The Top 5 lists of 2009 continue…this one is from stand-up comic Pat House

Well, it’s that time of year – time for the Comic VS. Audience ‘Top Five’ lists! It’s like the AVNs of Philly comedy…with fewer tits and less clean-up…and no actual awards.

With such a great year in the Philadelphia comedy scene, the possibilities for a Top Five list were endless. Some of the topics I toyed around with were Top Five Oakland Quotes, Top Five Comics I was glad to see leave Philly (I don’t actually know five comics that left Philly this year, but I figured I’d just list five Conrad jokes) and Top Five Comics I want to see leave Philly*.

So, after twelve months of contemplating my list, I settled on the Top Five Newer Comics of 2009**. Some are more new to Philly comedy than others, but in my opinion, each one of the following had a breakout year on the scene.

1. James Hesky – From phone calls gone awry to masturbating on a park bench, James sums up my teenage years perfectly. James has a great grip on what it takes to be a stand-up comic. He’s constantly tweaking jokes, fixing the wording and performing the same jokes night after night to make them tighter. Also, I’ve seen him eat on stage. You have to respect a man who does his two favorite things at once.

2. David Ray – The instant I heard his Holocaust joke, I was a fan. I honestly think I cried the first time I heard that joke. Not only does David have a unique sense of humor, he has some of the most intelligent jokes I have ever heard. He is one of the few comics I can watch over and over again and still laugh at the same joke as if it’s the first time I heard it. David’s act can be summed-up in one word: Tonatiuh.

3. Mary Radzinski – Okay, so Mary’s been a stand-up for a little more than a year, but I had to include her on my list because both her stage presence and her jokes have skyrocketed this year. She crushed the prelims and semi-finals in Helium’s Philly’s Phunniest and it was a shame she didn’t make the finals. Her facial expressions, dry sarcasm and constant smile give her an act distinct from the rest of the Philadelphia comics. And one time, she let me crash at her place when I was too drunk to drive, and that was very, very nice.

4. Darryl Charles – Unfortunately, I have not seen Darryl as much as I have the other comics I mentioned, but that doesn’t keep him off my list. In the few times I have seen him, I was amazed at how comfortable he seemed on stage so early in his career. He’s engaging, he has great command of the crowd and most importantly, he has good, solid material. Not to mention that “MAN, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” may be my favorite quote of the year.

5. Bing Supernova – When I was a kid, I wanted to be just like Bing Supernova, Just. Like. Bing Supernova. But who is Bing Supernova? A prophet? An oracle? One thing we do know is that he’s a mystery. I don’t know if people know this, but Bing made appearances years ago performing under brilliant pseudonyms such as Allen Iverson, Donovan McNabb and Santa Claus to disguise his legendry. But in recent months, Bing (as himself!), has been performing all over the area with an act so genius – so epic, I don’t know if us stupid retards even understand it.

* See: Top Five Newer Comics of 2009

** See: Top Five Comics I want to see leave Philly

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