The Making Of A Standup Comedian

If you think you’re funny, buy this book! Whether you dream of becoming a star . . . A better public speaker . . . A more effective communicator . . . A funnier, happier human being . . . You can learn to leave ‘em laughing! David Letterman learned to do it. Jay Leno learned to do it. Roseanne Barr learned to do it. So can you! Now successful stand-up comic Judy Carter—who went from teaching high school to performing in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Lake Tahoe, and on over 45 major TV shows—gives you the same hands-on, step-by-step instruction she’s taught to students in her comedy workshops. She shows you how to do it: create an act, perform it, make money with it, or apply it to everyday life. Discover: • The formulas for creating comedy material • How to find your own style • The three steps to putting your act together • Rehearsal do’s and don’ts • What to do if you bomb • Ways to punch up your everyday life with humor

CHARLIE MURPHY is the outrageously funny comedian fromChappelle's Show,whose breakout role -- as himself -- in his True Hollywood Stories about Rick James and Prince rank among the best sketch comedy performances of all time. A successful stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and actor, Charlie has led an incredible life of highs and lows on his way to becoming a stand-up guy.In his raucous and revealing memoir, Charlie details his life on the road with Eddie Murphy, his nights on the town with Rick James ("the first man I ever met who had a swimming pool in his living room"), and his crazy movie audition with Chris Rock. He takes us backstage with Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx; on the set with costars Denzel Washington, Vanessa Williams, and Sammy Davis, Jr.; in the studio with Stevie Wonder; and off the wall with Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson.Along the way, Murphy reveals the ups and downs of his fascinating life -- growing up in Brooklyn, getting in trouble with street gangs on Long Island, doing time in jail, serving in the Navy, and supporting his brother's meteoric rise to fame as both protector and collaborator. After selling screenplays and landing roles in seminal films likeJungle FeverandCB4,Charlie decided to get up on stage -- at the age of forty-two -- and give stand-up comedy a try. And the rest, as they say, is history...Filled with hilarious Hollywood antics and raw personal insights,The Making of a Stand-Up Guyis Charlie's story of finding his passion, seizing the day, and finally stepping into the spotlight with mic in hand. This is the real Charlie Murphy, unfiltered and unapologetic, in his own words.

In this engaging and disarmingly frank book, comic Jay Sankey spills the beans, explaining not only how to write and perform stand-up comedy, but how to improve and perfect your work. Much more than a how-to manual Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy is the most detailed and comprehensive book on the subject to date.

If you think you're funny, and you want others to think so too, this is the book for you! Greg Dean examines the fundamentals of being funny and offers advice on a range of topics, including: writing creative joke material rehearsing and performing routines coping with stage fright dealing with emcees who think they're funnier than you are getting experience and lots more. Essential for the aspiring comic or the working comedian interested in updating his or her comedy routine, Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy is the most comprehensive and useful book ever written on the art of the stand-up comedian.

Folks, I think you already heard by now that my friend Felix Baumgartner made that death defying twenty-four mile sky dive jump from outer space. Well it was my idea.I had planned to do that historic jump first. But somebody stole my parachute and beat me to the punch. Well, Im going to do one better. Im going to go to our nearest planet. I think its Mercury. I know it starts with an M, no not Mars! Its definitely Mercury! And jump from there to earth. I know its going to take me a few weeks to get here, maybe even longer but then Im going to own that record and leave Felix in the dust. So wish me luck. When I get back, I expect a parade and lots of women at my doorstep. And yes, this is another one to bite the dust from my bucket list. See you when I get back. Ill be the Guinness Record Holder just yet, oooooooooo oooooooooo oooooooooo!!!

As one of the most popular performers on Comedy Central’s mega-hit The Chappelle Show, Charlie Murphy—older brother of comedy legend Eddie Murphy—shares his passion for comedy and tells his true Hollywood stories in this juicy and highly entertaining memoir. Once described by Chris Rock as “Eddie Murphy on acid,” Charlie Murphy has achieved fame as a recurring performer on the critically acclaimed, three-time Emmy-nominated cult sensation Chappelle’s Show on Comedy Central. Celebrated in particular for his “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” skits, featuring hilarious renditions of Rick James and Prince, Murphy now recounts many of the actual stories that inspired these popular sketches in vivid and comical detail in Doing Time: The Making of a Stand-Up Guy. With his flare for storytelling and his distinctive and fearless voice, it’s no wonder that Charlie Murphy has been the subject of many featured stories in numerous magazines, including GQ, Essence, Rolling Stone, and he was recently listed as one of the Hottest People to Watch in Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List.” Featuring outrageous misadventures as part of his younger brother Eddie’s entourage, and hysterical encounters with numerous celebrities, Doing Time: The Making of a Stand-Up Guy is a fascinating and wildly funny chronicle from one of the most talented comedians today.

A comprehensive guide to writing, selling and performing all types of comedy. Includes comments, advice, gags and routines from top comics.

Comedy is a powerful contemporary source of influence and information. In the still-evolving digital era, the opportunity to consume and share comedy has never been as available. And yet, despite its vast cultural imprint, comedy is a little-understood vehicle for serious public engagement in urgent social justice issues – even though humor offers frames of hope and optimism that can encourage participation in social problems. Moreover, in the midst of a merger of entertainment and news in the contemporary information ecology, and a decline in perceptions of trust in government and traditional media institutions, comedy may be a unique force for change in pressing social justice challenges. Comedians who say something serious about the world while they make us laugh are capable of mobilizing the masses, focusing a critical lens on injustices, and injecting hope and optimism into seemingly hopeless problems. By combining communication and social justice frameworks with contemporary comedy examples, authors Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman show us how comedy can help to serve as a vehicle of change. Through rich case studies, audience research, and interviews with comedians and social justice leaders and strategists, A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice explains how comedy – both in the entertainment marketplace and as cultural strategy – can engage audiences with issues such as global poverty, climate change, immigration, and sexual assault, and how activists work with comedy to reach and empower publics in the networked, participatory digital media age.