Tag: stand-up comedy

Nailing It: Tales from the Comedy Frontier, by Rich Hall (Quercus, 2022)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

A collection of true stories, charting aspects of Rich Hall’s career in comedy. Chronological though episodic, this perhaps widely avoids a straight narrative recounting of early years, breakthrough, and success, preferring to focus on the good bits: the Australian funeral is an especial highlight. Fans will love it, and will want more. That’s probably the right way to approach this kind of thing. Recommended.

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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

No Encore For The Donkey, by Doug Stanhope (no publisher indicated, 2022)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

Developed from an Audible Original spoken word piece, a diary of sorts of 2016, focusing on Stanhope’s road life and his relationship with partner Amy “Bingo” Bingaman. Planet Stanhope is an interesting place to visit, and this is funny and bleak at the same time, but the journey’s a rough ride nevertheless. Opinions may vary about the extent to which self-loathing sometimes on display here is well-earned and/or entirely justified by behaviour and selfishness.

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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Strawberries To Pigs, by Michael Legge (Go Faster Stripe, 2021)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

A collection of writings from the splenetic stand-up. And a pretty decent selection too. Mostly rejigged bits of bloggery, plus an extended short story (that feels a bit like padding in this context, to be fair). Plenty of fury, as fans might expect, and some strong writing to go along with that. A second volume would be something to look forward to.

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My own books here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, by Patton Oswalt (Scribner, 2011)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

An episodic and non-linear autobiography, with other writings. Inevitably patchy (the non-autobiographical material is weaker, though it’s fun to re-read the Neill Cumpston movie reviews again) but nevertheless engaging stories from childhood, adolescence, and of various bad times on the comedy circuit. For fans only, maybe, but that’s a broad outsider church.

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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Sliver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life From An Addiction to Film, by Patton Oswalt (Scribner, 2015)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

An autobiography, focusing on the 90s, on becoming established as a stand-up, and on an obsession with revival theatres. Perhaps not quite as much about old movies and moviegoing as the title suggests, this is nevertheless an entertaining and lucid book, giving some insight into borderline-obsessive behaviours of all kinds. Plus, it’s a love letter to LA’s New Beverly cinema.

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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.

Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life, by Steve Martin (Pocket Books, 2008)

~ Eamonn ~ Leave a comment

An autobiography of comedian Steve Martin, charting his early life and stand-up career. Excellent, clear-sighted, and well-written: whether you like Martin or not, there’s a lot here on creativity, persistence, and on being able to walk away, while also dealing with family relationships with honesty and perception. Recommended.

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My own books are here, if that’s your thing. Newest is noir thriller East of England.