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45:. In an observational comedy act, the comedian makes an observation about something which is common enough to be familiar to their audience, but not commonly discussed. Such observations are typically presented with the phrase "Have you ever noticed...?" or "Did you ever notice...?" which has become a comedy
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wrote in an article that observational comedy relies upon the fact that the observation is "universally familiar" but that it "won't necessarily have been consciously noted by your audience", arguing that the statements can be neither too obvious nor too obscure. Similarly,
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Brenner gave birth to a generation of "observational" comics - funny men who examined small moments closely and poked fun at life's minutiae. To borrow the now-infamous "Seinfeld" phrase, Brenner's act was the first to be about
490:
Judd Apatow, who as a kid in the late '70s became obsessed with
Seinfeld's stand-up, told me, "From the get-go he was the greatest observational comedian who ever lived—nobody was, or is, as funny as him."
78:" with the phenomenon they are observing, and he describes ideal topics for observational comedy as "those banalities and fragments of minutiae lurking just below the threshold of perception".
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Although observational comedy became popular in the United States in the 1950s, one author suggests that even much older jokes commented on human nature in comparable ways.
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has developed a form of "uber-trivial" observational comedy, which has been described as a spoof of the traditional observational form.
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This was quite an innovation, because up to this point there had been no tradition of observational comedy in
British stand-up.
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His influence can be seen everywhere from the political rants of Lewis Black to the observational comedy of Jerry
Seinfeld.
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claims that "it takes a good observational comedian to tell you what, exactly, is the 'deal
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One of the most popular styles of contemporary stand-up is that of "observational humor."
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was one of the pioneers in the field. Other influential observational comics include
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noted that a comedian's observations need to be relatable in order to be successful.
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called
Seinfeld "the greatest observational comedian who ever lived".
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Form of humor based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life
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372:"David Brenner will perform at the Sellersville Theater"
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Getting the Joke: The Inner
Workings of Stand-Up Comedy
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Getting the Joke: The Inner
Workings of Stand-Up Comedy
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Hybrid
Fictions: American Literature and Generation X
212:(2nd ed.). London: Methuen Drama. p. 208.
178:(2nd ed.). London: Methuen Drama. p. 208.
327:(4th ed.). London: Methuen Drama. p. 10.
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126:'s performances in the early 1970s. More recently,
350:"Comedian David Brenner, 'Tonight' favorite, dies"
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537:"James Acaster: the Leonardo DiCaprio of standup"
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208:Double, Oliver (2014). "Observational comedy".
174:Double, Oliver (2014). "Observational comedy".
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417:"Here are Jerry Seinfeld's 10 funniest jokes"
480:"Jerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up"
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81:Observational comedy has been compared to
41:. It is one of the main types of humor in
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508:. London: Methuen Publishing. p.
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37:based on the commonplace aspects of
438:"On Stage, a Comic's Still at Home"
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478:Weiner, Jonah (20 December 2012).
457:Gould, Steven (18 February 1989).
436:Zinoman, Jason (14 October 2012).
394:"How George Carlin Changed Comedy"
299:Galea, Patrick (30 January 2012).
148:Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy
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505:Stand-Up! on being a comedian
459:"Seinfeld Fans Scratch Heads"
370:Platt, Larry (15 June 2011).
348:Elber, Lynn (16 March 2014).
274:. London: McFarland. p.
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150:. Routledge. p. 53.
247:"The comedian's toolbox"
876:Theatre of ancient Rome
1083:Theatre of the Absurd
245:(21 September 2008).
1058:Shakespearean comedy
856:Ancient Greek comedy
146:Sankey, Jay (1998).
31:Observational comedy
18:Observational humor
1046:Comédie larmoyante
1041:Sentimental comedy
1036:Restoration comedy
999:Commedia dell'arte
871:Corral de comedias
485:The New York Times
443:The New York Times
57:British comedians
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1449:
1228:Musical comedians
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989:Comedy of manners
984:Comedy of humours
974:Boulevard theatre
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866:Comédie-Italienne
861:Comédie-Française
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464:Los Angeles Times
112:Los Angeles Times
16:(Redirected from
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994:Comedy of menace
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425:. 17 April 2014.
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1153:Musical theatre
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325:Writing Comedy
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1250:Mockumentary
1158:Opéra bouffe
1126:Café-théâtre
1111:Ballad opera
1029:Harlequinade
979:Comedy-drama
758:Mockumentary
642:Impersonator
622:Comic timing
545:. Retrieved
543:. 2016-08-06
541:the Guardian
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63:Jo Caulfield
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1468:Observation
1338:Documentary
1334:(dry humor)
1297:Alternative
1275:Teen sitcom
1168:Opera buffa
1143:Light music
1138:Comedy club
1088:Tragicomedy
1053:Shadow play
321:Byrne, John
117:Judd Apatow
1457:Categories
1245:Television
1148:Music hall
1093:Vaudeville
1014:Macchietta
1004:Double act
913:Indonesia
907:Mo lei tau
903:Hong Kong
897:Xiangsheng
768:Remarriage
677:Visual gag
667:Punch line
662:Prank call
547:2022-05-18
134:References
124:Dave Allen
1392:Slapstick
1317:Christian
1312:Character
1289:Subgenres
1104:and dance
1024:Pantomime
810:Slapstick
783:Screwball
687:Word play
109:. A 1989
83:sociology
1432:Category
1367:Physical
1178:Operetta
952:Sarugaku
820:Thriller
712:American
632:Humorist
602:Comedian
377:nothing.
323:(2012).
53:Analysis
1404:Surreal
1332:Deadpan
1218:Hip hop
1116:Cabaret
842:Country
834:Theatre
798:Mexican
793:Italian
773:Romance
748:Fantasy
727:Italian
717:British
705:Country
89:History
1442:Portal
1414:Zombie
1397:Topics
1357:Insult
1352:Horror
1327:Cringe
1260:Sitcom
1223:Parody
947:Rakugo
942:Owarai
937:Manzai
932:KyĹŤgen
928:Japan
922:Ludruk
917:Lenong
849:Europe
815:Stoner
805:Silent
763:Parody
753:Horror
743:Action
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672:Satire
637:Humour
595:Topics
588:Comedy
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105:, and
47:cliché
1382:Shock
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1208:Album
1203:Music
1196:Media
1183:Revue
1102:Music
967:Genre
892:China
736:Genre
652:Irony
627:Farce
35:humor
1387:Sick
1372:Prop
1343:High
1307:Blue
1213:Rock
1068:Spex
885:Asia
697:Film
657:Joke
514:ISBN
399:TIME
329:ISBN
280:ISBN
214:ISBN
180:ISBN
152:ISBN
61:and
1347:low
788:Sex
682:Wit
510:140
276:182
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228:^
194:^
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49:.
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309:.
288:.
255:.
222:.
188:.
76:'
20:)
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