The Spit Take – Professional Comedy Criticism

Most casual comedy fans know Allan Sherman as the guy who wrote the summer camp parody “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.” Cohen argues for a much more robust legacy, one that puts Sherman at the forefront of opening up American society to ethnic humor.

Gaffigan may feel overwhelmed, but part of his message is that all parents feel similarly. And every once in a while, when he watches some of those other “perfect” parents, he sees them lose it and scream at their kids, and it makes him feel a little better.

Given Maron’s history of exploiting his life in his comedy, the honesty on display in Attempting Normal isn’t surprising, but the frankness is still striking.

Wanting to have kids isn’t the default position of every human being, and it’s offensive to insist to someone’s face that it is.

The bulk of the memoir serves as a first-person primer for any actor thinking of making that big move to Tinseltown, complete with accounts of dealing with uninspiring agents, overzealous acting coaches and making a mark with the smallest of roles.

A book of Martin’s creations doesn’t seem so much a sideline, as it might with other acts, as a natural extension of what he already does.

I Remember Me is an extension of My Anecdotal Life, both warm and adoring appreciations for Reiner’s funny friends and a celebration of some of the less well-known personal and professional stories.

Pollak knows he’s had it good. He’s living the life, for the most part, that he dreamed of as a kid, lip-synching to Bill Cosby records in his living room.

Boat Hack isn’t an in-depth, journalistic look at the industry. Dunn treats almost everything as if he were writing it for the stage: focus on the laughs and the sarcasm, hit the punchline and get out.

Comediennes makes a great 101 course. It’s a good launching point, but there’s more to the story.

Anyone who has followed Elliott’s career would probably be shocked if this was a standard memoir, rather than a parody of the celebrity tell-all.