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: Perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
All the right questions are asked and all the advice you want is given.Book Review: Somber Study of Comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
In the first fifty pages Ajaye provides strongly written advise worth reading several times over particularly if you are well into the process of performing. How to study your favorite comics and still be true to your self is an outstanding section.As comics write and talk about stand up comedy business, the struggles to break into a living wage level are displayed as mind numbing. The world is full of people that are tearing you down for their own entertainment both on and off the stage. Your desire to succeed must be massive to overcome the grinding down. For each and everyone comic that has opened up, they have described standup as really hard work. This book may depress you if you are thinking about a life in comedy. This is not a motivational book. It is more of a get tough or get out road map. Entertaining the reader does not happen in this book.
One great insight in the Richard Jeni interview is worth the price of the book. There are three equal parts to performing your own material: written construction, body gestures and facial expression. You have to work on all three with equal commitment.
Interviewing the very successful comedians is very smart. The 17 famous comedian interviews could have been the heart and soul of the book. The interviews should have been better written. With his incredible access to famous comedians Ajaye blew this chance to work at creating a classic on comedy. Where is the editor? My point is the following. In the book Success Secrets of the Motivational by Michael Jeffreys the author gets deep into the mind and art of each interviewee's work. He then edited it down to a very powerfully written book. With loads of exact quotes-each carrying great poignancy. In Ajaye's defense, I suspect that the interviews are lightly edited to remain true to the interview. It is still the lessor skill compared to a strongly worked book. Who wants to read court testimony? Where's the Beef? I hope Ajaye takes another shot at writing another book.
If you are already funny you want to read this book. It would not be my first recommendation. My rank order follows: 1. Judy Carter's The Comedy Bible 2. Step by Step to Stand Up Comedy by Greg Dean and 3. Did I Ever Tell You About the Time by Grady Jim Robinson. Fourth would be this book. The first book is critical to developing the foundation on how to write stand up.
Book Review: Great inside insights
Summary: 4 Stars
The actual "lessons" in becoming a standup comic are fairly minimal (although useful). What is really great to read is the personal accounts of so many great standup comics. Bombing was a way of life for most of the famous comics during their first year, or even longer in some cases. I tried standup comedy in Manhattan for six years (although only once a week; these guys/gals, and those who are serious now, spend at least three nights a week, doing 4, 5, or more open mics a week) and realized what committment it takes. You need to really want to become a good comic if you are going to become a good comic. The insider stories in this book highlight what it takes and where they came from.Book Review: One to curl up in bed with....
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a lovely book that mines the lives and minds some very impressive American comedians including Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock (my favourites). I think the title `insights' is right, because the practical section is very short. There are seven pages on `first steps in comedy', eight pages on `writing material' and excitingly seven pages on `doing television talk shows'.
I think this is a book for comics to curl up in bed with and dream that their heroes are on conversation with them, egging them on and giving them tips about stand-up.
Book Review: More Interviews then Advice
Summary: 4 Stars
Not what I expected, but very helpful.
I was looking for a book to talk about comedy and writting comedy. This book touches on it but has way more interviews with famous comics.
Just keep in mind there is not a lot straight advice, but more advice in the form of interviews from comics.