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Comedy at the Edge

How Stand-up in the 1970s Changed America

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Comedy at the Edge

Written by: Richard Zoglin
Narrated by: Bob Benson
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About this listen

What Peter Biskind did for filmmaking, Richard Zoglin does for comedy in this meticulously researched and eminently readable account of stand-up comedy in the 1970s, when a small group of brilliant, iconoclastic comedians ruled the world and quite possibly changed it, too.

©2009 Richard Zoglin (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Americas Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Performing Arts

What the critics say

"Although some subjects (Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, David Letterman) were initially reluctant to be interviewed, Zoglin's conversations with numerous top talents enabled him to add fresh quotations to his extensive research through books, magazines and liner notes. Always highlighting how these comics transformed the culture, Zoglin on standup is standout." (Publishers Weekly)
"Zoglin does a good job telling the story of the rise of the comedy club, from its humble beginnings in a seedy New York dive called the Improv, to its growing influence in supplying talent for TV and film and the boom that filled American towns and cities with Seinfeld wannabes." (Weekly Standard)
"The stand-ups are the warriors of show business, and Richard Zoglin has brilliantly captured their funny and often desperate world." (Charles Grodin)
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Most Relevant
I came into this expecting an examination of the 70’s stand-up comedy scene. Instead I got a book that focused more attention on Robert Klein and Albert Brooks. Both extremely funny people, but not standups. They get more attention than Garry Shandling, Richard Lewis and David Brenner combined (arguably 3 of the most prominent and influential 70s standups). Larry Clarke and the entire Boston comedy scene gets less than a page and Stephen Wright is only mentioned in passing. While mostly focusing more on the wrong people, the coverage is passable, but it’s blatantly obvious that the author is a huge fanboy for certain comedians and it shows. This was less reporting on 79s standup and more reporting on what comedy the author likes. I wish Audible gave refunds. Multiple pronunciation errors to boot.

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