# Biographies of Comedians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [September 12, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542 "2021-09-12T12:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/1 "2021-09-12T12:28:12Z")
Even better - autobiographies… I’m halfway reading John Barbour’s “Your Mother’s Not a Virgin!: The Bumpy Life and Times of the Canadian Dropout who changed the Face of American TV!” and it’s really good. Of course, Mort Sahl’s “Heartland”… I have and think I liked Lenny Bruce’s (even though I’m not a fan of his) autobiography, “How To Be Dirty And Influence People” I love comparing them in my head, to see what they include and what they omit from this new style of comedy that boomed in the 1950/60s… If you have any recommendations from that time, whether you liked them or not, I’d be interested. Too bad Bill Hicks or George Carlin never wrote one. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/2 "2021-09-12T12:46:08Z")
IIRC, “Overweight Sensation,” about Allen Sherman, is not bad. Big surprise: evidently he was not a very happy guy. ---
**Author:** ![Roger\_That](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roger_that/32/8505_2.png) [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/3 "2021-09-12T13:27:44Z")
steve martin’s “born standing up” is fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/4 "2021-09-12T15:01:08Z")
Seconded. They’re not biographies of specific comedians, but _The Comedians_ by Kliph Nesteroff and _I’m Dying Up Here_ by William Knoedelseder are well worth reading for anyone interested in comedy and comedians. > **[The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy:...](https://www.amazon.com/Comedians-Thieves-Scoundrels-History-American/dp/0802125689)** > > The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy \[Nesteroff, Kliph\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy > **[I'm Dying Up Here: Knoedelseder, William: 9781610398664: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Im-Dying-Up-Here-Heartbreak/dp/1610398661)** > > I'm Dying Up Here \[Knoedelseder, William\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. I'm Dying Up Here ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/5 "2021-09-12T17:48:45Z")
> [@Roger\_That](#): > > steve martin’s “born standing up” is fabulous. Like many, I was an avid fan of Steve Martin, so I expected to love this memoir. I found this to be not a bad book but a strangely incomplete one. Simply put, he has withheld all his emotion. He factually reports what his youth and early career was like, but he never describes what he was feeling at the time. Likewise, though there’s obviously a highly intelligent and analytical mind behind his comedy, it feels like he’s simplified his writing for the reader and self-censored anything that smacks of intellectualism. Maybe that kind of remoteness is just an inescapable part of his personality, but these seemed like conspicuous omissions. Concerning the OP’s request for recommendations of books on Fifties/Sixties comedians, I wonder if John Cleese would qualify. His autobiography is highly entertaining and well worth reading (though the humor is more wry than Python-style absurdist). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/6 "2021-09-12T19:02:10Z")
It’s been a while since I mentioned my humor collection. I think it was eight bookcases the first time I alluded to it and now it’s around fifteen plus closet storage. Essentially I have every important book by or about every major comic figure of the 20th century and some newer. So autobiographies are my meat. The ones here I remember as better than average. But even limiting the list to 20, I tried to show the range of the field. Fred Allen, _Treadmill to Oblivion_ Milton Berle, _An Autobiography_ Mel Blanc, _That’s Not All Folks!_ Russell Brand, _My Booky Wook_ Carol Burnett, _One More Time_ George Burns, _Gracie: A Love Story_ Sid Caesar, _Where Have I Been?_ Dick Cavett, _Cavett_ Charles Chaplin, _My Autobiography_ Tommy Chong, _Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography_ Rodney Dangerfield, _It’s Not Easy Being Me_ Tina Fey, _Bossypants_ Craig Ferguson, _American on Purpose_ Stan Freberg, _It Only Hurts When I Laugh_ Groucho Marx, _Groucho and Me_ Harpo Marx, _Harpo Speaks_ Trevor Noah, _Born a Crime_ Joan Rivers, _Enter Laughing_ Chris Rock, _Rock This_ Sarah Silverman, _The Bedwetter_ And @ [MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan), you should read Gerald Machman’s _Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960_s, in which he gives pride of place to Sahl over Bruce. If you want to know if some specific person ever wrote an autobio, ask and I’ll check my shelves. As you note, lots of comedians never got around to one, though. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/7 "2021-09-12T20:26:26Z")
I agree- John Cleese’s autobiography is superb. _Very_ funny. Highly recommended. As are Michael Palin’s diaries. On the other hand, Eric Idle’s was a disappointment, made more so by his relentless (and I think gratuitous) name-dropping of all the famous people he’s encountered. Made him sound oddly insecure to me. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/8 "2021-09-13T12:06:30Z")
Nice list. I’m going to try and get some of them… I have Nachman’s book, and this other huge book… I also have this huge book, Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America Doug Stanhope - This Is Not Fame (I have the physical copy of this book, but once I found out he narrated it for Amazon, I listened) I have Dick Cavett’s biography, too, who’s show had a ton of comedians. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/9 "2021-09-13T14:03:44Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If you want to know if some specific person ever wrote an autobio, ask and I’ll check my shelves. As you note, lots of comedians never got around to one, though. Bob Newhart seems like he’d be a good candidate for a biography (or autobiography). I wonder if he’s ever considered it. And I’d forgotten about Stan Freberg’s autobio; I read it ages ago. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/10 "2021-09-13T14:37:07Z")
He does. “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/11 "2021-09-13T17:03:52Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America There are several with that title. Funny Business is by Maslon and Kantor. Another interesting one is _Make 'Em Laugh: Life Studies of Comedy Writers_ by William F. Fry, Jr. and Melanie Allen, which is an academic set of interviews with the writers who put the words into the comedians’ mouths. Those are rare. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/12 "2021-09-13T22:21:54Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > Newhart’s book is great. He describes a conversation with a network executive who got the brilliant idea that they could sell more ads if Newhart would quit doing his trademark controlled stammer. Newhart declined, explaining, “That stammer bought me a house in Beverly Hills”. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/13 "2021-09-14T10:10:00Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I agree- John Cleese’s autobiography is superb. _Very_ funny. Highly recommended. > > As are Michael Palin’s diaries. > > On the other hand, Eric Idle’s was a disappointment, made more so by his relentless (and I think gratuitous) name-dropping of all the famous people he’s encountered. Made him sound oddly insecure to me. No mention of Graham Chapman’s “A Liar’s Autobiography”? Definitely worth a read - or if you prefer, [a watch of the film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Liar%27s_Autobiography:_The_Untrue_Story_of_Monty_Python%27s_Graham_Chapman). Not hilariously kneeslapping but certainly interesting. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/14 "2021-09-14T11:24:38Z")
Stephen Fry – _Moab is my Washpot_ Entertaining and interesting more than funny. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/15 "2021-09-14T12:20:19Z")
Doug Stanhope - This Is Not Fame (I’d recommend listening to him dictate this) ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/16 "2021-09-17T20:35:28Z")
George Carlin did write one, published posthumously. I thought it was quite good. [Last Words](https://www.amazon.com/Last-Words-Memoir-George-Carlin/dp/1439172951) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/17 "2021-09-17T20:54:59Z")
I like getting them on audiobook, read by the author. Sometimes with audiobooks, especially when read by comedians, they’ll go off-script and you’ll get some bonus improvised content. Though sometimes it’s also weird, because it can sound like a comedy routine in an empty room. I enjoyed Artie Lange’s book. One of them, at least (there may be more than one, if so it’s the first one). He only read part of it himself, owing to the drug problems that are described in the book. Greg Fitzsimmons: _Dear Mrs Fitzsimmons_ Structured like a collection of letters, newspaper clippings, and incident reports about his own life. Audiobook is read by himself and a bunch of other comedians playing the parts of school officials, police, friends, and colleagues. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/18 "2021-09-17T23:55:58Z")
You have to put an asterisk on _Last Words_, because it was really written by Tony Hendra. He and Carlin collaborated for years, talking and recording their conversations. Henra was always intended to ghostwrite the book in Carlin’s voice but had to finish it alone after Carlin died. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/19 "2021-09-18T00:18:52Z")
Speaking of whom, Hendra wrote his own memoir which I found interesting, though it’s not really about comedy: > **[Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul: Hendra, Tony: 9780812972344: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Father-Joe-Man-Saved-Soul/dp/0812972341)** > > Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul \[Hendra, Tony\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542/20 "2021-09-18T02:19:40Z")
His [Going Too Far](https://www.amazon.com/Going-Too-Far-Tony-Hendra/dp/0385232233) is a good 60s/70s follow-up to Gerald Nachman’s _Seriously Funny_ that I mentioned in post #5. Please note that I typoed Nachman as Machman in the original post. Apologies to him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biographies-of-comedians/950542.md?page=2)