Stand-Up Comedy Pt I | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[music]. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a. production of iHeart Radio. [music]. Waka Waka, and welcome to the podcast. I'm [music] Josh, and there's Chuck, and. Jerry's here, too. And I just made sure. to kick this two-part episode on standup. comedy off in the worst way possible. [laughter]. >> Uh, you know what? This one has some. COAs, unfortunately. Yeah. Well, yeah. I mean, we're talking.

about genuine stand-up comedy and, you. know, they're edgy. They push the. envelope. >> Yeah. I mean, we're going to there there. are people throughout this peppered. throughout this episode that uh you. know, some of them they're like bad. people. Some of them have done bad. things. But you can't talk about the. history of standup comedy without. talking about some bad people as it. turns out. >> Are you talking about Frank Fay? >> I mean, there's a bunch of people. throughout here. >> Oh, okay. Well, I'm not familiar with a. lot of the badness here, so let's just.

avoid it. [laughter]. >> Uh that and you know, this is a thing on. standup comedy. So, we're we're seeing. our own a uh because like you can't do. justice even in a two-parter. Like after. we got all this together, I was like, "Oh, well, we're not even talking about. truly weird standup like Andy Kaufman. and Zack Galifanakis, and we're not. talking about this and this." And you. just have to stop at a certain point. >> and realize you can't cover something. completely uh that's so deep and vast.

like this, you know? >> For sure. Every once in a while we. record an episode and then like the next. day I'm like, "Oh, I should have said. this. I think that's going to happen 15. or 20 times.". >> Yeah. But we got to let ourselves up. because uh I know we're going to get. emails. How could you not talk about. blank? Uh right. It's just the deal, you. know? It's too much to cover. No, but. shoot us those emails, especially ones. we didn't bring up because we might not. have heard of them. And not only name. check them, send us your favorite joke. of theirs, too.

>> And and I pledged to do a full episode. on Andy Calfman. >> Okay. All right. Okay. Well, I pledged. to do a full episode on Zack Alifanacist. then. [laughter]. >> Hey, I'd do one on Zack in a second. >> Uh, and one other COA, too, just to. throw in. Some of these jokes are maybe. a slightly edgier than stuff we would. normally say, but that's, you know, we're covering standup comedy, which is. inherently edgier than what we normally. do. Um, all right. You ready? >> I'm ready.

>> We're talking about standup comedy, as. we've said. And um Olivia helped us with. this and she points out that basically. if you're talking about being funny in. front of an audience, standup comedy is. pretty much as old as humans are. As as. long as old as human speeches, I would. guess. >> Yeah. >> Well, you could have made gestures that. were funny, but you to really just kind. of shore it up, you want to just zero in. on vaudeville. >> Yeah. I mean, a lot of this stuff we've. covered in other episodes. Uh we It's. funny. This is another one of those.

we've danced around like we've done. shows on specific comedians. >> uh the science of funny. >> uh and like two or three other ones and. then of course vaudeville uh but here we. are with standup but you have to start. at vaudeville because you know. vaudeville had a lot of skits and stuff. like that but it wasn't too long before. there were people all of a sudden. whether they were hosting the night or. something. >> did something that resembled standup and. Charlie Casease is uh you know one of.

those people that people say like hey. maybe he was the first person doing. this. >> Yeah. He was um the son of a freeborn. black man and a uh Irish mother and he. was educated and became a lawyer and a. salesman but he also was known as a. great storyteller. And so starting in. the I think actually 1880 he uh joined. vaudeville. And being a vaudeville. performer of any um race, he uh whenever. he talked about black culture, it was in. a mocking way. He had to wear blackface,

all that stuff. And eventually he was. like, I'm not really down with this. This is trit. So he moved on around 1900. to doing essentially what's a stand-up. act. >> Yeah. He uh you know, a triedand- trueue. thing. He talked about his family a lot. And I found this part hysterical. At one. point uh his performance was on the. billing was built as the man who talks. about his father. which could you know it's about talking. about parents is probably 90% of standup. since then. Uh but yeah, it was, you.

know, the 20th century had rolled around. and like I mentioned, being an MC, um. kind of led, you know, at vaudeville. kind of led to um you [clears throat]. know, hosting the night and telling. jokes in between other acts and that. kind of morphed into what we would know. as standup. >> Yeah. There's a guy I already mentioned. him uh because you mentioned terrible. people. Um his name is Frank Fay. He was. the first one to really kind of take. standup comedy out of the realm of like.

a pie in your face or wearing baggy. pants and suspenders. um or making yourself the butt of the. jokes at all. He was an asserbic wit. Um, and he was very refined. >> and he gave us those kind of like that. the type of um, >> the type of comedian like that um, David. Letterman was in the vein of but I. really hesitate to even associate. Letterman with Fay because he was a Nazi. and a a virilent racist too. He really.

was a terrible person. He his form. really created a certain type of. stand-up comedian and he was also one of. the first stand-up comedians of any. kind. >> Yeah, for sure. Uh and that's early. 1900s and then you know by the time you. get to the 30s you had something called. the borch belt uh which were these. Jewish resort communities up in the. mountains in the northeast the Catskills. and the Aderondex. And you know, I'm sure people who know. anything about the history of standup.

know about the borch belt. Um, you know, comics would uh basically go and like. summer there. They would do shows in New. York City and stuff, but they would. summer in the Catskills in the. Aderondex, just going sometimes. residencies, but going from uh resort to. resort. Um, you know, it was a kind of a. Jewish medium at the time. A lot of. jokes about Jewish life and Jewish. culture and Jewish food, lots of. self-deprecation. And this is where standup kind of to. take its like form that we know today. >> Yes. And one of the kings of the borch.

belt who really broke out as a legendary. stand-up comedian was Henny Youngman. He. uh was known as king of the oneliners. And he's best known for the line take my. wife please. It's actually funnier than. that. Um the full line is women today. are crazy. I mean take my wife please. >> Yeah. He was a social director at a. resort uh something called a tumbler and. this is where a lot of the standups. would uh get their start as as like.

social chairs and social directors of. these resorts. >> Yeah. and he was a big one. Like this. was a time where standup was like very. much uh joke joke joke joke joke joke. joke joke joke joke joke joke joke joke. joke joke joke joke joke joke joke joke. joke joke joke joke joke joke joke joke. joke joke joke joke joke joke joke joke. joke joke joke writing uh it didn't you. know we we'll talk about the changes of. standup over the years where it morphed. into like storytelling and then alt. comedy and all that stuff but early. standup and you know you don't see a lot. of that stuff anymore um Brian Kylie uh. a pal of mine and a friend of the show. that was the uh with along with a couple. other guys a monologue writer for uh.

Conan O'Brien for the entire run and has. written for the Academy Awards and just. like a great throwback like jokewriting. comedian that you don't see much. anymore. So, I I love Brian's stuff. >> Awesome. Shout out Brian. Um there's a. guy there's a comedian named Jimmy Carr. who's British um who basically carries. on the Henny Youngman um mantle, but. from it's way darker than anything Henny. Youngman said. I turned up one that he. was saying that he he saw um an ad for.

charity and it said little Zuki has to. walk 13 miles a day just to fetch water. And I couldn't help thinking she should. move. >> Yeah, that's dark. [laughter]. >> It is pretty dark, but it's a oneliner. and that's all he does. Just like Henny. Youngman did. Henny Youngman was known. for doing like 50 jokes in eight. minutes, which is less than 10 seconds a. joke. Like that's you just can keep. people in stitches if you do that, right? >> Yeah. And you know, the Borch Belt. lasted way longer than I thought. Like. it was a thing kind of through the 1970s.

and a lot of big comics got their start. here. Uh people like Mel Brooks and. Jackie Mason and Sid Caesar. Uh but. Jerry Seinfeld even got his uh start in. the borch belt in the 70s. >> uh at a venue kind of one of the last. Borch Belt venues called uh Kutchers. Country Club uh right there in the. Catskills. >> Yeah. And so the start of the of standup. comedy, especially as it came out of the. Borch Belt, it was very clubby, very. Jewish, very male, but um women were.

kind of they kind of emerged a little. later, I guess, mid Borch belt if it. went into the 70s. Joan Rivers is a good. example and so is Jean Carol. Uh both of. them just basically they broke a a glass. ceiling that was very much in place and. I think that um isn't Joan Rivers her. biography is what the marvelous Mrs. Masel is based on. >> Yeah, I think [clears throat] comedy. wise and I know sort of the look was. based a little bit on Jean Carol so it.

was a bit of a mashup but. >> um I quite I think we I watched the. first couple of seasons of that show and. quite enjoyed it. >> Yeah. Well, Kevin Pollock's on it. Friend of the show, Kevin Pollock. >> That's right. Pollock's great on it. >> He started out as a stand-up, too, didn't he? >> Oh, yeah. >> I just think of him as a an actor almost. through and through. But yeah, he was a. funny standup. >> Yeah. He he famously got called to the. couch with Carson. Uh that was one of. the big signs of respect. If you. performed on the Tonight Show and Johnny. Carson called you over to the couch. afterward for a brief interview, that.

means like he liked you, so you get that. stamp of approval. >> Nice. I found a a quick funny Jean Carol. joke. Um, she said that she had a cold. and a woman said, "Why don't you take. something for it?" And I said, "Make an. offer.". [gasps]. So, we talked about the Borch Belt in. Vaudeville. We also talked about the. Chitlin Circuit, which was essentially. the Borch Belt for Black comedians, a. series of um venues that black comedians. played vaudevilleish. um around the the country, around the. United States. And this is just like.

with um the Borch Belt. This is where. black standup comedy started to emerge. as well. >> Yeah. Uh I mean, you can't get any. better than Red Fox and Flip Wilson. Um. those guys definitely played the Chitlin. Circuit. Uh as well as a very funny. woman that who went by Mom's Mely on. stage and she had sort of a a shtick. like she would dress up and had kind of. an onstage persona. Um, and as we'll see. as we go, like there's lots of ways to. skin a cat when it comes to standup, but.

one way is to. >> um, be up there something other than. yourself. And that's what Mom's Mely. did. >> Yeah. One of the people who, uh, is. usually pointed to as the guy who. carried standup out of the resorts and. into mainstream is Bob Hope, who's. British, which I did not know that. Did. you? >> Uh, I think I knew he was born in. Britain, but I don't I don't know that. he considered himself British. So he was. a um he was his one of his acts was. about how rich he was and all that. It's.

very um mid-century, but he uh he also. kind of broke tradition by having a team. of writers working for him. Yeah. And he. would talk about current events, things. that were going on like that day. Um you. know, stuff that like if you were. looking through like US Weekly today or. something like that, you could get a. bunch of jokes from that's that was his. act. And he was also really well known. for touring uh military bases around the. world and uh performing. So he he was.

the one who's like, "Hey, there's this. thing called standup comedy and you guys. should all start going to see it.". >> Yeah. And I think Bob Hope is one of. those guys where he he was one of the. first real big influencers of the the. craft. Uh because anyone that kind of. followed after those years, uh if you. ask them, they'll say like like Bob Hope. was kind of the guiding light. Yeah, they actually based the soap opera. Guiding Light on his life story. >> You should do standup.

>> That's That's gold. >> Hey, we'll get to that about how being. funny on a podcast doesn't necessarily. make you a good p a good standup. >> Well, I think you just uh spoiled that, didn't you? >> Yeah, we'll edit in spoiler alert. [laughter]. >> Uh sick comedians was sort of the next. wave in the 50s and 60s. there was a new. style that kind of came around where uh. it wasn't just like, hey, can you write. a good joke? It was more like, hey, I've.

got a a unique um point of view or I. have a unique voice uh that's going to. add to my act. And San Francisco was uh. one of the cities where a lot of this is. taking place, especially at a club. called the Hungry Eye. >> And you know, we'll go through a few of. these guys, but um Mort Saul was was one. of them. uh he started in 1953. and he wasn't doing oneliners. He was. like he would sit down on stage with the. newspaper sometimes and talk about like. current events and uh politics and stuff. like that.

>> Yes. And he kind of kicked off that. preachy, hip, insightful. um kind of biting social commentary. Yeah. Type of standup comedy. A lot of. people associate that with Lenny Bruce. Mort Saul came first. Um, one thing I. saw about Mort Saul though is he was he. was I guess cancelled in an early way. He he kind blacklisted. Uh, he said that. the the right never came after him, but.

that it was the liberals who supported. Kennedy who kind of got him pushed to. the side um because they didn't like him. attacking Kennedy. And his whole jam was. >> going after whoever was in charge. That's who you attack. that's who you. criticized because just by default they. were in charge so they were probably. doing something horrible too. But um. after it became, you know, cool to. attack the establishment again after JFK. was dead and America was mired in. Vietnam, Mortal came back into fashion.

But I thought that was interesting. >> Yeah, totally. Um Shelley Burman is. noteworthy because he had a uh kind of. the first big comedy album that hit. Uh. it was in 1959 and the record was Inside. Shelley Berman and it was the first uh. comedy record to go gold and then the. first uh Grammy award-winning like non-m. music Grammy award winner was Shelley. Berman. >> Yeah. Cute. It was cute stuff. Nothing. like Mortal's stuff, but it was based on. his personality, right? Not his ability.

to remember tired jokes. Um. >> yeah, >> Dick Gregory was another another one of. this era too. He was really well known. um as being like a huge civil rights. activist. He's come up several times in. other um non-comdy related episodes. we've done. Um but he was also super. funny too and he started out as a. stand-up apparently. He started out. because Hugh Hefner discovered him in. 1961 and uh gave him time at his Playboy. club in Chicago.

>> Yeah. Did you know Atlanta used to have. a Playboy club? >> I didn't. I I know pretty much every. every decent sized city did. >> Oh, did they? >> I think so. I could be wrong. If Atlanta. had one back in the 60s, surely, >> you know, >> there was like a Kansas City one, too, or something. >> Yeah, probably. Uh, so Jonathan Wyinners. is another that we should mention from. early on. Uh, he did a lot of kind of. character work uh that I don't think a. lot of people were doing at the time. Uh, and he was one of the early people.

to kind of um, talk about the tragedies. of his life in a funny way on stage. because he uh, he would later on to be. known as bipolar disorder, but he spent. time in mental hospitals and he would. take that stuff to the stage and not. many people were doing that kind of. thing at the time. >> No. And he was just totally making wacky. fun of it. He he called those places. funny farms. like there was not any, you. know, tearjerking or or gripping comedy. from it, but just even making fun of it.

for himself going through it was. something. Um, another big name of this. era who was really different. >> ish. He definitely had one foot solidly. planted in the borch belt still is Don. Rickles. M I think the funniest thing. Don Rickles ever did was an inadvertent. unintentional. facial expression where he got up to get. the shotgun in casino. I'm pretty sure it was casino when Dairo. thinks that they're coming for him. Don.

Rickles gets up and goes and gets the. shotgun and just the look on his face is. hilarious. >> You think that's the funniest thing Don. Rickles ever did? >> I loved Rickles. I was a huge fan. Um, really? >> Oh, yeah, man. He He was great. Like I. remember growing up watching him on the. Tonight Show and he would just send uh. Carson into like stitches. >> Yeah, that that made it fun to watch. Carson just lose it, too. >> Yeah, that was good stuff. Uh, and then. you mentioned Lenny Bruce. You can't. talk about this early generation without. talking about Lenny Bruce. Uh, he was he.

was a guy that uh kind of became I mean. his comedy was great, but he kind of. became famous for um getting arrested. He would talk very frankly on stage um. in the you know like late 50s and 60s. about sex and about religion and racism. and stuff that was pretty controversial. to talk about on stage. Uh such that he. was arrested many times on obscinity. charges and was a huge huge influence on. to people follow the people that. followed him. >> Huge. Uh he's also controversial in that.

like calling him a comedian is is odd. because he wasn't that funny. It was. just he was a really important person in. comedy and also in free speech in the. United States, too. >> I think he was very funny. >> There were Yeah, he had some funny. stuff, but I Yeah, I just I mean, I. guess I'm I'm speaking for everybody. from my opinion. Thanks for bringing me. back down to earth, man. >> Well, I mean, comedy is one of those. things. It's It's so subjective on what.

people find funny. Like, I've had people. say, "You've got to watch this comedian. special." that I just literally did not. laugh once during. And there are other. people that I know I love that other. people can't stand. It's just it's I. think even I think it's one of the most. subjective sort of art forms, you know, even more so than some others. >> Yeah, for sure. Uh wrapping this up and. then I say we take a break. Um this was. the 50s. This was a huge shift in comedy. and Time magazine noted it in 1959. They. labeled um these kind of comedians that.

were personality based um sick comedians. or sicknicks. Yeah. >> In a a very kind of loving way, but also. in like a what what the heck is going on. here way. It was it was pretty. interesting. But. >> uh I say we take a break and we're going. to jump in. We're going to basically. pass the 60s and really go into the 70s. >> Things are heating up everybody. >> Oh yeah. [music]. >> [music].

[music]. [music]. [music]. >> All All right. So, we're out of the 50s. We're into the 60s. In the wake of, uh,

Lenny Bruce, we get a bunch of people. highly influenced by him, uh, willing to. take a little more chances and a little. more risks, I think, with their comedy. >> Um, they they talk about sometimes the. the holy trinity of the counterculture. comedians of the 70s and late60s, and. that would be George Carlin and Richard. Prior and, uh, the great Robert Klene. >> What? I don't even consider him. counterculture. That was the only thing. He he is funny for sure. But he's much. more observational and much less.

political. >> Yeah, for sure. >> Carlin um I went and watched he. apparently started out like telling. jokes in suits and like they were pretty. clean and I went and watched one of his. early performances and he's almost. unrecognizable and then he starts doing. you know conversations with two people. by himself. Yeah. >> And I was like, "Oh yeah, there's. Carlin." But he switched over to the. counterculture in the early 70s. And um. one of the one of the things he became. quickly famous for was the seven words.

routine which are seven words you can't. say on television which also were words. that I think Lenny Bruce got arrested. for saying like each one. >> Yeah. And then of course Richard Prior. was the third. Uh, and he's another guy. who started out a little more straight. laced and then, you know, I feel like. all these guys what the the switch was. was I'm going to start being myself a. little bit more on stage and having the. courage to kind of like, you know, speaking my own language and uh whether. it's like dirty words or in Richard.

Prior's case, sort of uh really. accepting like that he's a you know, one. of the great black comedians and uh he. he can just sort of let loose. >> Yes. Um he uh he was I guess often. pointed to as like the first black. comedian who truly removed like the. palatable. jokes for white audiences. Like he just. he he basically was a black comedian in. front of white audiences that didn't.

code switch. That's what it's called. He. was probably the first black comedian to. not code switch. Um and then it's also. even hard. It's not that hard. But I. think of Richard Prior more as just like. a mega movie star because he was in so. many great movies of my youth like. >> Stir Crazy, Silver Streak, >> Here No Evil, See You No Evil. Those. were all what um those were with Gene. Wilder. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Busting Loose. Moving. Uh Brewster's Millions.

>> What else? >> Harlem Nights. >> Okay. What else? >> There's plenty others, but those are the. ones that I watched a lot when I was. younger. >> Yeah. I mean he he I mean as you'll see. a lot of these comedians went on to have. great careers as actors. >> Yeah. >> Uh which is not always a given because a. lot of standup comedians are really. really bad actors. >> It's true. And it's really surprising. how many of them become great actors. Like Tom Hanks started out as a standup. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. Tom Hanks is great. >> but Peter Scalari no. [laughter].

>> Uh and then Robert Klein was the third. of that trio. uh he grew up um going to. some of these um Jewish kind of summer. camps and resorts in the borch belt and. worked at some of them and so he kind of. got that education there and he did he. did a lot of political stuff, a lot of. social commentary um as well as just his. Robert Kleinness and he was another guy. that was really influential. >> Yeah. And just beloved for his. personality like who he was. >> Yeah. you know, like he told lots of.

stories. He didn't have like oneliners. or punchlines necessarily. >> Yeah. >> Uh so one of the other big things that. happened to the 70s was um comedy clubs. started opening up and the two that. really kind of quickly um jumped to the. forefront was the improv and the comedy. store. One of the other things that. those it kind of went handinhand with. these comedy clubs opening up across the. country um was a switch from.

social commentary. uh more to like observational stuff too. >> Yeah. And those those comedy clubs all. of a sudden you had these places where. you could you know go up a few times a. week and really workshop your material. and uh you know very small audiences. generally at these places. Um, I think. the improv, uh, eventually expanded into. a chain. It started in in New York City. >> Um, but expanded to 15 clubs eventually. Uh, and then the comedy store. I know we.

talked about the comedy uh store before. in other episodes, but um it really. changed the game in Los Angeles in 1972. uh when Mity Shore, Poly Shore's mom, uh. took it over when she got it, won it in. a divorce settlement and was I mean ran. the show there uh for decades basically. >> Yeah. She also went on to found the. company that became Comedy Central from. what I understand. So yeah, she was a. huge influence in comedy. Um, and then I.

also mentioned one of the things that. was happening handinhand with the 70s. um, comedy clubs was that uh, switch. from political and social commentary. necessarily more to like personal stuff, observational stuff. And I found a great. example of that with in Elaine Booler. who um, definitely helped kind of usher. that in from the late 70s into the 80s. when she was really big. But she had. this joke that she said like she has six. locks on her door now. And when she goes. out, she only locks every other one. because she figures that if somebody.

wants to come pick her lock, no matter. how long they stand there, they're. always going to be locking three of. them. >> The great Elaine Booler. >> That's great. Like it has it makes a. social commentary and crime exists, but. that's about as far as it goes, you. know. >> Yeah. Yeah. She's she's awesome. Mhm. >> Uh late night talk shows is where. standup uh took a huge jump too and Ed. Sullivan started all of that out in the. 1940s and then obviously when the. Tonight Show came about in the 1950s.

like I I talked about eventually Johnny. Carson you know anointing you was a very. big deal as a standup comic uh standup. comic um and then like records uh I know. we mentioned Mort Saul and um some of. these other guys with their early. records but once LPs came around um and. all of a sudden you could get your. comedy on a on a record and win a Grammy. for it and like make money selling. comedy records. That was sort of the. early version of like the standup. special that we have now was the comedy.

record. >> Yes. Uh I say that we take a break and. come back and talk about some of the. comics from this era. Okay. >> All right. We'll be right back. >> [music]. [music]. [music].

>> Okay, Chuck. So, we're back and um there. thanks to comedy albums, thanks to TV, uh like there were suddenly way more. places for for comics to um perform. rather than just clubs and also get. discovered. Um Joan Rivers is a good. example of that. She started doing.

standup all over the place in New York. She had some hilarious bits. Um, and. then she got her big break on the. Tonight Show and a lot of people from. um, Stephen Wright, most one of the most. amazing comics of all time, to Mitch. Hedberg, another amazing comic, too, all. got their break on late night shows and. she was one of the early ones. Um, and. so she became a regular because she. killed so hard on the late night shows. that she almost took over for Carson.

We've talked about this before, but she. upset him. >> by um trying to get her own show without. talking to him first, getting his. blessing first. But that's how good she. was at late night. And she started out. as just a a stand-up comedian in the. little clubs in New York before the uh. improv even. >> Yeah. And you know, if you were a. comedian back then, it wasn't like today. where it's a uh it was just starting to. become a thing where like, hey, you can. have a full career just doing this. because a lot of these people did other.

stuff like they acted. I know Joan. Rivers acted in plays and movies uh when. she wasn't getting uh booked. Um Red Fox. did the same. He was uh he was on the. Chitlin circuit, but he was too runchy. for white audiences at the time. Yeah. Uh, so like he would put out an album. and they may not even sell it in. mainstream stores, but then he becomes a. huge star when he is an actor on Sanford. and Sun. One of my favorite shows as a. kid. >> Yeah. I wasn't allowed to watch it cuz.

my mom thought um Red Fox was a dirty. old man. >> He was I found a hilarious Red Fox joke. He said that I carry a knife now. I read. in a white magazine that all black. people carry knives, so I ran out and. bought me one. >> [laughter]. >> He was great. I mean, he wasn't uh. filthy on Sanford and Sun, so I feel bad. that you didn't get to watch the show. >> Oh, I watched it for sure. >> Oh, okay. You snuck it. >> Uh, I watched it a little later. Yeah, I.

had plenty of other stuff to watch like. Flintstones and things like that. So, I. just saved it for later. I don't think I. would have enjoyed it as much because I. was five years younger than you. So, I. had to wait till I got a little older to. really think it was funny. But, it is a. great show. It's. >> a great show. Uh, Steve Martin was. another one. and he was a comedy writer. Um, he plays the banjo, I think, as most. people know. So, he would work that into. his early like nightclub shows. Uh, and. worked as a comedy writer for the. Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and other.

variety shows. And then after SNL, um, and if if you've seen the great. documentary on Steve Martin, uh, it's a. two-part documentary. It's just. fantastic. Um, but he was uh he was the. first like superstar of comedy. Um, there had not been people that sold out, you know, basketball arenas before Steve. Martin. And it was it's an incredible. thing to watch in this documentary. Like. just what a um he was like the one of. the most famous people in the world in.

the 1970s and then just stopped just. walked away from it all and never did. stand up again so he could do movies. >> I know. which is sad cuz some of the. stuff he was doing was so creative. Um. like I watched his comedy act for dogs. which he did on Carson. >> where he had like four or five dogs just. lined up right in front of them and he. told the viewers to bring bring your. dogs cuz there this is going to kill. them. They're going to love this. And. then he did a act geared toward making.

dogs laugh. So they were all dog centric. jokes not not like about like to owners. but to the dogs. At one part he plays a. little like a a bit on a dog whistle. that you can't hear anything. It's just. it's amazing. And this is like the kind. of stuff he was doing. Not just standing. there telling jokes, but like. >> hilarious bit. So yeah, just he should. have been a superstar. He was so good. And I wish he was I wish he would still. do standup once in a while, you know? That would I can't imagine how many.

tickets he would sell if he came back. and did standup once. >> Yeah, he kind of does it. you know, he. and Martin Short have a road show that. they do together, >> which is essentially a two-hander. standup. Um, but you know, in the. documentary, he talks about just he got. so big that, uh, he was doing routines. where the, you know, how the audience. will sing along at like a concert. >> Yeah. >> Where the audience was saying. punchlines, you know, 20,000 people. saying the punch line out loud with them.

>> and it just, I think it got to be too. much. and he was just like, "That's not. what this was meant to be.". >> And uh I mean, he had the It takes a lot. of bravery and guts to just be like, "You know what? I'm done with that part. of my life." They totally walked away. >> Yeah. Like Dave Chappelle would later. on, 30 years later. >> Yeah. Eddie Murphy in between. Uh. although there's rumors that Eddie's. working on a stand-up set, which would. just that would Oh, man. That would be. incredible. >> Uh yeah. So, uh that's Steve Martin, superstar. Uh, another superstar that.

came out of the 70s was Robin Williams, who um rose to fame, uh, like just. completely fueled by cocaine and just. totally out of his mind. And I assume. that that's why he was always like, you. know, going nuts and and bouncing all. over the place. Apparently, the exact. opposite happened with him. Cocaine. calmed him down. So, he was naturally. like that. And when he was mellow, it's. because he was on Coke, which I found. quite interesting.

>> Well, he um was obviously Mor from Orc. uh which debuted as a character on Happy. Days uh in 1978. And then he got his own. show Mor and Mindy that same year. >> Uh another favorite show of mine as a. kid. And he's another one of those that. like he always loved standup and like. kept doing standup u alongside of uh. movies like once he became a um even a. dramatic actor at times but he was he. was still loved going on stage and doing. standup and I've heard lots of stories. about him like showing up at the comedy.

store and stuff like even in his later. years and like showing up to do a set. and it would just like floor people. >> I'm sure he also remember he appeared in. our Coco live episode because he. >> Oh yeah. got to go hang out with Coco um. for a while and they just communicated. >> Yeah, they were buddies. >> Okay, so you've got like 20,000 seat. stadiums with Steve Martin. You've got. runchy comedy uh albums with Red Fox. You got Joan Rivers hosting late night.

stuff as a guest. Um cable was another. thing that um came along that really. changed things for comedians for a. couple of reasons. One of the big. reasons was they could say stuff on. cable specials that they could not say. anywhere else except in person. And now. you were saying this instead of to 50. people in a small club, you were saying. this to millions of people who got to. watch your stuff. And then you went from. 50 seat small clubs to, you know, pretty.

large venues after that. Uh and then. also instead of like five minutes on a. late night show, you would have like an. hourong special. So, you did your entire. set. Um, and that really changed things. as I said. >> Yeah, for sure. Like HBO, it just can't. be overstated what an important thing. HBO was to uh the rise of comedy in the. United States because that's where those. first comedy specials started appearing. Uh, I think uh Robert Klene was actually. the very first HBO comedy special in 75.

>> and then uh Steve Steve Martin I think. kind of right after that almost called. him Steven Martin. [laughter]. Uh but then, and I know we talked about. this in the Rodney Dangerfield episode, uh when Rodney um started the HBO Young. Comedian specials, that that run of 19. years from 76 to 95. >> Uh I I just I remember watching this. when I was a kid and seeing all these. like Sam Kenisonson and Roseanne Bar and. uh Rita Rudder, uh Jerry Seinfeld,

that's where he got his start. Like I. was just a kid sitting around watching. like every bit of standup I could get my. hands on. And HBO was definitely the. place. >> Yeah. Oh, it definitely was. Especially. before Comedy Central, too. Um, yeah, basically everything ever put on HBO was. amazing. Um, because they didn't just. give a special to just anybody. The cool. thing was is you didn't have to be an. already established um, standup. Like. you said, Jerry Seinfeld got his start. on that. You just had to be really good.

at what you did. >> Yeah. One of the other ways that HBO helped. too, they helped a lot of upandcoming. black comedians on Deaf Comedy Jam, um, which ran for years and years and years. And essentially any huge black comedian. that you know of today got their big. break on Def Comedy Jam. It was like. that important. >> Yeah, for sure. Uh, huge hats off to. producer Russell Simmons uh, for that. Uh it was hosted by Martin Lawrence and. yeah, I mean you name it. If you were uh.

ended up being a famous black comedian. in the 1990s, there's a pretty good. chance you started on Death Comedy Cham. >> Uh and that would lead um I know this. jumping ahead a bit in time, but uh to. the Kings of Comedy tour. >> Man, that was so good. >> Uh and then the original Kings of Comedy. film of that tour from Spike Lee in. 2000. Of course, that was Steve Harvey, DL Hugh uh Hugley, Cedric the. Entertainer, and uh RIP the great Bernie. Mack. >> Yeah, for sure. He was great. His show.

was pretty great, too. >> I loved the Bernie Mack show. >> Yeah, still holds up. >> Yeah, I bet. >> Uh so, we mentioned Comedy Central. Um. and that started in 1991, even though. Mity Shore had established something. before it uh a few years before. Not. sure why that's important, but I felt. like I needed to mention it again. And. the whole thing, I don't know if you. remember this. I'm sure you do. It was. just basically shows that were clips of. comedians doing standup. That's how it.

started. And it was so pure. >> and that that's all you needed. They. would just figure out different ways to. package it. Short attention span theater. or standup standup or whatever. >> Yeah. >> But that's all it was. It was just. stand-ups doing standup clip after after. clip and it was wonderful. >> Yeah, it was great. Uh those, you're. right, there was a purity to those early. days of Comedy Central. Um they did have. shows that would come along, but they. were shows from comedians like, uh the.

great Chappelle Show, >> uh and I know a show that you and I both. love, uh Dr. Cat's professional. therapist. >> I'll always remember Donna Morera saying. like you can't you can't get to a cat. like you just can't get under their. skin. And like you could throw them. across the room and the cat would be. like, "Thanks, my man. I was going this. way anyway.". >> Tom Ra is so great. >> Yeah. Uh so yeah, Comedy Central was an. enormous um driver, too, as you can. imagine. And then Saturday Night Live, as we mentioned, like it's pretty. difficult to overstate the importance.

that Saturday Night Live has had on. launching like stand-up comedians into. stardom. >> Yeah. Uh I mean, you know, we already. mentioned Eddie Murphy, but that's where. he got his start at age 19. Mhm. >> Uh again, I highly recommend his. documentary. It's really, really good. Uh and then he had his proteges to. follow after he put out his um two kind. of groundbreaking um comedy movies. Uh. Delirious and Raw. >> Uh both of which I think a lot of Gen.

Xers can kind of quote by heart. >> Yeah. Uh let's see what else, Chuck. >> Well, Chris Rock, he was one of those. proteges. So, he came out of that Eddie. Murphy school. uh was on the SNL cast. and had a nice run of HBO specials, too. >> Okay, so one of the other things, this. is just I love this part because it's so. nostalgic for me, but one of the things. that people figured out pretty early on. is you could take a standup comedian and. even if they couldn't act, they could at.

least pretty much act like themselves. So shows that were based on that. comedian's life where they they played. themselves like Seinfeld is an excellent. example. Those have um come out over the. years and some of them have been just. amazing. Like um Seinfeld obviously was. on for almost 10 years or no more than. 10 years, 11 years. And um the Drew. Carey show was on for almost 10 years. Jamie Fox show was on for five. Bernie. Mack was on for five. Um and it just. keeps going on. And then others didn't.

have quite as much staying power, but. they weren't necessarily terrible. They. just didn't draw the audience that the. execs expected, like The Norm Show or. Whitney or Melany all had very short. runs, but they were all based around um. standup comedians. >> Yeah. Uh Louis CK had a couple of runs. on TV. He had his uh he had a sitcom, like a onstage multi-cam sitcom called. Lucky Louie, which not a lot of people. saw. I feel like uh he got a lot more.

attention with his show just called. Louisie. Um but you know Seinfeld was. very famously when he won an Emmy uh got. up on stage. I don't know if you. remember this and grabbed the Emmy and. said I am a bad actor. [laughter]. So he was always very upfront about the. fact that like you know I don't I'm not. necessarily an actor but I guess I'm. myself enough on TV. >> Yeah. Uh, and then I also want to shout. out the Sarah Silverman program because. not only was that a great show, but a.

lot of like um alt comedians got their. start either acting or writing for that. show. >> Yeah. Um, and that that also kind of. grew out of Mr. Show um which was a big. deal for um Alt Comedy as we'll see. >> Yeah. >> Uh and Sarah Silverman was on on she was. one of the actors on that show too. >> Yeah. So those were all uh sitcoms. basically where. uh you know they weren't all playing. themselves like as comedians in real. life like Matt About You. It wasn't.

about a you know Paul Riser the. comedian. Um there were other shows sort. of like Matt About You where they were. comedians playing either thinly veiled. versions of themselves or kind of like. in Roseanne's case she um kind of took. her act and formed that into the show. Roseanne. Um, obviously The Cosby Show, uh, Ellen, Steve Harvey, uh, Everybody. Loves Raymond, George Lopez. I haven't. seen a lot of these shows. Home. Improvement, uh, and the great Bob New. Hart show. And we got to shout out to.

Nitaro and her great show, uh, One. Mississippi. >> Yeah, she she didn't play herself in. that. >> She. did not play herself, I don't think. I'm. trying to remember now. I really like. the show. I had a couple of seasons, but. I don't think she played a comedian. I'm. trying to remember now because I don't. want to get called out. >> So, I got you. Um, so there's also at. the same time while people are standing. there with a microphone and there's a.

bar stool with like a vodka tonic on it. or something like that. Um, during the. 80s and 90s, uh, there are also people. doing their own thing still. Uh, you got. to shout out Gallagher who definitely. did his own thing. Yeah, >> you have to shout out uh another prop. comic, Carrot Top. >> Sure. >> Uh you could shout out [snorts] Jeff. Dunham, who we talked about in our. ventriloquist episode. >> Yeah. >> Andrew Dice Clay was another one. He had. his own shtick. And not only did he have.

a comedy album called The Day the. Laughter Died, which I grew up on, he. was also he starred in his own movie, Ford, The Adventures of Ford Fairine. Did you ever see that? Uh, I never saw that and I don't know. why because I really was into Dice for a. while when I was in high school. >> Did you dress like him? >> Oh, no, no, no, no, nothing like that. Uh, I just thought he was very funny. >> He had some very recitable um jokes. >> Yeah. >> Uh, one other comedy album that was. really influential on me at the time was.

Dennis Liry's No Cure for Cancer. That. was really great, too. >> Yeah. I was never into Dennis Liry, uh, but but I got it. I thought his MTV. stuff was pretty fun. >> Yeah. >> Uh, and you know what? I'm just now. remembering I think Tig Nataro played I. think it was one of those uh slightly. different versions because I think she. played like a radio host or something. and not comedian. >> That's like Steve Harvey. I think he. played a radio DJ or something like. that. >> Yeah. So, she stole Steve Harvey's bit. >> So, I say we sign off for episode one.

We'll come back with episode two. But, there's one thing I wanted to say that I. didn't get to, but I really I found out. from researching this. You know that. famous um saying that Ginger did. everything Fred did only backwards and. in heels. >> Uh yeah, >> that's Joan Rivers. >> Oh, that was her original joke. >> Yep. >> Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. >> Okay, well that's it. Are are we going. to do uh anything aside from tell people. our email? >> Uh I don't think so. You know, we'll. come back with part two, I guess,

probably on We'll probably do a Tuesday, Thursday, [music] and we'll pick up with. alt comedy in the '9s there. >> Okay. So, we'll we'll see you guys. Thursday. And in the meantime, if you. want to send us your favorite comedian. and their favorite joke, send it off to. Stuffpodcast at iheartradio.com.

Stuff You Should Know is a production of. iHeart Radio. For more podcasts, iHeart. Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple. Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows.