I could bring up a lot of names on here... I love Louis CK, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Chris Rock, Daniel Tosh, David Cross, and even new stuff like Bo Burnham, but the guys who really inspired me as a kid, and still do, are below in no particular order.
I grew up watching this guy, puzzled at why I couldn't stop laughing at his brilliant one-liners... I love watching his dry delivery and how he manages to captivate audiences despite having very little perceived energy on stage. I hope that he goes down in history as one of the funniest men to ever walk the planet... Steven Wright.
This next guy was someone that was becoming a well known comedian while I was in college. Unfortunately we lost him too soon... His comedic brilliance is unmatched. His unorthodox delivery style has made him a favorite of comedians and fans alike. Mitch Hedberg will be missed and always remembered.
This next comedian always rejected that title, instead calling himself a "song and dance man" but he was much more than any of those titles could possibly encompass. I used to watch Taxi and loved that show as a kid... I learned later on that he actually hated being on the show because it swallowed one of his created stage characters and took ownership of it. It also pigeon-holed him as Latka when, in fact, he was so much more than anyone can put into words. He was also taken from us too soon by a rare form of lung cancer... but just like Elvis, that he started his career impersonating before there were Elvis impersonators, people still claim to see him and that his death was just another one of his elaborate hoaxes...
I love this clip of him because this entire bit he doesn't speak one word of english and yet he still makes you laugh the entire time... I've never seen anyone do what he can do on stage.... The comedy genius, Andy Kaufman.
