Phil was a pure sketch performer, his commitment in every scene was only matched by his talent. Having someone who could pretty much fill any role allowed for everyone else to do whatever they did best. I should add that Jan Hooks, who named Phil the Glue, actually fulfilled the same role on the female side.

Norm is awesome. I was a huge fan of his when I was growing up, and still am. He always supported my web show and is one of the great stand up comics ever. Go see him live if you ever get a chance.

Joey Diaz. No one consistently makes me laugh the way he does, and he just makes everything else around him funny. We always say that Joey "brings the party." That's really the best way to describe him. I fucking love that dude.

too many to choose from. I love watching Nick Griffin. More people should know who he is. Mike Vecchione too.

Patrice O'Neal, Mark twain, and Doug Stanhope. Three of the most original minds in American comedy history. I would also throw in Bill Hicks and Bill Burr and Billy Wilder.

I think Chris Rock's album Roll With the New was a gamechanger for me

The Marx Brothers. I'd be really afraid to meet them because they're dead. Albert Brooks. He's not dead. I met some of Monty Python and only yelled at one of them.

My favorite comedian of all-time is probably Richard Pryor. He's the most raw, he's the most honest, and he's the funniest.

Favorite standup comic of all time. (I hate the word favorite. It's too exclusive). But for one special, Sam Kinison was fucking perfect. One special. Then it went to his head and the rest of his career served as a warning to me on what to avoid. And then currently, I'll never miss the chance to watch a set from Bill Burr, Dave Attell, Rory Scovel and Kurt Metzger.

All time, Richard Pryor. That would be because he introduced me to a level of performance that was unlike anything I had seen or heard before. Specifically his albums. His voices and stories blew my mind. When I think about his bits, I think about his characters because I know what they all look like in my head. Because of him, whenever an artist like that comes along, I gravitate towards it. When Biggie Smalls's first album came out, I remember I felt like his music was like movies. There's a through-line to that level of genius in sports, movies, everything.

I love any comedian in front of me. Seriously, I am a big fan of comedians, in general- in LA, a young man named Vince Caldera is just great -coming out of Glassel Park, I love Vance Sanders- a comedian working in LA for 25 years who has run a show here for as many years and always has new, fresh topical material at his show BARK in Pasadena, a great show called GENTRIFICATION hosted by Danielle Perez in Highland park. Seriously, Google comedy and your zip code and you may find your next favorite comic!

Maria Bamford is my favorite comedian, but there are so many comedians pivoting during this time in ways that inspire me.

John Mulaney

bill cosby george carlin steve martin. The rest is a long answer. they made me want to be a comedian.

I started doing comedy in 2002 and I had a VHS tape of one of my first few sets. I took it to my RA, Open Mike Eagle. He watched it and said you sound like this dude, he played some Hedberg for me. I thought it was amazing. Mitch played Zanies in Chicago in 2005. I was brand new and I went up to his green room and asked for a spot. (This was really obnoxious but I was hungry and ambitious.) The next night he let and 3-4 other Chicago comedians that he never met perform on a sold out show of his fans. That's unheard of. Comedians just don't do that type of shit. I won't do that shit now. I can be in the greatest mood ever and I won't let a stranger on my show. It went well and he let me open...[Read more]

Bill Murray

Dave Attell, Doug Stanhope, Patrice O'Neal, Maria Bamford, Sarah Silverman, Louis CK (he funded my special), Andy Kindler, many more who I'll think of later.

The funniest person I've ever met is Bob Uecker. So he'd probably be the most underrated.

Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy.

Of all time, Richard Pryor. At this moment, Brian Regan [2018].