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Displaying all articles tagged:
The Great Bits
the great bits
Jan. 19, 2023
The Comedy Perfection of Richard Pryor’s ‘Heart Attacks’
The legendary stand-up’s five-minute bit is a master class in vulnerability, physicality, and reckoning with death.
By
John Roy
the great bits
June 29, 2021
Jon Dore and Rory Scovel’s Fortunate
Conan
Double-Booking
Looking back at the risky, innovative late-night stand-up set, ten years later.
By
John Roy
the great bits
Feb. 2, 2021
Nick Vatterott’s Late-Night Debut Brilliantly Tests the Audience’s Comfort
Revisiting a 2010
Fallon
set that’s a master class in manipulating tension.
By
John Roy
the great bits
Mar. 18, 2020
Norm Macdonald Delivered the First Great Set on Coronavirus
Before the comedy clubs closed, the stand-up pinpointed all our anxieties perfectly.
By
John Roy
the great bits
Nov. 21, 2019
The Musical Brilliance of John Mulaney’s Stand-up
Revisiting one of the comedian’s best jokes, “The Salt and Pepper Diner.”
By
John Roy
the great bits
Aug. 27, 2019
Michelle Wolf Is a Master of the Period Joke
Revisiting an excellent bit from the comedian’s 2017 HBO special.
By
John Roy
the great bits
Jan. 16, 2019
In Maria Bamford’s Stand-up, Facing Nightmares Is Unusually Fun
No comedian provides a more riveting portrayal of their own fear, doubt, and despair.
By
John Roy
the great bits
Sept. 11, 2018
Why Roy Wood Jr.’s ‘Black Patriotism’ Bit Is Olympic-Level Stand-up
“Every time the comedy beach ball starts to lose altitude, Wood smacks it back into the sky.”
By
John Roy
the great bits
Jan. 5, 2018
The Great Bits: Paul F. Tompkins’s “Peanut Brittle”
The writing in “Peanut Brittle” is as surprising as the subject matter.
By
John Roy
the great bits
May 10, 2017
The Great Bits: Patton Oswalt’s ‘Steak’
The best bits stay in your mind years after hundreds of other bits disappear. One such bit is Patton Oswalt’s ‘Steak’.
By
John Roy