Golden age of standup? Not so fast!

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on September 11th, 2008

From the Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent comes Eric Klister’s assessment of the current state of comedy. He presents a roundup of all the comedians coming to the area in “What’s so funny? Plenty, as standup comedy steps to the forefront.”

The latest issue of Rolling Stone says we’re in the new golden age of comedy. But we don’t need a magazine to tell us that. All we have to do is look at the entertainment schedule for the next few months.

It’s a huge season for standup comedy, and the timing couldn’t be better. With fall and winter right around the corner, uncertainty surrounding the Packers’ season (Monday night’s win notwithstanding) and no end in sight to the nation’s economic downward spiral, we need something to make us laugh.

Here’s a look at where to find the funny.

Klister then cites upcoming appearances by Iliza Shlesinger, Jeff Dye, Jim Tavare, Louis Ramey, Marcus, George Lopez, Robin Williams, Mike Birbiglia, Jerry Seinfeld, Carlos Mencia, Kathleen Madigan, Drew Hastings, Jim Gaffigan, Frank Caliendo and Brad Garrett.

Huh? Obviously, Klister misinterpreted what Rolling Stone has decreed. (Or he didn’t read the issue very carefully.) According to the RS Comedy Issue, the comics cited above are all (with one or two possible exceptions) examples of what is the old guard. Too punchline-dependent, too slick, too polished. Totally unashamed about appearing to be telling jokes and, therefore, passé and hopelessly last century. They are all what is wrong with comedy, according to the oracles at Wenner Media.

Apparently, both Klister and the folks who produce shows in Appleton and Green Bay are utterly out of touch with the current trends. We suspect that the fine citizens of northeast Wisconsin will shun such offerings and demand that promoters bring in foul-mouthed ex-junkies and various other purveyors of awkwardness and uneasy pauses.

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