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: Amazing Philosophical Approach
Summary: 5 Stars
Briefly and to the point, this book is brilliant. Franklyn Ajaye has written a comedy analysis that doesn't treat the reader like a robot, half-wit, or child.
From the first moment I saw it on the front display shelf at the Samuel French Bookstore on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, the word "insight" had me hooked. I bought it and it drew me right in.
Whereas all of the other stand-up comedy books that I've read approach comedy as a kind of merely procedural Burger King training manual -- and are largely uninspiring for it -- Ajaye's book approaches comedy as something very deeply meaningful, philosophical and individual... to be savored and understood for the mere pleasure of it.
More than all other books I've read, "Comic Insights" conducts actual, in-depth interviews with top-renowned comedians like George Carlin and Bill Maher (the types I'm personally partial to), and really manages to ask questions about their inner logic and personal tastes and choices that other comedy manuals utterly neglect as important.
The overall effect of this book is that the reader will not need to awkwardly lumber through the procedures and details of stand-up comedy in the way they would have to with the other stand-up comedy books out there. By giving you the core, philosophical mind-set of successful stand-up comedy, Ajaye instills in you the real, creative core it takes to generate quality material.
After reading his book, I emailed Franklyn Ajaye and he actually emailed me back. We have had long, conceptual discussions via email on the themes in his book and in stand-up comedy, and he has shown himself to be deeply and fluidly thoughtful on the logic and philosophy of stand-up comedy, rather than merely the gimmicks and tricks of the trade.
If you've ever even remotely considered trying your hand at stand-up comedy -- or simply just find it fascinating -- buy this book.
Book Review: A Bible for Aspiring Comedians
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a person just starting out as a comedian, and all I can say is thank God for this book. Everything I would like to ask an established comedian is addressed here. The first section gives me the fundamentals of standup that I didn't know existed, and a way of thinking about standup comedy. And the writing style is very accessible. I get the feeling the Ajaye truly wants to share his experiences and knowledge with us and help us through the rough times we novices face. The second part which consists of the interviews with the comedians as they talk about their methods and career travails is nothing less than inspiring. I learned that every great comedian bombed and struggled when they first started. Garry Shandling says he bombed for the first five years. Amazing that he would continue with such tenacity in the face of such failure. Roseanne's interview was a revelation. Gone was the rough talking person we've always seen, and instead a thoughtful woman with a spiritual and musical bent to her comedic inspiration emerged. Jay Leno's interview showed him to be the decent person he appears with a thoroughly humane approach to his comedy, and the interviews of Elayne Boosler, and Chris Rock showed the determination of their truth-seeking natures, while Jonathan Winters revealed a softer side not generally associated with this famously zany man. I got something out of all the interviews. I found myself highlighting passages just for what they said about life. My wife who has no interest in comedy whatsoever read just the interviews and couldn't put it down. She said she learned a lot more about the comedians as people and not just as entertainers.
The third section had managers, agents, and club owners telling what they look for in a comedian. Absolutely invaluable stuff. I carry it with me and refer to it often when preparing for my gigs. It's a Bible for aspiring comedians.
Book Review: Must Read for Standup Practitioners
Summary: 5 Stars
Any comedy junkie knows that most of the books written on standup just plain stink. Whereas Judy Carter's "Standup Comedy-The Book" is a decent read, it is of course extremely dated now (screams 1980s homogeneous comedy club standup!) and is far too formulaic for most comics. Greg Dean's book is far better than Carter's; however, Dean suffers from being too quantitative in his approach to and understanding of comedy. His book can help one appreciate joke theory, but will do little--practically speaking--to help polish a mediocre comic. My favorite book on standup generally is definitely Jay Sankey's "Zen and the Art of Standup Comedy." It is an excellent read, jam packed with highly practical insights and suggestions about how to truly become a good comic. That said, what Sankey's book lacks in terms of insights from the living comedic masters themselves Ajaye's book more than makes up for. Larry Wilde did it in 1968 with the greatest comic legends of the 1950s and 1960s, and Ajaye did it again with the greatest comics of the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, Ajaye's book is superior to Wilde's in at least two respects. First, Ajaye has included his own highly refined tips and suggestions about how to become a good comic, which Wilde has no trace of. Ajaye's thoughts are so highly structured and logically organized that it is no wonder he is putting that NYU law school education to good use after all. Secondly, Ajaye's interviews are, at times, more revealing and more helpful than Wilde's because Ajaye is a serious practitioner of the art of standup himself, whereas Wilde--though he is undoubtedly America's best-selling humorist--is still just a humorist. A humorist does not a comedian make. If you want to know what makes good comedians become great, read Franklyn Ajaye's book. You won't be disappointed.Book Review: Stand-up Comedy from the Inside Out
Summary: 5 Stars
Most examinations of stand-up comedy as a performance art form, as well as techniques as to "how to do it", tend to be rather academic and come from those can't do it themselves. Here's a look at what goes on in the minds of a series of well-known and genuinely funny people from the perspective of a man who has been as well regarded as the subjects in his book, at least by those who have seen his act.Ajaye does a great job of showing how to approach the notion of actually performing stand-up comedy by using his own genesis and evolution as a sample template. He talks about his heroes and his fears,techniques, and styles in such a way as to lay open the mysteries of what makes a comic tick. That's the subject of the first section.
The second section is a seriesof interview transciptions with comic from Elayne Boosler and Paul Reiser to Richard Jeni and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as many more. The interviews are little dated for the most part, although by watching the comics he had address a class on comedy Ajaye taught at UCLA in the early 90's, one can see the elements of performance they talked about 10 years ago have not changed appreciably.
The final section of the book was a short series of interviews with people who regularly interact with comedians, to give the reader the outside perspective. and having been the former manager of a comedy club myself, the comments by people like Budd Friedman on what they look for in a new comedian seem very relevant.
The only thing missing from the book for me was any information about whether Ajaye would return to performing someday. I hear he's been at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia during the past couple of years, but we miss him stateside.
Book Review: As Good As Michael Caine's Book On Film Acting
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm an actor who's been thinking about trying to do stand up comedy. I picked up this book because all my favorite comics were interviewed in it, and I'm glad I did. It's a great book!! As good in it's own way as Michael Caine's great book on film acting which is my acting bible. In the first section of the book Mr. Ajaye talks about what makes a good comedian, and how to study comedians in order to learn from them. It's made me look at comedians much more analytically and appreciate what it takes to be a good one. His writing style is straightforward and full of practical information. The second section has full length probing interviews with today's great comedians, and they are fascinating to read. They speak about their own beginning experiences, difficulties, fears, and methods. Some of them are surprisingly philosophical and offer gems that can be applied to life in general. I found myself highlighting portions of these interviews to refer back to. The third section of the book has interviews with managers, agents, and comedy club owners, and their insights are valuable as well. If you're thinking about being a stand up comedian, you can't do better than this book.