bitter incel wanker, but... I still maintain that he was a charismatic, funny comedian with a deft turn of phrase.

While that doesn't excuse his rank misogyny and tiresome stabs at low-hanging pop culture fruit - yes, Bill Hicks, we all agree that Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles were more musically significant than New Kids on the Block - he was a cut above yer bog-standard 'angry' comedian. Quite a lot of his stuff was whimsical and daft. I always preferred him in that mode.

That's the thing that always gets overlooked with Hicks, his material about his goober dad, getting stuck at traffic lights, moths liking light bulbs etc, he was a lot more than the preacher man he's usually tiresomely portrayed as.

Rolf Lundgren

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on November 24, 2021, 12:48:28 PMI can think of loads that I used to like but now struggle with, but those who I didn't like but now do is a harder thing to do. Looking through a list of the comedians I've seen in the last few years, whenever I saw Glenn Moore on tv he didn't impress but I thought he was pretty decent live, and I used to vaguely like Sara Pascoe but now love her as her book Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body and recent stand up show were both superb, but other than that I'm struggling to come up with anyone.

I've definitely been won over by seeing comedians I've never particularly rated by TV appearances (Phill Jupitus, Bill Bailey, Nish Kumar) but been impressed with live. It's a reminder that they must have some talent to get to the position they got to.

That Hale and Pace sketch up there is great by the way. Never really watched them due to being too late at night for younger me and on ITV which is a sure sign of death. Vague recollections of H&P@theBBC or however they wrote it.

Alberon

Bill Hicks almost certainly wouldn't have become the minor legend that he did if he hadn't died. It makes me wonder what he'd be doing now if he had lived. Trump truther or calling all that shit out, doing adverts for hand tools or completely forgotten?

As for Frankie Boyle I've seen very very little of his newer stuff mainly because Mrs Alberon absolutely venomously hates him for his older stuff.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Yeah, that Hale & Pace sketch is great. Gareth Hale has an inherently funny face, his entire demeanour is amusing; he's just so perfectly cast as a man who can't take anything seriously.

Why did they become shorthand for shit, hacky comedy? Because a lot of their material was shit and hacky, that's the obvious answer. I get that. But they did some good things too. As I say, Gareth Hale was a FUNNY man.

But I guess they'll always be regarded as the alternative comedy equivalent of Little & Large. Which I suppose they were, to a certain extent. And what's wrong with that, eh readers?!

No idea what my point is now.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Alberon on November 24, 2021, 01:33:45 PMBill Hicks almost certainly wouldn't have become the minor legend that he did if he hadn't died.

I dunno, he was already a big alt-comedy star during the last few years of his life. In Britain anyway. Channel 4 adored him, he had his own live stand-up special and he occasionally cropped up on shows such as The Word and Clive Anderson Talks Back. NME and Melody Maker used to write about him too.

It was a shock when he died, because he'd only just become established as a Major New Comedian.

QDRPHNC

Quote from: non capisco on November 23, 2021, 11:48:50 PM

I have to mention it every time Hale and Pace come up, The Man Who Can't Take Anything Seriously sketch is mint and Gareth Hale has the perfect face for it. "A-give us your wallet!"

That's great, I love the first snigger in the lift before you even see him. I used to adore Hale and Pale when I was a kid.

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on November 24, 2021, 01:43:50 PMBut I guess they'll always be regarded as the alternative comedy equivalent of Little & Large. Which I suppose they were, to a certain extent. And what's wrong with that, eh readers?!

I think there's a thing where... more recent generations have to sort of vocally oppose things they used to love, unless the thing they used to love makes an effort to "rehabilitate" themselves according to what we wish to see as we get older (such as Les Dennis appearing on a couple of Reeves & Mortimer shows). Not sure why. Maybe to disassociate yourself from the embarrassment of liking something hacky like H&P? Whereas my parents, for example, seemed quite happy to leave the things they loved in the past and remember them fondly.

That made more sense in my head, but fuckitpost.

Re: Bill Hicks

History hasn't been kind to him, but I used to love him. So much so that I resist revisiting him, but I see all the problems that people see in his work now. Still, it would have been fascinating to see how he would have evolved as a comedian.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: QDRPHNC on November 24, 2021, 01:56:32 PMThat's great, I love the first snigger in the lift before you even see him. I used to adore Hale and Pale when I was a kid.

His giggle after "I don't love you any more, Bob" is brilliant.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: QDRPHNC on November 24, 2021, 01:56:32 PMI think there's a thing where... more recent generations have to sort of vocally oppose things they used to love, unless the thing they used to love makes an effort to "rehabilitate" themselves according to what we wish to see as we get older (such as Les Dennis appearing on a couple of Reeves & Mortimer shows). Not sure why. Maybe to disassociate yourself from the embarrassment of liking something hacky like H&P? Whereas my parents, for example, seemed quite happy to leave the things they loved in the past and remember them fondly.

I agree. Hale & Pace made me laugh when I was a kid, and that sketch we're talking about is still funny. But when you become cynical and self-conscious in your teens, you reject these things as a matter of course. Rik and Ade, yeah it's still okay to like them as they were anarchic and transgressive, but daft old Hale & Pace were just naff, man.

And then when you get older, you realise that these binary decicions are ridiculous.

TheGingerAlien

You never hear much about Doug Stanhope these days... did he get 'cancelled' for saying something appalling or perhaps his liver packed in or something?  Seem to remember thinking he was great years ago but I suspect the material hasn't aged that well (as per observations about Hicks above etc.)

QDRPHNC

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on November 24, 2021, 02:12:53 PMAnd then when you get older, you realise that these binary decicions are ridiculous.

I wonder if it's to do with the fact that our parents and older generations didn't keep seeing the things from their childhood released on VHS, then DVD, then YouTube, until they were quite a bit older and had already mellowed. They saw it on TV when they were 10 and then it was gone until 40 years later. So at no point in their late teens or 20s would they be required to have an opinion on it.

Quote from: TheGingerAlien on November 24, 2021, 02:15:33 PMYou never hear much about Doug Stanhope these days... did he get 'cancelled' for saying something appalling or perhaps his liver packed in or something?  Seem to remember thinking he was great years ago but I suspect the material hasn't aged that well (as per observations about Hicks above etc.)

YouTube coughed up some reaction video to one of his bits on immigration. I have to admit, I still loved his unironic righteous anger. You don't see so much of that these days. I think he did get a bit cancelled. I want to say domestic violence, but not sure.