COMEDY: An Exhaustive Personal Odyssey

I find a lot of things funny, and, not surprisingly, a lot of things I don't find funny. For example, while I've seen a variety of Will Ferrell films (Step Brothers, Old School, Elf) none of them have resonated with me. While familiar with his work, I wouldn't cite Ferrell as any sort of influence on my humor.

What, then, have been my big comedy influences? The following traces the themes of comedy throughout my life that have, in some significant way, shaped my sense of humor. There are four sections: Funny Pages and Webcomics, Television, Movies, and Stand Up. These are then divided into the different ages when I became familiar with the material. For example I encountered 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' in adolescence, and my love and reaction to it was based on it being discovered in that period of my life.

Each source of comedic inspiration has a corresponding example of the work in question. Books are omitted, since they are of course important, but don't translate as well to the format.

So strap in, and get ready for either an exhaustive - nay, comprehensive - guide into my psyche, or a pleasant diversion and rabbit-hole to get lost in during shelter-in-place.

Funny Pages and Webcomics

Childhood

Calvin and Hobbes – Bill Watterson

Rightfully regarded as one of the all-time greats, Watterson's work blended the reality of childhood with adult messaging that still resonates years later. His characters are fully realized, and you can connect with their foibles while laughing at his incredible visuals.

Foxtrot – Bill Amend

This was our family comic - as I grew up I related with Jason, and then Peter, and increasingly Andy and Roger; just as I now relate more with Calvin's dad than Calvin. The humor was top-notch, with consistently well-crafted punchlines.

The Far Side – Gary Larson

The wonderful weirdness of The Far Side was amplified as Larson was a hometown favorite in San Francisco: the local science museum had a whole gallery dedicated to his works. Off-beat and often dark, the one-panel punch of The Far Side was a favorite as a weird kid.

Gordo – Gus Arriola

My dad's collections of older comics commanded varying levels of interest, but none were more enjoyable than Gordo, by Arriola. Gentle, but sometimes gut-busting, it was also visually inspired, much like Watterson's work.

Adolescence

The Boondocks – Aaron McGruder

90% of America thought Dubya handled 9/11 well - it was dark times for the other 10% of us. McGruder's strip provided a safe-haven during those years of resistance.

Bloom County/Outland – Berkeley Breathed

While Breathed's work was from an earlier era, I didn't encounter it until adolescence. I liked Outland, I think, more than than Bloom County, but both are great off-beat comics.

Sherman’s Lagoon – Bill Toomey

My parents collected Calvin and Hobbes, Foxtrot, Dilbert, and the rest - so when I took a shine to Sherman's Lagoon it became special to me as the comic that I collected. I sat around and reread my copies so many times that I barely glance at the pages any more.

Get Fuzzy – Darby Conley and Pearls Before Swine – Stephen Pastis

The era of newspaper comics was coming to a close in the early 2000s, but these two cartoonists developed solidly funny works that I really enjoyed, and would go out and buy, in my teen years. Pastis even credits Conley with getting his career started.

Bizarro – Dan Piraro

Like The Far Side, Bizarro is a one-panel of often surreal imagery, but tempered instead with drier punchlines. I liked the strip so much that I included a panel on my senior page of my high school yearbook.

Sluggy Freelance – Pete Abrams

The one that started it all... Sluggy Freelance was already a behemoth of a webcomic when I started reading it in high school - it published daily since 1997, and I stuck with it for years. Just reading the archive, back then, took months, but the weird comic of assassins, friendship, aliens, and a switchblade-wielding mini-lop named Bun Bun opened up the world of webcomics to me...

Adulthood (including college)

Webcomics: Least I Could Do, XKCD, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Nerf This, Romantically Apocalyptic, Copper, & Sinfest

At one point, my bookmarks bar was jammed with great webcomics. It eventually became too much - spending lots of time every day scrolling through them all - of those comics, these were ones that had the biggest influence.

The Perry Bible Fellowship – Nicholas Gurewitch

Distinct from the rest, PBF was recommended by a friend, had a beautiful absurdity, and sometimes a really disturbing twist. Still going, I occasionally check in on it.

Doonesbury – Gary Trudeau

Doonesbury was always the 'adult' comic in the funny pages, dealing with politics and current events. My parents had the collections, so during college I read the back archive and, for the brief period that newspapers were still being delivered to my mom's house, I began to read and appreciate Doonesbury - like an adult.

Questionable Content – Jeph Jacques

The last of the slice-of-life webcomics which I still follow. I don't recall the last time I laughed at it, the humor has largely dissipated over the years, but at one point it was laugh-out-loud, and it's still interesting enough to stick with - for now.

A Lesson is Learned But the Damage is Irreversible – David Hellman and Dale Beran

This now-defunct work is, to me, the equivalent in artistry to Calvin and Hobbes: unconstrained by space, it uses the webcomic medium beautifully, with delightful absurd humor. Definitely a stand-out in visuals and comedy.

Mac Hall / Three Panel Soul – Ian McConville & Matthew Boyd

Mac Hall was a great comic for my college years, and, when it ended, it became Three Panel Soul, which follows the same characters through adulthood. I'm not super into it these days, but when it was peaking it was a great comic.

Dresden Codak – Aaron Diaz

Another visual treat - drawing from influences like Frank Lloyd Wright and Fritz Lang's 'Metropolis' - the earlier, non-arc comics had tremendous humor. While the comedy is lessened these days, it is still an excellent work.

Hyperbole and a Half – Allie Brosh

Brosh's inspired visuals matched the vulnerability of her posts. I don't know if this counts as a webcomic, but it was definitely an influence, before lapsing indefinitely.

Hark! a Vagrant – Kate Beaton

Many of the webcomics I read deal with history and culture, but none do it better, in my mind, than Beaton. Unfortunately this one is also on a permanent hiatus.

Television

Childhood

Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain

'Animaniacs' had the manic energy of really old Loony Tunes, and 'Pinky and the Brain' was one of my mom's favorites. My sister and I understood many, but not all, of the references - it hinted at a whole world of comedy out there just beyond reach.

Friends

Like most 90s youths, 'Friends' was a family staple - I watched nearly every episode until the last couple of seasons. Growing up with the same name as one of the characters was also a thing.

Frasier

Another which we didn't miss an episode of - at least up through Niles and Daphne getting together. As a kid I liked 'Frasier' a lot, more than 'Friends', and still find it amusing.

NBC Shows: “Suddenly Susan”, “Just Shoot Me”, “Mad About You”, “Will & Grace”

Must-See-TV: God help us we watched them - we watched them all. They all sort of blended together (except 'Will & Grace') generating the white-noise hum of comedy during the 90s.

The Simpsons

The big one - in part because as a child I didn't fully appreciate how seismic 'The Simpsons' was in the cultural landscape. I missed the earliest Bart-mania years, and rode the wave of seasons 3-12 or so, when its honest, sometimes heart-breaking view of modern America was an incandescent form of satire.

Adolescence

South Park, Robot Chicken, & Family Guy

These all followed in 'The Simpsons'' footsteps, but with more absurdity ('South Park'), more obvious cultural referencing ('Family Guy'), and more of a sketch-comedy feel ('Robot Chicken').

Daria

Back then, I didn't understand how rare well-written female characters were when 'Daria' came out. I still rewatch and own the show, because it remains a very funny, very well-written depiction of adolescence.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

I still remember the first time I got to stay up and watch Leno with dad - Leno was doing a bit on new state mottoes, which, for Connecticut was "Kiss my lily-white ass". For years we watched Leno, and particularly enjoyed his "Headlines" - it opened up the world of late night to me.

Celebrity Death Match

The atmosphere I grew up in was vaguely anti-celebrity, and definitely anti-commercialism. This show was also easily the most morbid thing I'd been exposed to up to that point - but my sister and I loved it.

Chapelle’s Show

Besides sitcoms, I've long had a preference for sketch comedy shows, and 'Chapelle's Show' was one of the first I began to enjoy in late adolescence. It was also my gateway into modern black comedy.

Coupling

Our family watched this show religiously - it became my bible for relationships as I entered adulthood. Moffat's writing is at its best, and the sex sitcom remains endlessly funny.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers

John Cleese was a huge influence, and I loved both the weirdness that was 'Monty Python', and the zany situation comedy of 'Fawlty'. Both are more difficult for me to watch now, but they had a huge impact then.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

'Whose Line' was a show that was reliable - you were basically guaranteed a good laugh. The Mocherie - Stiles duo also had a profound influence on me later on, when I decided to teach improv.

Jeeves & Wooster

I watched a lot of BBC America and British shows in general growing up, from 'Poirot' mysteries to 'Brideshead'. 'Jeeves and Wooster' introduced me to the great comedic duo of Fry and Laurie, and later on I would read a couple of Wodehouse novels based on the enjoyment from the show.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

A huge influence - MST3K was a favorite, and manifested its impact in all sorts of ways, from dining room comebacks to Rocky Horror callbacks. The frame stories were useless, but I immensely enjoyed the wit, and the exposure to so many terrible movies.

Adulthood (including college)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

In the firmly anti-Bush years I started to get interested in Stewart, and then watched the show religiously, through the last episode. I missed much of the early stuff - there were no Stephens by the time I arrived - but it became critical viewing for me, and influential satire.

Clone High

A friend in college introduced this delightful off-beat show to me, long after it had gone off the air. By senior year we were explicitly referring to ourselves in the context of these characters - I even bought my friend a knork.

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law

I binged this with a guy in college, and loved it, even if it hasn't aged super well. The novelty of re-contextualizing the Hanna Barbera canon was genuinely funny, and Stephen Colbert does a lot of the voice work.

30 Rock

There have been many sitcoms that didn't have a big impact (for example, I, like the rest of America, enjoyed 'How I Met Your Mother', but barely remember it now). '30 Rock', with its cameos and guests and extra-ludicrous comedy rose above the rest, securing a more memorable place in my personal pantheon.

Firefly

Proving the expression about stars that shine the brightest burn out the fastest - 'Firefly' gave us one brilliant season of great writing and acting. And so Alan Tudyk entered my world...

The Dick Van Dyke Show & The Bob Newhart Show

After college I began probing into classic television, and while much of it, perfectly fine, didn't stick (looking at you 'WKRP in Cincinnati') these two stuck with me more. Dick Van Dyke was a master physical comedian, and Newhart, whom I was familiar with via stand-up, was the master of holding the deadpan stare as the audience laughed.

Aaron Sorkin

I'd have no interest in 'The West Wing' or 'Newsroom' if they were straight dramas. Sorkin's witty comedic genius made those shows, and even made 'Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip' - which is nowhere near as good, and yet still remains better than most.

BoJack Horseman

'BoJack' was more of a drama, but it is also the best source of existential and dark humor in recent years. It managed to blend wit and wordplay, absurdity and gallows humor, all together effectively.

Rick and Morty

Like everyone else, I enjoy the self-aware humor of 'Rick and Morty'. Arguably you could lump this in with 'BoJack' since it covers much of the same comedic territory.

Community

Speaking of self-aware shows by Dan Harmon, the first few seasons of 'Community', through Jeff's graduation, were a masterclass of deconstruction and style. If the violence and near-nihilism of 'Rick and Morty' are too much, 'Community' is the warm-hearted counterbalance.

YouTube: QI and British Panel Shows (Would I Lie to You?, etc.)

A girl I was dating was flabbergasted I'd not seen 'QI', and showed me a clip on YouTube. I then went back and watched them all, and stuck with it through all of Stephen Fry's tenure. This opened up a massive new world to me of British comedians who lived in a panel-show ecosystem but also had their own stand-up careers and such - and thanks to YouTube I began to devour these shows.

YouTube: Mitchell and Webb, Fry and Laurie, & Key and Peele

In the process of finding out about these British comedians, and as YouTube came of age, I got into the sketch shows, since the format lent itself so well to being uploaded. The duos of 'Fry and Laurie', 'Mitchell and Webb', and 'Key and Peele' became favorites, having despite never having watched them when they were on television.

YouTube: College Humor & Adam Connover

College Humor was part of that snarky, satire-laden world of Web 2.0, when making comedy content for YouTube was still cutting-edge. Recently it went through a mini-renaissance, from roughly 2017 through early 2019 - it also launched the great 'Adam Ruins Everything', which is more informative than amusing, but still funny.

YouTube: Rifftrax, Honest Trailers, Epic Rap Battles of History, Ze Frank

From the ashes of MST3K came RiffTrax, and a variety of YouTube-specific movie critiques that have all become quite popular, such as Honest Trailers. Meanwhile other YouTube-specific content favorites are the early hits of ERB and Ze Frank, both still producing material.

Look Around You

A great educational satire, this short program became an immediate favorite. The second season doesn't come close to the first's brilliant deadpan absurdity.

Late Night: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Real Time with Bill Maher, & Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Every week I keep up with the late night shows: they have become the life-sustaining carbohydrates of my media diet. With the exception of Meyers and Maher, they all come from the world of Jon Stewart, and do a better job of harnessing that humor than Trevor Noah (in my opinion).

SNL

During my teens I liked Celebrity Jeopardy...and that was it. Since the Trump era began, however, SNL has become essential viewing, and sufficiently topical to warrant it a spot in my weekly television consumption.

Movies

Childhood

Old Disney and New Disney

Growing up, I went to the theaters to experience the Disney Renaissance films, and then went home and watched the VHS my dad bought to see the old, largely-forgotten films like The Three Caballeros. Disney's humor is very gentle, but well-crafted, and I saw a lot of it.

Old Looney Tunes cartoons

Again, from my dad, I was introduced to classic Warner Brothers: Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, and Tex Avery. It was weird and wonderful, and helped reinforce what I was watching on television at the time (Animaniacs).

The Muppets

I watched all of the Muppet movies as a kid, through Treasure Island. The trademark Muppets humor also made itself known through Henson's side-projects that I saw, like Labyrinth - and came back years later when I was introduced to The Muppet Show.

Wallace and Gromit

The trilogy of 'A Grand Day Out', 'The Wrong Trousers' (my favorite), and 'A Close Shave' were family favorites as a kid. I still say "Cheese, Gromit!" while shopping at Safeway (and Shannon is very indulgent of this).

David Niven

My childhood was filled with classic movies on VHS and TCM, many of them British since our family was headed by anglophiles. In this ecosystem David Niven was a fixture in the background (Rex Harrison was another), in works like 'The Pink Panther', 'Around the World in 80s Days', and 'Murder By Death' - he was always just around.

Adolescence

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, & A Fish Called Wanda

As I got into the show 'Monty Python' I also got into the movies in my teenage years (when quoting 'Holy Grail' was a badge of nerd honor), and saw 'A Fish Called Wanda' for the first time, which is still my favorite rom-com. John Cleese looms large in my comedic world...

Classic Mel Brooks: The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein

We watched 'Blazing Saddles' over and over in high school, but I also loved 'The Producers' with Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel (we watched others, but 'Space Balls', or 'Men in Tights', never had the same appeal). 'Young Frankenstein' was one of the first VHS I bought for myself.

“The Big Lebowski”

One of the other films we watched over and over in our dorm, and which we even joked about with our teachers. 'Lebowski' was my introduction to the comedy of the Coen brothers, as well.

“Dr. Strangelove”

For many years I cited 'Strangelove' as my favorite movie - because it was. Sellers' brilliant performance, the dark, dark humor, the screwball aspects - all combined into a timeless and tremendous film.

The Marx Brothers

As a kid, at the corner store, you could by a Groucho disguise, but it wasn't until high school that I actually bothered watching the Marx Brothers. Much of their work is forgettable, but 'Duck Soup' has aged very well, and I still like watching it.

“Spinal Tap”, “Best in Show” & Bad Eugene Levy Movies

The improvised classic 'Spinal Tap' doesn't do much for me anymore, but at the time I found it hilarious, and it opened up that world of actors like Christopher Guest and Levy. Also, like any red-blooded teenage boy in the 00s, I was required to watch the terrible 'American Pie' films and the rest of those lousy flicks.

“The Princess Bride”

Sticking with Guest, we have the classic with the wittiest dialogue and endless quotability. 'The Princess Bride' has it all, and is still fun all these years later.

Kevin Smith

My first Smith film was 'Dogma', followed by 'Clerks', 'Mallrats', and 'Chasing Amy'. While the latter two do nothing for me, 'Dogma' and 'Clerks' have retained their comedic influence.

“Galaxy Quest”

At my dad's home we watched sci-fi shows at night: 'Sliders', 'Stargate', 'Farscape', and of course, 'Star Trek' ('TNG' and 'Voyager'). 'Galaxy Quest' was a sleeper-hit, but a wonderful satire.

“Groundhog Day” & Bill Murray

High school was my introduction to Murray - when I first saw 'Ghostbusters', 'Scrooged', and 'Caddy Shack', along with his then-recent work with Wes Anderson, like 'Life Aquatic'. Of them all, 'Groundhog Day' resonated the most, and is a favorite still.

Adulthood (including college)

Richard Curtis: “Four Weddings and a Funeral” & “Love Actually”

I'd seen 'Four Weddings' as a kid, but it didn't stick until I was older, and had seen and enjoyed (bite me) 'Love Actually'. Curtis' two rom-coms are still light and fun.

“The Incredibles” & Pixar

Brad Bird's 'Incredibles' is still the high point, in my opinion, in Pixar humor, but there were a lot of very solid offerings. A week after graduating from high school, my friend and I saw 'Finding Nemo' on a whim, and left the theater laughing about surfer bro turtles and seagulls. 

Silent Greats: Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin

In college I began delving into film history, and finally encountered the silent greats of Keaton and Chaplin. The best, in my opinion, are Keaton's 'Sherlock J.' and Chaplin's 'Modern Times'.

Classic Hollywood: Hawks, Wyler, Lubitsch

Some of these I'd seen as a kid (like 'Bringing Up Baby') but again, in college and immediately after I started to seriously look at them and seek them out. Best of each: Hawks - 'His Girl Friday', Wyler - 'Roman Holiday', Lubitsch - 'Ninotchka'.

Stand-up

Adolescence

Dr. Demento: Tom Lehrer & Weird Al

In middle school I got a two-disc compilation of Dr. Demento, with lots of novelty songs going back to Stan Jones. Of them all, Tom Lehrer and Weird Al stuck with me, spurring me to go seek out their other recordings.

Eddie Izzard: “Dressed to Kill”

This was my stand-up introduction, which I can practically quote from memory. A very long set, full of classic witty bits and absurdity.

Robin Williams: “Live on Broadway”

This, with Izzard, was a staple in high school, and we watched it practically on repeat. I'd grown up with Williams' movies (Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire) but this opened up a whole new world.

Chris Rock

I always felt like I was secretly spying on something when I watched Rock's specials. Throughout his career, his specials have been favorites, from "Bring the Pain" up to the present with "Tambourine".

Lily Tomlin: “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe”

For class we read the play, by Tomlin's partner Wagner, and then we watched the one-woman show. It's still poignant, profound, and very funny - if very, very dated.

Adulthood (including college)

George Carlin

In college my freshman year I was introduced to Carlin, and the world of stand-up became a big part of my comedy consumption, instead of an occasional side-dish. 'Jammin' in New York' rose to the top of the Carlin favorites.

Bill Hicks

Turns out you can be angrier than Carlin, and Hicks' anger was great for college. Much of his small oeuvre is difficult to watch, but the segments that land are incredibly funny and fierce.

Bob Newhart and Mitch Hedberg

Newhart's deadpan is second to none, and his comedy recordings are still hilarious, so much so that when we did a college comedy night celebrating our idols, Newhart was my obvious choice. On the then-current side, there was Hedberg, who felt like the spiritual successor to Newhart: at least in terms of idiosyncratic delivery.

Colin Quinn: “Long Story Short”

Co-written with Seinfeld, this funny tour of world history became a favorite, and I would share clips with my students when I taught high school. It's over-simplified in parts to the point of being a problem, but it's still good.

Louis CK

So much Louis CK - I never missed a special, and loved his show 'Louie'. His (totally justified) disappearance during #MeToo has made rewatching some of his work difficult, but he still casts a significant shadow across my comedy landscape.

Bill Cosby: “Himself”

*oof* I never grew up with Cosby - but when I started teaching improv and stand-up to high school students, I needed something both clean and good. I found the special 'Himself', and then went on to his comedy albums: but his way, way justified disappearance didn't mean nearly as much to me as that of CK.

Patton Oswalt

With CK out of the picture, I needed a new comedian to be my champion - and Oswalt became the commanding presence. His was also the first stand-up show I saw live, in Berkeley, when a work friend had an extra ticket.

John Mulaney

Initially I knew Mulaney just for his now-classic bit on the Salt and Pepper Diner, and didn't bother to seek out his other stuff. However, again due to CK leaving a very large hole to fill, right as Mulaney was just surging in popularity he helped fill any of the space not taken by Oswalt.

YouTube British Panel Show Comedians: Dara O’Briain, Jimmy Carr, Tim Minchin, etc.

Since the introduction to QI, and the British panel shows in general, I began using YouTube to discover the work of these comedians, and spent tons of time watching and rewatching their work online. The snarkiest ones were my faves - and in Reno I even used to time my walk to the library by practicing making up my own Tim Minchin lyrics.

YouTube Minor Influences: Doug Stanhope, Greg Proops, Norm MacDonald etc.

Some comedians have one really good bit that sticks with you - and YouTube made those bits very accessible. I've seen a fair bit of these three comedian's work, which is why they are my choices, for there are many others who I investigated along the way that didn't make the cut.

The Smothers Brothers

Finally, in college, my mom introduced me to the wit of the Smothers Brothers recordings, and again, with YouTube, I was able to find their old show clips and get into them even more. Sly, and subversive, they are still funny all these years later.

Welp, that does it - an exhaustive look at the comedians who influenced me, from Bill Watterson to Bob Newhart, and from Stephen Fry to Jim Henson. This has been...not cathartic exactly, but a tremendously fun exercise, one which I highly recommend if you're bored, or feeling self-reflective.