Out of all the things for a 19 year old to be obsessed with, stand up comedy is probably not one of the first things to come to mind. However, stand up comedy is one of my favorite things and I hope through this article that I can convince at least one of you to give it a watch/listen and have it make your day like it makes mine.
One of the first people to get me hooked on the stand up comedy trend was Bo Burnham. He started as a kid writing funny songs and posting them on his YouTube channel and turned into an online sensation. He's had two filmed specials, What. and Words Words Words and has a book of poetry titled Egghead. All of these things are full of his satirical humor and his specials are packed with musical talent as well as stand up ability. He performs just as well in person, as I was lucky enough to attend one of his shows this year and is overall an incredible performer. I would encourage anyone to give him a listen, but there is explicit content. Just a warning.
After I discovered Bo, I went on the hunt for other comedians who were similar to him. I never really discovered many others who had the musical aspect but did find many other comedians through a stand up comedy station on Pandora who were equally as funny and as a bonus, had some specials on Netflix.
If you're going the visual route for stand up and want to watch a special on Netflix, make sure to check out the following comedians. Tom Segura, Aziz Ansari, Donald Glover, Louis C.K, Jim Gaffigan, Gabriel Iglesias, Hannibal Buress, Kathleen Madigan, John Mulaney, or Mike Birbiglia.
There are a few comedians you can see on platforms such as HBO like Amy Schumer, but otherwise feel free to check them out on Pandora for a good laugh. They talk about a wide range of topics like relationships, parenting, or just funny life problems. Stand up comedy has had a significant and positive impact on my life and I hope you can find some joy from it, too.
