Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy

I recently had the opportunity to purchase and read Franklyn Ajaye's new book Comic Insights. I read it in one sitting. I've followed Franklyn's career for over 30 years so reading his book came out of genuine interest, as a quasi student of stand-up comedy and as a good friend for even longer.

When we were in high school he was the proverbial class clown who also exhibited tremendous insecurities when not "on", characteristics of which I've always believed, even if it sounds trite and cliche to be the hallmark of all great creative types and in particular what made Franklyn such an insightful, sensitive and probing comedian.

I've always believed that his cross to bear or his white albatross was the fact that he appeared on the comedy scene just after and in the same generation as Richard Pryor. To make matters worse was the great influence Pryor was to have on Franklyn.

They both came out of the same genre of comedy, the Black American "experience" and that of wonderful storytellers. Which is why I sincerely believe their celebrity profiles today would be just the reverse if Franklyn had appeared on the comedy scene first. It's just unfortunate that comparisons are always inevitable.

His book reads like a textbook that should be required reading in whatever schools that teach stand-up comedy. This book would've been his masters thesis had he gone to a graduate school for comedy. It's probably the best textbook of it's kind anywhere, if there are such things.

I thought his writing on personal experiences to be more interesting than his probing interviews with celebrities. His investigations into what he believes to be what makes a good comedian quite fascinating.

The one criticism I had of the book was his glaring omission in his interview section of a comedian of towering figure and probably one of the most important if not influential figure of our time, Robins Williams.

Franklyn explained his rationale to me this way. Since Robin Williams was so influenced by Jonathan Winters and Winters was "considered a greater comedian in his prime than Robin" and because Franklyn had access to Winters for his interviews,

Even though our careers took us in different directions geographically, Franklyn and I have always shared somewhat common political and social views, which is why I guess I've always found his humor to be to my liking.

I believe it was George Burns who was once asked what was the secret to his success and longevity. He answered. And I paraphrase. In show biz, if you live long enough everybody makes a comeback. So I say to Franklyn, come back soon we need your humorous insights now more than ever.

Bill Jones

I'm a person just starting out as a comedian, and all I can say is thank God for this book. Everything I would like to ask an established comedian is addressed here. The first section gives me the fundamentals of standup that I didn't know existed, and a way of thinking about standup comedy. And the writing style is very accessible. I get the feeling the Ajaye truly wants to share his experiences and knowledge with us and help us through the rough times we novices face.
The second part which consists of the interviews with the comedians as they talk about their methods and career travails is nothing less than inspiring. I learned that every great comedian bombed and struggled when they first started. Garry Shandling says he bombed for the first five years. Amazing that he would continue with such tenacity in the face of such failure. Roseanne's interview was a revelation. Gone was the rough talking person we've always seen, and instead a thoughtful woman with a spiritual and musical bent to her comedic inspiration emerged. Jay Leno's interview showed him to be the decent person he appears with a thoroughly humane approach to his comedy, and the interviews of Elayne Boosler, and Chris Rock showed the determination of their truth-seeking natures, while Jonathan Winters revealed a softer side not generally associated with this famously zany man. I got something out of all the interviews. I found myself highlighting passages just for what they said about life. My wife who has no interest in comedy whatsoever read just the interviews and couldn't put it down. She said she learned a lot more about the comedians as people and not just as entertainers.
The third section had managers, agents, and club owners telling what they look for in a comedian. Absolutely invaluable stuff. I carry it with me and refer to it often when preparing for my gigs. It's a Bible for aspiring comedians.

Comic Insights, by Franklyn Ajaye is a great read. The heart of the book for me, is the series of interviews with many of the top comedians working today. While I think a young comedian wanting to start in the business would find the book invaluable, general readers interested in comedy, and life, would also enjoy it. One gets a good sense about the people these comedians are in these interviews. I wish they were longer. It is clear that Ajaye knows these fellow comedians well and that knowledge made a more intimate conversation possible. There is so much insight into the practice of stand up comedy, that I experienced moments when I wanted to give it a try! Of course I know better, but one begins to fully appreciate the discipline, intelligence, and creativity that great comedians bring to their work. Not incidentally, there are some very thoughtful perspectives on life, gems of thought, offered by these gifted people, some funny and sad, poignant, witty, and wise. It was clear to me that the comedians interviewed also shared an appreciation for the comedic gifts of Ajaye, whom I have heard and seen perform, to my great delight, over the years.

This book was a disappointing waste of time and money. The author's introduction is a story of a man who was flunking out of law school. He speaks of his early failures in comedy and then says he eventually began to study comedians he liked. He writes of a very elementary analytical process he used to find what made each of his favorite comedians funny. The analysis is one anyone could easily put together and there is no need to buy this book for this insight. As the author continues, he gives advice on how to put together material. He tells us to work on timing and delivery and recommends studding your favorite comedians to best learn this aspect. All and all, there were fewer than 50 pages of the afore mentioned. After that, there are interviews with several comedians that although are interesting, do not provide much help in developing yourself as a comic. In short, if you're looking for a few short interviews with a few comics, you'll like this book. If you're looking for someone to help you learn to write your own stuff, the core of the few pages in this book is (1) Study your favorite comic (2) Tap into your own life experiences. (3) Use your "third eye" (whatever that means).....

Rather shallow and repetitive. Then again, comics are gifted humans and their art and skills come from practice, practice, practice and inherent gifts. You can't teach funny but it would be great if the author had included some who didn't say the same thing everyone else said! It is also dated.

All these books about Stand Up can not produce one good joke. Some of the techniques might come in handy when in front of an audience but laughter they will not bring. For that, one must be inspired and have a particular view of the world to attract people and share in a funny manner. Bought several books and fine and dandy to hear anecdotes and comedians in all kinds of situations but in the end, if you are really interested in pursuing Stand Up Comedy, a person must be willing to put themselves on the line. Attempt and fail, over and over, until one is recognized as a true comedian and has developed hers or his particular style of comedy. Taking an acting class might be beneficial for so many aspects of stand up comedy can be affected by theatrics. Kind of like wanting to play poker and become rich. You can read all the books you want but until you become one of the players you will not really know wether you are good enough or not. Practice makes perfect, theory does not accomplishes the same thing.

If you want to build a stand-up comedy career, this book is a must read. If you want to write comedy, this book is a must read. If you simply enjoy comedy, well . . . this book is a must read. Part One offers essential advice about understanding the fundamentals of stand-up, studying other comedians, finding your own style, writing your material, working the live performance and appearing on television. Fascinating, candid, insightful interviews with today's top comedians, who discuss at length why and how they do what they do, comprise Part Two, the bulk of the book. Interviews with:

Louie Anderson, Richard Belzer, Elayne Boosler, George Carlin, Ellen DeGeneres, Rich Jeni, Jay Leno, Richard Lewis, Bill Maher, Paul Reiser, Chris Rock, Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Sinbad, George Wallace, Jonathan Winters.

The last part of the book addresses your stand-up career through interviews with noted comedy club owners, an agent, a personal manager and a television talent coordinator. Crammed with the wisdom of today's finest stand-up comics, this book is without peer in quality, quantity and timeliness of information.