I respect Carlin and Pryor. They're gonna be the ones mentioned the most but they only really made me laugh out loud a handful of times. For me the best stand ups on the planet are Jim Norton, Colin Quinn, Norm MacDonald and Brian Regan. The late Patrice O'neal and Mitch Hedberg were great as well. I love brutal, honest comedy and I can't stand most of the soft crap we're given. That's why I respect Carlin and Pryor.