STAND AND DELIVER

by Andrew Clark

What Makes Canadians so Funny?
No one is better qualified to answer that question than journalist Andrew Clark, Canada's first full-time comedy columnist. Stand and Deliver delivers the inside stories of such famous Canadian comics as Jim Carrey, Sandra Shamas, the cast of SCTV, and The Kids in the Hall, and profiles major behind-the-scenes players Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live) and Mark Breslin (Yuk Yuks).

Beginning with Canada's original international comedy sensation, the World War I troupe The Dumbells, Clark traces the thread of a particularly Canadian style of humour that is still found in the work of today's amateur-night hopefuls, and bona fide comedy superstars.

An in-depth look at Montreal's Just For Laughs Festival--the world's premier showcase for comedic talent--reveals the Darwinian "survival of the funniest" battles that take place between comics, each hoping to be the "next big thing."

Stand and Deliver also exposes the dark side of the comedy industry--the relentless touring, the hecklers, the drugs, booze and parties that can alienate, demoralize and even kill a would-be star.

Stand and Deliver is an endlessly fascinating expose, not only of the insular and frequently bizarre world of comedy, but also of a neglected aspect of Canada's national character. Wryly witty, Stand and Deliver is a no-hold-barred look at the serious business of being funny.

259 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. For more information please see Andrew Clark.

Reviews

[Joe Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had this book on the shelf at home for a while. Picked it up and read it and found it to be a look into the world of Canadian comedy from the Dumbells, World War 1 soldiers comedy troop, up to the Kids in the Hall. Learned a lot about the scene from an obvious insider.

[Truthcansuck Goring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. A look at the evolution of Canadian humour from it's WW1 roots to todays scene. Not a how-to book.

This is the book to recommend to the child who you _don't_ want to leave home to become a comedian. One of the few books to show the rather tragic side of comedy, from hecklers, drug/alcohol abuse, to suicide.