The Comedians
Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy
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The Comedians
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Narrated by:
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Kliph Nesteroff
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Written by:
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Kliph Nesteroff
About this listen
In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes, and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over 200 original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past 100 years.
Starting with the vaudeville circuit at the turn of the last century, Nesteroff 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 21st century.
©2015 Kliph Nesteroff. Some of the material herein is based on Kliph Nesteroff's work with WFMU's Beware of the Blog and Classic Television Showbiz. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2017 Audible, Inc.What listeners say about The Comedians
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ron
- 2019-04-17
History of comedians
Really enjoyed it after hearing about the book on Gilbert Gottfried's podcast. If you like true hollywood stories then listen to this book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine Hackman
- 2020-03-13
Excellent research, annoying impressions
I enjoyed reading the paperback version of this book so much I decided to get the audiobook. Unfortunately, the author chooses to read most direct quotes in his normal voice, but destroys others with his bad impersonations (his Albert Brooks and Mel Brooks are particularly heavy-handed and distracting.) If you can endure (or fast forward) those bit, the book itself is an excellent and informative history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Adam S
- 2021-11-26
Great Book
I heard Marc Maron mention this book when Kliph was on his show last week so I thought I'd give it a listen.
Kliph does an amazing job of taking the past 100+ years of modern comedy and finding ways to fit it all into very compressed and chronological stories. Each chapter is it's own story in itself. Obviously he doesn't cover every single aspect of comedy but he does a solid job of covering the main points within each chapter. Kind of reminds me of the big SNL book that covers 40+ years of history.
The impressions add to the storytelling. I don't think Kliph specializes in impressions but I give him credit for reading quotes of Rodney Dangerfield and Albert Brooks and I think Rita Rudner at one point, lol.
A must read/listen for any comedy nerd or anyone interested in the history of American entertainment.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Chip
- 2024-01-06
More information than you thought you needed.
This was an amazing anthology of the history of the craft. Highly recommended to anyone who really wants to know where it came from and helped it along.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Paul Hunter
- 2019-03-10
Tough Go
I gave this a go based on a recommendation from a podcast (Bill Burr). The narrator does impressions for some people he is referring to, but not everyone. I found this to be annoying. The book was really just a long list of events.
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