Cringe Humor - Comedy That Questions Your Morality

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ABOUT CRINGE HUMOR

Thanks to the program Opie & Anthony, several up & coming comedians from the New York area were given great exposure. They weren't your everyday "Take my wife please" type of comedians. They featured performers whose brand of humor were a little too risqué for most media outlets. Comics like Jim Norton, Patrice O'Neal, Rich Vos, Stephen Lynch, & many more made a name for themselves by appearing on the show regularly. They were pretty much given free range to talk about whatever they wanted, and this led to several classic moments live on the air.

After scouring the web for media featuring these up & coming comics, I became quite discouraged at the lack of content available. I decided to make Cringe Humor, a site with intentions of spreading the word about some of our favorite performers. CH also strives to bring you the most audio, video & pictures from all over the world of stand-up comedy.

Cringe Humor is NOT a general stand up comedy site. We cater to a very select genre of comedy and judge all other performers on it.

To learn exactly what "Cringe Humor" is, check out this great article about Jim Norton & The NY Comedy scene courtesy of New York Magazine

CRINGE HUMOR STAFF

Patrick Milligan

Webmaster, Cringe Humor Show Producer

Pete Rosales

Cringe Humor Show Audio - Cringe Humor Radio

La Mott Jackson

Cringe Humor Show Photographer - L.Jackson Studios

Heidi Kikel

Cringe Humor Show Video & Editing - Heidi Kikel Photography

Kirill Bichutsky

Cringe Humor Show Technical Advisor - Bichutsky Films

Judee Barone

Press Releases, Media Contacts - Your Write Hand

Caroline Kim

Editor, Contributing Columnist

Julian E. Clayton

Official Cringe Humor Merchandise - XRatedShirts.com

SITE F.A.Q.

- Are you a comedian?

Nope. One day maybe, but for now I am just an opinionated fat creep.

- What gives you the right to trash other's comedy when you've never taken the stage?

If you find my ideas & thoughts to have no credibility, then don't read what I have to say. I simply love the NYC comedy scene, I have passionate opinions and I choose to express them on MY site.

- What is the process in which a comedian is added to the site?

There are several factors I take into consideration when I choose to add a comedian. I will try my best to explain it all now:

CH originally began as a site honoring comedians from the Opie & Anthony show. Once the show was cancelled, it evolved more when Tough Crowd w/ Colin Quinn came on the air. After going to places like the Comedy Cellar & Carolines on a regular basis, we've been lucky to see other performers who weren't featured on either programs.

The "cringe" style of comedy can easily be explained as the edgiest acts you'll see on the stand up comedy circuit. They are comedians who aren't afraid to tackle subjects many "safe "performers won't touch, or stuff you'll never see in the mainstream media outlets. It's comedy that would offend many close minded individuals. You almost feel so bad for laughing at the subject matter at first, but over time you become desensitized. Cringe performers are often labeled as vulgar, crass, cutting-edge, etc.

There's a fine line between being cringe & outwardly mean. Anyone can get on stage and talk about taboo subject matter, but very few can put a funny spin on it.

There's also a mindset with a cringe style comedian. Most of the featured comedians on the site are humble, self deprecating creeps that will be honest about everything they have to say. They can dish out punishment towards others, and they can take it in stride when it's served up to them. They will admit when you "get them good", and won't being a whining cunt about it afterwards. Most of the CH comedians I've interacted with are some of the most genuinely down-to-earth individuals who'd give you the shirt off their backs if they could (sorry for the awful adages, I'm a terrible writer.)

Pretty much I factor in a performer's on stage ability & their off stage attitude before they are added to the site.

- There is comedy outside of New York, you know?

I do agree. Let's be honest though, NY is the comedy capital of the world. If you can't cut it in NY, then odds are you're a nothing. Most LA comedians will defend themselves by saying there aren't places to do comedy out there. I wonder why? Most of them seem preoccupied with their acting careers, sitcom deals, etc. It's all watered down shit in LA.

Since the site came back, I have reached out to the San Francisco comedy scene. Thanks to Munir & Natalie, CH now features a great "West Coast Report" column that contains reviews, stories and whatever buzz is being generated in the Bay Area. Many of the SF comedians hate what CH has to say about them. They will give off a fake brotherhood vibe, when in reality they will stab each other in the back for a shot at the big time. Luckily there are a select few who are down with what CH is all about. You know who you are.

Admittedly though, you won't find the gritty honesty you see in NY out there.

- I HATE Rich Vos! Why do you have him on the site?

Vos is one of the funniest fuckers I have ever seen. He was mainly added to the site due to his awful perverted stories with CH poster boy, Jim Norton. Vos' material isn't exactly "cringe" but it's his mindset that makes him that way. It's also great to see other comedians trash him, and to see him fight back. When Vos is around, you know the insults & zingers will be hilarious.

Oh yeah, we've also been fans of his LONG before Last Comic Standing came about.

- How come you don't have *insert comedian here* listed as a hack/awful comedian?

I really need to think twice before I add someone to the awful comedians page nowadays. With the site growing in popularity I have been called out on some of my past choices, harassed, and even threatened. Trust me, that page will never die. If I see awful shit out there, it will be added. I have to take responsibility for what is put there, and I have to balk when somebody who isn't part of the site submits a performer. Plus I am too lazy to write up half of the entries.

- Why aren't Robert Schimmel, Bobby Slayton, Ron White, etc. featured on the site?

I simply haven't seen them perform live & uncensored, YET. Once I do, and if I find them LOL-tastic, they will be added.

- What about Mitch Hedberg?

Don't care for him at all. He's basically a heroin addicted Stephen Wright.

- Otto & George?

Puppet act. If Otto said the shit he does to the crowd without George (the puppet), you bet your bottom dollar he'd be featured.

- Why were Stephen Lynch, Patton Oswalt, Doug Stanhope, Jim Breuer removed from the site?

When I took over CringeHumor.com and started CH.net, I purged several comedians who really didn't have a following before the site died. Oswalt & Stanhope rarely work the east coast and I am not able to see them perform enough to have fresh content on them. Lynch is pretty much a gimmick comedian, not pure standup. He is definitely "cringe", but hides his sickness behind a guitar. Breuer really doesn't do all that much standup these days, and relies on the rock & comedy style in which Sam Kinison made famous.

- What's the deal with your fascination towards Robert Kelly?

Robert is not only one of the funniest comedians out there, he happens to be a great guy to know. He's done so much for this site, it would take me days to chronicle it all. He's the reason why CH is still alive.

If you have any other questions you think would be suitable for this page, send them in.

THE HISTORY OF CRINGE HUMOR

by Patrick Milligan

November 2002 - CringeHumor.com was founded by Chris Rufle from Nortonfan.com (a Jim Norton fan site) and was hosted for free by John from DigitalOutrage.com. The original site was mainly a forum to discuss drinking stories, entertainment, comedians, movies, DVDs, etc.

January 2003 - Rufle changes the format and features silly pics, audio clips & video similar to sites like steakandcheese.com, collegehumor.com, etc.

March 2003 - Rufle once again changes the site's format to an entertainment forum focusing around the cancelled Opie & Anthony show

April 2003 - Unhappy with the site's progress, Rufle asks Patrick Milligan from JimNortonFans.com for help on a new format. Milligan suggests focusing it on our favorite comedians from the Opie & Anthony show, as Rufle started doing open mics at the time. Rufle would handle the setup & HTML work, while Milligan did the graphics, media & contributed some writing

May 2003 - Cringe Humor presents an exclusive 10 question interview with comedian Dane Cook

June 2003 - The Patrice O'Neal Roast is held & CH exclusively covers it for the online community. This was the night CH "became a man"

September 2003 - Overloaded with work & school, Rufle temporarily hands over CH to Milligan to handle the full updates & HTML duties

Cringe Humor holds it's first ever audio interview with comedian Robert Kelly

October 2003 - John from DigitalOutrage.com asks CH to begin paying for it's bandwidth overages. Rufle is MIA and Milligan refuses to pay for a site he technically doesn't own. Milligan asks Rufle to hand it over, but faces resistance. Later on in the month, John cancels the server and CringeHumor.COM is dead

November 2003 - Milligan launches CringeHumor.NET and features all of his work from .com on it

December 2003 - Cringe Humor announces it's first ever online awards, an idea concoted by site contributor Brodie James (from LivingCorpse.com.) The "Cringies" become a huge success, garnering many site visits and controversy from the results

January 2004 - Cringe Humor honors comedian Dat Phan for winning the "2003 Hack Of The Year" Award. The sites features pictures & audio from the "cringe worthy" presentation

CH reaches out to the west coast and features an advice column from Bay Area comedian Jason Downs. Shortly after, Munir & Natalie Mogannam begin the West Coast Report column. The WCR features reviews, interviews and more information on the thriving San Francisco comedy scene

Cringe Humor holds a spirited debate with comedian Dan Naturman who was listed on the site's controversial "Hacks" page. Many comedians felt Naturman didn't belong on the page and an audio debate, moderated by Robert Kelly, was held. Milligan & Naturman explained their points of view and the visitors were able to vote whether or not Naturman is a hack. Naturman was voted "No Hack" and he was promptly removed from the page

March 2004 - Cringe Humor becomes one of the first websites to dissect the Last Comic Standing controversy by featuring articles exposing what goes on behind the scenes

The Jim Norton Roast is held and Cringe Humor presents unprecedented coverage to the online community

April 2004 - Cringe Humor holds it's first ever stand up comedy show that features site favorites Rich Vos, Jim Florentine, Ben Bailey & more

October 2004 - Cringe Humor puts on a show @ the 2nd annual NYC Underground Comedy Festival, and features a lineup including Rich Vos, Jim Florentine, Patrice O'Neal, Robert Kelly, Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, & many other top names in NYC

Cringe Humor & Bichutsky Films are given unprecedented access to the world famous Comedy Cellar in order to film a standup comedy DVD for the troops stationed in Iraq. "Full Metal Comedy" features comedians Jim Norton, Dov Davidoff, Robert Kelly, Dan Naturman, Sherrod Small, Marc Cohen, Steve Byrne, & the great Colin Quinn

November 2004 - Colin Quinn thanks CringeHumor.com for all it's support on the final episode of his program, Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn

December 2004 - The 2nd annual Cringe Humor awards is wrapped up and comedian Jim Norton is voted both Breakthrough Performer & Stand Up Comedian of the year

February 2005 - Patrick is invited to interview Club Soda Kenny live in studio on XM Satellite Radio's Opie & Anthony Show

March 2005 - Bichutsky Films & Cringe Humor release "Full Metal Comedy." Roughly 500 copies are handed out to troops stationed in Iraq by performers Colin Quinn, Robert Kelly, & Steve Byrne during a USO Tour

April 2005 - Bichutsky Films & Cringe Humor team up once again to help film comedian Joe Matarese's TV Pilot "What's So Funny?" at Carolines on Broadway. The pilot includes performers Jim Norton & Artie Lange

May 2005 - The Cringe Humor Show returns to the Laugh Lounge NYC and features performers Judah Friedlander & Rick Shapiro

Dedicated CH Forum member Pete Rosales launches Cringe Humor Radio, a 24/7 streaming radio station on Shoutcast. The station features audio of CH performers, audio ID's and even exclusive clips taken from Cringe Humor Shows

Comedian Sherrod Small wears a Cringe Humor shirt on VH1's "Best Week Ever"

June 2005 - Cringe Humor candidly interviews comedian Ben Bailey

Cringe Humor is plugged on the nationally syndicated Howard Stern Radio Show by staff writer Sal "The Stockbroker" Governale

August 2005 - The Cringe Humor Show features the great Jim Norton performing to a packed house

October 2005 - Cringe Humor announces that it will be moving the CH Shows to the Laugh Factory NY, located in Times Square, starting November 3rd

November 2005 - The Cringe Humor Show debuts @ The Laugh Factory NY and features performers Jason Good, Joe DeRosa, Colin Quinn, Bonnie McFarlane, Jim Norton, & Rich Vos

December 2005 - The Cringe Humor Show features performances by CH favorites Robert Kelly, Steve Byrne, Judah Friedlander, Jim Florentine, Russ Meneve, & Club Soda Kenny

Jay Mohr calls out Cringe Humor live on the Opie & Anthony show for his write up on the "Awful Comedy" page

January 2006 - The Cringe Humor Show features performances by CH favorites Rich Vos, Ben Bailey, Laurie Kilmartin, Keith Robinson, & is headlined by Reverend Bob Levy

The 3rd annual Cringe Humor Awards are wrapped up. Jim Norton wins Comedian Of The Year, Album Of The Year, & Best Standup Special. Other highlights include Bill Burr winning Up & Coming Comedian, and Carlos Mencia gets Awful Comedian of 2005

February 2006 - Club Soda Kenny's offensive performance @ the December 2005 Cringe Humor Show makes national headlines

The Cringe Humor Show draws nearly 200 people and features performances by Bill Burr, Chris McDevitt, Jim Norton, & is headlined by Joe Matarese

Joe Matarese teams up with Pete Rosales of Cringe Humor Radio to present 4 lives episodes of "Shrink Rap Radio." The episodes were exclusively broadcasted live only on Cringe Humor Radio, and featured guests Rich Vos, Bonnie McFarlane, Russ Meneve, Jim Gaffigan, & Artie Lange

Patrick from Cringe Humor is featured live in studio on The Comical Radio's Danny Lobell Show

To be continued...