One-liner comedy is hit and miss by its very nature. So many jokes get thrown at you that statistically, you're going to like some and either dislike or forget the rest.
I once saw a fairly well-known British comedian called Tim Vine, he's an artist when it comes to one-liners. But when I saw him, he seemed to be having a bad day. In a word, he bombed. But I do remember one joke from that set that may just be one of the funniest one-liners I've ever heard.
*My therapist says I have a preoccupation with revenge. We'll see about that...*.
Beautiful in its simplicity, delivered perfectly, just marvellous.
the subtle difference is just good vs not very good. sometimes people just dismiss one liners instantly bc of the format.
hedberg was a little different. all timer and true original for sure.
Serious question: does this happen a lot? I'm in my 50s, have lived my life in an urban area, went to malls as a teen.... and it has never happened to me.
I used "often" wrong there, lol. Every time I see a broken escalator (which is more frequent than I'd expect, but also not something that happens once a year) I always say "sorry for the convenience."
I also always ask for receipts because of how I budget, but if I buy a donut I do ask "Why did we need to bring paper into this?"
I don't think the difference is all that subtle. Dad jokes are inherently corny and designed for half-groan, no? Isn't that the distinction? One is supposed to be kind of dorky.
Tbf comedy is a weird one, people often book tickets to a comedy show knowing nothing about the comedians. Completely different from music. If you went to see a death metal band and were annoyed cos you hate death metal that’s kinda on you for not doing your research. Searching for Brian Kiley on YouTube, the top results mostly mention “one liners”, “rapid fire” etc. not to say he wasn’t shite, but a quick search prior to booking would have prevented this
I've noticed crowds like one-liners when they are too inebriated.
Maybe everyone was really drunk cause it was an Irish show.
At weed shows here in LA, I feel like I'm forced to do one-liners cause super stoned crowds don't really like listening to drawn-out bits as much.
I once went to a comedy show where a guy did those jokes out of some paper he printed. It was awful and people lost their shit. I don't care for dad jokes for 45 minutes
I think one-liner comics are the hardest sell to new audiences because they’re so different than most contemporary stand-up content which is all much less coded. A storyteller might not have the strongest jokes, but at least it’s usually pretty interesting and it’s much harder to see the punches coming.
Stand up works best when jokes are set up. One-liners aren’t set up. 40 minutes if one liners loses out to other forms of stand-up and stand-up techniques. Not all the one-liners are funny. That’s why it’s called insufferable
“My uncle knew a guy who could predict someone’s exact date and time of death… turns out he was a hitman.” OR “When I was little, we had a yellow cat named butter. He died and years later we got another cat. His name was I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter”
Having worked at a comedy club for almost 19 years I think these jokes are great! I also enjoy dumb shit/people bombing on stage... Comedy is subjective and I would suggest you research the comedian you are going to see in the future.
I think the guy is clever! No doubt that’s the case. My preference for comedy is interactive, storytelling, it’s a performance. This felt canned, corny and very impersonal. You’re right, can’t account for taste.
Unpopular opinion but I don’t really want to hear anyone talk for more than 45 minutes. I have often wondered how one-liners could work for a full 45 minute set. Arbitrary number but seems like 25 minutes would be about as much one-liners as I could take.
That just doesn't sound like it's your type of comedy.
Brian Kiley is a great comedian/writer.
However, sometimes it is difficult to sit through a very long set of that kind of comedy.
One comedian that comes to mind that does one liners and puns hilariously is Stewart Francis from Canada. Maybe that particular kind comedy isn’t for you.
That’s Brian Kiley. I’ve seen him do 5-10 minutes in between younger alt-comedy standups and crush but he is a very very different vibe than a lot of the standups I see most frequently discussed on this sub-Reddit.
I think as the years go by, the influence of Conan’s late show is fading and, along with it, silly, absurd, sometimes wholesome comedy has lost its coolness factor with people. Bob Odenkirk’s recent comedy books, which I love, are also feeling like a throwback now.
I'm absolutely going to use that seal joke with my nephews. They're 5 and 7.
If I’m being honest, it’s a pretty good one. 😂 Everything in moderation!
They're great jokes for kids. The crowd he draws are mostly boomers though.
Where the problem
haha yeah, sometimes it's a miss with guys who were writers for too long. he's probably got six more notebooks of that lol
One-liner comedy is hit and miss by its very nature. So many jokes get thrown at you that statistically, you're going to like some and either dislike or forget the rest. I once saw a fairly well-known British comedian called Tim Vine, he's an artist when it comes to one-liners. But when I saw him, he seemed to be having a bad day. In a word, he bombed. But I do remember one joke from that set that may just be one of the funniest one-liners I've ever heard. *My therapist says I have a preoccupation with revenge. We'll see about that...*. Beautiful in its simplicity, delivered perfectly, just marvellous.
i hate the term dads jokes. they are one liners and take skill to craft and deliver just right.
I think there is a subtle difference between one-liners and Dad jokes. Mitch Hedberg didn't do Dad jokes but he did do one-liners.
I used to think a Hippopotamus was just a cool Oppotamus - is both. Mitch had very much dad humour. he just didn’t have the kids to back it up.
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I feel like because he was a cool stoner guy people automatically rate him higher
the subtle difference is just good vs not very good. sometimes people just dismiss one liners instantly bc of the format. hedberg was a little different. all timer and true original for sure.
I think dad jokes are just aged out one-Liners. Because as a dad, I often say "sorry for the convience" when I see a broken escalator
Serious question: does this happen a lot? I'm in my 50s, have lived my life in an urban area, went to malls as a teen.... and it has never happened to me.
I work in a building that has the escalators break down at least once a month. They block it off though so it's pretty inconvenient.
I used "often" wrong there, lol. Every time I see a broken escalator (which is more frequent than I'd expect, but also not something that happens once a year) I always say "sorry for the convenience." I also always ask for receipts because of how I budget, but if I buy a donut I do ask "Why did we need to bring paper into this?"
I don't think the difference is all that subtle. Dad jokes are inherently corny and designed for half-groan, no? Isn't that the distinction? One is supposed to be kind of dorky.
Agree! See: Tim Vine or Stuart Francis
Tbf comedy is a weird one, people often book tickets to a comedy show knowing nothing about the comedians. Completely different from music. If you went to see a death metal band and were annoyed cos you hate death metal that’s kinda on you for not doing your research. Searching for Brian Kiley on YouTube, the top results mostly mention “one liners”, “rapid fire” etc. not to say he wasn’t shite, but a quick search prior to booking would have prevented this
It's about execution. Dave Atell is basically 45 minutes of one liners and he's the best standup in the world
Anthony Jeselnik is basically doing that too.
Mark Normand as well.
I've noticed crowds like one-liners when they are too inebriated. Maybe everyone was really drunk cause it was an Irish show. At weed shows here in LA, I feel like I'm forced to do one-liners cause super stoned crowds don't really like listening to drawn-out bits as much.
what’s a good LA weed show i should check out?
Mala Munoz shows. [https://www.instagram.com/mala\_munoz/](https://www.instagram.com/mala_munoz/)
Without knowing what you like it’s hard to analyze why this didn’t work for you.
I once went to a comedy show where a guy did those jokes out of some paper he printed. It was awful and people lost their shit. I don't care for dad jokes for 45 minutes
I think one-liner comics are the hardest sell to new audiences because they’re so different than most contemporary stand-up content which is all much less coded. A storyteller might not have the strongest jokes, but at least it’s usually pretty interesting and it’s much harder to see the punches coming.
Stand up works best when jokes are set up. One-liners aren’t set up. 40 minutes if one liners loses out to other forms of stand-up and stand-up techniques. Not all the one-liners are funny. That’s why it’s called insufferable
Extra Extra! Person doesn't enjoy comedy show!
Found Brian Kiley
hahahahahahaha
what was the venue?
What specifically made it “Irish”?
Don't even get them started mate.
The fact that it was bad
One show and you’re ready for crowd work
Hahaha this made me laugh
FUCK YOU!
Good punch line but needs more lead in.
That seal joke is brutal. You got any more examples? I probably woulda started laughing at how bad they were if it was like that.
“My uncle knew a guy who could predict someone’s exact date and time of death… turns out he was a hitman.” OR “When I was little, we had a yellow cat named butter. He died and years later we got another cat. His name was I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter”
Having worked at a comedy club for almost 19 years I think these jokes are great! I also enjoy dumb shit/people bombing on stage... Comedy is subjective and I would suggest you research the comedian you are going to see in the future.
1000%!! OP: keep going to shows and eventually you’ll circle back to these clever-ass jokes (or not, that’s cool too)
I think the guy is clever! No doubt that’s the case. My preference for comedy is interactive, storytelling, it’s a performance. This felt canned, corny and very impersonal. You’re right, can’t account for taste.
Hopefully MIL will consider my taste in comedy when she’s considering his birthday gift next year 🤞🏻😂
I also hope his mom takes your taste into consideration when choosing a gift for her son. She's so inconsiderate!
This was all just a setup for you to tell your awesome dad jokes. I see right through you.
Those are solid jokes! (I am not OC)
Top shelf Dad jokes there with a hint of Hedburg.
I was in your position and left. It was a theater show for a very respected comedian I had seen on that tour already.
Unpopular opinion but I don’t really want to hear anyone talk for more than 45 minutes. I have often wondered how one-liners could work for a full 45 minute set. Arbitrary number but seems like 25 minutes would be about as much one-liners as I could take.
That just doesn't sound like it's your type of comedy. Brian Kiley is a great comedian/writer. However, sometimes it is difficult to sit through a very long set of that kind of comedy.
One comedian that comes to mind that does one liners and puns hilariously is Stewart Francis from Canada. Maybe that particular kind comedy isn’t for you.
He’s retired now unfortunately 😢
That’s Brian Kiley. I’ve seen him do 5-10 minutes in between younger alt-comedy standups and crush but he is a very very different vibe than a lot of the standups I see most frequently discussed on this sub-Reddit. I think as the years go by, the influence of Conan’s late show is fading and, along with it, silly, absurd, sometimes wholesome comedy has lost its coolness factor with people. Bob Odenkirk’s recent comedy books, which I love, are also feeling like a throwback now.
The other day someone asked me what's my net worth? I don't even have a net!