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I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and high times in stand-up comedy's golden era
In the mid-1970s, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and several hundred other shameless showoffs and incorrigible cutups from across the country migrated en masse to Los Angeles, the new home of Johnny Carsonm Dying Up Here he tells the whole story of that golden age, of the strike that ended it, and of how...more
Hardcover, 280 pages
Published
August 25th 2009
by PublicAffairs
(first published January 30th 2007)
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I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I figured I would as the nature of the content is a bit misleading. I thought it would be a history of many of the comics displayed on the cover and summary (Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Richard Lewis are huge figures in the book, for sure, but less for their careers and more for the overall contribution they had to the main story. As for Andy Kaufman, hes mentioned only briefly throughout). The book is really about Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore and ...more
An interesting book about the rise of the Comedy Store stand-up club in Los Angeles and the strike by stand-up comedians which occurred as a result of the comedians not being paid by the owners. This is the main part of the book and it's quite interesting. Comedians organizing a union makes for an interesting labour history lesson.
The detailed history includes the accounts of many famous comedians coming to LA before they made it big. Letterman, Leno, Richard Lewis and Robin Williams...more
The detailed history includes the accounts of many famous comedians coming to LA before they made it big. Letterman, Leno, Richard Lewis and Robin Williams...more
I love it when a book just jumps out at me. I was at the library and saw this book on display. I like comedy, but it's not something I would generally read about - yet there was something about this book that appealed to me, so I checked it out. And I loved it. I found the story of how David Letterman, Jay Leno, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams and a host of others got their starts in small clubs--usually for no money--fascinating. The author spent time covering these guys and the comedy scene in L...more
This is a well-reported book about a time and place that is of only esoteric importance today.
Do not read this book for deep insights into the comedic impulse or what enables a person to climb before strangers and tell unsolicited jokes. That would be a fascinating subject - maybe better for the psychology section of the bookstore - but it's not really in here.
Again, this book is a report. It chronicles the Comedy Store strike of 1979. It's germane to contemporary time...more
Do not read this book for deep insights into the comedic impulse or what enables a person to climb before strangers and tell unsolicited jokes. That would be a fascinating subject - maybe better for the psychology section of the bookstore - but it's not really in here.
Again, this book is a report. It chronicles the Comedy Store strike of 1979. It's germane to contemporary time...more
This is an entertaining and engrossing look at the stand-up comedy scene in the 1970s. Topics include:
• Why stand-up moved from NYC to CA (hint: Here’s Johnny!),
• An in-depth account of Mitzi Shore and The Comedy Store,
• The great comics’ strike of 1979,
• The life and death of an aspiring comedian, and
• Tidbits about big name comedians, including Leno, Letterman, Robin Williams, and Richard Lewis.
The lives of stand-up comics in the seventies wer...more
• Why stand-up moved from NYC to CA (hint: Here’s Johnny!),
• An in-depth account of Mitzi Shore and The Comedy Store,
• The great comics’ strike of 1979,
• The life and death of an aspiring comedian, and
• Tidbits about big name comedians, including Leno, Letterman, Robin Williams, and Richard Lewis.
The lives of stand-up comics in the seventies wer...more
I do have a sincere interest in the comedy business and did learn several new things about the lesser known comics of the 1970's. But, I thought it focused way too much on the comedy strike of the late 70's. It became very dry towards the end when describing the paper work and the agreements of the strike. The book started off strongly giving mini bios of the big names in the business (Leno, Letterman, Lewis, etc.) and I loved that. I loved hearing how these comics had to struggle and work th...more
I'm not trying to get a blurb on the dust jacket or anything, but this was a real page turner. Focusing on the comedians' strike of 1979, author Knoedelseder does a wonderful job of illustrating the personalities of all these stand ups against the backdrop of their unionizing.
Honestly, if I have one complaint about I'm Dying Up Here is that it was almost too slight in its story. While there's a lot of new interviews here from the famous comedians who were born out of the Comedy Stor...more
Honestly, if I have one complaint about I'm Dying Up Here is that it was almost too slight in its story. While there's a lot of new interviews here from the famous comedians who were born out of the Comedy Stor...more
Interesting and entertaining look into the heyday of the late 1970s/early 1980s stand-up comedy scene in NY/LA at places like the Improv and the Comedy Store. Cast of dozens and most I knew and remember, some I didn't. Amazing what a putz Jay Leno is now but seemed like an okay guy back then, helping to lead the comic strike--now? He's an incredibly unfunny, mainstream vanilla idiot. Yes, I'm angry what he did to Dave AND to Conan ala backstabbing but that is neither here nor there. This is a fu...more
Roy
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone who is intereasted in Leno, Letterman, Richard Lewis, or stand up comics
Recommended to Roy by:
Bill Simmons
If the Late Shift, a TV movie about the battle over the Tonight Show, had been a blockbuster, this story would have made for a worthy prequel. It would have been almost Star Warsian, in the way that the villain of the original, Jay Leno, becomes one of the good guys of the prequel.
In I’m Dyine Up Here Leno is part of a young group of soon-to-be famous comedians who strike against Mitzi Shore’s Comedy Store for the right to be paid. No, not paid more, just paid, like 5 or 10 dolla...more
In I’m Dyine Up Here Leno is part of a young group of soon-to-be famous comedians who strike against Mitzi Shore’s Comedy Store for the right to be paid. No, not paid more, just paid, like 5 or 10 dolla...more
Reading this book I was torn. Every time I needed to pause I wished I could set aside time to read it straight through. On the other hand, I wanted to break it up so that it would last longer. I laughed, and in several spots my eyes teared up. But I have been performing stand-up comedy for two years now. I'm not sure that this book would have such a poignant effect on those who have not tried to pursue their artistic passions as a performer of some sort. Nevertheless, it was a great story highli...more
I love stand up. It's the kind of profession where (if I were thin and didn't mind being dirt poor and mooching off my parents while talking about my vagina in front of a bunch of people who are predispositioned to not think I'm funny anyway because I'm a woman)I always think "I could do that!" But I don't have the drive or love of it near the same as the people in this book do. It's a great book --chronicles the rise of the late 1960's - 1970's stand up and ends with the battle comedi...more
When the Tonight Show moved its base of operations from New York to Los Angeles in 1972, the world of comedy was completely upended. Instead of working out their routines at NY nightclubs, any up-and-coming comedian worth his salt had to relocate to LA as well. Why? Because, in those days the Tonight Show was considered an unavoidable rite-of-passage for any comic who aspired to bigger things like Vegas, record albums or TV and movie stardom. The stars who received Johnny Carson's nod of approva...more
This book isn't nearly as funny as I had hoped (there are not really any jokes in it), but I did learn a lot about the boom of popularity of stand up comedy in the late 70's early 80's that centered around the Comedy Store in LA and the related strike of the store and the unionization of the comics. The whole book was worth reading just for a really great description of the experience of one of the comics on his first time on Johnny Carson's tonight show (the be all end all of comic venues). ...more
I picked this up at the library on a whim after reading about it on Mark Evanier's blog. I started reading a few pages when I was resting and the book I was in the middle of was in another room. I found it difficult to put down and tore through the thing. I'm not sure what it was exactly--the writing isn't particularly vibrant--but the story was compelling and I had trouble stepping away from it until I was done. Very interesting stuff.
The book says it's about the stand-up comics of 1970s LA, but that is only part of the story. The core of this book is the strike between the comedians and The Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore. The book is utterly compelling and paints a vivid picture of the era and the struggling comedians who performed without compensation.
There's a lot of name dropping in this book, and it's sublime. A must read for comedy nerds.
There's a lot of name dropping in this book, and it's sublime. A must read for comedy nerds.
I'm a bit obsessed with comedy and comedians these days and so I really enjoyed depiction of the "golden days" of 1970s LA comedy when Letterman, Leno, Robin Williams and others were friends and struggling stand-ups--written by a guy who covered "comedy" in that era. Structured around the LA comedy strike and its tragic aftermath, it's NOT a funny book but a great primer in where today's comedy legends got their start. A friend who was "there" tells me it's spot-o...more
One of the best books on stand-up I've ever read. I know a lot of people really love 'Born Standing Up', but I think this book captures a moment in standup history many have not heard of. Hearing stories about Letterman, Leno, and Robin was awesome and terrifying at the same time. A must read for any comic, especially if you live in LA and frequent the Comedy Store.
This book is outstanding. It strikes just the right balance between history and story, with three-dimensional characters and vivid scenes, and it finds a good focal point for what could otherwise turn into a sprawling mess. If you're at all interested in the world professional comedians inhabit or in the history of the entertainment industry, I highly recommend it.
The story of a comedian's strike against the Comedy Store nightclub in 1979 when stand-ups such as Jay Leno, David Letterman, Garry Shandling and Robin Williams took sides and friendships were affected.
The secondary story of an untalented comic who committed suicide in front of the Comedy Store during the strike was not very compelling.
The secondary story of an untalented comic who committed suicide in front of the Comedy Store during the strike was not very compelling.
I liked this books many different ways. As an evocation of stand-up comedy as a vocation in the '70s, it feels like it's right on the money. As a tale of the Comedy Store strike, it was obviously biased toward the comics, but didn't shy away from discussing unintended consequences of the strike on both sides. It's not strictly a good guys-vs-bad guys tale, and Knoedelseder knows enough not to make it one. Rudimentary youtube searches and other internet research have turned up little about Steve ...more
This book aims to capture the atmosphere in stand up comedy during the 70's with the strike at The Comedy Store and its effect on comedian Steve Lubetkin at the center. Anyone interested in stand-up, especially Leno, Letterman and Richard Lewis will enjoy this peek into their "coming up" years. My only disappointment with this book is the overly "that was a golden age that will never be captured again" tone. But, then again, it is essentially a memoir of the group/movement...more
I read this as a follow-up to Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America by Richard Zoglin. Knoedelseder's book slightly overlaps Zoglin's; while Zoglin started with Lenny Bruce and his era, Knoedelseder starts in the 70's with comedians like Richard Lewis, David Letterman, and Jay Leno. But if this book is about any one person, it's about Mitzi Shore, the proprietor of The Comedy Store who nurtured and ultimately clashed with scores of young comics. The story of the standup l...more
This was about a comedy club in Los Angelos that comics worked at for free when the Tonight Show moved to LA. It talks about Jay Leno, David Letterman, Freddy Prinze, Richard Little, Robin Williams, etc. They all worked here for free which helped them become famous. Eventually, as the comedy club grew, the comedians picketed for pay which changed things forever. I enjoyed the book.
This is an excellent book about The Comedy Store and the standup strike of 1979. I previously read a similar book on the same subject but "I'm Dying up here" is superior. The story is told in a compelling way and moves along at a fine pace.
It kept my interest even though I am not a particular fan of any of the main players.
While covering comedy in the 1970s, the book is really a chronicle of tragedy.
It kept my interest even though I am not a particular fan of any of the main players.
While covering comedy in the 1970s, the book is really a chronicle of tragedy.
the first 100-150 pages are fascinating. then the author gets all bogged down in the strike and the mechanics and the strikers' demands. that's when this book starts to grind to a halt. the last hundred pages are a real slog and kind of a bummer.
So I've studied comedy a lot because I want to get into it. This book pretty much soley focused on the Comedy Store in LA and the people involved in it. A pretty good read, but seriously, I wonder why not that many women were involved in it?
I enjoyed this read. Would have rated it higher but a little too much time is spent discussing the comedy strike of 1979. Wished they would have covered a little more ground from the lives of the comics (like they do with Richard Lewis).
Great book that delves into the comedy scene of the 1970s when Jay Leno, Letterman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams and others were all coming up. Very fun read.
An entertaining and well-paced read about a period in comedy history that I knew little about. Would be a fitting companion to Steve Martin's Born Standing Up.
Good bits and pieces but one doesn't get the feeling that Knoedelseder is telling the full story at times now does one.
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