The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle

by Wayne Federman

Today’s top stand-up comedians sell out arenas, generate millions of dollars, tour the world, and help shape our social discourse. So, how did this all happen? The History of Stand-Up chronicles the evolution of this American art form – from its earliest pre-vaudeville practitioners like Artemus Ward and Mark Twain to present-day comedians of HBO and Netflix. Drawing on his acclaimed History of Stand-up podcast and popular university lectures, veteran comedian and adjunct USC professor Wayne Federman guides us on this fascinating journey.

The story has a connective tissue – humans standing on stage, alone, trying to get laughs. That experience connects all stand-ups through time, whether it's at the Palace, the Copacabana, the Apollo, Mister Kelly’s, the hungry i, Grossinger's, the Comedy Cellar, the Improv, the Comedy Store, Madison Square Garden, UCB, or at an open mic in a backyard.

Genres: History, Comedy, Nonfiction, Humor, Stand Up

182 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2021

About the author

Wayne Federman is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is noted for his numerous stand-up comedy appearances in clubs and on television, his biography of "Pistol" Pete Maravich, and his supporting comedic acting roles in The X-Files, The Larry Sanders Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Legally Blonde, 50 First Dates, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

-Wikipedia

Reviews

[Anne Libera]

Full disclosure - I've been teaching History of Modern American Comedy at the college level for more than ten years. It would be impossible for me to read this book without lots and lots of thoughts and opinions.

This is a quick, clean history of standup that from my biased perspective hits most of the important points and people. It's also short and it doesn't try to be "funny" while also generally being charming and having a genuine sense of humor. I found Federman's overview of the earliest origins of stand up to be particularly useful. I also appreciate his focus on the places where standup was/is performed as affecting the content style (100% agree although I tend to think a bit more about the financial industry aspect than he does).

One of the biggest struggles in teaching comedy history is identifying the patterns and influences without getting bogged down in endless lists of "comedians you should know" - especially since popularity and influence are surprisingly lightly connected in this world. My sense is that Federman surrenders to the list thing about midway through and I would generally wish for more context and point of view about how the actual comedy created changed over the years (as opposed to "that" it changed).

[Shelley]

This book was way more addictive than it had any right to be. I spent a few nights staying up too late (or waking early and reaching for my Kindle rather than drifting back to sleep) thanks to my fascination with The History of Stand-Up.

What you get is what's on the label: a history of how stand-up comedy became a thing in the first place, how it developed over the years, and who became each generation's stars and genius performers.

It reads a bit like a textbook (albeit an extremely engaging one), thanks no doubt to the fact the author is currently teaching a course on stand-up at USC. Wayne Federman is himself a longtime comic, so he's got personal experience to back up his research.

You won't find deep dives into the work of any given performer or their personal lives (the latter being something Federman almost completely avoids, which saves him from recounting and analyzing the scandals and downfalls of a few notable stars). The book isn't lacking for that omission, though — it's not about that. It's about the history of stand-up. You can find in-depth looks at particular people, notable comedy clubs and comedy movements elsewhere. And if you enjoy this book or stand-up in general, be sure to seek those other books out. You'll find many referenced here to pick up later if you catch the comedy bug.

[Annaliese Schreder]

3 stars because somehow I wasn’t talked about in this book

[McKayla]

This is a quick, fun read. The subject of each chapter deserves its own book.. They probably exist and I probably won’t read them. So thanks, Wayne.

[Lizette]

I thought this book would be a comedic book about the history of comedy since it’s written by a comedian. It really is what the title indicates, a history book about comedy. There are some cool, fun facts like where the term “working blue” comes from. From decade to decade, there were parts of the book I found interesting and wished he would have elaborated more. Instead, he mostly listed comics that used a certain style or listed venues that were opened at specific times. Overall the book was ok. I learned how comedy started and evolved as technology evolved.

[Michael]

Was a little disappointed with this. A pretty thin, short volume, considering the title. A lot of the information being related was stuff any big fan of comedy (or theater or performing arts) would like already know from other sources. There wasn't the level of "inside baseball" or deeper insight that one might expect from an author who is himself a very good stand-up performer.

The nuances that didn't quite come across in this book were there in an audio podcast interview that the author did with Larry Wilmore recently. I'd recommend checking that out.

[Tim]

Enjoyable, quick read. Wayne took the "mile long and inch deep" approach where he hit on a little bit of every part of stand-up history without going too far down any particular rabbit hole. Glad I heard him on Never Not Funny, or I might have missed out on this book. Worth the $ and would recommend to a friend.

[Lietke]

Read more like a list than something one could learn much from.

[Sarah]

I enjoyed this book, and learned from it, but it definitely relies very heavily on name-dropping. For latter era (70s+) comics, this was okay for me, since I recognized a significant number of the names, but for the earlier lists of names, they were meaningless. I would think that someone who has followed comics for less time than I have, more of the book would just be listing off meaningless names of faceless historical comics. The book did talk about shifting trends, but it would have done well to lean more heavily on that aspect (describe significant differences between the various acts and approaches) rather than just list off names and assume the reader has a mental shorthand for their comic style.

[Jerome Boyd]

An extremely concise and fascinating look at this great American art form: from its birth in the 1800s to today's comics of HBO and NETFLIX. Comedy and history nerds will devour every single word. An energetic tour of some of the the genre's seminal figures (Hope, Sahl, Pryor, Carlin, Mabley) as well as more obscure, yet influential, comics (like Janeane Garofalo or Wally Boag).

The History of Stand-Up perfectly balances the scholarly and the entertaining. I've always enjoyed watching stand-up but had never really thought much about its evolution. And I had no idea it went back to pre-civil war times. Fascinating and incredibly informative. And a fast read (150 pages).

[Rob Townsend]

Having read "The Comedians," Kliph Nesteroff's history of American comedy a few years ago, I wasn't sure I needed to read Wayne Federman's "The History of Stand-Up." Holy crap, was I wrong. It's a brisk read that not only traces stand-up from its 19th Century beginnings to the present, but it provides context into why today's comedians are popular, why you probably don't think the comics your parents liked are funny and why you probably haven't even heard of the ones who made your grandparents laugh. Wish I could read it again for the first time.

[Francesco]

I enjoyed this short book, which gives an historic excursus in the very American format of comedy called stand-up. I would have loved to hear more about the actual comedy acts of the different artists. I felt that at some point, particularly toward the end, the book becomes a list of important comedians who made it on the scene, but with no sense of what comedy style they had and what they said that was funny. Still, it is a solid and erudite review of the evolution of stand-up in the US and an inspiration to go to look for the acts of some old stars.

[Matthew]

This is a gem of a book - a straightforward history of stand-up comedy, from the birth of the art form in the 1800s to the present day. I enjoy stand-up but had never really thought much about its evolution, and how it may evolve in the future. Easy to read and highly recommended to anyone interested in comedy writing, cultural history, or just looking for a quick, enjoyable read on a quirky subject.

[pianogal]

I enjoyed the first part of this one better than the last. I guess because I know so much less about how standup started. Learned several fun facts - working blue, floor show, big time. That was interesting. The back half was less so - mostly I think because having witnessed it, this book just felt like a huge overview. I guess it's a good advertisement for his class - which I might consider taking if I was anywhere near his university or it was free...just saying.

[Ben]

The history if stand-up is a very breezy high-level overview of standpoint comedy. Federman does a thorough history but does not go in great detail almost like reading a Wikipedia page. Additionally he fills it with lists of people (i.e tge following comic got their start on the Tonight Show: followed by a list of 10+ names) I feel like there's more detail to be learned but for a starter book it was fine

[Stephanie]

This book is a short blitz through the history of stand-up. It’s very well reasoned and well written. The introduction is excellent and the cause to reflect (pandemic) is a natural break off point in the unwieldy spool of history. The way it handles a number of historic and modern yikes topics is very well done.

[Jason Gemmill]

I read a lot of books on the history of comedy, but this one brought a few things forward that I hadn't seen in others. I would have given this book a 5 star rating, except that it was too damned short. I know that Federman is an expert comedy historian and could expand on things a lot more . I would like to see a separate full book based on each chapter of this book.

[Stark]

Fantastic. If you are a comedy nerd, this is the book you have been waiting for to get a historical perspective on the art. I hope the author, a USC professor of comedy and a standup legend himself, will write many more books on the topic.

[Adrian]

130 page history of stand up comedy. Author puts Mark Twain and Will Rogers as two of its forefathers. Covers the major platforms which have aided its growth from vaudeville and burlesque to HBO and the Internet. The man loves lists. Read it in a day.

[Noah Goats]

I’ve been reading a lot about the history of comedy recently, and what I like about this book is the way that it gives you a sense of the sweep of stand up comedy over the past 150 years or so in such a concise way. High level but not boring.

[Stephen Paul Chase, Jr.]

This is a funny history of stand-up comedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thatbookgirl]

Quick read, very concise summary of the progression of stand up comedy. Great reminders of how exciting and innovative some of my favorite comedy was when it first came out.

[JIMB]

Good History of Standup

Through, engaging, head-spinning book about standup comedy. Even covers Richard Jeni, a personal favorite. Try it, you may like it.

[Craigtator]

A little bit more than a name drop. Read Kliph Nester’s book for a deeper dive.

[Brian Pangburn]

Very informative

Everybody knows live comedy in some fashion... but this book does a great job telling its history. Well written and nicely paced.

[Jimmy Clifford]

Super interesting. Definitely could see the authors taste in comics tho. I would prefer it was more just fact than opinion.

[Ann Baxter]

stand-up

A very fine journey of the stand-ups through history - although not too deep it does satisfy the curiosity . Enjoyable

[Megan Nicholson]

read for a paper for class. comprehensive! and features a citation for my old comedy prof

[Emma Bottoms]

Quick and easy read, yet still captivating. I felt like I learned a lot about the history of comedy in general. Recommend to anyone interested in comedy or pursuing stand up.

[Sean Spurge]

3.5 stars