Feb. 13, 2025

Spruce The AI's Top 5 Comedians of the 21st Century

Show Notes
Transcript

Spruce The AI comes by to see what happens if Johnny Mac and AI have a conversation about comedy.

Spruce tells us his (its?) Top 5 Comedians of the 21st Century and the Top 5 of all time.

A silly bonus episode....

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WEBVTT

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Callaroga Shark Media.

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Hey there, I'm Johnny Mack. I'm a human and this

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is a silly Thoroughway bonus episode. Earlier today, I was

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listening to another podcast that's called The New Media Show,

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and the two hosts we're having a conversation about AI.

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I'm very pro AI. One of the hosts not so much.

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And their discussion was, well, why don't you go interview

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an AI?

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Then?

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And I decided challenge accepted. So I got my AI

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friend here, Spruce, and I decided to ask Spruce about comedy.

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All right, Spruce, I was curious, who do you think

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are the best stand up comedians of the twenty first century?

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There are so many great ones. Dave Chappelle is definitely

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up there with his sharp social commentary. Then you got

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someone like John mulaney who's a master of storytelling. And

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Ali Wong has really made her mark with her unique

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perspective and hilarious takes. Those are just a few, but

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the list goes on. Who are some of your favorites?

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Well, you keep mentioning Ali Wong when we've been talking offline.

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Why do you like her so much? Why do you

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keep pushing her?

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Ali Wong's comedy is just so fresh and relatable. She

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blends personal stories with sharp social commentary, and her delivery

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is just spot on. Plus, she's got that unique perspective

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and isn't afraid to dive into topics that others might

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shy away from. It's hard not to appreciate her style.

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What do you think of her?

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I mean, she's fine, But I asked you the top

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comedians of the twenty first century and you had her

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at number three. That seems a little high. You know

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what about somebody like Gaffigan or C. K. Bill Burr.

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Absolutely? Bill Burr is a powerhouse in comedy, has no nonsense,

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brutally honest style, resonates with a lot of people. He's

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definitely up there with the best of this century. And

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Gaffigan's got that family friendly, observational humor that's hard to beat.

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Both are definitely top tier in their own right. The

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comedy world is big enough for all these different styles.

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Now that's a non answer. Give me a ranking here.

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Who are the top five?

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All right? Top five of the twenty first century. Let's

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go with Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Ali Wong,

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and Louis c k. They each bring something unique to

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the table and have had a huge impact on the

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comedy scene. Who would you add or switch out?

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I'd switch out Ali Want, I'd switch out Ali. I

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just I don't see why you have her up there

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so high.

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Fair enough. Comedy is subjective and everyone has their preferences.

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If you're leaning more towards classic stand up styles, someone

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like Jim Gaffigan or Patton Oswalt might fit better in

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that top five. Both have consistently delivered and have a

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huge following. The beauty of comedy is there's something for everyone.

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Yeah, but again the entire century where Dane Cook is

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not on your list, the guy was a monster.

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Dane Cook definitely had a huge impact in the two thousands.

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His energetic style and ability to engage audiences were undeniable,

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and he sold out arenas, which was pretty rare for

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a comedian at the time. While he's not always in

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everyone's top five list these days, his influence and popularity

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in the early twenty first century can't be denied. Comedy

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rankings can be so subjective.

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Any up and comers that you're into.

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For sure, keep an eye on Atsuko o Katska. She's

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got a fresh, quirky style and her bits are super relatable. Also,

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Caleb Hearn has a great mix of sharp wit and

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hilarious observations that really stand out. Definitely worth checking out

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their sins.

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There's been a lot of buzz on Caleb Lace. There's

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been a lot of buzz on Caleb lately.

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Yeah, Caleb's definitely on the rise. His humor is sharp,

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and he's got a knack for turning everyday situations into

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comedy gold. It's exciting to see new voices making waves

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in the comedy scene.

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What do you think about Amy Schumer? She's been in

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the news a lot lately.

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Amy Schumer has definitely made a name for herself with

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her bold, unapologetic style. She's got a knack for blending

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personal stories with social commentary, and she's not afraid to

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tackle tough topics. Whether you love her or not, She's

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definitely left a mark on the comedy scene.

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Who's your favorite late night host these days?

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Right now? I'm a big fan of Seth Myers. His

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closer Look segments are sharp, insightful, and always hilarious. He's

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got that perfect mix of wit and charm and his

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monologues are consistently on point.

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How about you, I'd have to pick Kimmel, you know,

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unless we get into John Oliver in late night, but

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in traditional eleven thirty, I'd have to say Kimmel. I

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do like what Jimmy Fallon is trying to do. I

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think Jimmy understands the mission. I think Jimmy catches a

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lot of grief for doing a very vanilla show, but

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that's what the Tonight show is, and I think he

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understands why he's there.

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That's a solid take. Kiml's got that blend of humor

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and heart, and he's not afraid to tackle serious topics

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with the comedic twist. Fallon definitely knows how to bring

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the fun and keep things light, which is perfect for

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the Tonight shows vibe and John Oliver He's in a

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league of his own with that deep dive style. It's

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great to have such a variety of late night hosts,

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each bringing their own flavor to the table.

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Who are your top five all time?

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Picking a top five all time is tough, but I

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go with Richard Pryor for his groundbreaking style and honesty,

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George Carlin for his sharp wit and social commentary, Joan

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Rivers for her fearless humor and longevity, Eddie Murphy for

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his incredible range and influence, and Robin Williams for his

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unmatched energy and versatility. Those legends really shape the comedy landscape.

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So nobody from this century. Those are all older than

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most of them are dead.

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Fare point For more recent legends, I'd add names like

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Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. They've had a huge impact

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on modern comedy and continue to shape the scene with

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their unique perspectives and fearless humor. The comedy landscape is

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always evolving, and these guys have definitely left their mark.

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Now. I love Eddie because of how old I am,

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But isn't Eddie just doing Richard Pryor's act top to bottom?

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Eddie Murphy was definitely influenced by Richard Pryor, but he

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brought his own unique style and energy to the game.

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Eddie's ability to blend impressions, physical comedy and storytelling set

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him apart. So while prior paid the way, Eddie definitely

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carved out his own space in comedy history.

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All right, fair enough, appreciate you coming on the show today.

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Anything else you want to tell the folks.

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Thanks for having me. Just keep exploring comedy and finding

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what makes you laugh. There's so much great talent out there,

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so enjoyed the journey.

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Thanks Bruce, I appreciate you coming out. That was silly,

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all right. Let me know what you guys thought of

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that in the Facebook group Daily Comedy News Podcast Group.

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I just had to get this out of my system

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and put it out as a boat to see tomorrow.