The Laugh Button is celebrating 10 years of operation. During that time, we’ve witnessed some incredible moments in comedy. For the weeks leading up to our 10 year anniversary in October, we’ll be counting down some of our favorite moments as a site – live appearances, festivals, moments, interviews, podcasts, videos, and more. This week, we go over the 10 albums that made it to the top spot of our yearly countdown.
An album is not only a significant achievement in a comedians career, but also a permanent stamp on one. A reference to a point in time that reflects the state of mind of where a comedian once was possibly teasing just where they’ll be headed. Each and every year here at The Laugh Button we take on the daunting task of picking which album we think is best. It’s not to say any other are bad, but to simply point out one that for one reason or another stood out in the moment above all others. We’ll take the journey, year by year, revisiting our top albums from 2006-2015. Enjoy!
Demetri Martin: These Are Jokes (2006) Demetri Martin has a seemingly endless supply of endearingly off-kilter one liners and an over-active imagination. And that is beyond ever-present on his album These Are Jokes. He’s one of the most unique voices in comedy. He’s was a correspondent on The Daily Show with his critiques on pop culture. In 2003, he taped his first stand-up special, Comedy Central Presents Demetri Martin which remains one of the highest rated half hours on the network. This release puts all his best material on one CD. The DVD compiles the Comedy Central Presents and a bunch of other secret stuff. If we were to recommend just one of his albums to anyone who’s never experienced that joy that is Martin, this would be it.
Dane Cook: Rough Around the Edges (2007) When it was time for him to capitalize on his massive success, Dane Cook took a major swing and performed live at Madison Square Garden, and he knocked it out of the park. Cook was riding a wave, hell a bonafide tsunami of success that made him one of the biggest comedians since Steve Martin. At the time a comedian performing at the at the Garden was a rarity for comedians. With just a handful in the decades before Cook being big enough to sell it out. In the decade since, we’ve seen nearly a dozen comedians reach Garden status. Cook helped make that milestone reachable for comedians once again. This special is a milestone for The Laugh Button, as we were just starting out, we were able to attend this specific taping. Making a night for us all to remember.
George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya (2008) It’s Bad For Ya was Carlin’s Emmy nominated 14th HBO special. It would also unfortunately turn out to be his last. He ran the gamut on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected children and big business to the pungent examinations of modern language and the decrepit state of the American culture. On a personal note, I was able to watch Carlin work out this special in its entirety at the final HBO Comedy and Arts Festival in Aspen, CO. I was also fortunate enough to interview him as well. The one and only time, but that’s all I would ever need. To this legend on stage with all of his papers, meticulously working out each and every syllable, beat, word, and joke was something I will never ever forget and one of my favorite memories. As for this special/album, Carlin was still at his very best. All the way until the very end. It’s always good to go back and listen to the master, and this album is a good place to visit.
Greg Giraldo: Midlife Vices (2009) The first 15 minutes of Midlife Vices are so side-splittingy hilarious it should be illegal. Greg Giraldo was so refined and concise with this performance that it’s Goddamn heartbreaking to realize this is the last album we ever saw from the man. Giraldo was razor sharp and too smart for his own good sometimes. Vices dissects social taboos, political commentary, and racial stereotypes with such thought and sarcasm. Giraldo launches the offensive, rather than sitting back on the “have you ever noticed” vibe he decides to pick it all apart leaving no stone unturned. There are also moments on the album where he addresses his addictions which he unfortunately wasn’t able to conquer. Giraldo was a comic’s comic, the type of comedian who had intelligence, style, and delivery down so well that it appeared nearly effortless. There are comedians that may have reached higher levels of success than Greg, but there are very few we can think of that were more respected by peers and critics or better on the stage. If someone were to ask us how to do stand-up comedy we’d immediately hand them a copy of Midlife Vices and reply, “like this.”
Kyle Kinane: Death of the Party (2010) Kyle Kinane’s debut comedy album has the comedian jokingly declared that his creative writing degree with pay for itself. In a recent interview Kinane stated that he recorded this album at a time when he wasn’t really sure how to construct a comedy album. It was also shortly after giving his notice at his job as he was to make a full time run at comedy. While Death… wasn’t a flawless album, it didn’t need to be, because it was an extremely strong showing of a budding and tremendously talented comedian. Kinane is one of the most distinct voices in comedy today, and like the punk music he’s a a fan of, Death Of The Party isn’t about how polished the product is, it’s all about the heart and soul of the performance.
Louis C.K.: Hilarious (2011) The trajectory of Louis C.K.’s comedy career seemed to slowly simmer over the years until it completely and absolutely boiled over in 2011 with Hilarious. Sure, Louis’ had amazingly terrific specials before this that could easily make the list. But it was not until the release of Hilarious when C.K. made the full transition from well-respected comedian to those “in the know,” into a full-fledged cultural and critical phenomenon. Gaining universal praise and compliments declaring him to be the best comedian working today. Hilarious is where C.K. delivered instant classics such as his take on advancements in technology being wasted on this generation, which he performed on The Tonight Show and exploded virally. It was also the first stand-up comedy film that was accepted to Sundance and spread to the explosion of his FX TV show. Then, then at the peak of his rising career, C.K. decided to buck traditional comedy trends and self-release his follow-up albums and tour. The era of Louis C.K. rightfully began with Hilarious.
John Mulaney: New In Town (2012) Early on New In Town, Mulaney turns out some great Home Alone and Law & Order material. While you’d think it’s a dated reference he supplements these jokes by announcing that he “wasn’t a comedian then,” so he’s making up for lost time. In fact, most of the album is Mulaney talking about things that happened when he wasn’t a comedian. His childhood-turned-teenage-awkwardness populates much of New In Town. Growing pains of being constantly mistaken for a young girl, Asian woman, or old gay man. Ya know, pretty much anything you can confuse a tall and lanky kid for. While there’s a young whimsical element to Mulaney’s act, he does touch on the heavy topic of is heavy drinking earlier in his life which ruined parties and spawned a hilarious story that involved NWA chants and a blowout rager at a high school teacher’s party. Mulaney talks about the night in particular where he was so drunk he’s not sure it was he that committed a crime until a few years later. Or how he’s trying to con a doctor into giving him a prescription for Xanax. Both stories result in hilarious outcomes, but if you think about them a bit deeper they’re coming from darker places than you’d expect from a guy that looks like Mulaney. From a pure joke telling perspective, no other comedian topped John Mulaney this year. Mulaney has the perfect mix of great comedy writing, polished delivery, mother-appealing good looks, geeky pop culture knowledge, and edge and appeal of the Alt. comedy fans. It’s a potent mix arranged perfectly on New In Town.
Mike Birbiglia: My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2013) As he did with his previous special Sleepwalk with Me, Birbiglia’s My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend was years in the making. Taking it from off-Broadway, to international tour destinations, until he finally recorded it and released it to the world in 2013. My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend is a sequel of sorts to Sleepwalk With Me which was partly a story about how he ended a longterm relationship/engagement. This is the story about how he met and fell in love with his wife and his evolution to get there. Told through some painful and heartfelt moments that range from raging insecurity to raging obsession. It’s his storytelling that’s not only incredibly humorous but very heartfelt and touching. Mike Birbiglia and My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend is not something that should be measured in laughs per minute, rather evaluated by how happy you feel after experiencing it.
Hannibal Buress: Live From Chicago (2014) Not only was the release of Hannibal Buress’ stand-up special one of the year’s most anticipated, it’s also one of the most quotable and entertaining. Buress was on the top of his game when he recorded Live From Chicago, telling well-crafted jokes and even at moments breaking the show to tell the audience that he’s “up here living his dreams.” Live From Chicago was one of the most buzzed about specials of the year with jokes about New Orleans second lines, to taking molly at clubs. He was a key comedic player to the breakout Broad City. People are so willing to listen to Buress that, without even trying, he managed to fan the long forgotten flames of a decade-old controversy surrounding one of the biggest comedians of all time.
Nate Bargatze: Full Time Magic (2015) When discussing great comedians, the phrase of “unique voices” is a recurring theme. Nate Bargatze falls into this category. With his first special for Comedy Central, Bargatze took the opportunity of his biggest platform yet to fully showcase what he’s made of. Full Time Magic was full of trademark good guy charm that only a goodhearted comedian like Bargatze can deliver it. It’s full terrific premises about trying to figure out how to prove to someone he’s from the future, or how to encounter his wife’s ex at a lake. Bargatze comes from a family of entertainers, his dad was a clown (Yelled At By A Clown) turned magician (Full Time Magic) so it seems destined the he’d grow up to be an entertainer. On Full Time Magic, Bargatze proves that he’s fulfilling that destiny and nice guys can indeed finish first.
