Johnny Carson on Comedy

Johnny Carson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Laugh.Com
• ASIN: B00005NVKZ
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,716 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #44 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy & Spoken Word

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars revealing and interesting!, December 3, 2001

By 

christopher weidelman (trondheim, norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Johnny Carson on Comedy (Audio CD)

This is an almost perfect cd in regards to understand the basic structures of what it takes to become a huge success in comedy, and to understand some of the crucial comedy-knowledge. Larry Wilde`s questions are direct and quite deep, and sometimes challenging for Johnny to answere. One thing that this cd will certainly not teach you, is how to be funny, because according to Johnny, that`s not possible. But you will get a very good understanding of which key-factors are fundamental to be accepted by the audience, and how much the personality of a comedian can influence the comedic-preferance/taste of the public. And when you listen to this cd, you easily understand why Johnny Carson was considered, and still is, the most popular and well liked talk-show host in the history of American television. The major asset of the cd is the vast knowledge and information about comedy Johnny is sharing, and luckily he is not trying to be funny or to adlib quick comments to lighten up. He is dead serious and straightforward, and stands out as a person who really knows what he is talking about. But still, there are some less good things about this cd. The sound quality is very poor, and you might get the impression that the interview was done in the cockpit of an airplane, even if it`s supposed to be in an office. The second bad thing, is that the cd was recorded in 1968, and therefore most of the comedians mentioned and refered to, are outdated and no longer around ,like Jack Benny, Rod Skelton, Steve Allen and George Burns, so it might be difficult for younger people to relate to these names. In addition, the society has changed a whole lot since then, and along with that, the view on humour and comedy. Anyway, this is a revealing and excellent cd for both those interested in the bacic comedy knowledge, and the fans of Johnny Carson. In my opinion, this cd should have been obligatory for every aspiring comedian to listen to, because there is no better advisor in comedy than Johnny Carson!

4.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Look at What Johnny Thought Was Funny, August 9, 2011

By 

Danno (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Johnny Carson on Comedy (Audio CD)

This CD consists of roughly an hour's worth of Johnny Carson reflecting on different aspects of comedy via an interview format. This is one of the few times that Carson, who set the standard for talk show interviewers, permitted a documented interview with him as a subject. Throughout, Carson's insights are never less than enlightening. He has well-thought-out theories about virtually every aspect of comedy, particularly standup routines, and it's a worthwhile education about some of the processes that went into Johnny Carson's development of his monologues and sketches. For someone who was supposedly well-guarded and shy, Carson is unusually generous with the length of time he devotes to the interviewer's questions, as well as the quality of the insights.

Sound quality, however, is atrocious. Not only is the volume painfully low, but it sounds as if we are listening to a bootleg of a backstage cassette recording. I wish that someone had taken the time to attempt some type of cleanup on the sound quality. I found the sound quality to be very distracting the first time I listened to this CD, and I had to do my best to listen beyond the technical flaws to concentrate on Carson's insights.

Still - this is a CD that belongs in any Carson fan's collection. And, if you are a budding comedian or have a scholarly or critical interest in comedy, you owe it to yourself to literally study this CD in order to understand one of the most influential television personalities from the 1960s to the 1990s.