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Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers
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Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers Paperback - 2014

by Mike Sacks; Introduction by Mike Sacks


Summary

A fascinating, laugh-out-loud funny look at the mysterious art of comedy, as told by legendary humorists from Amy Poehler to Mel Brooks

What makes people laugh? How do you know if a joke will “click” with the audience? And how do you get a job as a comedy writer, anyway? In Poking a Dead Frog, top humor writers like Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Talladega Nights), Michael Schur (The Office, Parks and Recreation), and Glen Charles (Cheers, Taxi)—many of whom have never before been interviewed at this length, or at all—offer insight into their influences and creative processes, their self-doubt and breakthroughs, and how they managed to succeed in the crazy business of comedy. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, from a typical day in the writers’ room at the Onion to why a sketch does or doesn’t make it onto Saturday Night Live, Poking a Dead Frog is a must-read for comedy buffs, writers, and pop culture junkies.

From the publisher

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR Amy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, George Saunders, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, and many more take us deep inside the mysterious world of comedy in this fascinating, laugh-out-loud-funny book. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories--from a day in the writers' room at The Onion to why a sketch does or doesn't make it onto Saturday Night Live to how the BBC nearly erased the entire first season of Monty Python's Flying Circus--Poking a Dead Frog is a must-read for comedy buffs, writers and pop culture junkies alike.

Details

  • Title Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers
  • Author Mike Sacks; Introduction by Mike Sacks
  • Binding Paperback
  • Pages 480
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books
  • Date 2014-06-24
  • Features Price on Product - Canadian, Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9780143123781 / 0143123785
  • Weight 0.9 lbs (0.41 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.7 x 5.47 x 1.24 in (22.10 x 13.89 x 3.15 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2014005646
  • Dewey Decimal Code 792.702

Media reviews

Citations

  • Library Journal, 07/01/2014, Page 90
  • New York Times Book Review, 06/01/2014, Page 50
  • Publishers Weekly, 06/30/2014, Page 0
  • Shelf Awareness, 06/27/2014, Page 0

About the author

Mike Sacks is the author of three previous books including And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft. Currently on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair, he has also written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, Esquire, GQ, McSweeney's, Vice, and Salon.
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