Laugh and the World Laughs With You

In celebration of comedian Eddie Izzard's recent birthday (February 7), we're here to offer you a highly subjective list of a few of our favorite comedians. Let them tell you a little bit about themselves -- in their own words:


-- Mike Birbiglia

"Growing up, I was discouraged from telling personal stories about insignificant things. Like, I wouldn't make the soccer team, and my father would say, 'Don't tell anyone.' And I would say, 'They're gonna know when they show up to the games and I'm not on the team and I'm crying."

Mike Birbiglia's comedy has appeared several times on NPR, and his Sleepwalk With Me story -- in which he recounts the time he sleepwalked his way out of a two-story hotel window -- went on to become a best-selling book, as well as a film. He also runs an online blog, My Secret Public Journal, where you can read his humor essays and stay up-to-date on upcoming shows.

You can hear his sleepwalking story on NPR's website.

"I wake up at 4:30 am to jump on a plane, which is that part of the morning before the earth even exists. Before they've even programmed the Matrix. You walk out of your apartment and the road isn't even there. You walk out of your house, and there's just a guy with a laptop who yells, 'We need a road, stat!' 'How 'bout a building, Tank!'"

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-- Ellen DeGeneres

"All we have is the here and now. That's why procrastination feels so right. Procrastinate now; don't put it off!"

Before her long-running daytime talk show and acting career, Ellen Degeneres started out as a stand-up comedian. She gained acclaim for her observational humor in the early 80s, appearing on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in 1986 (Carson reportedly likened her to Bob Newhart). She's hosted the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, won 13 Emmys and 14 People's Choice Awards -- and voiced the forgetful fish Dory in Pixar's classic animated film Finding Nemo.

"Have you ever heard somebody sing some lyrics that you've never sung before, and you realize you've never sung the right words in that song? You hear them, and all of a sudden you say to yourself, 'Life in the Fast Lane?' That's what they're saying right there? You think, Why have I been singing 'wipe in the vaseline?'  How many people have heard me sing 'wipe in the vaseline?' I am an idiot."

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-- Eddie Izzard

"It's the cutting edge of politics in a very extraordinarily boring way."

Born in England, Eddie Izzard's comedy incorporates world history, politics, religion, languages, and film study into his comedy (I was first introduced to his stand-up when a college linguistics professor showed us a few clips from Izzard's shows). But when your Henry VIII sounds like Sean Connery and you've got Death Star Stormtroopers sipping tea and waving flags, the resultant show is anything but dry. Izzard's humor effortlessly juxtaposes the everyday with the truly quirky, and the result is wholly unique.

"We stole countries! That's how you build an empire. We stole countries, with the cunning use of flags. Just sail halfway around the world, stick a flag in. 'I claim India for Britain.' And they're going, 'You can't claim us; we live here! There's five hundred million of us!' - 'Do you have a flag?' - 'We don't need a bloody flag, this is our country!' - 'No flag, no country! You can't have one. That's the rules that I've just made up!'"

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-- Louis C.K.

"People on planes are the worst. They get off the plane, they come to your house, and they tell you about their whole flight experience. 'That was the worst day of my life!  I had to sit on the runway for forty minutes!'  For forty minutes?  Oh, my God, really?  What happened then??  Did you fly through the air, like a bird, incredibly?  Did you soar into the clouds, impossibly?  Did you partake in the miracle of human flight, and then land softly on giant tires that you couldn't even conceive how they put air in them??  How dare you! Complaining about flying! 'I had to pay for my sandwich --' YOU'RE FLYING!  You're sitting in a chair in the sky!  You're like a Greek myth right now!!  [You think] air travel is too slow?  [It's] New York to California in six hours!  That used to take thirty years!"

Combining his self-deprecating humor with his observations on modern society, Louis C.K. manages to make us laugh at our own shortcomings, as well. Releasing his annual stand-up shows on his website, LouisCK.net, he is also the creator, head writer, and star of the hit FX series Louis. 

"So then my doctor's like, 'Well, okay. How far into a meal do you typically realize you're full and stop eating?' And I'm like -- 'I don't stop eating when I'm full. The meal isn't over when I'm full. The meal is over when I hate myself.'"

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-- Post by Ms. B 

Tickle Your Funny Bone

Are you looking for something to read that will make you laugh? Then why not think about reading one of the many books written by some of America's humorists.

What's a humorist, you say? Isn't that the same as a comedian? Well, yes and no. A humorist can be a comedian and vice versa, but humorists tend to be more focused on the written word than comedians are. A humorist is more likely to tell a story that happens to be funny, while a comedian is telling a joke or anecdote to make you laugh.

One of America's greatest humorists was Will Rogers. Born in Oklahoma (November 4, 1879), he lived a somewhat nomadic life searching for a profession. As a young man, he developed a talent for roping tricks, which he learned from cowboys when he was just a kid. This led to a life as a performer. While performing his tricks for audiences he began telling stories. Finally people were coming to hear his stories more than his rope tricks. These "stories" were actually more of a commentary on the articles he had read in the paper.

Rogers continued performing (including several appearances in motion pictures) and by the 20s he had also added public speaking to his other skills. This led to radio appearances, which led to a newspaper column.

Much of his writings were political in nature, but Rogers was probably the most read and popular columnist of his day. He had an everyman quality about him that his readers could identify with. At the time of his death in 1935 (an airplane accident) he was at the pinnacle of his career.

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Looking for some other humorists when you're done with Will Rogers? Then check out some of these other American humorists. Hopefully you find one that will tickle your funny bone!

James Thurber -- Known for his cartoons, he was also a prolific writer of humorous short stories.

Bill Bryson -- His books cover everything from hiking the Appalachian trail to the history of domestic life to the oddities of the English language.

Nora Ephron -- She was a woman of many talents - writer, journalist, director and blogger. Her look on life, love and growing older made her a favorite of many.

Dave Barry -- The former syndicated columnist has had a successful career from his quirky look on American life. His writings were even turned into a television show, Dave's World.

David Sedaris -- He reached mainstream success when he was featured on NPR's This American Life. His (somewhat exaggerated) stories and observations of life have put him at the top of the bestseller's lists for years.

Erma Bombeck -- The author of more than a dozen books which take a very humorous look at suburban life.

Jon Stewart -- As host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, Stewart entertains millions of people on a nightly basis with his off beat look at the day's events.



-- Post by Tracy