Bill Hicks was the last great social satirist, the true descendent of comedians like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Mort Sahl. The self-described "Prince of Darkness," his work confronted the hypocrisies of late-20th century American life, divining comedy from the more evil impulses of the government and the mass media while assaulting the... [+] Read More

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One of the first African-American comedians to cross over to mainstream white audiences, Dick Gregory was also one of the fiercest sociopolitical satirists of his day; using the nightclub stage as his soapbox, he provocatively explored the racial inequities of the civil rights era with compassion, acute insight and blunt, direct humor.
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Famed for his landmark "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine, George Carlin filled the void created by the death of Lenny Bruce, honing a provocative, scathing comic style that bravely explored the limits of free speech and good taste. George Dennis Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, in the Bronx, New York. While serving a stint in... [+] Read More

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Mort Sahl was arguably the most influential comedian of the postwar era; a provocative political satirist, he singlehandedly revolutionized the comedy medium to create an art form with a scope and impact far beyond mere slapstick and gags. Sahl's conversational, free-associative style -- an amalgam of anecdotes, one-liners and pithy asides --... [+] Read More

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A tongue-in-jowl approach to American politics made Pat Paulsen one of the most influential comedians of the 1960s and '70s. Best known for his zany editorializing on the humorous late-60s television variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Paulsen was a five time candidate for the presidency on the Straight Talkin' American Government... [+] Read More

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The most groundbreaking and daring comic talent since the heyday of Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor was also the most controversial. Like Dick Gregory before him, Pryor explored issues of racial inequity with great insight and depth, tackling taboo topics that mainstream white America would have preferred swept permanently under the rug. But while... [+] Read More

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Certainly the leader of the metal/decibel comedy scene, beret-wearing Kinison had an up-and-down career plagued by many personal problems. The former preacher was often funny, but he was just as often off the mark, as his albums demonstrate. He's definitely an acquired taste, to say the least. With his sudden death, he never seemed to really... [+] Read More

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Years before the emergence of Woody Allen, Garry Shandling or Janeane Garofalo, there was Shelley Berman, the comic who singlehandedly transformed modern neuroticism into high art. Complete with both a unique, vignette-styled narrative sensibility and a mannered, sophisticated stage presence, Berman introduced a new breed of comedian -- raw,... [+] Read More

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