The lackluster response to FOX News' Half Hour News Hour and the continued popularity of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have led many to conclude that liberals are funny, and conservatives are not.
I say that's a load of hogwash. It's not about being liberal, conservative, libertarian, or whatever else you happen to be. It's about being funny, or not being funny. To paraphrase something comic Doug Stanhope once told me during an interview: 'if you're good, and you're funny, you can find work.'
That's it. You want to be a stand up comic? Be funny. You want to make a funny TV show people will love? Then make a funny TV show people will love.
All that being said, here are three funny conservatives I admire, not because they're conservative, but because they make me laugh:
Michael J. Nelson: Nelson took over as host of Mystery Science Theater 3000 after series creator Joel Hodgson left the show, but rabid fanatics like myself know that Nelson had always been a part of the show, both as head writer and in various "guest roles." Below, see Nelson playing Morrisey in a classic clip from the series. God, how I miss this show.
Larry Miller: Aside from his stand-up specials from years ago and an occasional guest role on television, Miller is probably better known for his roles in Christopher Guest movies like Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. I think he's one of the funniest and smartest improv actors next to Fred Willard.
Ben Stein: Out of these three, Stein is probably the most well-known conservative and the most unapologetic. I suppose being a speech writer for Richard Nixon might have something to do with that. Still, the man is deadpan funny, and Win Ben Stein's Money was one of the best game shows ever: not only was it a great concept, but Stein seemed to really hate losing, which made it all the more worth watching.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
3-13-2007 @ 12:17PM
gwangi said...
I never knew Michael J. Nelson was a conservative. MST3K always struck me as a liberal show. Who knew? And Ben Stein is great too.
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3-13-2007 @ 12:24PM
Simplex said...
Show me the funny?
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3-13-2007 @ 12:24PM
michael said...
The best conservative comics have to be Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levine. They make me laugh on the regular, although more news oriented. Colbert report always seemed a tad bit conservative also, cracking jokes on more liberals then d-bag stewart.
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3-13-2007 @ 12:28PM
Morgan said...
I have no doubt that Half Hour was bad, but they first few episodes of the Daily Show were no picnic either. The ratings for Half Hour were good though, and people need to understand those episodes had to be made weeks in advance of airing. An in-production show doesn't have that problem. Anyway, it still might stink and I probably won't watch, but I think so far it's doing as well as can be expected.
And yes, Larry miller is great.
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3-13-2007 @ 12:35PM
Kiko said...
Mike Nelson and Larry Miller are funny, but I've never heard them do anything political. Ben Stein's "comedy" is that he has a monotone voice.
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3-13-2007 @ 12:46PM
lib4eous said...
So a no hit wonder, a bit actor and a former law professor are what you consider the cream of the crop of conservative funny men...wow!!!
Maybe you should add yourself to the list b/c I about cracked up laughing after I read your post....
Please leave the comedy to the liberals...
Thanks
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3-13-2007 @ 1:02PM
Jake said...
lib4eous = proof that American politics is toxic.
You can't even read a blog about TV comedians without getting your partisan panties in a bunch.
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3-13-2007 @ 1:10PM
Adam from TV Squad said...
"So a no hit wonder, a bit actor and a former law professor are what you consider the cream of the crop of conservative funny men...wow!!!
Maybe you should add yourself to the list b/c I about cracked up laughing after I read your post....
Please leave the comedy to the liberals...
Thanks"
Okay.
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3-13-2007 @ 1:33PM
justin said...
Ben Stein is a total prick. I've worked with him, and he's an egotistical, one-trick pony. Oh, and his trick hasn't been funny since he said "Bueller" in the mid-80s.
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3-13-2007 @ 1:35PM
justin said...
TV's Frank.
That is all.
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3-13-2007 @ 1:36PM
Carl Winslow said...
Mike Nelson and Larry Miller are hilarious. Ben Stein is pretty annoying though. And michael - Colbert isn't a conservative, he just plays one on TV.
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3-13-2007 @ 3:32PM
Sir Loin said...
Much of liberal "humor" consists simply of making fun and mocking people. Watch them on the cable news channels. Whenever they get cornered, they'll go for an attempt to be funny at somebody else's expense to deflect their own lack of substance. Rosie's a perfect example.
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3-13-2007 @ 2:25PM
erroneous_nick said...
I like all three of these guys, but I only find them moderately funny. I'd say my favorite is Stein and especially when he had Win Ben Stein's Money. That was a fun game show to watch.
...and it's no surprise that there are asinine comments of a partisan nature. Happens every time anything conservative is mentioned and it's either commenters who only jump in to snipe or some who are more regular but don't have the stones to use their usual nicknames.
Thanks, Adam, for being a blogger who keeps to the tone of television entertainment and fun in your writings.
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3-13-2007 @ 2:34PM
jutin4Jesus said...
i find the entire bush administration the best long running comedy show of all time!
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3-13-2007 @ 2:34PM
Elf said...
If someone is telling dick jokes or fart jokes or stories about how he and his friends built a treehouse when they were kids, political ideology is thoroughly irrelevent. If you are talking about politcal humor then there is a significant difference.
Most humor comes from the point of view of being a victim and with the conservatives in power, they are not victims of anything. A joke from the conservative point of view, something along the lines of making fun of liberals for wanting to withdraw troops from Iraq, is destined to fail because of the implicit reminder that supporting the war means more Americans may die as a result, and that is a funny-stopper. What conservatives are left with is attacking liberals for their ideals, not for their particular accomplishments, because there have been few liberal accomplishments recently. And again, unless you're the best joke writer in the world, it's hard to attack someone for an ideal such as wanting to ensure that all Americans have decent health insurance coverage. With that out of the way, all that remains are "Ted Kennedy is a fat drunk" or "Obama sounds like Osama, and his middle name is Hussein" jokes, and while that certainly appeals to a portion of the audience, just as "Bush is evil" material appeals to others, that stuff gets very tired, very fast.
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3-13-2007 @ 3:19PM
Elliott said...
I think most conservative comedians have trouble mocking themselves, and hence don't tap into their true potential.
Whether or not you think things should change, most people agree that it is only socially acceptable to mock a minority if you are of said minority.
In other words, liberal comedians are not criticized for making fun of blacks, Jews, gays, women, Latinos, etc.
The bonus is that liberals also get away with mocking white trash and Evangelical Christians because it is also socially acceptable to make fun of behaviors (vs. characteristics a person is born with).
Show me a rich old conservative telling a joke about his yacht and I'll... well... I'll think to myself, damn, I wish I was born into a rich white family.
In the end this post made me realize that I have no idea what the political affliations of most of my favorite comedians are. I could guess, but really, I'm laughing so who cares.
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3-13-2007 @ 3:20PM
Scott said...
I just love the fact that Michael (post 2) thinks that Colbert is a conservative because he makes lots of jokes about liberals. Proof that he's doing perfect satire...his targets think he's serious.
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3-13-2007 @ 3:41PM
rick cokely said...
So let me get this straight: You listed 3 people, none of which have a current television show, one of them took a good television show and made it unbearable, one that everyone confuses for another actor, and one that is a one-trick pony and have hailed them as the funniest conservatives? Then you go on to say that "It's not about being liberal, conservative, libertarian, or whatever else you happen to be" while explaining that these guys are funny conservatives? Which is it? Do politics make you funny or not?
I also love how the neocons on this board immediately cry out that the big bad liberals are "typical" in saying that these people aren't funny, and how "they always go on the attack" when a conservative is mentioned. It looks to me like those conservatives that are feeling so "attacked" are just the ones that are doing it.
Besides the truth is, conservative humor isn't funny because their serious talk is far more hysterical than anything they can poke fun at.
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3-13-2007 @ 5:09PM
Bob Jones said...
Political leanings don't matter ... its your ability to put comedy before them that does.
Daily Show is a liberal show, Stewart is a liberal guy, but its a comedy show and a comedian first.
Fox put some terrible jokes in the pilot, that were not funny but that met their political desires ... Jon Stewart wouldn't put something that isn't good enough in, no matter how much it lambasted Republicans.
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3-13-2007 @ 5:55PM
erroneous_nick said...
rick,
Your comments were so...typical.
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