General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: So, Joan Rivers said terrible things? She was grating? [View all]elehhhhna
(32,076 posts)She was the first female comedian to work like a man. Phyllis, Totie, and Moms were funny but Joan was RAW. LIKE A GOOD MALE COMEDIAN. Standup only - no character/ensemble work for her...she was FIRed FROM THE sECOND city (MY ALMA MATER, BTW) oops, caps, sorry, because she was a stagehog (couldn't help it) who pulled all the focus and had the fastest verbal skills possible. They said "you need the stage to yourself - go do standup". She did.
Comedy take risks. Some lines fail. 81 year old comedians who are still improvising fresh lines in real time deserve some respect. Her politics are not mine, but she was brutal when talking of all things. Brutal. That was her style.
She was funniest when self-deprecating. She had a big heart, and a big mouth.