Can anyone recall this comedian?

February 25, 2006 7:55 PM

I am looking for a particular comedian. I saw this guy, on HBO, perhaps, about 15 years ago. His comedic style was extremely dry, and his one prop was a martini glass.

He was fairly tall and thin, wearing either a suit or tux. Sorry I have no more details. I really liked him, and trivial as it is, I've been going crazy trying to find him. . . .

posted by thebrokedown to Grab Bag (19 answers total)

you must have more details: how old did he look when you saw him? was he white guy, did he speak with any kind of accent?
posted by juv3nal at 8:31 PM on February 25, 2006

Do you remember a trademark joke or two? I'm sure it'll be easy to google him up and figure it out.
posted by mathowie at 8:38 PM on February 25, 2006

steven wright?
posted by extrabox at 8:46 PM on February 25, 2006

Buddy Cole(Scott Thompson) from Kids in the Hall?
posted by nenequesadilla at 8:48 PM on February 25, 2006

Jeff Altman, star of "Pink Lady & Jeff." Catchphrase something like "big buttsteak."
posted by user92371 at 8:54 PM on February 25, 2006

Response by poster: He was white, mid-thirties. His schtick was a slightly hammered but genteel-type guy. (Would have never said "big buttsteak," for example.) Thin and in a tux. That's all I got.
posted by thebrokedown at 9:04 PM on February 25, 2006

Neil Hamburger?
posted by Hlewagast at 9:10 PM on February 25, 2006

If he was Irish, I'd have to say it's the awesome Dave Allen, who did all of his skits seated with cigarette and liquor. Probably not the one but worth a look.
posted by chef_boyardee at 9:19 PM on February 25, 2006

IIRC, Dave Allen was always accompanied by a whiskey, not a martini.
posted by Pigpen at 9:58 PM on February 25, 2006

There's Scott Meyer -- has a martini glass on this page, but is in a smoking robe. Not that thin, either, but after 15 years, people change. Maybe not all that dry, either. He has video on this page.
posted by rosemere at 10:45 PM on February 25, 2006

I would try asking this over at aspecialthing.com.
posted by YoungAmerican at 11:27 PM on February 25, 2006

Best answer: I remember the guy. The act was like an acerbic Thurston Howell type? I remember the stage name was along those lines as well. I looked in the SF Comedy Competition past winners list (he was very popular in SF for a while) and the only name that sounds at all like that is "Dexter Madison". I googled him and found precious little to indicate if that might be the right guy or not.
posted by anglophiliated at 4:24 AM on February 26, 2006

IIRC, Dave Allen was always accompanied by a whiskey, not a martini.

He also had a conspicuously missing digit that he constantly rubbed. I am sure this would have been mentioned if he was the man in question.
posted by srboisvert at 4:36 AM on February 26, 2006

I remember the guy anglophiliated is talking about...and the name he mentions sounds darn familiar as well. Good description--the ascerbic Thurston Howell type; debonair and sly. I remember the martini glass and the (white?) tux. I remember seeing him on the early days of Comedy Central, when they had a show featuring lots of short clips of standups from clubs around the country. I'd love to find out who this is. Funny guy.
posted by NewGear at 8:40 AM on February 26, 2006

I'm willing to bet that it's Joel Hodgson from MST3k fame. He had a stand up routine that involved a white tux in that time frame. His running joke in that set was "By day, I'm a clever comic magician, by night...Agent J."
posted by Wild_Eep at 10:22 AM on February 26, 2006

Response by poster: I think Dexter Madison is the guy! Thank you, MeFi! But as anglophiliated said, not a lot about him on the internets. Too bad--as I recall, he was prety great.
posted by thebrokedown at 10:23 AM on February 26, 2006

GIS for Joel Jodgson results in this picture of him in a white tux.
posted by Wild_Eep at 10:26 AM on February 26, 2006

A. Whitney Brown?
posted by Radio7 at 10:51 AM on February 26, 2006

Dexter Madison. First name that popped into my head; the martini glass tipped me off. Seems people around here beat me to it though.
posted by C.Batt at 2:03 PM on February 26, 2006