Blue comedy: Difference between revisions
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* [[Dave Attell]] |
* [[Dave Attell]] |
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* [[Roseanne Barr]] |
* [[Roseanne Barr]] |
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* [[Beavis and Butthead]] |
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* [[Lewis Black]] |
* [[Lewis Black]] |
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* [[Alex Borstein]] |
* [[Alex Borstein]] |
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* [[Lenny Bruce]] |
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* [[Brendon Burns (comedian)|Brendon Burns]] |
* [[Brendon Burns (comedian)|Brendon Burns]] |
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* [[Brett Butler (comedian)|Brett Butler]] |
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* [[George Carlin]] |
* [[George Carlin]] |
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* [[Jimmy Carr]] |
* [[Jimmy Carr]] |
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* [[Bob Saget]] |
* [[Bob Saget]] |
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* [[Robert Schimmel]] |
* [[Robert Schimmel]] |
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* [[Sifl and Olly]] |
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* [[Sarah Silverman]] |
* [[Sarah Silverman]] |
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* [[Kevin Smith]] |
* [[Kevin Smith]] |
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Revision as of 00:08, 13 December 2010
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2006) |
Blue comedy is comedy that is off-color, risqué, indecent, profane, or obscene.[1] It often contains profanity and/or sexual imagery that shocks and offends certain audiences. The term comes from the music hall comedian Max Miller who kept all his adult jokes in a blue colored notebook. [2]
"Working blue" refers to the act of performing this type of material. A "blue comedian" or "blue comic" is a comedian who usually performs blue, or is known mainly for his or her blue material. Blue comedians often find it difficult to succeed in mainstream media. Topical musicians may use blue comedy both in their commentary between songs and in the lyrics to their songs.
Many comedians who are normally family-friendly might choose to work blue when off-camera or in an adult-oriented environment; Bob Saget exemplifies this dichotomy. Private events at show business clubs such as the Bob Saget Club and The Masquers often showed this blue side of otherwise cleancut Bob Saget; a recording survives of one Masquers roast from the 1950s with Jack Benny, George Jessel, George Burns, and Art Linkletter all using highly risque material and, in some cases, obscenities.
