Recently, the Old Yorker was honored with a request from the Library of Congress to prepare a list of the ten most influential humorists and comedians of all time in order assist the Library’s staff in cataloguing their vast archive and prioritizing new acquisitions.
After some discussion, we settled on a formula for quantifying the elusive quality of “influence” which considered factors like the popularity of published works and recordings; citations in news media, literature, and the work of other humorists; frequency of and attendance at live performances; and, where appropriate, Neilsen ratings. The results of this algorithmic survey of world culture were then reviewed by our Board of Editors.
Since, at the end of the day, what is funny is a matter of taste, we are certain that comedy connoisseurs (both legitimate and self-appointed) will be debating this list for years to come. Still, we can proudly claim that it is special in that it relies on empirical data from a vast number of people rather than the personal preferences of a few comedy fans.
Here then, the Ten Most Important Comedians and Humorists of All Time
1.) Shen Kuo – China (1767-1810)
2.) Li Tongjian – China (1909-1949)
3.) Liu Xiu (real name Quyang Gong) – China (born 1955)
4.) Yao Nai – China (born 1938)
5.) Xu Xiake – China (1586-1641)
6.) Hao Ning – China (born 1968)
7.) Zhang Chen – China (born 1976)
8.) Paresh Rawal – India (born 1950)
9.) Lánlíng Xiàoxiàoshēng – China (1882-1951)
10.) George Carlin – United States (1937-2008)
Based on an informal survey, few of our readers seem to be familiar with the work of Paresh Rawal, which consists primarily of jokes at the expense of the Bihari people of India. In Indian popular culture, the Bihari are regarded as untutored rustics making Bihari jokes an analogue of “rube humor” or “Polish jokes” for Americans. Still, humor, like laughter, is universal, as we think you will agree once you read this sampler of Rawal’s classic material:
1. A Bihari goes to a movie hall and asks for two tickets, Do tho ticket dena, The person at the window tells him that there is a house full, so this Bihari says, “koi baat nahin do house full de do.”
2. A Bihari after coming back from a three hour long class says, “Saala pura body headache maar raha hai.”
3. “Aaj Mother Teresa a rahen hai Kamani Auditorium mein saam ko aap chalenge na , hum aap ko 5.30 p.m sharp pe lene aienge,” so this fellow didn’t know who is Mother Teresa and replied back, “nahin bhai aap hi chale jaiye hum Englis film nahin dekhte hain.”
4. A Bihari went to New Delhi for the first time in his life. He went there during the time of Asiad and was zapped to see all these new stadiums, newly constructed roads, flyovers etc., etc. The poor fellow hadn’t seen all this ever before. So when he came back to Aligarh people asked him as to how did he like Delhi, he was too excited and said, “yaar delhi to buhat top ka laga, pura delhi chamak chamak raha tha, sab kuch jagmaga raha tha, sab shine maar raha tha lekin yaar ek cheez hum understand nahin kar paye, yeh itta barka barka speed breaker kahe ko bana diya hai.” (He couldn’t figure out what is a flyover).
But not all of Paresh’s jokes concern the Bihari and their lamentable ignorance. He is also fond of poking fun at another popular target, the Indian diaspora.
Ten tips to recognize an Indian in USA:
1. She wears a frock, but has a pigtail.
2. He searches for buttermilk in a supermarket.
3. She searches for chilli powder in a supermarket.
4. He talks a lot about the problems of living in India.
5. She talks a lot about the unclean streets of India.
6. He says the Indian politicians are the cause of underdevelopment.
7. She says the Indian bureaucrats are the cause of inaction.
8. He talks about the harassment at the airports in India.
9. She talks about the cheapest air-fares to India.
10. He and she jointly decide to go Macdonalds to eat french fries.
Political humor and jokes about celebrities seem common to all cultures. Hence the following Rawal zinger:
Ek mandir mein jo buri nazar vala jayega vo gayab ho jayega. Shakti Kapoor-gayab, Prem Chopra-gayab, Musharaf -gayab, Bipasha gayi toh, bhagwan gayab.
And finally, when asked to name his personal favorite from among his vast repertoire of jokes, Paresh Rawal recites the following without a moment’s hesitation:
What did the half eaten naan say?
I wish I was puri.
