Music N' Other Drugs

While becoming a teenager in the spring of 2001 was both a blessing and a curse for an introvert like me, gaining 24-hour access to HBO Comedy for the first time ever made the ensuing awkwardness and crises of confidence slightly easier to stomach. While others were off skateboarding or reveling in their final year of Little League Baseball, I spent hours combing through the specials of George Carlin, Robert Klein, and Steven Wright in an effort to deepen my understanding of what this crazy little thing called life really means. I always felt older than I was, so the fact that I found kindred spirits among the voices that came before made perfect sense.

My reverence for the art of stand-up blossomed around the same time that “Jackass” was establishing itself as a small screen phenomenon and it didn’t take long to realize that some of my friends would rather sit around watching a guy strapped into a used porta-potty than listen to Larry Miller discuss “The Five Levels of Drinking.” I didn’t get it then and still don’t, which explains why my circle of friends has grown smaller with each passing year.

The idea for this week’s list came about while reading an article about how poorly the humor in Ben Stiller’s 2008 classic, “Tropic Thunder,” has aged after 15 years. Written from the perspective that comedy should be everything to everyone at all times, the piece struck me as yet another attempt by Generation Z to overcorrect the perceived sins of the past without understanding that the Thought Police were actually the villains in “1984.”

Few issues stemming from social media irritate me more than when people with a small mind and a big platform take issue with something, because that outrage gets extrapolated to suggest that they represent how the rest of us feel about something.

If you asked someone between the ages of 18 and 25 who their favorite comedian is, what would they say? Could they even name a current stand-up off the top of their head? Does the concept of a comedy club as a place where boundaries are tested, and uncomfortable subjects are broached even resonate anymore?

My head says no, but my heart wants to believe that somebody other than the following 10 people feel the same way about comedy’s role in cultural discourse that I do.

First, though, here are some honorable mentions: Denis Leary, Lisa Lampanelli, Rachel Feinstein, Paula Poundstone, Robert Klein, and Patrice O’Neal.

George Carlin

What can I say about George that hasn’t already been said? He’s the GOAT for a reason and his evolution from squeaky clean DJ on KXOL in Fort Worth to one of the edgiest minds of the 20th century is astonishing. The countercultural insight of “On Location” and “Again.” The goofiness of “Carlin at Carnegie” and “What Am I Doing in New Jersey?” The lacerating satire of “Jammin’ in New York” and “You Are All Diseased.” The rage of “Life is Worth Losing” and “It’s Bad For Ya.” All brilliant, all essential.

Bill Hicks

There are comedians that lean into the darkness and then there’s Bill Hicks, a legendary thinker whose life was unfairly taken in 1995 at the age of 32. He only had four official performances released to the public between 1989 and 1992, so I’m never shocked when I hear someone say that they’ve never heard of him.

Steven Wright

1985’s “I Have a Pony” remains a staple of my listening habits, because his cerebral punchlines and monotone delivery never get old.

Eddie Murphy

Most of his material is deemed “problematic” by today’s standards, but there’s no convincing me that “Delirious” and “Raw” don’t contain some of the funniest bits ever recorded.

Janeane Garofalo

Her style is an acquired taste, but she epitomized ’90s apathy with her unorthodox joke construction.

Mitch Hedberg

His lines often went so quickly that the audience had to catch up to their subtle genius.

Wanda Sykes

I caught her live in 2007 when she came to Niagara University and it was everything I hoped it would be.

Lewis Black

Some comedians are hindered by the amount of political material they do, but Black skewers everything so savagely that even his early 2000s specials are endlessly watchable.

Jerry Seinfeld

1998’s “I’m Telling You For the Last Time” kills just as soundly as it did 25 years ago.

Bill Cosby

The laundry list of allegations against him is abhorrent, but I can’t pretend that he wasn’t one of the defining comics of his era. 1982’s “Himself” is a stone-cold classic and seeing him perform “The Dentist” live in 2002 remains a highlight for me.