For me, ubiquitous stand-up Michael McIntyre joins the ranks of Alan Carr and Two Pints on my mental checklist of comedy entities which seem to be very popular even though nobody I've ever met, anywhere, ever, thinks they're funny. But one journalist at the Daily Mail seems to love the guy, a hack named Paul Connolly. For Connolly, the key to McIntyre's 'talent' is that "crucially, he rarely, if ever, puts people down."
He goes on to bemoan "infantile" modern comedy:
"Some critics have branded him safe, or dismiss him for being posh rather than edgy.
"They're missing the point. Given the infantile nature of what has been passed off as cutting-edge comedy of late, doesn't McIntyre's simple focus on making people laugh make him the real pioneer of modern comedy?"
Well, fair enough I suppose, it's good to have standards, and clearly this Paul Connolly chap is totally against putting people down with infantile humour.
Apropos of nothing, here are a couple of quotes from Connolly's previous columns for the Mail:
Apprentice Watch: Philip the flirt attracts Sugar's finger of doom
"There's nothing so pitiful as a super-sized ego shackled to delusion and a total lack of self-awareness. Add to this a gob that could power a nuclear reactor"Apprentice Watch: The village idiot shows some hidden talents
"...she veers from looking like Jordan’s bustier sister in one episode to being as flat as a Kate Moss cardboard cut-out in the next."
These of course printed in one of the most famously venomous tabloids in the world - a paper forced into a humiliating retraction last week of an article about Kirstie Allsop's (non-existent) facial hair.
Still, it's good that Connolly's on the moral high ground here.
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Who is Michael McIntyre?
I wish I lived in your world.
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''very popular even though nobody I've ever met, anywhere, ever, thinks they're funny''
Come to Manchester, work with people who have never expressed any interest in comedy whatsoever, mention McIntyre and listen to outpouring of love for that guy. Oasis is the musical equivalent.
Another thing Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr and Two Pints have in common is that they all seem to find themselves absolutely hilarious. My biggest problem with McIntyre is that he seems to find himself so utterly hilarious, whereas he's, at best, moderately funny. Carr is similar, but in a less smug "Oh my God, I'm just so funny" way. As for Two Pints, if you've ever seen clips on out-take shows from it, you'll see how hilarious the actors find it, despite it being one of the most painfully unfunny sitcoms ever.
I've never actually watched any of his bits but I can recite some of them because everyone I come across loves him and recites them to me.
@Luke: "My biggest problem with McIntyre is that he seems to find himself so utterly hilarious, whereas he's, at best, moderately funny."
That's basically why I can't stand him. I remember Paul Merton years back saying that a good comedian shouldn't laugh at their own jokes, and with McIntyre you can see why. That and his self-consciously "wacky" voice.
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He's an absolute horror - I'd rather have Barrymore back.
Glad it's not just me who doesn't find him funny.
It's not because of his "posh voice" (I didn't even notice that being a southern softy meself), just simply because he's NOT FUNNY!
Pretty much anyone on Mock The Week fits the bill of funny for me. And for a perfect examples of someone who can be funny AND inoffensive, I can think of Stewart Francis and Milton Jones for starters.
Oops, wrong blog.
So, anyway.
You get all excited about getting a piece in the Guardian (circulation approx 350k) and then have the temerity to call the journalist from the Mail (circ approx 2.3m) a 'hack'. It's a bit like a Blue Square Premier footballer having a pop at Wayne Rooney for being a clogger.
Wow - you must despise Private Eye. I didn't know there was an unwritten rule where you weren't allowed to criticize journalists with higher circulation than you. The Sun must be pretty much untouchable in your eyes.
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My ex used to love Mickey Mack. I didn't: he's about as funny as cancer.
Well, fair enough I suppose, Homeschooling
it's good to have standards, and clearly this Paul Connolly chap is totally against putting people down with infantile humour.Online High School | GED Online Test
These of course printed in one of the most famously venomous tabloids in the world.Earn high school diploma | Nation High School Reviews
If everyone in the world had the same sense of humour then it would be boring.
I absolutely adore him, he's my favourite comedien. However, every one should be entitled to their seperate opinions :)