A
disappearing facet of
American culture, this is where
funny people would go to tell
jokes that would make people
laugh. These funny people were called
stand-up comedians.
Today, hardly any laughs can be found at most comedy clubs, as just about anyone vaguely funny is almost immediately sucked into the maw of Hollywood, leaving behind the self-pitying pikers who shovel on formulaic lines time and again. Some people blame irony for this, as it has made introspection and self-reference fairly common.
Improv Comedy clubs can be an exception to this rule, as they are dependent upon human spontanaity, but they are eschewed by many of the hardcore stand-up players because of their inherent lack of structure and build-up.