Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy

One of the best books about how and why to do stand-up comedy. No other book I've read goes this deep into the psychological and philosophical basis of comedy as does this book. Also, I think depending upon the type of comedy and the type of comedian you aim to be will affect how you react to this book. It's a lot like group therapy in many regards. Far and away the best book about how to do stand-up, also covers the nuts and bolts, the mechanics of comedy, in addition to the bigger picture of why do it at all. This book, together with "Only Joking: What's So Funny About Making People Laugh?" by Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves are the two best books I've read about comedy and humor. Start with these my comic friends and you will have a solid foundation.

I'm a stand-up comedy lover and performer. I devour books about the art (and maybe even science) behind stand up comedy. Of all the books I've purchased on the subject -- this one was truly my favorite. Jay writes simply and concisely, in an extremely enjoyable style. His analyses are dead-on. I have highlighted this book through and through. I will read and reread sections of this book before performances to remind myself of the key elements of this art form. I think that for anyone considering or starting out in stand up comedy -- if you had to pick 1 book to read and absorb -- this is the one.

This is a pretty broad, basic guide to getting started in stand up comedy. You're not going to find much Zen material in it other than a few quotes so if you're looking for that, look elsewhere. This book is an easy and quick read with some very good tips. However, the recurring theme is one of "well...so maybe that will work for you but get on stage and find out for yourself". Good advice in itself. There are no exercises, drills or any such things contained in the book.

As a magician, I got this book to help with scripting my comedy magic routines. It was a great read! This book is really not so much about writing comedy (although that topic is covered to some degree), it really is about learning how stand-up comedy works from the first few amateur nights to becoming a seasoned comedian. Sankey hit dozens of topics from set structure, handling hecklers, lighting, microphone technique, pace, timing, introductions, to understanding what it means to be the MC, featured act and headliner. Sankey clearly communicates years of comedy club experiences into a well structured book on what it takes to become a comedian.

I always wanted to be a stand-up comic, and have tried a few times but have always been a failure. So I decided to buy a few books on the subject, this is the first one I read and after reading it, a good read and very enlightening information I decided that being a comic isn't that great of a job. You see most people think that being a stand-up comic is a rebellious thing to do, when actually you've just sold your soul by pandering to the audience. Not for me, thanks for the advice - you solved my problem, comedy is a fake.

This is indeed an excellent read and FULL of great insights about nearly every aspect of Standup comedy (Writing, Performance, Delivery, The Audience, Set development, etc).The author gives you great insight into both the "Art" and "Science" of standup. You can tell that he has a wealth of experience and shares it in a fun, easy to read kind of way.I think if an aspiring Standup combines this book with Judy Carter's "The Comedy Bible" they will greatly shorten their learning curve into many aspects of Standup Comedy (of course this will have combined with actually getting up on stage a bunch of times).

This book was funny and a must read for the comedian and comedy writers.

Great book! Very helpful and thorough. It covers all the fundamentals but also offers valuable philosophical and technical thoughts about the art of standup that make it very insightful. EVERY comic should read this! I've had a lot of great discussions with my comedian friends about the points in this book, and I've re-read it many times as a refresher to make sure I'm hitting all the key points while developing my career as a standup.

I literally couldn't put the book down. This is a great book, well written and very insightful into the world of standup comedy. I think that this is a reference book that should be on the shelf of every beginning standup comic...I can't speak for the seasoned pro's because I'm not at that level yet. If you're looking to help take some of the steepness off of the learning curve in standup comedy buy this book...if you're looking for a book on how to write jokes look else where. Thanks Jay!

I bought this for my teenage son on the recommendation of a professional comedienne who said many professionals have used this to hone their art. My son finds it easy to read and has kept his attention

Awesome

Interesting book with some useful pointers.

Good