Top 10 Stand-Up Comedians

Being a comedian is not easy. Most successful comedians do their own scripts and perform their material on stage, most of the time not knowing if the audience will actually laugh at the lines poked. Then again, we have people who have earned a good name in this industry. These talented comedians should be part of comedy's "best lists".

1. Bill Hicks. As a satirist, he could be mean and appeared as though he was attacking his audience. His main issues included senseless consumerism. The idealistic stand-up comic wanted people to escape the modern world that revolves around commerce. He wanted people to live in a society where they share love and compassion.

2. Richard Pryor. His main issues were personal demons and race relations, but he could talk about anything. His unrestrained speech had endangered his life. Worse, he had been through personal issues, including cocaine use and tax evasion. He used his personal troubles as inspiration in his comedy material.

3. George Carlin. Carlin has a different way of making people laugh. Often, his material included seemingly doomsday prophecies. He usually talked about how mundane mistakes can end up destroying the modern civilization. He applied his pessimism in his jokes. He implied that death was a reality, that wars were killing people pointlessly, and that religion was affecting society negatively.

4. Eddie Murphy. Only few people remember Eddie Murphy as a funny stand-up comic. He was a skilled impersonator and included various impressions in his on-stage performances. But he moved into the movie scene. He remains a popular comedy actor, though his old audience probably misses his stand-up comic days.

5. Lenny Bruce. Audiences say that he took comedy to a different level. He didn't only tackle controversial topics but was also controversial himself. In his heyday, America could not assimilate his material yet. But he did not care whether his brand of comedy would put him behind bars.

6. Steve Martin. This stand-up comedian was known for his silly lines delivered at the perfect time. The versatile comic could just stand onstage and crack funny lines or he could sing. His classic stand-up comedy involved a finale joke for the final big laugh.

7. Robin Williams. Back in his prime, Robin Williams had so much energy onstage. He was someone whose thoughts would just spew out of his head spontaneously. The spontaneity and frenzy combine to make him one of the most notable stand-up comics who ever stepped into the stage. His talent was viewed of by many as insane. Like many stand-up comedians, he later left the stage to become a movie actor.