The Last Book I Read

I've been researching political comedy for a few years, and so I tend to try and read anything that comes out that might have some connection to that topic. I Killed: True Stories From the Road from America's Top Comics is a collection of brief accounts from a large number of touring stand-up comics over the past thirty years, some famous, most not (including the authors Ritch Shydner and Mark Schiff). Since my interest in the topic is largely academic, I derived some value from the book, insofar as it illustrates the lifestyle of contemporary comedians. But frankly, most of the stories are not in themselves all that interesting, and very few were even a little funny (maybe that wasn't the point, but that's definitely the way the book is being sold). The point wasn't for the contributors to share stage material so much as the tales they probably reserve for each other about bad gigs, crooked club owners, encounters with stars and liasons with waitresses and groupies. Overall, they paint a rather bleak picture of what it's like to be a working comic, subject to all kinds of abuses and exploitation, though it's evident that these folks are driven by a need to perform almost regardless of whether they attain stardom, or even much in the way of minimal career security. Something else that comes across (and you also see this in the documentary Comedian from a few years ago about Jerry Seinfeld's return to stand-up after giving up his TV show) is the commitment these individuals have to the art and craft of making people laugh, even if its just each other. Although the stories in this book are generally about the individual tellers, there is enough continuity in their themes to suggest the elements of a strong subculture, binding these comics together in a way that suggests a sense of belonging that appears necessary, even critical, to maintaining that kind of life. So, even if someone picks up this book hoping for some belly laughs, they may be rewarded with something a bit more poignant.