Customer Reviews

It Only Hurts When I Laugh

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Stan Freberg's writing style in book form is just as engaging as his writing in audio/video form, and although it is an autobiography -- no new sketches here -- it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Clocking in a 273 pages (hardcover) and 22 chapters (plus 28 pages of B&W photos), "It Only Hurts" just brings us up to about 1963, with a very abrupt ending and a brief promise for another volume -- much like his hit album "The United States of America" ended. Of course, "Volume 2" of this series was only released recently (although it was written 25 year before) and, even though Freberg says it won't be the same here, Volume 2 has yet to see the light of day. However, overall, Freberg has a very mish-mash life and checking out this book is definitely worth your while. Freberg has done things many people don't know he did -- like star in most of the original Warner Bros. Cartoons with Mel Blanc. So check this book out. It may not be "An Introduction to Accounting," but, as Freberg says in his Introduction, don't reject this quite yet - you may enjoy it more.

At the beginning of this autobiography, Stan Freberg talks about the difficulty he has filling in the blank on application forms that asks for "occupation". He's been a comedian, cartoon voice artist, ad man, playwrite, satirist, writer and ethicist. He has created ad campaigns that lampooned the very industries they promoted. And he's stood up to the Darth Vader's of business, refusing to treat the consumer like an idiot.

The most refreshing aspect of this book is the fact that so much of his humor survives the test of time. One of the photos he uses is from a commercial for Chun King Chow Mein, where the voice-over proclaimed that "nine out of ten doctors recommend Chun King Chow Mein." I remember the ad, but I still found myself laughing out loud as I realized that the picture of ten men in medical garb was comprised of nine Asians and one Caucasian.

Unfortunately, there is the realization that anti-Frebergian forces still hold influence over our media, even after so many years of Stan leading the charge for truth and honesty. He doesn't need to make things up, the words of his antagonists are more absurd than any of his thousands of characters.

As other reviewers have noted, this volume ends in 1963, with much of his best work yet to come. Please Stan, please give us more!

I am a long standing Freberg fan, going back to the mid-fifies when my brother used to buy his latest 78 release.
Mr Freberg's book does not disappoint, still plenty of laughs, I do wish there was more of it 'tho!

Stan Freberg tells the interesting story of why he is someone noteworthy. I first encountered Freberg on the radio talking about his United States of America album. It was so clever that I subsequently got a hold of his Greatest Hits album and radio show album. The book is just as entertaining as it reveals good stories on how he came to be an advertising man and revolutionize television commercials.

He spends a great deal of the book discussing his plans with David Merrick to put United States of America on Broadway. The delay stopped what would have been a series of comedy history albums. Unfortunately the book ends in the 1960s, before his biggest ad campaigns even started. I bought this book in a bargain bin and I fear we may never see volume 2.

This was a well-written and fast paced book. One of the better entertainment autobiographies I have ever read.

Stan Freberg's well-written and hilarious book is a timeless treasure. Appropriate for adults at any stage in life, Mr. Freberg takes us on a journey that has the rare ability to take you away from whatever your life may be and cosset you with laughter and smart humoured fun. A great gift book, it's also the perfect read while on vacation or on a long flight or just when you need to get away from the seriousness and stresses of the everyday life and immerse yourself in a world written by a very smart, talented and most of all humorous man whose gift of humorous gab encompasses all.

This ego-trip of a book is written by a man who had a bit of a creative streak in the 1950s and 60s, but who is relatively unknown today outside the advertising world. Freberg overstates his success and impact, and claims that virtually every well-known person he met was his "fan." In truth this guy is his own biggest fan and, as another reviewer said, the book does leave a bad taste after you read it. The author even has the balls to interview himself in the last chapter of the book! Seriously, he's that into himself.

There are some good stories here, typically dealing with stubborn company executives and idiot network executives. But the stories are overblown and very outdated. How is it possible that Freberg can quote word-for-word conversations he had 40 years earlier? He can't. So he made up some clever back-and-forth. He tosses in what sound like made-up details and convenient circumstances that make every story come across as one written for a screenplay. It's certainly entertaining but not necessarily factual. Then he ends the book in the 1960s even though it was written in 1988!

What's most surprising is that when he gets involved with a major talent, Freberg is always the star of the story! He did cartoons with Mel Blanc and can't find anything to say about the guy. He briefly says he met the Beatles purely to include that they were fans of his! He has a photo at a roast with Dean Martin and Nat King Cole but says nothing about it! He mentions being on Frank Sinatra's TV show in one sentence but gives no other details. The only story from his opening for Sinatra in Australia is that the critics loved Freberg so much that they didn't include Frank's name in the review. Come on, tell us something about working with one of entertainment's biggest names instead of just rehashing another "they loved me" story.

At the same time he wastes a chapter on a simplistic Christmas commercialism spoof that he recorded, including the entire five-page script. It wasn't that interesting and only seems to be included to make the point that advertising and network people are touchy know-nothings (which he says throughout the book). He also fails to see that virtually all of his commercial work revolves around spoofing media instead of creating something new. Namely, he is derivative despite his claim to be original.

Bottom line this guy wrote a couple clever radio spots and did a couple fun TV ads. He sold a few records doing silly satire. He wasn't the greatest entertainer or most brilliant mind of his era (Steve Allen beat him to that) and few will even recall this guy. Then why did he write such a self-serving and academic book that avoids revealing anything interesting or sympathetic about him? The title is partially correct--it hurts, all right.

I grew up thinking I was his #1 fan. After meeting him, reading the book, and briefly working with him, I found that I was at best a VERY distant second to Stan Freberg in that category.

Though funny and giving me some things in hard copy I'd never had before, I found the book self-serving right up to and including the most abrupt ending that allows him to sell another book.

I read this book while walking around San Francisco right after it came out. I was disappointed by his grandiosity then and the book and personal contact left me with a bad taste in my mouth.