Bay Area Stand-Up Comedy: A Humorous History

Bay Area Stand-Up Comedy: A Humorous History PDF

Author: Nina G and OJ Patterson

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2022-02

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1467149888

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Comedians of the San Francisco Bay Area changed comedy forever. From visiting acts like Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg to local favorites who still maintain their following and legacy, the Bay Area has long been a place for comedians to develop their voice and hone their stand-up skills. Popular spots included Cobb's, the Purple Onion, Brainwash, and the holy grail of San Francisco comedy during the 1980s boom, the Holy City Zoo. For over seventy years, these iconic venues and others fostered talent like Ali Wong, Moshe Kasher and the Smothers Brothers, introducing them to local crowds and the world beyond. Join comedians Nina G and OJ Patterson on a hilarious and thoughtful tour through the history of Bay Area comedy.

Stutterer Interrupted

Stutterer Interrupted PDF

Author: Nina G.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2019-08-06

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 163152643X

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Nina G bills herself as “The San Francisco Bay Area’s Only Female Stuttering Comedian.” On stage, she encounters the occasional heckler, but off stage she is often confronted with people’s comments toward her stuttering; listeners completing her sentences, inquiring, “Did you forget your name?” and giving unwanted advice like “slow down and breathe” are common. (As if she never thought about slowing down and breathing in her over thirty years of stuttering!) When Nina started comedy nearly ten years ago, she was the only woman in the world of stand-up who stuttered—not a surprise, since men outnumber women four to one amongst those who stutter and comedy is a male-dominated profession. Nina’s brand of comedy reflects the experience of many people with disabilities in that the problem with disability isn’t in the person with it but in a society that isn’t always accessible or inclusive.

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem PDF

Author: Kliph Nesteroff

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-02-15

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1982103051

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"From renowned comedy journalist and historian Kliph Nesteroff comes the underappreciated story of Native Americans and comedy"--

The Comedians

The Comedians PDF

Author: Kliph Nesteroff

Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic

Published: 2015-11-03

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 0802190863

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“Funny [and] fascinating . . . If you’re a comedy nerd you’ll love this book.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and Splitsider Based on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, this groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years. Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, the book introduces the first stand-up comedian—an emcee who abandoned physical shtick for straight jokes. After the repeal of Prohibition, Mafia-run supper clubs replaced speakeasies, and mobsters replaced vaudeville impresarios as the comedian’s primary employer. In the 1950s, the late-night talk show brought stand-up to a wide public, while Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and Jonathan Winters attacked conformity and staged a comedy rebellion in coffeehouses. From comedy’s part in the civil rights movement and the social upheaval of the late 1960s, to the first comedy clubs of the 1970s and the cocaine-fueled comedy boom of the 1980s, The Comedians culminates with a new era of media-driven celebrity in the twenty-first century. “Entertaining and carefully documented . . . jaw-dropping anecdotes . . . This book is a real treat.” —Merrill Markoe, TheWall Street Journal

Of Bears and Weight Loss

Of Bears and Weight Loss PDF

Author: Brian King

Publisher: Apollo Publishers

Published: 2023-05-09

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1954641230

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Psychologist, stand-up comedian, and best-selling author Dr. Brian King reveals the techniques he used to lose one hundred pounds, and provides guidance and humor to make your weight loss journey a healthy, sustainable, and even enjoyable one. Dr. Brian King studied neuroscience and psychology before touring the world as a stand-up comedian and public speaker. Yet despite giving life guidance to others, he was carrying an extra one hundred pounds, taking up too much space in airplane seats and keeping the opposite sex at bay. When Dr. Brian committed to change, he embraced his understanding of human behavior and mindsets to reframe his approach to a healthy lifestyle. Now having lost most of the weight, he uses his signature combination of humor and neuroscience to delve deep into mindfulness, stress, habits, willpower, diet, exercise, and much more to guide readers in losing weight and keeping it off. This highly anticipated follow-up to Dr. Brian’s renowned stress management guide, The Art of Taking It Easy, is equally destined to help readers worldwide live better, longer, more active lives—and make your skinny jeans your everyday ones. Dr. Brian's unique, encouraging guidance brims with colorful anecdotes, personal stories, and scientific evidence, and is complemented by wisdom from a wealth of other experts—in various health fields as well as comedy—who have also triumphed in their weight loss journeys. Whether you are looking to shed those final five, the COVID fifteen, or the weight of another adult, Of Bears and Weight Loss offers life-changing tips and instructions that will have you embracing change with humor and the power to finally see your goals through to completion. Inside you’ll find: - A comprehensive guide to developing the right mindset. - An understanding of how factors such as poor sleep or impulse control could be sabotaging your goals. - Guidance on how to know what diet and exercise program is right for you. - The motivation to change and instructions on how to sustain a healthy lifestyle. - Revelations on why diets fail and how to embrace sustainable change without going hungry or spending all night in the gym. - Support for balancing weight loss goals with busy lifestyles, work, parenting, and social commitments. - A wealth of humor, deep belly laughs, and scientifically-sound, evidence-based know-how.

The Improv

The Improv PDF

Author: Budd Friedman

Publisher: BenBella Books

Published: 2017-09-19

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 1942952449

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Featured in the New York Times 2017 "Holiday Gift Guide for Hardcover Fans" Get an insider's oral history of the World's most iconic comedy club, featuring exclusive interviews with today's most hilarious stars recalling their time on stage (and off) at the Improv. In 1963, 30-year-old Budd Friedman—who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to New York to become a theatrical producer—opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. Later shortened to the Improv, its first seedy West 44th Street location initially attracted the likes of Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Albert Finney, and Jason Robards, as well as a couple of then-unknowns named Dustin Hoffman and Bette Midler. While it drew near-capacity crowds almost from day one, it wasn't until comedians began dropping by to try out new material that the Improv truly hit its stride. The club became the first venue to present live stand-up in a continuous format, and in the process reinvented the art form and created the template for all other comedy clubs that followed. From the microphone to the iconic brick wall, the Improv has been the launching pad for practically every major name in American comedy over the last five-plus decades. Now, in The Improv, Friedman, along with a Who's Who of his most famous alumni—including Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jimmy Fallon, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Lily Tomlin, Judd Apatow, Al Franken, Paul Reiser, Howie Mandel, Bob Saget, Drew Carey, and many more—tell it like it was in the first-ever oral history of how this game-changing comedy club came to be. The Improv gives readers an exclusive look at what really happened onstage and off-mic at one of America's most venerable institutions.

The History of Stand-Up

The History of Stand-Up PDF

Author: Wayne Federman

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2021-03-11

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13:

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Today's top stand-up comedians sell out arenas, generate millions of dollars, tour the world, and help shape our social discourse. So, how did this all happen? The History of Stand-Up chronicles the evolution of this American art form - from its earliest pre-vaudeville practitioners like Artemus Ward and Mark Twain to present-day comedians of HBO and Netflix. Drawing on his acclaimed History of Stand-up podcast and popular university lectures, veteran comedian and adjunct USC professor Wayne Federman guides us on this fascinating journey. The story has a connective tissue - humans standing on stage, alone, trying to get laughs. That experience connects all stand-ups through time, whether it's at the Palace, the Copacabana, the Apollo, Mister Kelly's, the hungry i, Grossinger's, the Comedy Cellar, the Improv, the Comedy Store, Madison Square Garden, UCB, or at an open mic in a backyard.

The Dance of the Comedians

The Dance of the Comedians PDF

Author: Peter M. Robinson

Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781558497337

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A lively account of the comedy of politics and the politics of comedy from Artemus Ward to The Daily Show

How to Be Funny

How to Be Funny PDF

Author: Darryl Littleton

Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub

Published: 2014-02-06

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 9781495438653

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Ever wonder why funny people win? Funny guys get the girl. Funny teachers get the awards from students. Voters like politicians that can make them laugh. People who can bring a smile to our faces fare better in life than those who do not. We gravitate to these personalities because they make us feel good even when they're delivering bad news. Some say it's a gift, but is it?True, there are people who are born funny. Whatever they say seems to always get a laugh. However, that doesn't mean they know how to hone this ability. They're natural born comedians, but that isn't any guarantee that they're going to go into the field of comedy. That requires more than just being funny. Professional comedians have to have resilience, perseverance, massive egos, unmitigated gall and the unquenchable desire to show off their gift. The fact they are funny is merely incidental, but it's also a pre-requisite for the job. The question is how really funny do you have to be to be funny enough to reap the rewards of a developed sense of humor? All walks of life can benefit from getting laughs. • Sales People• Lawyers• Politicians• MCs• Telemarketers• Bail Bondsmen• Beauticians• Dentists• Office Managers• Authors / Speakers• Newscasters• Columnists• Bloggers• Clergymen• Motivational Speakers• Tattoo Artists• And of course comediansThe number one fear of most people is speaking in front of an audience. It's right up there above death. That's because people fear rejection. Funny people don't share this fear. Funny people have something to say and so why would you reject them? Funny people are more afraid of dying than talking. This handbook will teach anybody the tools to be funny. If you're a comedian the contents are indispensable. You'll not only refine an act you can take anywhere, but learn the techniques to make adjustments when needed and maximize the tools in your arsenal to brand yourself as a multi-talented performer able to work in a multitude of situations. You'll also learn the invaluable lessons of once you've attained your success, how to maintain your success.If you're amongst the multitude of other non-comedic professions this book is your secret weapon. Your sales will increase. Your congregation will be more attentive. Your employees will be more motivated and nobody will quite know why they like you more. You'll be using the same techniques and mindset of professional laugh creators and finding how much easier your endeavors will become. You can even use the methods in your personal life. Want to nip an impending argument in the bud? Say something funny. Need to talk your way out of a traffic ticket? Make the cop snicker. Going to the DMV? Well, not even a joke can eradicate you from that hell, but you get the drift. Making others happier than before you showed up is the key to navigating through life with greater success. Not only will you get immediate perks; laughing gives the priceless gift of better health. Ever notice that most comedians live to be a ripe old age if they don't take themselves out? You'll look better, feel better and view the world through renewed eyes. Problems that plague the average person mean nothing to funny people because they know how to talk their way out of it. They'll get the right person to laugh. I've been a professional comedian in a career that currently spans over four decades. Throughout my career I've worked as a stand up, comedy actor, producer of comedy, voice-over artist, author of comedy books, promoter of comedy shows, writer for over 100 comedians, interviewer for comedy documentaries, columnist for comedy magazines and I sit on the advisory board of the Comedy Hall of Fame as a comedy historian. I've helped others feed their families and attain comfortable lifestyles through the art of laughter and I'm certain these pages will assist you.