Comedy and music have always been two of my favorite types of entertainment and together they make for an even better time. Comedians have been adding music to their skits for as long as comedy has been around I am sure and my favorite comedians tend to be ones who include this talent. I am a musician and I know how difficult it is to write original material and perform in front of audiences and I think its incredible how comedians can think of hilarious melodies along with witty jokes all while strumming a well written song on a guitar or playing the piano. Adam Sandler comes first to mind due to the fact that it is the holiday season. I’m sure everyone is familiar with his musical holiday parodies and his Chanukah song will be famous for a long time. I think the biggest addition music does to comedy is that not only is the comedian getting his jokes told but by adding music people can sing along or have it stuck in their head much easier, its adds a lasting effect. Lunch Lady Land was coming out of my mouth before the song was even over, honestly one of my favorite musical skits of all time (It helps to add Chris Farley). If you can’t recall the Saturday Night Live skit I am referring to here you go…. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=32870444
Other stand up comedians have mastered this style as well; Demetri Martin is another favorite of mine. Demetri Martin is most commonly seen on Comedy Central where he has several stand up shows on rotation as well as his own show. Important Things with Demetri Martin is his show on Comedy Central and the name says it all. The show consists of Demetri essentially ranting about things that he deems important. I am not a huge fan of his show but his stand up and work with the Daily Show I think are terrific. His show and standup are both full of him playing the guitar as well as the piano this on top of his extremely dry sense of humor make for some hilarious entertainment. Here is one of my favorite clips of his… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCRmfJP9kU&feature=related
I think that my favorite comedian who includes music into their skits would have to be Zach Galifianakis. A lot of people know of him now because of his role in the recent comedy movie “The Hangover.” His standup is where he shines in my book. He also has a pretty dry sense of humor but his work on the piano is amazing. He plays intricate pieces all well telling hilarious jokes and plays the piano without difficulty. That’s the part for me that makes Zach stand out above the rest is his true musicianship. I’ll put a video in later but instead of just playing chords or simple melodies with one hand, Galifianakis plays parts that put shame to anything I could write and you can really tell he is very talented. It’s amazing how these comedians can be so original and really expand their artistic creativity outside just standing up in front of a microphone telling jokes. This is one of my favorite examples of this from Zach… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0plTVyzjLY0
The last group of comedians I will talk about is the “gang” of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. First off let me just say that if you have never checked out this show and you are into comedy television shows I highly recommend it. Danny Devito is a very funny crude old man in the series and plays a real no holds barred kind of character that he pulls of incredibly well. Already one of my favorite shows but a recent episode sent it over the top, it was the season finale of last season. The episode is called “The Nightman Cometh” and it’s all centered around a musical that one of the characters has written to win over a girl’s heart. Devito plays a troll who holds a young boy as a slave high up in a tower and sells him for sex to The Nightman. I know, I know sounds ridiculous and crazy but it truly is hilarious as the “gang” interprets the script in their own ways and completely blow the show. Here is some of the live version I couldn’t find anything from the actual episode, but again adds a whole element to the comedy but making it a musical…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftbzkTxlwSQ&feature=related
