Professor of Logic

Storytelling

56 bits

“Because the light was on.”

The Moth Joke

Norm Macdonald

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 2009

Storytelling Absurdist Anti-Comedy

“Then you're gay.”

Professor of Logic

Norm Macdonald

Various talk show appearances

Storytelling Absurdist Talk Show

“Death said: 'Richard... you know you done fucked up, right?'”

The Heart Attack

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, 1979

Confessional Dark Humor Character Work

“When you're on fire and running down the street, people get out of your way.”

The Fire

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip, 1982

Confessional Dark Humor Storytelling

“I was in Africa, and I realized: there are no n****rs there.”

Africa

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip, 1982

Confessional Race Storytelling

“Steven Seagal believes he's a reincarnated Buddhist lama.”

Steven Seagal Stories

Tom Segura

Ball Hog, 2020

Celebrity Observational Storytelling

“Looked right at the camera. At the gas station. That you go to every day.”

The First 48

Tom Segura

Completely Normal, 2014

Dark Humor Observational Storytelling

“You ain't got no ice cream. You didn't get none.”

Ice Cream Man

Eddie Murphy

Delirious, 1983

Storytelling Character Work Observational

“Aunt Bunny fell down the steps!”

Aunt Bunny Falls Down the Stairs

Eddie Murphy

Delirious, 1983

Storytelling Character Work Observational

“Mr. T! What you doin'? I'm gon' whup yo' ass, Eddie!”

James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub

Eddie Murphy

Delirious, 1983

Character Work Celebrity Storytelling

“And that's when the teacher fainted.”

Dirty Johnny

Norm Macdonald

Various appearances

Storytelling Anti-Comedy Absurdist

“The helicopter's landing on a moving ship! In the ocean!”

Cruise Ship Helicopter

Bill Burr

Let It Go, 2010

Observational Relationships Storytelling

“I've never been that lost.”

Killin' Them Softly - White People

Dave Chappelle

Killin' Them Softly, 2000

Race Social Commentary Observational

“I'm Rick James, bitch!”

Rick James

Dave Chappelle

Chappelle's Show, Season 2, 2004

Character Work Celebrity Storytelling

“I am a professional.”

The German Guy

Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald Live, various talk show appearances

Storytelling Anti-Comedy Dark Humor

“I'm not good at telling stories, Conan.”

The Conan O'Brien Appearances

Norm Macdonald

Late Night / The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, 1993-2015

Talk Show Anti-Comedy Storytelling

“We're all at the lake. We all know what we're doing.”

Women and Fish

Patrice O'Neal

Elephant in the Room, 2011

Relationships Storytelling Observational

“Baby, what are you doing out here? It's three o'clock in the morning!”

The Baby on the Corner

Dave Chappelle

Killin' Them Softly, 2000

Storytelling Social Commentary Race

“I'm gon' tell you somethin'—and I ain't gon' tell you but once.”

Mudbone

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, 1979 / various specials

Character Work Storytelling Confessional

“Man, I ain't scared of nothing. I drink wine.”

The Wino and the Junkie

Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, 1979

Character Work Confessional Storytelling

“I saw things as a kid that I didn't understand until I was an adult.”

Growing Up in Peoria

Richard Pryor

Various specials, 1971-1982

Confessional Storytelling Dark Humor

“Bert drinks like someone who just got bad news.”

Bert Kreischer Is The Machine

Tom Segura

Various podcasts and live appearances

Storytelling Observational Relationships

“My mother's shoe had a guidance system.”

Your Mother Threw a Shoe

Eddie Murphy

Delirious, 1983

Storytelling Observational Character Work

“Half. She gets half.”

The Barbecue

Eddie Murphy

Raw, 1987

Relationships Storytelling Social Commentary

“Comedy is the only job where your commute is longer than your workday.”

Tuesdays with Stories

Mark Normand

Tuesdays with Stories podcast, 2013-present

Storytelling Observational Self-Deprecating

“She asked me if the earth was round or flat and I had to think about it.”

Full Circle

Nate Bargatze

The Greatest Average American, Netflix, 2021

Storytelling Observational Self-Deprecating

“My dad's a magician. Which sounds cool until you realize it means we were poor.”

The Magic Show

Nate Bargatze

The Tennessee Kid / Various specials

Storytelling Self-Deprecating Observational

“The middle seat is punishment. God looked at your life and said, 'Middle seat.'”

The Airplane

Nate Bargatze

Various specials

Observational Storytelling Self-Deprecating

“I got in an argument about the economy. I don't know what the economy is.”

Hello World - We're Dumb

Nate Bargatze

Hello World, Netflix, 2023

Observational Self-Deprecating Storytelling

“I'm the most boring person from the most exciting state.”

The Greatest Average American

Nate Bargatze

The Greatest Average American, Netflix, 2021

Observational Self-Deprecating Storytelling

“Gorilla Glue is for when you've given up on doing things correctly.”

SNL Monologue - Gorilla Glue

Nate Bargatze

Saturday Night Live, October 2023

Storytelling Observational Self-Deprecating

“My dad was so old, his childhood stories were about the Depression. The actual Depression.”

My Dad Was 70

Theo Von

Various specials and This Past Weekend podcast

Storytelling Confessional Dark Humor

“People's yards had animals in them. Not pets—animals.”

Growing Up in Louisiana

Theo Von

Various specials and podcast appearances

Storytelling Observational Confessional

“All my problems are stuck together. You can't solve one without pulling on all the others.”

The Rat King

Theo Von

This Past Weekend podcast / Various appearances

Confessional Dark Humor Storytelling

“We didn't have money, but we had each other. Which is what poor people say.”

Regular People

Theo Von

Regular People, Netflix, 2021

Storytelling Confessional Observational

“He looked like if a cigarette was a person.”

Theo's Metaphors

Theo Von

This Past Weekend podcast / Various appearances

Observational Storytelling

“Being sober is like being in a relationship with yourself that you didn't ask for.”

Addiction and Recovery

Theo Von

This Past Weekend podcast / Various specials

Confessional Dark Humor Storytelling

“My mama didn't play. She was the mama that ate the cookies and dared you to say something.”

My Mama

Lavell Crawford

Various specials and appearances

Storytelling Self-Deprecating Observational

“I didn't sneak in here. There was no element of surprise.”

Being a Big Man

Lavell Crawford

Various specials and appearances

Self-Deprecating Observational Storytelling

“My character has more fans than I do. Huell's winning.”

Huell Babineaux

Lavell Crawford

Various specials and interviews

Storytelling Celebrity Self-Deprecating

“St. Louis tough is different. Nobody's bragging. They're just surviving.”

Growing Up in St. Louis

Lavell Crawford

Various specials and appearances

Storytelling Observational Confessional

“I lost 120 pounds. That's a whole person. There's someone missing from this country.”

The Weight Loss

Lavell Crawford

New Look Same Funny!, Netflix, 2019

Confessional Self-Deprecating Storytelling

“I came from seven years of nobody watching. That's where I came from.”

Last Comic Standing

Lavell Crawford

Various specials and appearances

Storytelling Self-Deprecating Confessional

“We couldn't believe it. It was in the kitchen! Frosting on both sides, no syrup, no butter, no plate!”

Pop-Tarts

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Before Seinfeld, 2017

Storytelling Observational

“The biggest bag you could find. That was your shopping cart.”

Halloween Candy

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Before Seinfeld, 2017

Storytelling Observational

Cruel Shoes

Steve Martin

Various live performances, later published in Cruel Shoes (1979)

Absurdist Storytelling

“When I was a kid my parents moved a lot. But I always found them.”

My Childhood

Rodney Dangerfield

Various performances

Self-Deprecating Storytelling

Getting Fired from SNL

Shane Gillis

Live in Austin, 2021 / Beautiful Dogs, 2023

Confessional Storytelling

History Guys

Shane Gillis

Beautiful Dogs, 2023

Storytelling Absurdist

Shark Party

Anthony Jeselnik

Thoughts and Prayers, 2015

Dark Humor Storytelling

Single Lady Opening

Ali Wong

Single Lady, 2024

Confessional Relationships Storytelling

The Civil War

Shane Gillis

Live in Austin, 2021

Absurdist Storytelling

Back to School

Rodney Dangerfield

Various performances, 1980s

Celebrity Self-Deprecating Storytelling

My Parents

Nikki Glaser

Various performances

Storytelling Confessional Relationships

The Landlord

Hannibal Buress

Animal Furnace, 2012

Storytelling Observational

Jaywalking Arrest

Hannibal Buress

Comedy Camisado, 2014 / Various performances

Storytelling Social Commentary