Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-Up Comedy by Franklyn Ajaye
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Book Reviews of Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-Up Comedy
Book Review: I certainly wish I wrote this
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never been a big fan of books that try to theorize something as ambigous and subjective as a form of art. I am a comedy writer, I write a late show that airs through Latin America and before that I was wirting a cartoon for adults that was censored because it made fun of local politicians. I state this, not to brag, but to prove that I was used to worked with spicy humour, and had a high standard for this book.
The thing is that because of all the censorship issues I was kind of depressed and felt that the comedy I was writing that made it to the final program was completely inane and empty, and a lot of friends told me that my show lacked that edge that late shows from the USA have. So, after I realized that I had too little power to battle the network, I decided to start a stand up show where I would say everything that this guys didn't let me say. The thing was, I've never performed anything on stage. So, logically, all the material I prepared for my firs show ended up in the bigges bombing since Hiroshima, they didn't throw food at me because they didn't serve it at that bar. I was so puzzled, my material was good and I knew it, they were jokes that had worked with friends of mine... But then I realized, by watching the tape, that I was so nervous that I talked to fast and sucked pretty badly. Of course, I had never perform anything on stage, no even on elementary school.
So, as always, I went online looking for tips, and found this book, and this book alone about stand up. As I said before, I don't believe in this kind of books but I was desperate for guidance so I ordered it. All I can say is that, not only is Franklyn Ajaye a genious, he interviews nothing but.
In here you will not find Ajaye's method for stand up, you will find the biggest comedians' method for doing their wide variety of sets. From the I-never-bombed-and-always-improvise style of Simbad, to the extremely organized and hard working style of Jerry Seinfeld. You won't believe how many of this comedians failed when they began, and you will laugh and cry when you here how they found the real funny in them. Like George Wallace, who prefered to work as and advertiser and ensure his future before pursuing his true dream of becoming a comedian.
This are very unique interviews made by a comedian, to comedians and for comedians (wich makes them answer concrete and amazing things), Ajaye also list a very wide range of subjects that when you read them you feel you always knew them but never frased them, and that's the beauty of it, you are never imposed with a method for making your routines, he encourages you to find your own way of getting to it, essentially by paying attention to the holy trinity of comedy: Your material, your timing, and your delivery. It's so simple, yet so rich and so well supported by the testimony of the greatest of them all (Except for Klein, Pryor and Bruce, but they all talk about them), that it will really help you if you're starting out, I can say, my last performance didn't bomb, it wasn't a blast either but at least I'm starting to see the road I must take, and I don't like a loser because, if Paul Reiser, Ellen Degeneres, Richerd Lewis and Garry Shandling, all bombed for a year or two, then I'm doing ok.
This is an unlikely book about comedy, it is something that every person interested in this, the greates subject of them all, should have.
Book Review: The Insightful Professor Ajaye
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently had the opportunity to purchase and read Franklyn Ajaye's new book Comic Insights. I read it in one sitting. I've followed Franklyn's career for over 30 years so reading his book came out of genuine interest, as a quasi student of stand-up comedy and as a good friend for even longer. When we were in high school he was the proverbial class clown who also exhibited tremendous insecurities when not "on", characteristics of which I've always believed, even if it sounds trite and cliche to be the hallmark of all great creative types and in particular what made Franklyn such an insightful, sensitive and probing comedian.
I've always believed that his cross to bear or his white albatross was the fact that he appeared on the comedy scene just after and in the same generation as Richard Pryor. To make matters worse was the great influence Pryor was to have on Franklyn.
They both came out of the same genre of comedy, the Black American "experience" and that of wonderful storytellers. Which is why I sincerely believe their celebrity profiles today would be just the reverse if Franklyn had appeared on the comedy scene first. It's just unfortunate that comparisons are always inevitable.
His book reads like a textbook that should be required reading in whatever schools that teach stand-up comedy. This book would've been his masters thesis had he gone to a graduate school for comedy. It's probably the best textbook of it's kind anywhere, if there are such things.
I thought his writing on personal experiences to be more interesting than his probing interviews with celebrities. His investigations into what he believes to be what makes a good comedian quite fascinating.
The one criticism I had of the book was his glaring omission in his interview section of a comedian of towering figure and probably one of the most important if not influential figure of our time, Robins Williams.
Franklyn explained his rationale to me this way. Since Robin Williams was so influenced by Jonathan Winters and Winters was "considered a greater comedian in his prime than Robin" and because Franklyn had access to Winters for his interviews,
Even though our careers took us in different directions geographically, Franklyn and I have always shared somewhat common political and social views, which is why I guess I've always found his humor to be to my liking.
I believe it was George Burns who was once asked what was the secret to his success and longevity. He answered. And I paraphrase. In show biz, if you live long enough everybody makes a comeback. So I say to Franklyn, come back soon we need your humorous insights now more than ever.
Bill Jones
Book Review: Incisive and jam packed with gems
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading Franklyn Ajaye's incisive guide to the stand-up's art, you might wonder why anyone would ever want to put themselves through the relentless routine of writing, performing and honing material that it takes to become a successful comedian.Alternatively, if that craving to make 'em laugh still proves irresistible after all 289 pages, at least you'll have picked up a wealth of practical tips along the way.
Comic Insights is clearly aimed as a manual for the aspiring stand-up, and the aspiring American stand-up at that. Given the indefinable nature of comedy, Ajaye sensibly steers well clear of providing advice on how to be funny, concentrating instead on how to be more funny.
It's a book of three unequal thirds, starting with a definitive 'how to' guide for the would-be stand-up. This section is jam-packed with invaluable pearls of wisdom about the mechanics of the craft. These basic tips are often common sense, and are generally regarded as universal truths among performers, but they do need to be said, especially for the rookie.
Mostly, the key is self-awareness: knowing what makes your voice and persona uniquely funny; knowing how your delivery, stage presence and timing went,; and knowing how that affected the laughs you get.
Sensibly, Ajaye recommends aspiring stand-ups study their comedy idols to find out what makes them funny (though definitely not trying to blindly emulate them) and suggests you always record your faltering efforts on stage to analyse what went wrong - or right.
The book's crammed full of such fundamental tips, which no rookie should take to the stage without knowing.
Occasionally the language veers into the unfortunate buzzwords of the training industry, but there's no diluting the rock-solid advice at the heart of it.
A lot of these interviews are fairly old but the advice is pretty timeless, and comes from a collection of interview subjects that covers a wide range of comedy styles. Ajaye isn't always the best inteviewer nonetheless, the gems of truth always do emerge.
In the brief third portion of the book, Ajaye also talks to a small cross-sections industry folk - agents, managers, promoters - to provide a glimpse from that side of the business, too.
For anyone interested in being a comedian or just interested in what makes a comic tick, this valuable book will satisfy on both counts.
Book Review: The best of its kind.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Inside Information on the Most Demanding Art Form.
Summary: 5 Stars
As someone who loves comedy but would never dream of taking the stage myself, I found Franklyn's book fascinating. Going to comedy clubs has been a hobby of mine for twenty years. Everyone loves the headliners, but I also follow aspiring comics who are trying to learn the incredibly difficult skill of making people laugh consistently.My main attraction to this book was the quality of the people interviewed. Several are icons in the entertainment world. I also bought the book because I remember Franklyn's stand-up days and saw him perform live a few times.
The book begins with an instructional section. This isn't what I bought the book for, but I found it much more entertaining than I thought. Franklyn uses his own careeer as a format to provide the instruction. He was a failing law student looking for another way to earn a living. He talks about how he developed his writing style, managing his material, dealing with stage fright as well as hecklers. This section reads like a story rather than a dry, how-to manual. I realy felt the drama involved with trying to succeed in a business where so many fail.
The interviews are very good. After reading the first part of the book, I already had new insight into the art of stand-up. The interviews covered the topics that had been introduced previously. They work well because the interviewer is a veteran comedian himself and because he has known many of the interviewees for many years. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with George Carlin, Elaine Boosler, Richard Lewis, Sinbad and George Wallace. In many of the interviews you get a sense of how they worked their way up from nowhere to become successful. I was very impressed at the amount of work that goes into putting together an act.
This is undoubtedly a must-read for an aspiring comedian. But for someone like myself, who will never have the courage to take to the stage, it is a chance to get to know several great comedians who I have enjoyed and admired for years.
Highly recommended.