{"id":9326,"date":"2016-01-04T14:15:12","date_gmt":"2016-01-04T19:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/?p=9326"},"modified":"2016-01-08T15:50:22","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T20:50:22","slug":"top-50-stand-up-comedians-steven-wright-dana-carvey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/2016\/01\/04\/top-50-stand-up-comedians-steven-wright-dana-carvey\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 50 Stand-Up Comedians: Steven Wright, Dana Carvey"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"stevenwright\"<\/a>

Image courtesy of the “Inside Joke interviews Steven Wright” video posted on YouTube.<\/p><\/div>\n

18. Steven Wright<\/span><\/p>\n

The original dry-wit, deadpanning joke-teller, Steven Wright creates storms of laughter without ever raising his heart rate. His monotonous tone would doom a less talented comic but Wright turned it into a signature style that is immediately recognizable to anyone who has seen him.<\/span><\/p>\n

His persona suggests a kind of contempt or apathy but what his lack of energy really does is allow the words to do all the work. With Wright, we are never distracted by sporadic movements and funny voices but instead are treated to 15 seconds after 15 seconds of well crafted, well written jokes.<\/span><\/p>\n

His appeal can be limited if you prefer narrative comedy but Wright was a major pioneer in joke-telling, heavily influencing comics like Demetri Martin and Mitch Hedberg.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes a little racy but never too controversial, Steven Wright\u2019s best material often comes from the most basic and silly of observations. My favorite: \u201cI once spilled spot remover on my dog. He disappeared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n