FUNNY: THE REVIEWS
HUFFINGTON POST (Mark C. Miller): “Informative, insightful, and really funny.”
THE CHICAGO READER (Aimee Levitt): “The book lives up to its title… brilliant.”
FOX25 (Gene Lavanchy): “Will make you laugh out loud.”
BOOKBUB: “An entertaining guide to comedy through
the ages. This informative work is comedic gold.”
THE GOLDENDALE SENTINEL (Lou Marzeles): “I don’t
know a more literate and hysterically funny resource.”
PAUL LISNEK, WGN Radio: “I loved this book!”
THE NERDIST (Jessica Barton): “Thought-provoking, delightful.”
JAMIE RENO (Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The New York Times):
“One of the best books ever written about comedy.”
MR. MEDIA (Bob Andelman): “Masterful”
VIRTUAL VIRAGO (Jennifer Garlen): “Be prepared to laugh out loud.”
JEWISH BOOK WORLD (Bill Brennan): “Misch has both a practical, professional sense of ‘funny’ and a keen
grasp of various theories of comedy; his book is a consistently engaging and entertaining mashup of the two.”
THE SPIT TAKE (Nick A. Zaino III): “A fantastic primer.”
BOOKVIEWS (Alan Caruba), Pick of the Month: “Filled with insight and a lot of laughs.”
GROWING BOLDER: “Gets to the bottom of what makes us laugh; the surprising
similarities between comedy and drama, the importance of language. But don’t be
fooled – while Misch is serious about his message, he presents it in a hysterical way.”
LAVENDER (E.B. Boatner): “Light and literate – a Must Read!”
TRAVALANCHE (Donald Travis Stewart): “As much a work of humor itself as an explication of the comedian’s art.”
BOOKPLEASURES (Norman Goldman): “Fascinating and insightful.”
SPEAKING OF ART (Edwin Hoffman; WAAM Radio): “A tour de force – breezy, hilarious, reflective.”
JORDAN RICH (CBS Radio): “David Misch does the near impossible with this impressive treatise; he makes
it fun from beginning to end. I laughed, I cried (from laughing so damn hard) then I laughed some more.”
JEWISH WEEK (Steve Lipman): “Certifiably funny.”
STEVE JAXSON (KRSO Radio): “A great book.”
NIGHT OWL REVIEWS: “Fantastic”
THE NEW YORKER: “Compact, witty.”
(That’s actually from a 1977 review of David’s stand-up act but I think we
can all agree that whoever wrote it would say the same thing if he/she
were still alive and read the book and thought it was compact and witty.)
AMAZON CUSTOMERS (4.3 of 5 stars)
“A smart, sharp, serious, sophisticated analysis of comedy and humor.”
“Hilarious, insightful, entertaining.”
“A quicksilver expedition into the heart of lightness.”
“Edgy and delightful; if reading in public, I recommend prudence while drinking beverages.”
“Wit, wisdom, and an engaging writing style.”
“A terrific blend of the academic and the comic.”
“Should be required reading; explains why we laugh, why we need to, and where to find the funny.”
“Fall-off-your-chair funny.”
GOODREADS (4.12 of 5 stars)
“Had me in giggles and simultaneously in serious thought.”
“I was really delighted by how funny it was.”
CELEBRITY (& CELEBRITY-
ADJACENT) ENDORSEMENTS
“It takes a serious mind to analyze comedy. It takes a funny mind to appreciate it. David Misch is of two minds.”
— Jason Alexander
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“David wrote the perfect bedside book; refer to it any time you want to smile.”
— Carl Reiner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“David is one funny motherfu**ker.”
– Penn Jillette
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hilarious!”
– Paul Provenza; author, “¡Satiristas!”; co-director, “The Aristocrats”; host, “The Set List”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“‘Funny: The Book’ is the title and yes, it is funny. It is hilarious. It is outrageous. If you have a weight problem, you will laugh your ass off. David Misch knows the dark side of humanity, which makes this book prescribed reading for intelligent people.
It’s not just about jokes and comedy routines — it’s about the hilarious absurdity of the human condition: life, death and what’s in between. Misch’s writing is superb, his humor leaves you breathless and his knowledge of history, drama, theater, and literature is shared in a most entertaining fashion. You will love this fun-filled literary ride.”
— Malachy McCourt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Dad would give ‘Funny: The Book’ eleven honks. Bravo! (David Misch has now become the sixth Marx Brother.)”
– Bill Marx; Author, “Son of Harpo Speaks”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Some believe comedy is a science, some say it’s an art; my grandfather, Groucho, endorsed the philosophy of Professor John Quincy Wagstaff: ‘Whatever it is, I’m against it.’ But for those of us who believe great comedy is something to be studied, appreciated, and a true gift, this book is a must.”
— Andy Marx, writer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“An erudite, in-depth study of comedy written by one of the funniest guys in Hollywood.”
— Daniel Klein; co-author, New York Times best-seller,
Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar:
Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I am 87% funnier since reading this book.”
– Patricia Marx, The New Yorker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“David Misch has done the impossible, spanning the history of comedy from the first clumsy caveman to today’s clumsy everyman and put it into a context so breezy and humorous that one scarcely realizes how much hard info is being taken in. But my opinion is worthless, just look at my haircut. The book, on the other hand, is fantastic.”
— Eddie Gorodetsky; Producer, “The Big Bang Theory”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“David’s stroboscopic illumination of American comedy is brisk, funny, and enlightening. Jumping – flashing – between the history and evolution of the form, the theories of the how and the why, and the contemporary practice of getting laffs, he tells us things we didn’t know, and then tells us things we did know, but in a funny way, and then tells us things we thought we knew but, really, we didn’t know. His section on Steve Martin is brilliant. All that, plus his own stories about working in the comedy racket. As the French say, it is to laugh.”
— Ellis Weiner; co-author, Los Angeles Times
best-seller, Yiddish with Dick and Jane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The most entertaining and enlightening book about American comedy that I haven’t found the time to read yet!”
— “Weird Al” Yankovic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“David is the Stephen Hawking of the Comedy cosmos… and a hell of a lot funnier.”
— David Isaacs; Producer/Writer,
“M*A*S*H,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Mad Men”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Like a mischievous local guide, David tours us around the philosophy, science and anthropology of the comic. He connects contemporary comedy to its origins and manages to do this while being funny himself. “Funny: The Book” is entertainment and education at its best.”
— Barnet Kellman; Producer/Director,
“Mad About You,” “Murphy Brown”;
Professor of Cinematic Arts, University of Southern California
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Funny, intelligent, irreverent and honest, this book will send you back to your favorite TV shows and movies with a newfound understanding of why you love them.”
— Alexa Junge; Producer, “Friends”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Like many of the comics he so clearly loves, David’s book is smart, silly, and unafraid to take chances; in particular, the chance that discussing and dissecting comedy might take the fun out of it – a risk he overcomes with the greatest of ease, by making the discussion itself so consistently funny and entertaining. The chapters on contemporary comics are brilliant, the sections on jokes are hilarious, and the information on the history, philosophy and mechanics of laughter are fresh and illuminating. A little more sex might’ve been nice but maybe that’s just me. It’s a great read.”
— Jeff Reno; Producer,
“The West Wing,” “Moonlighting”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This book takes you on a magical tour through the fascinating, colorful world of comedy. David Misch is like Willy Wonka, only slightly more creepy.”
— Bob Bendetson; Producer, “The Simpsons,” “Newhart,” “Home Improvement,” “Coach”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The book was nominated for two awards given by the
Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (PCA/ACA):
Best Single Work by one or more authors in Popular and American Culture, 2012;
and Best Reference/Primary Source Work in Popular and American Culture, 2010-12
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