Product Description

Fancy yourself as a comic but unsure where to start? This new guide to the art of stand-up comedy gives all the tools necessary for a great and enjoyable performance. It covers the history of humour and what makes us laugh, helps readers find their own creative streak and their funny side, builds the confidence to deliver, and offers plenty of practical advice on stagecraft, from dealing with hecklers to coping with props. It offers a full guide to the business side of your hobby, from finding gigs to securing an agent, with plenty of valuable hints, tips and advice. Authored by a comic with over 20 years' touring and performing experience, and with top tips from some of the most well known people in the business, it is guaranteed to bring a smile to both your face and that of your future audience. (20071108)

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4076 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review

"The author's love for his job shines through...it has inspired me to pencil a date in my diary for my own return to stand-up after a ten-year hiatus."

(www.channel4.com/4laughs )

"With advice from several comics and tips on how the business end of comedy works, anyone who reads it will feel empowered, full of confidence that they can take to the stage."

(www.chortle.co.uk )

"Stand-up is such a visual and oral medium, how could you possibly gain anything other than very basic advice from a self-help book?
Logan Murray has succeeded. The highly experienced stand-up and
comedy course tutor, has written a very useful guide to starting out as
a Stand-up comedian." (LaughRiot.co.uk )

About the Author
Logan Murray has been in the comedy industry for over 20 years. He is an accomplished stand-up comedian (performing both as himself and as his alter-ego 'Ronnie Rigsby' at every major comedy club and festival in Great Britain), television and radio writer, comedian and actor, as well as stage-director, author and tutor.

Logan has been teaching comedy courses since 2000, and has taught over 800 people how to be funny. Many have gone on to become award-winning comedians. He runs public stand-up courses as well as comedy writing and performance courses, together with tailored corporate comedy workshops, and is in high demand as an individual comedy writing and performance tutor.

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Customer Reviews

The best book I've ever read on stand-up
I own at least 8 books on stand-up comedy, and I only bought this one because I just arrived in London and considered doing Logan Murray's course.

Well, after only reading some random parts of the book I knew that this is by far the best and most helpful book on stand-up comedy I have ever read. It covers lots of areas other established books don't even touch; there is golden advice on every page, and unlike with many of the other books you know after reading only a few lines that here is somebody who has actually done stand-up successfully instead of just writing about it.
For anybody who thinks about trying their hand at stand-up: buy this book!

Having said that, I don't want to slag all off the other books, but too many of them tell you too many things you already know or that are simply about 20 years out of date. If you would like to complement this book with others, I'd recommend Jay Sankey's "Zen and the art of stand-up comedy" for a very interesting look at the performance side of stand-up, and Greg Dean's "Step by Step to Stand-up Comedy" mainly for its interesting and helpful approach to the dreadfully tricky topic of rehearsing for stand-up comedy. And since Greg Dean covers the important (though in some ways dated) set-up/punchline stuff (that everybody who's ever told a joke probably knows, to be honest) you probably don't need any of the others, either.

But for me, Logan Murray's book is absolute top dog among these three and I will definitely do his course even though I've been on stage before.

Ah yeah, none of the books will of course save you from actually going on stage over and over and over again and dying on your arse every now and then.

I want my money back...
I did Logan's comedy course and died on stage... That I died on stage is no surprise but that I managed to get the bottle to do it at all is a testament to his great teaching skills. This book gets the message across well but there's nowt like giving it a go - highly recommend the Amused Moose courses...

Essential
As well as being a stand up himself Logan Murray has been running the Amused Moose beginners comedy course in London for some while. So walking newbies carefully through the minefield of comedy without the loss of comedy limbs is his speciality. I would thoroughly recommend the book for anyone toying with the idea of giving stand up a go or for beginners on the circuit looking to polish up their act.