Comedy Performance

This ultimate biography of National Lampoon and its cofounder Doug Kenney offers the first complete history of the immensely popular magazine and its brilliant and eccentric characters. Relying on wonderful stories about the comedy scene in New York City in the 1970s and National Lampoon's place at the center of it, author Josh Karp chronicles how the magazine spawned a popular radio show and two long-running theatrical productions that helped launch the careers of John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Gilda Radner.

Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman—indeed, a parade of them—to break and remake the mold. In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot

The place: New York. The time: the early 1980s. The scene: the red-hot comedy clubs, very late at night. The cast: five would-be stand-up comics, their egos, and their girls. The result: a downright hilarious novel about trying to be funny for fame, fortune, and fornication. This is Bill Maher's report from the front, a stageside table at the birth of the comedy boom. You'll laugh in all the right places.

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it.

Want to be funnier? This is the joke book for you! It is overflowing with witty wisecracks and handy hints to make you a more amusing jokester!

The Distinguished Minecraft Humor Compendium is a collection of the 42 silliest and funniest gruesome and entertaining jokes you will find anywhere in the Minecraft universe. Whether you are in the classroom sharing with your friends or just want to see a loved one enjoy some good laughs, this concise collection of Minecraft jokes, mined from the outskirts of the universe, is the perfect companion to the game.

For this live standup special, Brian Regan shakes things up by bringing his signature high energy social commentary to Radio City Music Hall where he discusses aging, coolness, and confusing social situations.

In Seven Dirty Words, journalist and cultural critic James Sullivan tells the story of Alternative America from the 1950s to the present, from the singular vantage point of George Carlin, the Catholic boy for whom nothing was sacred.

We all know Drew Carey from his award-winning stand-up career, and his hit television show, but do we really know Drew Carey, the person? In his first book, the bawdy and irreverent Dirty Jokes and Beer, find out about all the many sides to this misunderstood Hollywood star.

Some advice suits certain people more than others. Some advice is...redundant waffle. And Nat's What I Reckon refuses to let it slide! Ya see, Nat's got a loud mouth and a taste for taking the piss out of stuff—it's how he lives, laughs and loves. Now, his target's the tired old life advice he's had enough of: Man up. Good vibes only. No pain no gain. Carpe diem. What a punish! Buckle up for Nat's unrequested take on pushing back against expectations and rolling through life with some laughs and kindness like a real, righteous ratbag!

Have you ever clogged a toilet in a national forest? That could get you six months in federal prison. Written a letter to a pirate? You might be looking at three years in the slammer. Leaving the country with too many nickels, drinking a beer on a bicycle in a national park, or importing a pregnant polar bear are all very real crimes, and this riotously funny and ridiculously entertaining book shows how just about anyone can become - or may already be - a federal criminal.

In a year when South Korea announced that its new robotics museum will be built by robots, and French cheese terrorists put a camembert through every French MPs letterbox, The Book of the Year returns with another dose of barely believable yet bona fide facts and stories from the past 12 months. Each week for the past five years, Dan, James, Anna and Andy - the creators of the award-winning, chart-topping comedy podcast No Such Thing as a Fish - have wowed each other and millions of listeners with the most astonishing trivia they have learned over the previous seven days.

Knowledge is power! Crush the competition at trivia night or start the most interesting conversation ever with real facts that are hard to believe. This book is loaded with mind-blowing facts that are sure to keep you wondering, "How are these even true?" while equipping you to outsmart everyone in the room.

If you're a man of a certain age you'll know there comes a point in life when getting a sports car and over-analysing your contribution to society sounds like a really good idea. With a good job in sales and marketing and a nice house in Manchester that he shared with his wife and kids, John Bishop was no different when he turned the dreaded 4-0. But instead of spanking a load of cash on a car that would have made him look like a senior stylist at Vidal Sassoon, he stumbled onto a pathway that ultimately lead him to become one of the nation's best loved comedians.

Whether you’re looking for tips on how to make your friends laugh or trying to become a paid comedian, How To Be Funny has something for everyone. This book is packed with funny anecdotes and expert advice to help you take your sense of humor from okay to outstanding!

Kevin Pollak rose through the comedy club ranks at the feet of Don Rickles and Bill Cosby, Johnny Carson, and George Carlin. Named one of Comedy Central’s Top 100 Stand-Up Comedians of All Time, he’s a killer impressionist — Falk, Shatner, Walken, Nicholson — a versatile actor with one of the most respected filmographies around, and an Internet pioneer. He’s done it all, and now he’s ready to spill the beans.

We created this audiobook with the goal of providing a set of very simple and clear instructions on how to write and create standup comedy material, where to seek out performance opportunities, and how to perform your standup comedy material on stage for a live comedy audience.

The world of comedy and comedians of the last five decades. By the man the New York Times calls "a comic institution himself", the only comedian (26 years in stand-up) to have made Elie Wiesel laugh, as well as having appeared on The Tonight Show (140 times, second only to Bob Hope, but who's counting). From the director of TV comedy series Mad About You, Seinfeld, Friends, Weeds, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

488 Rules for Life is not a self-help book, because it's not you who needs help, it's other people. Whether they're walking and texting, asphyxiating you on public transport with their noxious perfume cloud, or leaving one useless square of toilet paper on the roll, a lot of people just don't know the rules.

"According to Bob Newhart" offers a captivating glimpse into the comedic genius and profound insights of one of America's most beloved comedians. With his trademark deadpan delivery and keen observational humor, Bob Newhart invites audiences into his world, weaving together a tapestry of wit, wisdom, and laughter.