The Comedians - Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy

"Jokes change from generation to generation, but the experience of the stand-up comedian transcends the ages: the striving and struggles, the tragedy and triumph. From the Marx Brothers to Milton Berle, George Carlin to Eddie Murphy, Conan O'Brien to Louis C. K.--comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff presents a century of fascinating rebels, forgotten stars, and characters on the precipice of fame in this ... history of American comedy"--Dust jacket flap.

About the author

Kliph Nesteroff is a former stand-up comic turned writer. A longtime contributor to WFMU, writing about the history of comedy, Nesteroff’s latest project is hosting the Classic Showbiz Talk Show, a live series in Los Angeles that has welcomed comedy luminaries like Mel Brooks, Fred Willard and Laugh-In creator George Schlatter.

Summary

In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff’s groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.

Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff introduces the first stand-up comedian—an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the Civil Rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century.

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Praise for The Comedians:

Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and Splitsider

“Entertaining and carefully documented . . . I thought I knew a lot about the history of American comedy. But this book located gaps in my knowledge I never knew were there and filled them with jaw-dropping anecdotes that made my eyes spin in different directions . . . This book is a real treat.”—Merrill Markoe, Wall Street Journal

“In the past decade, there have been several superb history books about comedy . . . but none will entertain comedy nerds as much as Kliph Nesteroff’s The Comedians . . . sprawling and savvy . . . comedy’s answer to Luc Sante’s Low Life.”—New York Times Book Review

“An antic history of U.S. comedy . . . Nesteroff writes with insider perception . . . With his encyclopedic knowledge, a talent for vivid anecdotes and tireless gusto . . . [The Comedians is] an insightful overview of the most independent and subversive entertainment genre of the last century.”—Washington Post

“[An] excellent book.”—New York Times

“The Comedians . . . is right up there with I’m Dying Up Here, Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live and Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon, in terms of thoroughness, engagement and lasting significance.”—L.A. Weekly (Best Local Comedy Author)

“An informative and engaging account . . . Nesteroff provides a clear through-line from vaudeville to the New Millennium. Yet it’s the anecdotes about personality and style that elevate the book beyond mere history.”—USA Today

“The Comedians is everything it should be, including very funny. This historically rich history of comedians in America is fascinating . . . If you’re a comedy nerd you’ll love this book.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“If you think you know a lot about stand-up comedy, this book will expose you as the fraud you secretly reckoned you were. Remember Frank Fay? Exactly.”—Norm MacDonald

“Kliph Nesteroff and this book are devoted to what I truly love—the art of comedy.”—Mel Brooks

“Kliph Nesteroff is a ‘comedy nerd’ in the deepest sense of the word . . . He is the preeminent historian of modern comedy.”—Marc Maron

“This is one of the best books I’ve ever read about show business . . . [Nesteroff] has amassed a dishy, informal, and knowledgeable history of comedy . . . This is straight talk about largely undocumented areas of show business and it is utterly fascinating. I feasted on this book and look forward to a possible sequel.”—Leonard Maltin, Indiewire (Holiday Book Roundup)

“Comedy tends to disappear, either into the boozy corners of a night club, or onto countless lost videotapes of TV variety shows that may never even make it to Netflix. That's what makes The Comedians so essential. No one charts the connections between the Jewy-old-masters of the TV age of comedy to the gay woman telling jokes into your ear right now on a podcast quite like [Kliph Nesteroff].”—John Hodgman, contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

“Beginning in the always smoky, often dilapidated vaudeville theaters of the early 20th century and spanning over a hundred years, Nesteroff meticulously details the lives and careers of forgotten and famous comics . . . Nesteroff’s exhaustive research is evident and historians will appreciate his thoroughness.”—Associated Press

“A definitive volume. A lively, raucous, and immensely entertaining love letter to funny business.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Both pop culture enthusiasts and entertainment scholars will relish this important history of American comedy.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Indispensable.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“So flipping entertaining.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A great book.”—Splitsider

“The Comedians is as good as they come. Nesteroff hits all the highlights and lowlights of this constantly evolving art form.”—Portland Mercury

“Comedy buffs will find a treasure chest of trivia . . . But Nesteroff’s aims are far more ambitious. He weaves comedians into the larger American story, from racism . . . and blacklisting to the counterculture and the anti-war movement . . . An interesting, satisfying read.”—Dallas News

“Extraordinary . . . wildly, crazily revealing, and readable.”—Buffalo News

“The definitive history of the comedy business . . . downright majestic.”—Forward

“One of the most comprehensive and accessible accounts of the art form to date.”—Flavorwire

“Immensely entertaining, a fast read that’s also a deep dive.”—Ken Tucker, Yahoo TV

“A valuable book . . . a compulsively readable history of American comedy . . . The book provides terrific insights into how the comedy greats of cinema created their personae and their acts . . . The book is also, no surprise, funny . . . My only complaint about the book? It’s too short.”—Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

“Highly recommended.”—Longform

“A rollicking history.”—Macleans (Canada)

Product details

• Authors: Kliph Nesteroff, Nesteroff Kliph
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.11.2015
• EAN: 9780802123985
• ISBN: 978-0-8021-2398-5
• No. of pages: 432
• Dimensions: 164 mm x 240 mm x 45 mm
• Weight: 765 g
• Illustrations: Illustrationen, nicht spezifiziert
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Entertainment & Performing Arts, Biography: arts & entertainment, Biography: arts and entertainment