I do so love British comedy.
\nYou will hear\/see me say\/write that quite a lot on this site.
\nIt is the cream of the crop, the standard by which all other
\ncomedy should be measured by, in my humble opinion.
\nNot to say that humor on this side of the pond is rubbish.
\nA lot of it certainly is, but not all.
\nOne of the main reasons that I embrace it as much as I do is
\nthat it has a much higher intellectual component to it.
\nIt’s smarter, more cerebral and doesn’t talk down to its fan base.
\nIt is one of the main reasons that Monty Python could produce all those
\nsketches without the use of a punchline and still make them funny.
\nI have always said that the smarter the comic, the bigger the laughs.
\nSome classic examples of that are Bill Hicks, Jeff Caldwell, Emo Philips,
\nand Jake Johannsen.
\nYes, those are American comics, and one might think that it would detract
\na bit from my point.
\nExcept that Bill Hicks was a god like figure over there, sold out all his shows
\nand had a fan base second to none.
\nI attended the very first Bill Hicks tribute at the Montreal Comedy Festival
\nback in the nineties, it was soon after he had passed away and the powers
\nthat be eulogized him with a superb get together, celebrities from all
\nwalks of life…all fans of Bill when he was alive.
\nI was the only comedy show host allowed to record the event, directly from the
\nmain sound board I might add, and I felt honored.
\nI saw videos that he did over there, at the peak of his fame, and they were
\nsome of the funniest pieces that I have ever seen!
\nVery smart material, and his audience really appreciated it.
\nEmo is also a revered figure in England, doing many shows to packed houses.
\nI remember buying a British comedy album in Canada that was a benefit recording for
\nAmnesty International.
\nEmo was on it and the material was hilarious, my opinion and the audiences, judging
\nby the heavy applause.
\nMy point is, the smarter American comics are held in high esteem over there.
\nAll smart comics are, regardless of where they are from.
\nI could go on and on, instead I will give you an example of what I think is
\nsmart, well thought out humor.
\nThis is Not the 9:00 News from the early eighties, starring a much younger
\nRowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson and Mel Smith.<\/p>\n