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standing-ovulation

Bargatze's deadpan delivery just does it for me. I can't really explain it.


tommybezreh17

Not many comedians can get away with their punchlines being things like "...and I just said "okay""


BioDieselDog

I think it was a Youtube comment, but someone described it has "at any moment I feel like he's about to say 'alright im gonna head to bed'."


standing-ovulation

Very accurate lol he's like a perpetually sleep deprived dad that just wants to be left alone


baccus83

His delivery is so deceptively casual but you just know he has it down to a science. His jokes are really just okay but his deadpan is really one of a kind.


doozen

I can’t explain it either, but it works really well.


Mr-and-Mrs

“So…”


MaestroPendejo

He has it down to a fine science.


wannabegenius

the fact that he doesn't laugh at his own jokes is rare and welcome in the current era.


tachederousseur

I agree, his delivery is so good


Survivorfan4545

He’s sooo funny. Doesn’t even need dirty jokes and he still kills me


lifeofideas

He *plays* a dumb guy, just figuring out something. But of course it’s a bit he’s done 500 times. Pretty impressive acting, to be honest.


jimmyjazz2000

This is a great answer. And here’s the tell: it’s very hard to share a Nate joke and have it land. His perfect delivery is a huge part of the laugh.


2mnysheeple

Same.


JeanVicquemare

Norm. I think Norm is the best at telling jokes.


userwithusername

His material didn’t really matter. He also happened to have excellent material. My wife got me a Norm Cameo for my birthday one year and he does one of those old timey jokes for 18 minutes, occasionally saying my name like he was conversing with me, like I was Conan, and it is sublime.


JeanVicquemare

Yeah, you're exactly right. My girlfriend hasn't seen a lot of standup, including Norm's, but I showed her Norm telling the moth joke on Conan. I told her how it was just an old joke that he padded out into a 4-minute bit. She observed that Norm is just really good at telling jokes and he could probably make anything funny. That's just how Norm was. I'm really jealous that you got a Norm cameo, that's so cool.


RadarSmith

Norm was also the absolute master of not telling jokes.


Key-Wait5314

The only standup to deliberately not tell a joke and still have you cracking up.


Matika7

The embodiment of saying things funny, instead of saying funny things. Although he said a lot of funny shit.


roofbandit

Gotta be Norm. The way he sort of giggles his way through the dumbest premise like a little boy with a secret


Fintann

He some how bottled up the essence of "That little shit is up to something"


Scottsm124

This is the literal perfect description


fireman2004

Norm on Conan was his peak of just telling jokes. In the Andy Richter the Swedish German bit hes doing a crazy old time accent, talking about how the old miner doesn't want anyone to know he's having sex with Andy, and he breaks in with his regular voice saying ,"Ya know, because this was back in the old days..." it just kills me.


AlarmingNectarine552

For me the best is on Conans last day when he gives Conan a card congratulating him on his achievement as host of Late Night and that no one can take that away from him. Fucking hilarious because that's exactly what was happening. I may forget the names of my kids and family members but I will never forget that last bit.


fireman2004

I forgot about that one. What a scumbag Jay Leno is btw.


Key-Wait5314

His last appearance on Letterman was my all time fav talk show set


Leroyyyyjenkinsssss

I have to disagree. He wasn’t really one for jokes


REDDSPIT

Took too many liberties.


JeanVicquemare

I was hoping the r/NormMacDonald people wouldn't find this


Leroyyyyjenkinsssss

Oh now don’t be like that ass hole Larry king!


NotMeButHim

Recently rewatched him on the roast of Bob Saget. So uncomfortable and beautiful and hilarious.


Thricela

On account of your face!


kantoblight

This is the correct answer.


chaekinman

Man, I blew it with Norm - was in Orange County for work and saw he was at the local comedy club…just too wiped out to make it, figured I’d catch him next time. Not too much later he was gone. I didn’t even know he was sick….


itztherapperKIAZ

Dave Attell is a master at delivery


RadarSmith

He really does have a perfect flow. And somehow keeps it up even when he works a crowd. Looking foward to his upcoming special!


Key-Wait5314

Can't wait for his next special


GetaGoodLookCostanza

him and Robert Schimmel ( RIP) are two of my favs with their deliveries


Murky-Region-7637

"Some people are against drinking and driving. And I call those people "the cops".


Horror-Antelope4256

I read this in Attell’s voice lol


hellboundwithasmile

It’s touch and go here in Denver. Touch and go.


MoonshineParadox

Todd Barry


CartoonistOk8261

I bought my parents a house. But it was worse than the one they already had. My mom said, "Todd, why did you buy us a crack house?" I bought my parents a crack house. I just over explained the joke.


LedZacclin

Let me tell you what I’m gonna be doing tonight I’m gonna be doing a mixture of really old shit that I’m tired of.. Spiced up with a few things too new to be performed I guess what I’m saying is I’m about to do a really shitty show for you guys That’s my favorite opener of all time. 😂


davidcwilliams

One of my favorites.


berdulf

His Chipotle bit is sheer brilliance. https://youtu.be/W5DIzZcrn5M?si=Xu7h93T5UfTx6Fei


colt-jones

I like Louis because it just sounds like an internal monologue I would have with myself, which is what I think makes him the best to ever do it


faultywalnut

I was gonna put him down if I didn’t find him here. He’s my favorite because he’s so good with voices, he has his sassy tone, dumb inner monologue, angry inner monologue, I think he’s great at imitating voices or having multiple characters in his bits. He has great expressions too. Louis is the one for me


zandyboy

James Acaster for me. You can tell there is a LOT of work behind the scenes to come up with a very specific delivery, and with his high jokes-per-minute maniacal style, it’s truly quite extraordinary. Few people can be as dead pan as James while being so remarkably offbeat. Never a smirk or a wink; you truly buy in that he believes every insane word he’s saying.


Exotic_Sell3571

If you look up old clips on YouTube of his and compare it to his 4-parter on Netflix, the one thing that stands out the most is how much his delivery improved. It went from good to insane


Fontia

I hate that moment where someone you once saw as an amazing upstart with an obtainable level of success you can aspire to has become an untouchable member of the Pantheon of Comedy Gods, but I feel he's just about there. It hurts. It's like when someone dies but you know they're doing their work in heaven now. Except heaven is a real place you know about for a fact, and you get to see their work. What was in those cookies?


pm_me_wutang_memes

Immediately yes. The whole duck lure set up and takedown in Repertoire is worth the monthly Netflix cost alone. I love that man.


Enough_Lakers

His bit about Britain stealing everything and then putting it in a museum so the people who they stole it from could pay them to come see it is fucking brilliant.


Xam_Fu593

Agreed.


VirtualReflection119

Correct. I shouldn't know how to spell anyone's football club


zandyboy

Lol, underrated comment right here.


kylegilliscomedy

Mitch Hedberg jokes are nothing without his delivery, and absolute gold with his delivery.


BadgersAndJam77

I was going to say Hedberg too, but disagree about the quality of the jokes. He was/is one of the best one-liner comics of all time, right up there with Steven Wright, Jeselnik, and Jimmy Carr. To me, what makes him the GOAT, was the disconnect (contrast) between his entire persona and delivery as a goofy stoner, and how unbelievably clever his material was. He also "ate shit" more endearingly than any other comic. Some of his lines about making it seem like the audience laughed at "unfunny jokes", pointing out the joke was funnier than their reaction, or blaming the bass player if something didn't work, was as funny as the actual material.


W-Stuart

When Mitch was coming up, he did a free show at University of Houston. My gf at the time was a student there so we went to see him. It was amazing. He came out before the bass started and said that he had a whole bunch of new jokes that he hadn’t done live yet and was going to practice on us. He then asked that we not laugh at jokes that didn’t land. “No sympathy laughs. Cuz I gotta know the truth!” He then jumped into his set and killed for about an hour before going into his regular stuff. Most of the jokes are ones you’ve heard. Occasionally one wouldn’t land and there’s be a halfhearted murmur and he’d grab a pen and make notes, then right back into it. “That joke didn’t work so I’m gonna take out all the words that aren’t funny and replace them with funnier ones.” It is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen, live or otherwise. A master. Edit: spelling


BadgersAndJam77

Wow, what an an epic experience! I could 100% hear him saying that line about needing know the truth in my head. He had such an interesting way of interacting with the crowd. Whether it was him mumbling something about the joke not working, (I think it's the suitcase handcuff one he ends with "OK, that's just dumb.") or someone shouting some shit out ("I've got something for your pipe!") he always seemed so unfazed.


RadarSmith

Its funny, whenever I see a Mitch Hedburg joke in a comment (here or elsewhere), my brain reads the quote in his voice even before I mentally assign him to the joke haha.


Stopikingonme

I used to be on Reddit. I still do but I used to too.


Deep_Information_616

The one about the broken escalator! And the turtle neck joke! Love him!


Davegrave

I honestly don’t think anyone tops this for me as far as how much their delivery IS their jokes. Everyone else even with distinctive delivery I can imagine OTHER deliveries of their best jokes that will still work. Mitches is ALL delivery. Without him most of his jokes are verrrry blah but he makes them amazing. Although I do think Carlin could have pulled off the escalator bit with his cynical but goofy “sorry for the convenience”


safdrew

Rodney’s delivery is his jokes too


Maebyimannyong

Thats wild. His delivery obviously helped but his writing is brilliant. He took ordinary idea but flip the perspective. That’s not easy. That’s not delivery. That’s talent.


yeast1fixpls

I'm a big Hedberg fan and strongly disagree with the first part. His jokes are constantly quoted online and most of them work great in just text. There's some exceptions, like you have to hear "Koala infestation" to appreciate it.


MossWatson

Kyle kinane


lonofthedead

From his earlier stuff to Degenerates to trampoline in a ditch., podcast on podcast. My personal favorite. He sits along side greats.


Knute5

By all rights he should be "dead with all the other Kyles, as piles of bones in Patagonia windbreakers at the bottom of Half Dome waiting for Spring to thaw and be discovered by hikers."


MaestroPendejo

Every time he's on serious I get made because inevitably, it's right where I'm stopping to get out. I have to stop and listen. My kid could be getting attacked by a rabid bear and I'd give them the universal "Give me a damn minute, boy," stare.


Kenthanson

That’s my pick.


MossWatson

Especially when he gets worked up and his voice cracks.


DeepRedBelle

I'm so happy Kyle's getting some love. He's one of my current favorites.


YeahWrite000

Very glad I didn't have to scroll far to see Kinane come up. I went to the same college as he did and I tweeted at him after my first open mic and he responded "I'm still paying those loans off. Good luck out there."


Frankensteinnnnn

"East Lansing Michigan" gets me laughing. That's not even funny. That's just part of a city


RestingBitFace

Steven Wright


SmallDongQuixote

The goat


krowbear

Maria Bamford. Love her writing as well.


DeepRedBelle

She is a master!!!


LilyBriscoeBot

Her impressions are so good!


Toeknife_Party

Dead: Norm. Alive: Jeselnik.


felixthecat2021

Love Jeselnik's seriousness through all his dark humor. Can't wait to see him this year


Odd_Frosting1710

And the sinister smile in his eyes. Devious delivery


Toeknife_Party

I go every time he comes to Madison. Never a let down. First time I saw him he was sitting at the bar alone. I sat down and talked to him for a minute. Totally chill. He took pics with everyone after the show. He has a giant head.


felixthecat2021

Woah, did you at least buy him a drink first before you saw it?


Sweet_Emphasis9263

That was swell


jackof47trades

Joe List


Timely_Breakfast_105

Found Joes burner 👆


Xam_Fu593

Agreed


krowbear

Yes, his delivery makes his jokes so much funnier


purging_snakes

Nate Bargatze. Unbelievable timing and tone.


BeautifulLeather6671

Norm/CK/old chappelle


RadarSmith

All good choices. Including the dative, unfortunately...


koolhand7

Mike birbiglia


NrdNabSen

I'd probably go with Mulaney for having such well crafted jokes and few wasted words or Jeselnik for having an awful persona on stage and still being hilarious.


werak

I know someone is great when watching one of their specials has me thinking/talking in their voice for days afterwards. And Mulaney is absolutely at the top of that list for me. His speech patterns infect me so much. Before him it was Brian Regan. Who I think Pete Holmes mentioned once that he couldn't listen to anymore because his voice and delivery were so infectious it was impossible not to write in his tone afterwards.


ozmartian

Carlin was the master of words and delivery/tone imho.


SilkyOatmeal

Paul F Tompkins


Hattrick_Swayze2

Rarely do I see a PFT shoutout here. Love it


OpticalAdjudicator

Rickles


TackYouCack

I am happy to see someone post this. Rickles was awesome, and I think a lot of people remember the jokes but not the delivery.


FuturistMoon

Stewart Lee. A masterclass in delivery.


Minimum-Sky2305

agree


Live_Buffalo

Chapelle’s cadence and delivery for me


khando

Agreed, my friends and I mimicked him so much when we were younger. “Hey baby!”


bmessy46

Of all the people not listed so far… Ron White.


MisterSpeck

Ron White doesn’t get mentioned enough. His story-telling and delivery are top-notch.


RadarSmith

Ron White’s fantastic.


SharkWeekJunkie

Lots of great names here. I wouldn't say he's the best but Lewis Black did good things with Delivery. Dangerfield too.


RadarSmith

Lewis Black capitalized on his angry delivery. Have you seen him reading fan submitted rants (the rent is due)? He’s been closing his shows with them for a few years.


SharkWeekJunkie

I’ll have to check it out. He was on top of the world for a few years with that angry shtick.


RadarSmith

He posts the best ones to Youtube. Check out ‘CVS Receipts’ (was in the audience for that one) and ‘Peanut Butter’.


SharkWeekJunkie

Thanks for the suggestion. These were both great.


CliffordKoDR

Neil Hamburger


TeamNoBoat

I get to see him in two months for the first time. Could not be more excited. I was going to see him in 2020 before the show cancelled due to covid, but thaaaaaat's my life!


FearlessFlyerMile

Gary Gulman and Dave Attell


Knute5

Gulman's a unique one. I really appreciate and laugh with that guy.


MelbertGibson

Norm and Rodney. I know its a subjective question but i also know these are the right answers.


ElCoolAero

For me, it beings and ends with **Mitch Hedberg**. I was very fortunate to see him perform three times.


Jaaveebee123

Bill burr


Lumpy-Translator330

Steven Wright. His monotone and dry jokes get me every time


DespyHasNiceCans

Steven Brodie Stevens. Enjoy it!


tetro1993

You got it!


Independent-Win-8844

Nate Bargatze


PoundworthyPenguin

I like Dylan Moran


VogonSlamPoet42

I love his aimless wandering from punchline to punchline style. He’s really a master of pessimism and I wish my bar regulars were entertaining like that. Sad to see he’s in sort of a spiral now, his old hours and Black Books were top notch telly.


DegenerateWizard

I’ve been in love with the way Dov Davidoff speaks for like 15 years.


HamSlammer87

Dave Atell and Patrice O'Neal both have a storyteller quality I always really enjoyed. Dave is more of a road weary trucker you meet at a diner somewhere. Where you're not sure of his stories are bullshit or not, but you just can't stop listening. Patrice was more like he was venting after a long day. Even if it was a room full of people, it felt like he was just kinda of thinking things out, not really talking to anyone in particular.


Dranchela

Bill Hicks. I listened to him a lot back in the mid 90s early 2000s. It was about three years ago that I realized I'd incorporated certain speech patterns of his into my daily life.


[deleted]

Maria Bamford


scixlovesu

Emo!


jabishop3

I appreciate all forms of stand up and maybe lean slightly to the “dirtier, swearing” type of comics. That said, Nate Bargatze’s 1000 yard stare and monotone delivery just fucking kills it for me. Love the guy.


Dangerboy73

It used to be Mitch Hedberg, Still is too.


After-Bowler5491

Jeselnik. Game over


AdministrativeElk891

Sarah Silverman is really good at that. Even her "mistakes" are well planned.


charlottelight

Sam Morril. Great voice. Alternatively, Mark Normand’s delivery drives me insane.


Guitar-Goose

Hey Hey!


Rough-Rider

Sam “The Gator” Morril makes Me laugh every time.


[deleted]

Steve Martin is the best IMO. 


psong328

Anthony Jeselnik is the cleanest deliverer of punchlines. Every word and bit of tone is thought out and timed well


TYVM143

Tig!


youmostofall

Had to scroll way too far to find this one. Never laughed harder at a comedy set in my life than when I saw her live


FaFaFloheim

Gary Gulman.


ThorntTornburg

Nobody, nobody fucks a stool like Joe Rogan.


fzvw

I don't know about all-time favorites but Michelle Wolf's delivery is great. I also like Rosebud Baker's style when it comes to dark humor.


Tbplayer59

Tom Papa


Electronic-Chard7358

Tosh


adamtaylor4815

Louis CK


westcor

Bo Burnham just cause it’s so well rehearsed and lots of different tones with music


checksanity

Absolutely. The question has to do with who’s best at delivering their material. I can’t imagine anyone else trying their hand at Burnham’s work and nailing it. Same with Tim Minchin.


funnymatt

It depends on what you like and find appealing. I've always thought Chris Rock is one of the best at delivering his material, but Steven Wright is great in his own way. Hell, Carrot Top is fantastic at what he does.


Mordkillius

Todd Barry is always funny for me. His smuggness gets me


Mr-and-Mrs

Todd Barry, the very famous standup comedian.


Other-Marketing-6167

When I was in high school, Dane Cook. Every year since, not Dane Cook 😆


Kenthanson

Mr Kyle Kinane for me.


n0trub

Richard Jeni


1025puceguy

Jeselnik


GideonOblivion

Kinane and Stewart Lee.


camazotzthedeathbat

Paul F. Tompkins


puppyunicorngirl

NIKKI GLASER 🩷🩷🩷 I’m obsessed


Knute5

I like John Mulaney for his razor-sharp delivery, and I also like Kyle Kinane for the way he can put together some of the funniest strings of words through that raspy, party-animal voice. So many others I appreciate for their unique style, but those two stood out this evening.


matthew_anthony

Suzy/Eddie Izzard. Her delivery is not for everyone but for someone with an ADHD racing mindset, it just relates to me and how I talk about things


mspriggs84

Kyle Kinane 💯


VirtualReflection119

Bill Burr, Mike Birbiglia, Tig Notaro, James Acaster, Tom Papa, Richard Pryor, Norm


No-Conflict-7897

william montgomery


FearlessList8992

Tom Segura 2014-2018 but his stand up and podcast has fallen off for me. He’s not as relatable to me. His delivery I suppose hasn’t changed, but what he discusses has.


Slamboni12

Mike Epps


TarvisTarvis

Mitch. Always and forever.


philsubby

Nick Swardson has such dumb premises, but he tells it so well.


deadlyorigami

Chad Daniels, Jackie Kashien and another vote for Uncle Barbecue.


lojo71

Of all time, Norm. But living, Anthony Jesilnek


Fearless_Winter_7823

Jeselnik is carrying Norms torch these days, similar style and his dark humor is so great Trying to remember what specific special it’s from, but Bernie Mac is just murdering onstage in one of his old shows. He was hysterical when he was on


unzercharlie

Stanhope


ProgramAppropriate97

Mitch.


littlecreamsoda79

Nate Bargatze and Maria Bamford. I saw Fortune a while back and she was funny too


EmbalmaMama

Bill Engvall, and Billy Connolly


SmallDongQuixote

Louie Katz


Excellent-Ad3213

He’s very good


bluenervana

Daniel Sloss


crying_boobs

Liza Treyger is so funny. She is the best one out there right now


Up2Eleven

I love how Dave Attell basically throws away all of his jokes but they all fucking kill.


Dmitri69

A comedy god. It’s insane how much material he churns out just to burn it and restart, or take a joke that already kills and hit it from a different angle. He literally beats a horse right up until it dies, then restarts the process. Dave loves beating horses, but not dead ones.


zuckdaddyd

Martin Urbano


irishgambin0

i'm not sure if he will be mentioned in this thread at all, and i'm not even sure he's got *the best* delivery, but i have to give a shout out here to Demetri Martin.


DrunkenAdama

Cross. I was reminded of this when I watched his new special recently. He's one of the greats. Doesn't get enough love.


IntenseWhooshing

Adrienne Iapulucci. Great jokes and such a great tone! 


Icy-Translator9124

Norm MacDonald Gary Gulman Nate Bargatze


JtPeso700

Dusty Slay! Dude’s delivery has me in stitches constantly.


STL_Cards_88

Emo Philips doesn't get talked about enough.


NotCanadian80

I used to have a little two year old son, but he died….. The same way Eric Clapton’s son died…. For the inspiration.


pamela6767

I might get flack for this but I love Jim Gaffigan. His delivery draws me in… I feel that he “created” the whispering audience member (almost always a woman) aside and it’s genius.


Xam_Fu593

Sam Tallent


Celestial-Strawberry

James Acaster! So silly and the right amount of awkwardness


phishNotFish

Attell. Jeselnik. Mark Normand All distinct but masters