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.

My fave comedian to work with is Chris Rock.

Stanhope is a national treasure and a voice of reason and humor that in a sane society would be heralded as a prophet. He's proof that alcohol when consumed wisely can have great consciousness managing benefits. He's proof there are no rules. He's one of the greatest comics ever, and I love the shit out of him.

There are many people whose comedy I have enjoyed – Johnny Carson, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld are some names that come to mind.

I'd have to say Dave Chappelle. He's brilliant and fun to watch. Patrice O'neal was one of the best live acts I've seen. His crowd work was amazing.

Woody Allen.

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.

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.

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

Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Dave Allen, and a couple of new boys heading towards that list like Louie CK and Doug Stanhope.

1. Richard Pryor Live In Concert 1979 2. Paul Mooney: Jesus Is Black. So Was Cleopatra 3. Dave Chappelle: Killin’ Them Softly 4. Eddie Murphy: Delirious 5. Bill Cosby: Himself 6. George Carlin: Jammin’ in New York 7. George Lopez: America’s Mexican 8. Steve Harvey: One Man 9. Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays 10. Andrew Dice Clay: The Day the Laughter Died 11. Ron White: They Call Me Tater Salad 12. Ellen DeGeneres: Here and Now 13. Sam Kinison: Louder Than Hell