Hamletmaschine
This space for rent
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Have there been any comic geniuses since the Monty Python troupe split up?
The only one I can think of is Andy Kaufman.
The only one I can think of is Andy Kaufman.
Post-Python Comedy
- Thread starter Hamletmaschine
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Bob_Bytchin
Lit Class of '02
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Well, in his stand-up days, Steve Martin was brilliant. His timing was perfect, he could improv like no other, and talk about a heckler buster.
LordMagicMan
Lord of the Morning
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Bring us a shrubbery
LordMagicMan
Lord of the Morning
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HEAD KNIGHT: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
ARTHUR: Who are you?
HEAD KNIGHT: We are the Knights Who Say... Ni!
ARTHUR: No! Not the Knights Who Say Ni!
HEAD KNIGHT: The same!
BEDEVERE: Who are they?
HEAD KNIGHT: We are the keepers of the sacred words: Ni, Ping, and Nuu-wom!
RANDOM: Nuu-wom!
ARTHUR: Those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!
HEAD KNIGHT: The Knights Who Say Ni demand a sacrifice!
ARTHUR: Knights of Ni, we are but simple travellers who seek the enchanter who lives beyond these woods.
HEAD KNIGHT: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
ARTHUR and PARTY: Oh, ow!
HEAD KNIGHT: We shall say 'nee' again to you if you do not appease us.
ARTHUR: Well, what is it you want?
HEAD KNIGHT: We want... a shrubbery!
[dramatic chord]
ARTHUR: A what?
HEAD KNIGHT: Ni! Ni!
ARTHUR and PARTY: Oh, ow!
ARTHUR: Please, please! No more! We will find a shrubbery.
HEAD KNIGHT: You must return here with a shrubbery or else you will never pass through this wood alive!
ARTHUR: O Knights of Ni, you are just and fair, and we will return with a shrubbery.
HEAD KNIGHT: One that looks nice.
ARTHUR: Of course.
HEAD KNIGHT: And not too expensive.
ARTHUR: Yes.
HEAD KNIGHT: Now... go!
ARTHUR: Who are you?
HEAD KNIGHT: We are the Knights Who Say... Ni!
ARTHUR: No! Not the Knights Who Say Ni!
HEAD KNIGHT: The same!
BEDEVERE: Who are they?
HEAD KNIGHT: We are the keepers of the sacred words: Ni, Ping, and Nuu-wom!
RANDOM: Nuu-wom!
ARTHUR: Those who hear them seldom live to tell the tale!
HEAD KNIGHT: The Knights Who Say Ni demand a sacrifice!
ARTHUR: Knights of Ni, we are but simple travellers who seek the enchanter who lives beyond these woods.
HEAD KNIGHT: Ni! Ni! Ni! Ni!
ARTHUR and PARTY: Oh, ow!
HEAD KNIGHT: We shall say 'nee' again to you if you do not appease us.
ARTHUR: Well, what is it you want?
HEAD KNIGHT: We want... a shrubbery!
[dramatic chord]
ARTHUR: A what?
HEAD KNIGHT: Ni! Ni!
ARTHUR and PARTY: Oh, ow!
ARTHUR: Please, please! No more! We will find a shrubbery.
HEAD KNIGHT: You must return here with a shrubbery or else you will never pass through this wood alive!
ARTHUR: O Knights of Ni, you are just and fair, and we will return with a shrubbery.
HEAD KNIGHT: One that looks nice.
ARTHUR: Of course.
HEAD KNIGHT: And not too expensive.
ARTHUR: Yes.
HEAD KNIGHT: Now... go!
Coolville
rampant quodlibertarius
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I would say no to the question.
Python was global. The effect they had on comedy was global.
Kaufmann is unknown outside of N. America. Kids in the hall, too. sure, they're great, but greatness is greater than great. (did I really write that?)
South Park would be my bet. Those wacky Canadians. But their humour only has such an effect because of the culture it was borne into.
Their racy obnoxiousness isn't so racy and obnoxious in other countries. But still funny.
Suck on my chocolate salty balls was a big hit on the radio here in Denmark.
Python was global. The effect they had on comedy was global.
Kaufmann is unknown outside of N. America. Kids in the hall, too. sure, they're great, but greatness is greater than great. (did I really write that?)
South Park would be my bet. Those wacky Canadians. But their humour only has such an effect because of the culture it was borne into.
Their racy obnoxiousness isn't so racy and obnoxious in other countries. But still funny.
Suck on my chocolate salty balls was a big hit on the radio here in Denmark.
Hamletmaschine
This space for rent
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Ginny said:i was gonna post the lyrics to "I Like Chinese".....but that made the pissy patrol kinda freak out.....if ya remember.....
LOL -- Yeah, I remember.
Yes, you wrote that. And I understood it perfectly, too.
I've no idea how well-known Kaufman is/was outside N. America, but he's the only one who was continually surprising, out of all those mentioned.
South Park does seem to have an international following--and I get a kick out of it, too--but I'm not sure it's "greatness is greater than great." My ten-year-old nephew is just as funny when he talks dirty.
Pyper
Lurking
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I don't know if Python was global. In Spain, nobody has ever heard of them (not even the Spanish Inquisition skit! What a shame!) I think the humor is very English-language based and is therefore not funny to other nationalities.
South Park and The Simpsons, on the other hand, are still very popular.
And my answer is no. No one will ever live up to the great Monty Python!
Ecky ecky ecky pikang! zoom boing mumble...
South Park and The Simpsons, on the other hand, are still very popular.
And my answer is no. No one will ever live up to the great Monty Python!
Ecky ecky ecky pikang! zoom boing mumble...
Bob Waters
Literotica Guru
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I waive my privates at your aunties, I fart in your general direction, your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries.
Come back and we'll taunt you some more, you silly English K-niggets.
Come back and we'll taunt you some more, you silly English K-niggets.
Pyper
Lurking
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ghzzz said:
Really? Are you sure? Because I saw that program where Michael Palin travelled the world a few years ago, and when he went to Japan he met up with "the only Japanese Monty Python fan". That might have been an exaggeration, but I got the idea that Monty Python was not at all popular there.
Anais Dahl
Really Really Experienced
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The Around The World And Pole To Pole, Full Circle series was fantastic. I watched every one. I remember the japanese girl that Mike Palin was betting with. They certainly played her off as being unusual for her liking of Python- but it could have been a goof.
I am kind of assuming that the question is about comedy groups, and not individual performers. As for groups- I don't think anyone since Python has been so brilliant.
As for individuals, I would say Robin Williams, George Carlin and though many haven't caught on yet- John Lequizamo (did I spell that right?) is a brilliant performance comic.
I am kind of assuming that the question is about comedy groups, and not individual performers. As for groups- I don't think anyone since Python has been so brilliant.
As for individuals, I would say Robin Williams, George Carlin and though many haven't caught on yet- John Lequizamo (did I spell that right?) is a brilliant performance comic.
Hamletmaschine
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Williams, Carlin, and Leguizamo are funny guys--no doubt about it. But 35 years from now, no one will know who they were or be quoting any of their schtick. Hell, they're still around, and I can't remember any of their bits. And they don't constantly challenge themselves the way Kaufman did.
Anais Dahl
Really Really Experienced
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Andy Kauffman was likely a brilliant man, but if it wasn't for the Jim Carey movie, I wouldn't know who he was other than a minor part on Taxi.
I am going on prolific as well.
I am going on prolific as well.
District Line
Literotica Guru
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I think Steve Martin was really good around the time he made The Jerk, The Man With Two Brains, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.
Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, at their peak, brought a new dimension to popular comedy.
The team behind the Simpsons are consistently good.
Robin Williams is probably a comic genius.
In relation to British comics, I'm not sure how well they are known elsewhere but I think Alexei Sayle, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton are up there in the comedy league, not necessarily as performers but as writers. Between themselves have created The Young Ones (the TV series NOT the movie), Bottom, The Comic Strip, Black Adder. I guess they were the first generation of comedians that grew up watching Python (and similar shows that didn't travel as well), doing skits from Python in the playground etc. They were part of a new wave of alternative comedians who became successful towards the end of the British Punk era, mad and anarchic.
The writng duo that created Red Dwarf and Men Behaving Badly are talented, as are the people responsible for The Fast Show but too early to tell in the greatness stakes.
Another good comedy writer, although more mainstream, is John Sullivan. He's not very well known in Britain so I'm pretty sure he's not well known outside. However, he's produced some good work spanning a couple of decades. He writes sitcoms. It's a convention that modern sitcoms are created by a team of writers but he works alone. I'm not sure how well these shows travel but his work includes Just Good Friends, Love Hurts, Dear John (there was an U.S. version of this show), Only Fools and Horses.
There is a new comedy team in Britain called the League of Gentlemen. They are like The Kids From the Hall - the darkside. They are a team of four guys, each of them play several characters in their TV show, disturbing and gross. They are clever, not sure about the genius potential though.
Douglas Adams was a very talented writer, probably was a comic genius.
Eddie Izzard probably is a comic genius.
Umm, white wine please.
Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, at their peak, brought a new dimension to popular comedy.
The team behind the Simpsons are consistently good.
Robin Williams is probably a comic genius.
In relation to British comics, I'm not sure how well they are known elsewhere but I think Alexei Sayle, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton are up there in the comedy league, not necessarily as performers but as writers. Between themselves have created The Young Ones (the TV series NOT the movie), Bottom, The Comic Strip, Black Adder. I guess they were the first generation of comedians that grew up watching Python (and similar shows that didn't travel as well), doing skits from Python in the playground etc. They were part of a new wave of alternative comedians who became successful towards the end of the British Punk era, mad and anarchic.
The writng duo that created Red Dwarf and Men Behaving Badly are talented, as are the people responsible for The Fast Show but too early to tell in the greatness stakes.
Another good comedy writer, although more mainstream, is John Sullivan. He's not very well known in Britain so I'm pretty sure he's not well known outside. However, he's produced some good work spanning a couple of decades. He writes sitcoms. It's a convention that modern sitcoms are created by a team of writers but he works alone. I'm not sure how well these shows travel but his work includes Just Good Friends, Love Hurts, Dear John (there was an U.S. version of this show), Only Fools and Horses.
There is a new comedy team in Britain called the League of Gentlemen. They are like The Kids From the Hall - the darkside. They are a team of four guys, each of them play several characters in their TV show, disturbing and gross. They are clever, not sure about the genius potential though.
Douglas Adams was a very talented writer, probably was a comic genius.
Eddie Izzard probably is a comic genius.
Umm, white wine please.
hogjack
Permanent Pause
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SCTV
The Kids in the Hall are cool but please don't overestimate that minor legacy.
You want a legacy go with the crew from Second City TV (SCTV). None of the Kids in the Hall will be spoken of 5 years from now but SCTV bred a ton of talent....
The Kids in the Hall are cool but please don't overestimate that minor legacy.
You want a legacy go with the crew from Second City TV (SCTV). None of the Kids in the Hall will be spoken of 5 years from now but SCTV bred a ton of talent....
Eumenides
I Am Little Spoon
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Hamletmaschine said:
Williams doesn't constantly challenge himself????
As an actor, Williams is one of the very few film actors that I can honestly say challenges himself. And he doesn't have to challenge himself to reach comedic genius. Some of his funniest "bits" aren't in the realm of standup or cinematic comedy, but in his interviews where he is sparring off the cuff, verbally.
I do, however, believe that he has challenged himself time and time again to reach new depths as a dramatic actor.
And I think that he WILL be remembered 35 years from now.
