Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy

by Franklyn Ajaye, Louie Anderson (Contributor), Richard Belzer (Contributor)

Designed for anyone who wants to build a stand-up comedy career, this book includes advice and information on all aspects of stand-up and also features a large section of interviews with a number of top comedians, including: Louie Anderson, Roseanne, George Wallace and Paul Reiser.

Genres: Comedy, Humor, Nonfiction, Stand Up, Writing, Collections, Communication

280 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Franklyn Ajaye is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He released a series of comedy albums starting in 1973 and has acted in film and television shows from the 1970s through the present, including as a primary character in the 1976 ensemble comedy Car Wash and a supporting role in Sam Peckinpah's Convoy (1978).

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I don't want to launch a career as a stand-up comic. Not hardly. But I've always been fascinated by the craft, and so far this book has been incredibly adept at laying bare the machinations of amazing routines I've long enjoyed and admired.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written overview of the craft of stand-up comedy. FA maintains his objectivity throughout interviews with many of his heroes. Nice conversational tone makes this an enjoyable all the way around.

[Austen · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book for the aspiring stand-up comedian. provides lots of insight from the industry's top performers - seinfeld, carlin, roseanne, etc.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book that I highly recommend to others pursuing the art of stand-up comedy; an insightful and fun read.

[Marc Pong · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book that has good bits and pieces as well as advice from comedians about stand-up comedy. Definitely worth a read if you're an aspiring comedian.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some good interviews from big name comedians and provides insight into what it takes to make it in comedy. Some of the references are a little outdated but that’s because most of the interviews were conducted in the 90’s. I’d recommend this to read though!

[NONATION · Rating 4 out of 5]

great this great really

[Lindsey.parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems like one of those books that will I will consistently look back on.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prose/Readability: 4
Commitment to Objective/Unbiased Truth: 3
Interesting Content: 5
Perspective Shift: 4

[Benjamin Dirickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful for aspiring stand-up comics. Very easy to read and covers stand-up comedy concepts in an approachable way. Recommend to anyone needing a place to start before getting up on stage.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm between "liked it" and "really liked it." This is inside stuff on the art of stand-up comedy and, as such, it's illuminating. The first fifty pages are Ajaye's views, organized and focused. The lion's share of the book consists of interviews conducted by Ajaye with 17 famous comedians (Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Jonathan Winters, Jerry Seinfeld, etc.) and 4 people who look for talent (agent, manager, club owner, etc.). Most of the interviews are about 8-10 pages. While there were minor differences in opinion among the comedians, most agree that a stand-up's performance needs to be honest, you should tape and analyze all your performances, and there should be transition between bits. Being yourself and filtering the humor through your point of view is perhaps more important than the jokes themselves. I recognized some similarities between a stand-up and a teacher. With most of the information coming in the form of interviews, there was some repetition, and some spontaneity at the expense of depth and organization. This is a fast but enjoyable and enlightening read (written in 2002).

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book for a student of standup. Ajaye's tips for beginning standups are brief, but absolutely essential: he covers how to prepare, how to find your voice, and how to deal with that inevitable (yes, inevitable) first flop. The interviews (which make up most of the book) are equally invaluable, because they're about the craft of standup itself -- not "were you a class clown", not "where do you get their ideas", but the actual details of the process of writing and performing jokes. Ajaye interviews his subjects from the perspective of a comedian, which affords a nuts and bolts discussion of the craft of comedy you're not going to find elsewhere. If you're an aspiring standup, I can't recommend this book enough.

[Frederic · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all have heard their routines, but I found it interesting to hear top comedians like Barr, Carlin, Jeni, Seinfeld and Shandling describe how they think about writing and performing standup. That stuff is timeless.

Also great to hear perspectives from club owners and agents, although that section may be a bit more dated in the Internet age. The book was published in 2002 but some of the interviews were done as early as 1987.

This is not at all a how-to book, but I liked the author's suggestion that aspiring comics deconstruct a few routines from their favourite performers to understand why we find them funny.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for comedians. The first section offers useful techniques and advice for being a stand-up comedian. What I like best about the book, though, are the interviews with comedians. They offer great insight into the world of stand-up comedy, from developing material to navigating the business aspect. If you are a comedian or if you think you might want to try it someday, this book is a must-read.

[Jesse Stoddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great perspective on he business and art of comedy from those that live it

This book was insightful and fun. As a collection of interviews, it is a good read since the variety of subjects acts as point and counterpoint. Rather than try to teach you comedy, the author illuminates this challenging subject with real insights from real people.

[Mohanad Elshieky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great and I liked the interviews with the comedians, although I was not interested in them all but some of them were great and gave some thoughtful insights.

Over all I give this book 4 stars.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acclaimed comedian and television writer Franklyn Ajaye interviews the pantheon of comedy, shedding light on an array of topics including writing, performing and overcoming creative blocks.

[Penni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too academic and outdated. I've done standup, and reading Richard Jeni's thoughts from the '90s isn't helpful.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the introduction... The conversations with the comedians was a little repetitive for me, and I knew I was more interested in certain comedians than others...

[Ανδρέας Χάσκαρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read, I believe that he should make another one with interviews from new comedians!!!

[Jonathan Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, another stripe for the learning tiger 8)

Great insight and interviews. Each one of these comedy books adds to the big picture of what I want to do with comedy.

[Alvaro Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge stand up comedy fan. Loved the book