3 UK Comedians
After some fairly heavy-going posts, I think I need to lighten the tone a little and so this time I’m going to introduce some great English-speaking comedians.
Last year I talked a little about Monty Python, so I won’t be focussing on them this time. What I’m going to do is introduce three UK comedians who have been popular in recent years and who any English person would know.
I’ll introduce each individual a little and then give some links to video files on Google’s YouTube service where you can try out their different brands of comedy. (YouTube will open in a new window - just close that window to return to this page.)
(1) Jack Dee : was born in England in 1962. He has become very famous for his sardonic, deadpan style of comedy. He is an actor and a writer as well as a very popular stand-up comedian. In 1997, he won the British Comedy Award for Best Stand-Up Comedian. Here are some links to videos of his live performances. You will be able to find more by searching for ‘Jack Dee’ yourself on YouTube…
Jack Dee talking about meeting an SAS man in Hereford
Jack Dee talking about computers
Jack Dee in a TV advert for John Smith’s Beer
(2) Eddie Izzard : Edward John “Eddie” Izzard (born February 7, 1962) is a British cross-dressing stand-up comedian and actor who describes himself as an “executive” or “action” transvestite. His comedic style is expressed in rambling, surreal monologue. In addition to touring, he is also a television and film actor, and is active in charity work. (info from Wikipedia). Eddie Izzard is probably very difficult for foreigners to understand because his monologues are so surreal and jump about, apparently randomly, from one topic to another. This is also his special genius though and the reason for his massive popularity. Recently, he has been getting roles in Hollywood films and seems to be trying to make his way as a serious actor.
Eddie Izzard getting very surreal about Stonehenge
Eddie Izzard talking about the Army
Eddie Izzard talks about snowboarding
(3) Sasha Baron-Cohen :
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen[1] (born October 13, 1971) is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, a Golden Globe-winning actor and an Emmy-nominated writer/producer. He is a Jewish English comedian and actor most noted for his successful and controversial comic character Borat (a Kazakh reporter), and the characters Ali G (a junglist from Staines, England) and Bruno (a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter).
All three characters are featured in Da Ali G Show, an often unscripted program in which Sacha Baron Cohen conducts interviews as one of his three characters with people who ostensibly believe that the interviews are sincere and legitimate.
His work has been recognized with several Emmy nominations, an Oscar nomination, a BAFTA award and a Golden Globe for best actor for his work in the feature film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.(info from Wikipedia).
I’ll give you some links to videos of his performances as Ali G and Borat.
Ali G interviews Posh Spice and David Beckham
Ali G - FBI interview
Borat with Cambridge Uni students playing cricket
The Best of Borat
Understanding comedy is, of course, very difficult, but I hope you can get a flavour of these 3 immensely popular UK comedians.
bamboo4 wrote:
Thank you, ben-san, for an interesting article. I viewed all three sites you have recommended.
Frankly, I did not fully understand Jack Dee and I suspect that you have to know a lot of things abut England in order to fully appreciate his talks.
I got s real kick out of Eddie Izzard and Sacha Cohen, in particular Eddie’s Stonehenge and Cohen’s “the Best of Borat.” Cohen’s iinterview with Posh Spice and Beckham was also hilarious.
Watching these strips, it made me reconfirm that humors are essentially indigenous and you almost have to be a native or a long-time resident to fully appreciate them. Although I have been exposed to a healthy (?) amount of American humors and jokes, including watching standup comedians perform live, this is the first time I have gotten some inkling of British humor and I have to confess it is mostly beyond me.
In any event, it was a very interesting and enlightening esperience.
Posted on 24-Feb-07 at 1:53 am | Permalink
ben wrote:
Great - I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the clips. Borat is really a classic.
I have just realized that the Ali G FBI link was incorrect and corrected it. Well worth a look!
Posted on 25-Feb-07 at 5:23 pm | Permalink