Product Description

An examination of the art of stand-up comedy, its constituent parts and how they work Considering stand-up comedy to be an art-form deserving greater attention and analysis, Getting the Joke provides an exploration of the work of the stand-up comedian. Beginning with a brief history of the art form, the book goes on to examine the key elements, such as the comedian's stage persona, their material and how this is generated, the art of performance, their relationship to and interaction with the audience, and the development of stand-up skills. The book draws on interviews with many of the leading stand-up comedians, including Jo Brand, Alexei Sayle, Ross Noble and Rhona Cameron, and contains detailed analysis of examples from both the British and American markets. Aimed at fans of stand-up and aspiring comedians alike, Getting the Joke is the first book of its kind to offer an accessible and engaging analysis of the art of stand-up comedy.By the author of Stand-Up: On Being a Comedian - 'a fantastic book for anyone who's got any interest in stand-up comedy' (Mark Lamarr)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24553 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 196 pages

About the Author
Oliver Double's previous book, Stand-Up: On Being a Comedian, was published by Methuen in 1977. Doub le started his career as a professional comedian before lecturing on and teaching drama and comedy a t the University of Kent. He is the author of many journal articles on stand-up comedy and comedians .

Customer Reviews

Interesting and insightful
This book is interesting for several reasons. Firstly it's written by an experienced stand-up / compere, and more recently the lecturer behind a university stand-up course. Whether stand-up can be taught is a curious debate, and one that Double is better placed than most to explore. That he clearly believes in the value of teaching stand-up skills makes him an excellent person to learn from, and his enthusiasm for the subject carries throughout the book.

Secondly, this is the only book I'm aware of to successfully cover the full spectrum of stand-up comedy. While most books focus on one area or another, this book covers three distinct but inter-related elements that are essential reading for anyone who's working in stand-up or interested in it as an art form. Double takes us from the foundations of stand-up, via variety and music hall, to the modern comedy scene. Then he takes us through the mechanics of stand-up, including the process of writing jokes and structuring a set. Finally, he covers the actual experience of performing stand-up. The highs and lows, and the emotional effect of standing in front of a mic trying to make people laugh.

It's pretty rare that you find all three elements covered as succinctly and effectively is they are in this book, and it's a reflection of his experience as an academic and a working comic. But it's also to a large extent a result of the way he's contructed the book based on interviews with past and current stand-up comics. He's obviously spent many long hours with comics, and the book is literally packed with quotations. And by using their words to discuss arguments, and by drawing on their real life experience, Double's put together a very effective and engaging book indeed. It's unquestionably well researched, and as a result carries great weight and value.

I'd previously read Oliver Double's 'Stand Up!: On Being A comedian', and in some ways the two books overlap. But this newer book is bigger, covers more ground, and has more depth than his previous effort. Example: Stand up! has a sizable section on British comedy. In Getting the Joke Double extends this but also puts it into a global context by also charting the rise of stand-up in the USA. So if you've already read the former, it's definitely worth getting hold of a copy of this one too.

I can't put it down
A great beginner guide to the art of stand-up comedy covering all the areas you need to know to get you on the road, from a background history of comedy, to building on persona, to methods on how to build a set, to the importance of getting the audience to like you.
With celebrity interviews, quotes and advice on how they got to where they are now you won't want to put it down.

fantastic
This book is brilliant, if you are starting out in comedy like me then I strongly reccomend this book, Oliver covers so many different areas and gives so many examples of situations and work from many many professional comedians this book is an absoloute must have for anyone looking to hone their skills in stand up or comedic performance.