Stand Up!

So I absolutely LOVE standup comedy.  I've been memorizing standup routines since I was five years old. I listen to standup in the car, when I get ready in the morning, when I exercise, when I make jewelry..basically all the time!  So of course, I made a list of my top 61 favorite standups.  There are so many great ones, but these are the ones I constantly find myself revisiting.

Here's the top 10 and a bit about why I love them:

1-Bo Burnham- He's not much older than me, and his comedy is absolutely brilliant.  His music, theatrics, and persona are simply in a comedy league of their own.  "Hate my brain but too sane to mind it."

2-Brian Regan- I got to see him live, and his comedy is always on point.  He does hilarious voices and is "family friendly."  And he's so quotable.  "I have a canary...pretty pretty canary!"

3-George Carlin- He was around forever and always made real statements about the world.  I've read all his books and seem all his specials and still can't get enough of him.  When he passed away, it was like losing a real friend.

4-Demitri Martin- He is such a smart comic who uses drawings and instruments in a way that is not gimmicky...that's no easy feat.  Absolutely brilliant.  And he doesn't like pinatas, because they promote violence against flamboyant animals.

5-Jim Gaffigan- Another "family-friendly" comic.  I like his comedy from the mid-2000s best where he joked A LOT about food, but he's always hilarious no matter what he's joking about.

6-Maria Bamford-First off, I love her voice and the voices she does. She is at her best when she jokes about her family.  She really holds her own.

7-Louis CK- Everyone loves Louis, and why not?  He sees all that is wrong with society and makes it funny.  Another brilliant comedian. 

8-John Mulaney- I just watched John's special "New In Town" AGAIN this morning.  His brand of humor is the kind I love, so self-aware and unafraid.  His writing is flawless and his delivery is some of the best I've come across.  I know he writes for a lot of TV including SNL and has a new show coming out...I can't wait to see that. I think this guy's going to be Seinfeld 2.0.

9-Mike Birbiglia- Another very self-aware comedian.  Plus his blog is brilliant. He tells a lot of personal stories in such an endearing way.  I've been a fan of his since I was a kid; he's great.

10-Jeff Dye- He may not have many "big specials" out, but what I've seen of him stuck with me.  His jokes are really fresh and unexpected, while not being "over the top."  I think he's going to be really huge in a few years.

And that's my top 10...but really, all 61 of these comedians are total rockstars!