filipino comedian

Comparing Comedians

After a mediocre gig the other night, I started thinking if I could’ve done a better job as a comedian. I got some laughs and was still able to pull off a decent closer but the comedian before me got a bigger response. That got me thinking if you can actually compare comedians and say that one is better than the other.

Of course, there are such things as experience, stage presence, good writing, timing, control of the crowd, and so on. But can you really say that a certain stand up comedian is better than the other? Is it like saying that Picasso is better than Van Gogh? Is it all a matter of personal preference, like choosing between apples and oranges? If so, then how do you measure a comic’s success?

If you go by laughs per minute, then even a hack could make it as the best one. Is a laugh elicited by an easy dick joke weighed more than a chuckle from a carefully crafted insightful observation that changes one’s point of view? Is a rapid fire panderer considered funnier than a performer with integrity that sticks to his/her guns?

If your criteria is originality, then would you consider a Mitch Hedgeberg type of comic that only gets giggles better than a high energy Dane Cook wannabe who steals jokes from others? I would. But the unsophisticated comedy audience won’t. I’ve seen it happen.

But then again, I might be a comedy snob because I have been exposed to a lot of stand up. And after all, isn’t comedy part of show business and isn’t the customer the ultimate judge on who is funnier? Is a joke still a joke if only the teller finds it funny?

What do you think?