Todays Specials
All jokes aside, stand-up is getting artful onscreen.
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A chair is something tediously mundane, something for working or eating breakfast.
A stool, meanwhile, is exciting.
Its for going to a bar.
Its for cow-milkers and big-top ringmasters and, weirder still than those professions: stand-up comedians.
Stools are the unsung heroes of stand-up comedy.
We think of comics as performers who bravely go it alone, filling whole theaters with only their words.
But this isnt so.
And beside every less-great comic, that stool is probably also holding a phone with the Notes app open.
They are stripped down and spare, with no superfluous backs.
They suggest that what the comic is doing is raw and uncomfortable, like a stool.
To paraphrase Karl Marx, Thestoolremains wood, an ordinary, sensual thing.
But as soon as it steps outas prop,it metamorphoses itself into a sensually supersensual thing.
But first, some ground rules:
What counts as a stool?Good question.
Others may be chair-like in height, but a lack of back makes them a stool.
These stools can be three-legged, four-legged, or have some sort of column or circular base.
The seat may be square or round.
(Im aware that the way Im writing this makes it sound like rabbinical law.)
If you have a problem with this you could go read a different list of 100 stools.
Is it a stool with an interesting design?
Does the stool have something to say about art or society?
What sort of beverage is on the stool?
Are there other fun objects on the stool?
Was my screenshot of the stool blurry?
Are the vibes good?
With that cleared up, we offer you a ranked assortment of the most exceptional stools in stand-up comedy.
A stool sample, if you will.
James Acaster,Repertoire(2018)
The least-comfortable seating at your local fast-casual grain-bowl chain.
Thats what this stool represents.
Kyle Kinane,Whiskey Icarus(2012)
This stool ran away from the Chipotle across the street fromRepertoire.
Jimmy Carr,Comedian(2007)
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BEJAZZLED MONOLITH!
IT RESEMBLES NO STOOLIKNOW.
ITS AURA IS TERRIBLE!
WHEREFORE IS THE NATURE OF A STOOL ANYWAY?
IF YOU PRICK IT, DOES IT NOT BLEED?
Aziz Ansari,Nightclub Comedian(2022)
The stool did all the heavy lifting in this special.
Just trust that its there even if you cant see it.
Kind of like God.
[You Made It Weirdtheme plays.]
Maria Bamford,The Special Special Special(2012)
This sofa is nowhere near close to a stool.
I suppose Wayne Federman is sitting on a stool at the keyboard?
Bamford has a mic, and stage lighting, and a classic red backdrop.
But she drew the line at stool?
To this, I give two possible answers, take your pick.
Well, why are any of us anywhere?)
Bill Maher,Victory Begins at Home(2003)
Smuggest stool on the list.
Robin Williams,An Evening With Robin Williams(1983)
A chair with stool vibes.
Theres a certain humble, round-seated practicality to it.
See also: the theory in the intro about how stools confer authenticity and honesty.
Steve Martin,Wild and Crazy Guy(1978)
Blurry as hell and looks a mess.
Tim Allen,All Men Are Pigs(1990)
We saidstool,you nincompoop, notspool!
Hasan Minhaj,Homecoming King(2017)
This looks like Lamaze.
Mike Birbiglia,My Girlfriends Boyfriend(2013)
Stools are for stand-up.
Rocking chairs are for long-form storytelling.
MoNique,The Queens of Comedy(2001)
you could only see the stool in extreme wide shot.
They built a rotating pyramid and couldnt invest in a flashier stool?
Amy Schumer,Growing(2019)
I too am growing … bored of this stool.
Phoebe Robinson,Sorry, Harriet Tubman(2021)
A stool gobbled up whole by its set.
Why does this look like it takes place inAnnihilation?
Now theres a show with somenice stools.
Ronny Chieng,AsianComedian Destroys America!
(2019)
Too austere for Chiengs whole vibe, could have gone grander.
Interesting seat-key in, and stool is implied, but still not a stool.
Nice try, Zach.
Bernie Mac,The Original Kings of Comedy(2000)
Why is this stool so shy?
What is it afraid of?
Nick Kroll,Thank You Very Cool(2011)
More like Thank You VeryStool!
It was honestly a boring conversation.
Anyway, heres another stool.
Dave Attell,Captain Miserable(2007)
An interesting swoop to the legs of an otherwise unremarkable stool.
Chelsea Peretti,One of the Greats(2014)
Why did Netflixtake this special down?
Something in the stools contract, maybe?
Kaufman didnt even bother with that, but its okay because well assume thisblunderwas just part of the act.
Reggie Watts,Spatial(2016)
This stool looks very uncomfortable to sit on!
Janeane Garofalo,HBO Half Hour(1994)
Shes not too cool for stool.
John Mulaney,New in Town(2012)
A stool from a simpler time.
Steve Harvey,One Man(1997)
This stool has no chance of standing up to Harveys drip.
Jim Gaffigan,King Baby(2009)
I only like this stoolthiiismuch.
Wanda Sykes,Ima Be Me(2009)
Are stools just butch chairs?
Ron Funches,Giggle Fit(2019)
Not every stool has to be a revelation.
Heres a stool that gets the job done.
Not a glass, not a water bottle either.
This is how you know Hedberg was of the people and for the kids.
Ellen Degeneres,Here & Now(2003)
Ladies and gentlemen … stool!
Its also the only stool on this list holding a Red Bull.
Here theyre literally sharing center-spotlight.
Al Madrigal,Shrimpin Aint Easy(2017)
Does the mug match the drapes?
(Yes, theyre both blue.)
Patton Oswalt,Talking for Clapping(2016)
The thermos and towel combo is unique.
Hope theres soup in there.
Sometimes the beauty of a stool lies in whats on it.
In this case, a flashy red hand-fan.
Im neither mad at nor disappointed with this intelligent-looking black-and-white stool.
Nick Thune,Good Guy(2016)
Love the composition here.
Louie Anderson,Mom!
Louies Looking at Me Again!
Tom Walker,Very Very(2020)
Points docked for actually being a chair, but heworksthat chair.
Usually when theres a towel on a stool in a special, its folded on top.
This is far more dynamic.
This is the sort of stool-comic interaction that brings a tear to a stool enthusiasts eye.
David Spade,Take the Hit(2006)
Actually quite a nice stool.
Jack Whitehall,Only Joking(2020)
A fancy seat for the fancy boy.
Kevin Hart,Irresponsible(2019)
Same height.
When he sits on the steps, they double as a footstool.
Not that Bill Burke, pictured here in pasties and a tie-dye speedo, needs the backup.
John Leguizamo,Freak(1998)
Leguizamo has a trash can for a stool.
Look to the left and youll see he has to keep his water on the floor.
Michelle Buteau,Welcome to Buteaupia(2020)
Phenomenal goblet.
This stool is a royal cupbearer.
Richard Pryor,Live in Concert(1979)
Proper back support is key.
David Cross,The Pride Is Back(1999)
A beer and a book.
Its so nice to see a stool that knows what it wants.
Eugene Mirman,An Evening of Comedy in a Fake Underground Laboratory(2012)
On theme.
Jim Norton,Mouthful of Shame(2017)
Oh my God, there issomuch water on this stool.
Kristen Schaal,Comedy Central Presents(2009)
An arresting and beautiful stool!
Tig Notaro,Drawn(2021)
A teeny-tiny little stool for baby little cartoon weeny-eenie Tig.
This isnt even themost notable stool in Tigs repertoire, but were sticking to specials.
Grounds the eye, gives it somewhere to rest.
Eddie Murphy,Raw(1987)
Everything about this makes Murphy look like a sexy lion tamer.
Hughley,Reset(2012)
Stunning composition.
One of the classier stools Ive seen.
Neil Hamburger,Live at the Phoenix Greyhound Park(2003)
This entry awards theabsenceof a stool.
This would never happen if there was some kind of stool …
8.
Leslie Jones,Time Machine(2020)
Two stools.
In his stand-up comedy work, Marc Maron explores the fusion of man and stool.
Both lead to equally mind-bending results.
The stool closes up his posture and opens him up to the audience.
Maron is a philosopher king, and the stool is his throne.
Paula Poundstone,One Night Stand(1989)
Look at Poundstones form, straddling this stool!
With one foot over the seat and the other sprawled back, shes a sprinter in suspended motion.
Poundstone rides this thing like a Valkyrie, constantly shifting into new and strange configurations.
Stand-up comedy is a fine dance, and the stool is her partner in the tango.
Burnham is shrouded in darkness next to the clocks glow.
The onward march of time triumphs over mans hesitation and backward-looking regret.
All this, communicated by a stool.
Katt Williams,Pimp Chronicles Pt.
The white top rare for a comedy-special stool coordinates beautifully with Williamss sneakers and shirt.
The chromium brings out the jewel-tone shimmer of his velvet blazer.
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