Based on the current influx of questions about stand-up comedians, I've been reminded of a question that has been plaguing me for a while. But unfortunately, I don't have much information. - Male. 40+ yrs old. Dressed plainly. - Opened for Lewis Black at the Univ. of Connecticut in the Fall/Winter of 2006 or 2007 - Shtick was borderline psychotic. Like he was extremely angry and ready to snap. Genuinely scared me a little at the beginning. He never really left this personality. - Worked the crowd a little and even left the stage to walk through the crowd. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
posted on Jul 17, 2008 - 6 answers

Can you all help me with some summer vacation reading recommendations? I trust your tastes implicitly. Helpful guidelines inside. [more inside]
posted on Jul 17, 2008 - 23 answers

Back in the late 90s, I think in the winter of 1997-8, I saw a stand-up comedian on Conan O'Brien that blew me away but I've never been able to track him down since. I think his name was David Jerusalem. He made jokes about the Olympics and having been a heroin addict. He didn't perform in front of a mic but was interviewed by Conan. I've been trying to find information about this guy for years without success, does my description ring any bells for you? [more inside]
posted on Jul 15, 2008 - 20 answers

Who are some great comedians I've probably never heard of that I can watch on youtube?
posted on Jul 14, 2008 - 50 answers

Please help me find good radio comedy, sitcoms and sketch shows in particular. Podcast suggestions are kosher. [more inside]
posted on Jul 12, 2008 - 26 answers

My improv troupe is looking for ways to publicize our shows, beyond the word-of-mouth and email lists we've been working with so far. As part of this effort, I'm looking for websites with listings and schedules for comedy shows--particularly improv comedy--in the Los Angeles area. Specifically, of course, I'm looking for sites that allow you to post your own listing, or submit it for posting. Any suggestions?
posted on Jul 6, 2008 - 7 answers

Would the diehard Monty Python fans among you please help me find a particular sketch? [more inside]
posted on Jul 2, 2008 - 9 answers

Help me put together a fun YouTube playlist for a casual small party environment. Funny, short, smart. [more inside]
posted on Jul 1, 2008 - 12 answers

Similar to this thread, please recommend some Canadian and Australian comedy! [more inside]
posted on Jun 29, 2008 - 21 answers

Which comedy club in Los Angeles is the best? [more inside]
posted on Jun 22, 2008 - 10 answers

Any good internet radio stations that specialize in good stand up comedy? Stuff like Hicks, Carlin, Cosby and Pryor with a mix of good new stuff?
posted on Jun 20, 2008 - 3 answers

Please recommend smart British comedies on DVD. I liked As Time Goes By and am enjoying Cold Feet - what else should I look for? [more inside]
posted on Jun 16, 2008 - 61 answers

What's the Improv scene in Singapore like? Help me get a more optimistic picture than the one Google provides. [more inside]
posted on Jun 5, 2008 - 3 answers

Does Ricky Gervais have an opening act when he does his stand-up sets? [more inside]
posted on Jun 1, 2008 - 4 answers

I have searched YouTube, Google and the MetaFilter archives until my eyes are bugging out of my head, so please forgive me if this has been posted. I'm trying to find a video of the SNL sketch with Steve Martin and Bill Murray, I believe from 1978, "What the hell is that?" Can anyone help?
posted on May 19, 2008 - 12 answers

Help me locate a weird 80's sci-fi movie with almost no info. [more inside]
posted on May 9, 2008 - 5 answers

Emma Thompson TV series? Late 80's? Did I hallucinate this? [more inside]
posted on May 5, 2008 - 10 answers

Any recommendations for books/articles/whatever about the history of comedy? Specifically 20th century American comedy? [more inside]
posted on May 5, 2008 - 5 answers

Can you think of any comedy sketches or scenes where a single character uses repeated backhanded compliments directed towards others for comedic effect? That is, scenes where the comedy comes from the secondary character not being sure whether they were just insulted or praised and not knowing how to respond. I'm thinking of something along the lines of SNL, Kids in the Hall or Monty Python sketches, but I am open to any such examples.
posted on Apr 27, 2008 - 11 answers

Looking for the name of the Comedian who did a "Dad! Look at my hands! Look at my hands! Look at my haaaands!" joke. [more inside]
posted on Apr 20, 2008 - 1 answers

Is there a name for this style of joking? Set-up: Person A asks a question. Punchline: Person B -- by pretending to misunderstand the question -- gives an unexpected response. The Marx Bros used this style a lot, and I see it over and over on "Flight of the Conchords. " ALSO: Can anyone offer further examples of this? Thank you so much! :-)
posted on Apr 19, 2008 - 14 answers

Can someone identify a British (I assume) musical comedy bit from the 1960s or 1970s that's nothing more than a several minutes-long introduction of the members of the most bizarre band in the world? [more inside]
posted on Apr 10, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm looking for some funny and smart fiction books, along the lines of "A Confederacy of Dunces" and "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." [more inside]
posted on Mar 6, 2008 - 60 answers

The Paul Reiser Effect -- Does anyone remember an article about this? [more inside]
posted on Feb 28, 2008 - 21 answers

I have directv and occasionally they give customers free access to pay channels to tempt us to sign up. I was watching one of the channels, which I think was called Universal, and there was a really funny show that I think was Canadian, about a middle aged guy on his second marriage with two kids from a previous marriage and two little kids, and a really hot 20 something sister. The scene for the show was this: An annual family reunion BBQ to celebrate the wedding anniversary the 60 something grandparents, and preparations for it. The plot, the old man gets drunk and announces that he wants a divorce because his wife is a nag. Very very funny stuff, sibling rivalry, at all levels, awkwark moments between ex and current spouses, some touching moments about the older children being the spawn of inferior breeding, very very funny. I want to stream it, but I don't even know the name of the network, let alone the name of the show. [more inside]
posted on Feb 18, 2008 - 4 answers

Name the movie based on the only scene I can remember. An American woman is driving a car while listening to a foreign language learning tape but she is repeating the English phrases. [more inside]
posted on Feb 13, 2008 - 12 answers

Please recommend some of your favorite standup comedy DVDs. Lesser known is good, but not outrageously obscure. [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 56 answers

What are some examples of family sitcoms that don't adhere to the funny dad, nagging mom stereotype? [more inside]
posted on Jan 26, 2008 - 38 answers

Recommend me some British comedy, please. [more inside]
posted on Jan 22, 2008 - 86 answers

Where would I look/advertise to find a improvisational keyboard player for an improv group in the Los Angeles area? [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 2 answers

I am trying to find the name of the comedian and what album the bit I heard on the radio was from. We were listening to the Foxhole on Sirius, and it was either a real or scripted prank call. The comedian was calling a young woman's father and asking permission to go away with her for the weekend. He kept calling the dad "playa" and mentioning that he was 47. It kind of spins out of control and he threatens to go fight the man? Any ideas would be appreciated.
posted on Dec 28, 2007 - 2 answers

Recommendations of shows in Las Vegas, for two people in mid-20s. Looking for a few to see and for advice on how to get tickets for cheap if possible. Thanks! [more inside]
posted on Dec 24, 2007 - 9 answers

How to get started writing comedically? [more inside]
posted on Dec 19, 2007 - 9 answers

In older films, ill people are sometimes shown with an ice pack on their head. Presumably to bring down a fever? Did people really do this back then, or is the ice pack merely a comedic signifier?
posted on Dec 18, 2007 - 18 answers

Fifteen years ago, I saw a sketch on Comedy Central about depression-era fish farmers, in which one farmer stabbed the other with a fish stick, while screaming "Die by trout-stick!" What show was this? [more inside]
posted on Dec 12, 2007 - 5 answers

A number of years ago I witnessed a comedic reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, a decidedly non-comedic play. Can anybody direct me to more information on this version of the play? [more inside]
posted on Nov 14, 2007 - 7 answers

Help me figure out the name of a comedian I saw in NYC...last December. [more inside]
posted on Nov 10, 2007 - 5 answers

What exactly is ironic about listening to Schubert while viewing Canadian pornography? [more inside]
posted on Nov 9, 2007 - 19 answers

I've had this little song stuck in my head for decades. I think it was the title song to a recurring sketch on a radio comedy show, possibly Ducksbreath Mystery Theater, but I haven't been able to google up any evidence that I didn't just imagine the whole thing. Do you have any more information about Rhodo the Monster from Outer Space? [more inside]
posted on Nov 3, 2007 - 6 answers

Is there somewhere I can download (for later viewing) videos of popular stand-up comedians? Legally? [more inside]
posted on Sep 28, 2007 - 7 answers

Is there any rhyme or reason to More 4's scheduling of The Daily Show in the UK? [more inside]
posted on Sep 28, 2007 - 10 answers

Some time ago a colleague (now left the firm) sent me an mp3 file of a comedy skit about drinking different types of alcohol from the point of view of the "stomach" of the person drinking. It ended with the person drinking "tequila" and the voice over had some very funny Mexican-type dialogs. My Googling skills have failed me. Can someone recall this comedy skit and where I might find it? Cheers :-)
posted on Sep 28, 2007 - 6 answers

Help me find more music like Flight of the Conchords and Tenacious D. [more inside]
posted on Sep 20, 2007 - 33 answers

Need a movie id. I saw it in the 80's and the plot was that the U.S.S.R. had created an "Anytown, USA" and kidnapped some americans to populate it with to study/observe. I thought it was titled "Back in the U.S.S.R." but alas the one on IMDB is not it.
posted on Sep 13, 2007 - 8 answers

My most frivolous AskMe ever: OK you Smarty McSmartertons... Where did that type of "name" start. You know... "Mister Blanky McBlankerton." Our upstairs neighbor was bring heavy-footed yesterday, and I was talking to my daughter about it. I referred to him as "Mister Stompy McStomperton." I've heard that kind of thing more and more lately. Where did it originate? [more inside]
posted on Aug 30, 2007 - 48 answers

Who played the outraged author in "The King of Comedy" and was he really an author or was he a scammer like Rupert? [more inside]
posted on Aug 28, 2007 - 3 answers

Am I insane? I remember seeing a funny sketch comedy clip and the subject was a dad at the breakfast table verbally wailing on his family members using swear words that were all The-King-of-France related -- but I can't find any reference to it. I distinctly remember Kids in the Hall members, too. [more inside]
posted on Aug 24, 2007 - 8 answers

How can I get B-List Celebrities to give me a quote for the back of my book? [more inside]
posted on Aug 22, 2007 - 15 answers

Can anyone point me towards movie or tv clips that involve punching someone in the face through a straw boater held up in front of them or any other comedic hat smashing? [more inside]
posted on Aug 8, 2007 - 12 answers

where can i hear/watch a copy of the David Cross interview "Comedy Isn't Pretty"? I heard about it from this article about Michael Cera 'Cera said he carries in his bag an interview with David Cross, one of his many comedy mentors and a fellow actor in "Arrested Development." Headlined "Comedy Isn't Pretty," the interview features Cross "talking about how not enough people are willing to look foolish these days," Cera said. "That really had a big message to me. You can't have any shame."'
posted on Aug 6, 2007 - 3 answers