The Funny Man [Hardcover]

John Warner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2011

The funny man is a middling comic in an unnamed city. By day he takes care of his infant son, by night he performs in small clubs, sandwiched between other aspiring comics. His wife waits tables to support the family. It doesn’t sound like much, but they’re happy, more or less. Until the day he comes up with it. His thing. His gimmick. And everything changes. He’s a headliner, and the venues get bigger fast. Pretty soon it’s Hollywood and a starring role in a blockbuster, all thanks to the gimmick.
 
Which is: He performs with his fist in his mouth to the wrist. Jokes, impressions, commercials—all with his fist in his mouth to the wrist. The people want him—are crazy for him—but only with his fist in his mouth.
 
And the funny man, he is tired of having his fist in his mouth.
 
Thus, as the novel begins, his career’s in tatters, his family’s left him, and he’s on trial for shooting an unarmed man six times. But for the second time in his life, against all odds, he’s found love. This time with another celebrity, who may or may not be sending him coded messages, and may or may not be equally in love—or even know he exists. A coruscating satire of our culture of celebrity, this debut novel documents one individual’s slide from everyman to monster, even as it reveals the potential for grace—and mercy—in his life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“John Warner is an uncommonly funny and gifted writer who has managed to make the business of comedy actually funny, as opposed to the awful self-negating mess that it actually is (I may only be speaking from personal experience on this last point.) This book will make you laugh and think and laugh some more.”—Michael Ian Black

“John Warner's The Funny Man is a funny novel about a funny man who sticks his whole hand in his mouth in a funny way. But it's much more than that—a wise, rueful, surprisingly tender book about what happens when we get what we want, and then what happens when we keep on wanting things. A very American novel, in other words, a novel that reminds me of Walker Percy's and Saul Bellow's very American novels. I can think of no higher praise for a novel, and The Funny Man deserves it.”—Brock Clarke, author of Exley and An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England

"I'm not at all surprised that John Warner would invent the perfect Everyman for our age: a comic whose meteoric rise to fame is based on a stupid gimmick. Half first-person tell-all, half third-person takedown—a brilliant structure—The Funny Man is a whip-smart satire of celebrity culture. It is hysterical, and sad, and ultimately indicts us all. An excellent novel."—Jessica Francis Kane, author of The Report

“What people will do for fame never looked so bad, or conceivable. John Warner tips celebrity culture a few degrees toward the absurd, and out falls a human, dying from a joke. The Funny Man shows us what blooms in the shadows of the paparazzi’s flashbulbs—nothing pretty, but true and damn amusing.”—Rosecrans Baldwin, author of You Lost Me There

“An illuminating satire…a sharply focused lampoon of the escalating absurdity of the newest virulent strains of celebrity culture—as the story’s funny man straddles a deeply conflicted persona reminding us that comedy is after all, no joke.”—The Daily Beast

“Darkly funny.... [Warner] peppers his book with clever asides that themselves could serve as stand-up bits.... But these serve more as comic relief to the book’s provocative theme of being careful what you wish for.... The last third of the book is ambiguous, but serves as a meditation on therapy, the afterlife, and connecting with a kindred spirit. It works because like the rest of the novel, it’s the biting social commentary that Warner is going for, not wrapping things up in a bow.”—Splitsider

"America's favorite comedian is on trial for manslaughter, and 'the funny man''s lawyer, Barry, has a unique defense: not guilty by way of celebrity.... [An] equally sickening and humorous portrait of the celebrity as a delusional man."—Publisher's Weekly

“In his first novel, Warner skewers the culture of celebrity.... Not guilty by reason of celebrity (hey, it worked for Rob Lowe and Charlie Sheen). The funny man’s fall is precipitous, yet in the midst of it, he manages to find love again with (who else?) another celebrity ... a clever premise.”—Booklist

“The Funny Man joins a short list of intelligent, dark comedies about self-loathing main characters whose success is built on the poor taste and/or low IQ of the American public. In so doing, Mr. Warner follows the path of authors like Chris Buckley and Randall Silvis, but he is darker than the former and funnier than the latter. Regardless of the company he keeps, The Funny Man puts John Warner among the most perceptive and edgy chroniclers of an increasingly coarse American culture.”—New York Journal of Books

About the Author

John Warner is the author of the definitive guide of fake writing advice, Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice from a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant, and My First Presidentiary: A Scrapbook of George W. Bush (with Kevin Guilfoile), a number one Washington Post bestseller. He is editor at large for McSweeney's Internet Tendency and Co-color commentator for The Morning News Tournament of Books. He has taught literature and writing at the University of Illinois, Virginia Tech, and Clemson University.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (September 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9781569479735
• ISBN-13: 978-1569479735
• ASIN: 1569479739
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,562,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Warner is an author of humor, fiction, and non-fiction, a longtime editor of McSweeney's Internet Tendency and a teacher, currently at College of Charleston. His writing advice parody, Fondling Your Muse: Infallible Advice from a Published Author to the Writerly Aspirant was a BookSense pick and My First Presidentiary: A Scrapbook of George W. Bush (co-authored with Kevin Guilfoile) was a number one Washington Post bestseller. He is a co-color commentator for the Tournament of Books and an occasional one man book recommending service known as The Biblioracle.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Scathing (And Oftentimes Hilarious) Hollywood Satire That Takes An Unexpected Metaphysical Turn August 22, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

As I love almost any darkly satirical take on the topic of show business, John Warner's "The Funny Man" held an instant allure even before I opened the cover. A wicked contemplation of celebrity culture in the modern age, the book fulfilled every major expectation. Set up in alternating chapters, the novel details a contemporary murder trial and the rise (and subsequent fall) of a notoriously famous comedian. A fictional memoir, of sorts, the book is oftentimes laugh-out-loud funny but also contains moments that are horrifically disturbing. Maybe certain aspects of the narrative are unsettling because they are simultaneously outlandish and also strangely believable. It's a fine line to walk, and Warner does it with great style. The story, however, pushes into a conclusion of metaphysical contemplation that was a little less successful for my taste. But still, anyone looking for an astute send-up of the entertainment world should find much to appreciate in "The Funny Man."

In the earliest moments of Warner's tome, you know that he is establishing an unrepentant anti-hero. The Funny Man (as he is always referred to) is not an evil man, but exists in the world of social awkwardness and complete self-involvement. Hey, but that seems perfect to compete in the narcissistic Hollywood milieu of fame and fortune. In an inspired bit of plotting, the central comedian has achieved enormous success for one particular stunt--he thrusts his entire hand in his mouth and does incomprehensible impressions. Wildly successful, and somewhat self-loathing, the Funny Man makes the most of this stunt comedy while despising what it has reduced his creative output to. Early chapters detailing the rise of the Funny Man and his family life are spot-on. The section where he makes a movie is perhaps the funniest thing I've read this year. Even the criminal trial is filled with pointed and lacerating wit.

And yet, despite loving most of the novel, I'm still a bit ambivalent about its conclusion. Don't misinterpret--this is an easy recommendation for those intrigued by the topic--but the ending narrative shift is a bit jarring. It's all very interesting, and I understand Warner's desire to add a bit of introspection to the comedy. But it just doesn't sit as comfortably as I would have liked with the rest of the novel. Developed on its own, I think it would have been a fascinating idea. And yet, for me, it derails much of the scathing wit that has defined "The Funny Man" as one of the year's must read books. As a first novel, though, Warner has still scored a major success and I look forward to what else he has up his sleeve. KGHarris, 8/11.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What happens when it all starts to go a little crazy January 10, 2012

By JoLynn

Format:Hardcover

A well-written satire on becoming famous and what happens afterwards. The main character goes from struggling comic and devoted husband and dad to self-centered superstar - and then beyond. The book is spot on and snarky about the path upwards to fame, but becomes even more interesting after it all starts to inevitably fall apart. If you like some sarcasm and social commentary with your humor, you should enjoy this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars if one likes scathing show biz satires.... June 14, 2012

By carol irvin TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

if one likes scathing show biz satires, then you will probably like this book. if you don't like them, this isn't going to change your mind. this stand up comic is very successful but he is also considered untalented. thi
s is because his major routine is to stick his hand entirely into his mouth. his whole career has been built on this, rather like edgar bergen with his dummy and harpo marx never speaking....but less talented!

when we open, he is on trial for manslaughter. we go back and forth from the trial to how his act began and led him to his present day notoriety. although he was happily married when he started out as a comic, his success ended up ruining his domestic life and he is now divorced.

this is for the most part a scathing show biz satire but takes an odd metaphysical turn as we reach the end. i would just ignore that and concentrate on the scathing part which is a lot more successful and fun.