Want to be a comedian?

books:


	• Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy Franklyn Ajaye Silman-James Press, 2002 - 280 pages average customer review:based on 35 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Want to be a comedian?

Excellent looking book. Well organized information on the inside. Franklin Ajaye may not be a household name in stand up, but he's written a book that definitely makes him a household name in my life. I would one day like to make my living as a stand up comedian, and after much searching and perusing, I decided that out of the many books on stand up I would pick this one up first. The big selling point for me was all of the interviews. Once I saw all those names of comedians that I had watched for years I knew I had to read this book.

I have to say that this book was extremely encouraging. I consider myself a funny person, and judging by their reactions to me, I would say that my friends and coworkers think I'm funny as well. My big question was, "how do I turn being a funny person, which I think most people are, into a stand up career?" The first section of this book is a how to guide for doing exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I don't think an aspiring stand up could read this part of the book too much.

The interviews section contained the meat and potatoes that I was most looking forward too. I wasn't let down with any of these chapters, and Ajaye is a really good interviewer. The subjects of the interviews were a diverse group of stand ups and there is tons of methodical insight and stories from the road to be digested from each of them. Frequently, the comedian being interviewed will describe their style of writing and/or performing, and it will be a contrast to what Ajaye suggests beginners do in the beginning of this book. I like how this highlights that there is no formula for stand up, and it encourages one to be experimental and innovative in developing their own funny style.

The final section was also very helpful for someone in my position. It was a set of interviews with what I would call behind the scenes characters that are very important to a stand up comedian. What an entertaining read for aspiring comedians, people who want to be funnier, or just those who are fans of stand up comedy.

for more information click here

The best of its kind.

The lone negative review is so off it's beyond belief. This is, in part, my defending a book which I found to be the most helpful of the 3 I own (the other two being Judy Carter's) and challenges the negative points in the bad review.
The author's introduction includes the information that he found law school disinteresting, which is a fact that cohesively brings him to his self-admitted bumpy first night at stand-up comedy. His analysis of comics was fresh information to me. I am relatively new to stand-up (one year) and never thought to specify what makes my comedic heros funny. This advice is tailored to the individual as a road to slowly find one's footing in this world of comedy, a full introduction.
The author does not simply state "tap into your own life experiences". What he does suggest is for the beginning comic to try and find their own voice, whatever that may be, i.e. what we are truly passionate about, as opposed to what we think we should write about. And he writes about this in great detail.
The "third eye" is explained in great detail. I was stumped when sitting down to my notebook to write jokes. I thought to myself "if only I could get to that 'zone' in which I'm on a roll with my friends, making them laugh". The author is urging the reader to expand on his/her own self-awareness as to when and why people respond to him with laughter, as well as asking them to stay aware to one's surroundings and environment. If you're funny or geared towards comedy, your original take on life will guide you, over time, to better writing. That's "third eye" in a nutshell. I'm not an author, nor an expert, but I feel compelled to offer just a tiny explanation of the in-depth book discussion so dismissed above on "third eye".
Lastly, I was at first concerned with the seemingly small portion of the book before the interviews. First of all, those pages offer so much more than previous, now dated books (i.e. Judy Carter) in less space; Secondly, the interviews are truly the most informative part of the book. Trust me. Most of the subjects are so humble and truthful about their beginnings. (I write most as there was one comic who I found egomaniacal, and that in its own way was informative about that world). Hearing their stories and different methods is priceless.
This book rocks.

for more information click here

Great Read

Ajaye gives great insight to the aspiring comedian in this concise read. I have never been on stage but this book has helped tremendously in the writing process and my eventual presentation. The many interviews he conducts show a wide variety of approaches and thought processes. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone that is thinking of taking it to the stage.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

If you want to build a stand-up comedy career, this book is a must read. If you want to write comedy, this book is a must read. If you simply enjoy comedy, well . . . this book is a must read. Part One offers essential advice about understanding the fundamentals of stand-up, studying other comedians, finding your own style, writing your material, working the live performance and appearing on television. Fascinating, candid, insightful interviews with today's top comedians, who discuss at length why and how they do what they do, comprise Part Two, the bulk of the book. Interviews with:

Louie Anderson, Richard Belzer, Elayne Boosler, George Carlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Rich Jeni, Jay Leno, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Paul Reiser, Chris Rock, Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Sinbad, George Wallace, Jonathan Winters.

The last part of the book addresses your stand-up career through interviews with noted comedy club owners, an agent, a personal manager and a television talent coordinator. Crammed with the wisdom of today's finest stand-up comics, this book is without peer in quality, quantity and timeliness of information.

for more information click here

hot or not? What's your opinion? Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Stand-Up comedy:books to consider.
Great books on Stand-up Comedy
Help on Writing Humor
Franklyn Ajaye
Bill Maher

insights

Insight Guides Costa Rica
The Four Insights: Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earthkeepers
Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them
Hedge Funds: Quantitative Insights (The Wiley Finance Series)
Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate

stand-up

Hey...just Tell the Truth!! Be Frank 'n' Be Not a Lying Liar!!!: A ...
Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meaty-Breasted Zilc
Will the Real You Please Stand Up?: Find Passion in Your Life and Work
The Assertiveness Workbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up ...
A Stand Up Guy

comic

No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
In Odd We Trust
Watchmen
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need
Fearless Fourteen (Stephanie Plum, No. 14)

search for books
the art of, art, comedy, comic, insights, stand, stand-up

Impressum / about us