Customer Reviews

Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a wonderful overview of the emergence of modern comedy and the role many of today's leading comics had in its emergence. The author does a wonderful job how pioneers such as Lenny Bruce paid an enormous price to make observational and topical humor of as much relevance as the one liners that were common place before hand. The book provides outstanding backgrounds on such comedy legends as George Carlin and Richard Pryor and what drove them.

The book also provides a background on lesser known comics who while legends in the comedy world did not carry over into the larger mainstream world. By this I am referring to the Richard Belzer's and Albert Brook's of the world whose commercial success was not as powerful as their influence. If there is one flaw in this novel it is the lack of information on these acts who may have been more influential then their commercial talents demonstrated. But all in all a book well worth your time and highly entertaining.

Richard Zoglin has taken a period of our lives, when laughing at ourselves and the world we live in, was something we just expected, enjoyed and used in our own everyday conversations---"excuuuuuse me". The comedians we thought we knew so well that we used their material to get our own laughs.

Comedy At The Edge tells us what a serious, sometimes heartbreaking business comedy is. Zoglin interviewed every living comedian, producer, writer and entertainer that was part of this piece of history--and researched those who weren't. He shows us how comedy has evolved to the point of the modern intellectual stand-up routines we have now come to expect. How the performance bar was raised and how each comedian struggled to become who they were. Who made it, who didn't and why.

Their comedic talent came across so effortlessly. I didn't and probably most in our generation, who laughed their way through the 70's, did not understand what a gift it was.

Zoglin has made all the pieces fit. The continuity and connection to real life, each comedian and their effect on each other, how they perfected their craft, their place in history and how it all related to current events of the times is flawless. He has taken an entire decade of our lives, organized it, given us new insight into what was really going on and keeps us laughing all the way through.

Richard Zoglin, himself, is very funny. His writing is superb and you want to keep turning the pages just to find out what happens next. But what makes it even more interesting is that you were there--some of the things Zoglin writes about you go 'oh yeah, I remember' and then he gives you information that puts a whole new spin on what you thought you knew.

I've recommended this book to everyone I know--and I'm recommending it to you.

Just go ahead and buy this book, you won't be disappointed. Zoglin writes well and you keep learning new things about stand-up comics you thought you knew and how the business has been changing. But don't expect a textbook - Zoglin includes many extremely funny bits taken straight from these comedians to illustrate points and keep you laughing. A good read!

I was hoping for a book that analyzed comedy or the impact of comedy on life in US. Instead, I found a book of biography - details of the lives of several famous US comedians.

Instead of specific examples of jokes and why they were considered funny in one historical era and not in another; or examples of how comedy relieved stress or effected changes in certain political or social environments; I read of how comedian "a" traveled, or did shows, or did drugs with, or learned from comedian "b".... Things that must certainly be interesting to some - but weren't to me.

I started spot-reading, then skipping, and put the book away after only reading through a couple of the chapters.

Who are the people who made us laugh in the last 30 years? That's what author Richard Zoglin examines in this absorbing history of comedy BS (before Seinfeld..well actually right up to Seinfeld, but who can resist a line like that?). All the biggies are there: Carlin, Klein (Bob, not Calvin), Williams, Kauffman, Pryor. Jerry. It's a totally absorbing trip filled with colorful personalities, riveting anecdotes, and side-splitting bits from famous comedy routines over the past three decades.

Richard Zoglin's COMEDY AT THE EDGE, subtitled HOW STAND-UP
IN THE 1970S CHANGED AMERICA, brought back fond memories of an
era when comics changed from those my parents enjoyed
(Milton Berle, Totie Fields, etc.) to much edgier humor pioneered
by Lenny Bruce.

I had not known too much about Bruce, so I found it fascinating to read
about how he began to change things in the entertainment world . . . he
was then followed by innovative comedians such as George Carlin,
Richard Pryor and Robert Klein, and shortly thereafter, Steve Martin,
Albert Brooks, Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman.

Many of these guys were my idols at the time; in particular,
Brooks had been my favorite . . . it is too bad that his stand-up
career didn't last that long (though his movies have since kept
him in the limelight).

Even as a kid, he was recognized as being one of the funniest
people around . . . in fact, when Johnny Carson asked Carl Reiner
to name the funniest people he had ever seen, at the top of his list
was his son's sixteen-year-old high school friend, Albert
Einstein [later changed to Brooks].

I liked how this book got into the minds of what humor is all
about . . . for example, there was this one passage that described
how Martin developed his routines:

* And so I came up with a plan, which was to observe myself when
I laughed, and figure out what it was that made me laugh, and try
to put it into material.

Naturally, COMEDY AT THE EDGE contained its share of jokes;
among them:

* If God made the body and the body is dirty, the fault lies
with the manufacturer.--Bruce

* He [Carlin] loved dissecting the illogic of language (oxymorons
like "military intelligence" and "jumbo shrimp") and the social uses
of euphemism ("When did 'toilet paper' become 'bathroom issue'?
When did 'house trailers' become 'mobile homes'?")

* One thing I found out. When you're on fire and runnin' down the
street, people get out of your way.--Pryor

Yet I also liked how Zoglin's book addressed more serious
issues, too, such as the time when comedians went out on
strike to protect the fact that they weren't getting paid to work
in comedy clubs . . . the chapter on the scarcity of big-name
women comedians was equally interesting.

Even the source notes at the end kept my attention . . . I
was particularly impressed by how much research went into
the writing of COMEDY AT THE EDGE.

This is a fabulous book and well researched! Interesting to learn about some of my favorite comic's pasts. Great coffee table book.

Ever noticed that there isn't a single book on George Carlin? Well, now there's a gloriously well written chapter detailing Carlin's rise to popularity and influence. That's reason enough for any Carlin fan to buy this book. However, that's only a tiny appetizer of the feast for any fan of funny.

Comedy At The Edge, by Richard Zoglin, pulls back the circus tent on when comedy reshaped America. Yes, there was an era when stand-up-comedy had a substantively greater impact on culture than today. Some say the bleeding edge of this era is nowhere in sight.

In many ways I agree with those that say that edgy comedy is nowhere in sight. Looking at comedy today I'm often disgusted by what passes as an act, as polished material, as worthy of our time and attention. However, what causes me to pause is a masterwork like Zoglin's Comedy at The Edge. Reading what it took to bring radically new perspectives into the popular ken brings the edge back into sight.

You see, in the '60s and '70s stand-up comedy actually impacted politics and culture. Sure, sure... Famous comedians today often get quoted. But once upon a time it was different. Comedy in the '70s was like Jazz in the '50s, the reverberation of the great performers is still heard today.

Richard Zoglin crafted the most thorough telling of the edgiest side of American pop culture... the story of the brave men and women who transitioned comedy from the saying of funny things into acts that reshaped the minds of those who heard them say things different.

Zoglin explains how comedy of the '70s paved the way for rap music, how censorship laws were challenged by scores of comedians and how challenging the status quo made its way into middle America.

Reading this book brings alive TV moments I remember from 30 years ago, like when comedians went out on strike and every talk show and national news covered their plight. Reading this book explains the behind-the-scene struggles of who gets seen where and by whom and how comedians made ends meet while they honed their craft, like how Seinfeld was a waiter and how he kept his notes versus his roommate. Reading this book will make you expect more from contemporary comedy. And, that's something I hold America needs more of today.

I wrote too much.

This is a well-researched saga of the stand-up comics who changed everything. Lenny Bruce kicked it off, followed by Carlin and then Richard Pryor. These were guys who weren't afraid to go onstage every night, and grab the bull by the balls. Zoglin's a helluva writer, and if you're on a long flight,or spending the weekend indoors, this is a good way to pass the time. You'll swear you were in a smoky club, nursing a warm beer, sweating through your jacket, and getting it. I'm talkin' about a revolution. Enjoy this.

I loved the portion of this book dealing with the funniest man ever, Albert Brooks.
I realized that I didn't know a lot about him ( i've just watched all of his films dozens of times ). I guess if you're that funny, you've got to be a little nuts!