Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History

by Andrew Moskos

An exciting history of the improv group you've never heard of that changed comedy in America—this is the story of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam as told by its founders and most famous alumni .


"It’s kind of crazy, the impact on culture so many Boom Chicago alums have had. Boom was where I became my best comedic the excitement of Amsterdam, the freedom of that environment, the letting loose—it's magic. There's no better training ground." —Jordan Peele


"Boom Chicago should have ended up on the scrap heap of 'Terrible Ideas Americans Have While Stoned in Amsterdam.' But when you stubbornly love one thing (comedy) as much as another thing (Amsterdam), you just believe they should be together. And here we are—thirty years later, Boom Chicago is alive and kicking." —Seth Meyers


"Working at Boom Chicago was an unbelievable experience. Thank goodness someone was smart enough to write it all down! You're lucky 'cause you get to read about THE most exciting, fun, and illegal time I've ever had!" —Amber Ruffin


Featuring interviews Meyers, Peele, Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Ike Barinholtz, Greg Shapiro, Kay Cannon, and many more; and a sixteen-page, full-color insert with both behind-the-scenes snapshots and images from live performances.



What do Ted Lasso, Get Out, Late Night with Seth Meyers, 30 Rock, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Breaking Bad, Saturday Night Live, Girls5Eva, The Colbert Report, Inside Amy Schumer, Pitch Perfect, Key & Peele, The Daily Show, MADtv, Rick and Morty, The Amber Ruffin Show, Horrible Bosses, Portlandia, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Suicide Squad, Superstore, How I Met Your Mother, Wicked, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Broad City all have in common? They all feature writers, creators, directors, or stars who got their start at Boom Chicago.



Having risen roughly to the middle of Chicago's cutthroat comedy scene, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld decamped the Midwest for Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1993 to start their own improv comedy troupe, Boom Chicago. In a foreign land with zero tradition of English-language humor, Moskos and Rosenfeld unwittingly created the finishing school for some of today's most groundbreaking comedic talents. They (along with coauthors Matt Diehl and Saskia Maas) document this journey in the definitive oral history Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History.



From its stages, Boom Chicago went on to launch cultural game changers like Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Ike Barinholtz, Kay Cannon, and Tami Sagher (and that's just a partial list). At Boom, these young upstarts honed their craft in front of unsuspecting foreign audiences and visiting dignitaries like Burt Reynolds, Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, Dutch royalty, and the Netherlands's prime minister—all while navigating a world with legal weed and prostitution, annual holiday celebrations involving blackface, cookies with weird racist names, and football that has nothing to do with the NFL. From this culture shock, this collective created a more topical, inclusive, tech-savvy humor that would become the dominant comedy style of our time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Comedy, Theatre

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2023

Reviews

[Chris]

Very mixed feelings about this book. As an oral history they only talk to like less then a 10% of the cast over thirty years. You learn more about the cast partying then any themes of art. But if you love Ted Lasso then this is the book for you. Lots of Ted Lasso. Lots. Of. Ted. Lasso.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOM CHICAGO PRESENTS THE 30 MOST IMPORTANT YEARS IN DUTCH HISTORY.
The book is written by Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld with Matt Diehl and Saskia Maas.

There is an Introduction, Welcome to thirty years of Boom Chicago, by Andrew Moskos & Pep Rosenfeld.
“ It was when we - Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld, old friends since childhood - were traveling through Europe after graduating college that we fell in love with Amsterdam.
And no, it’s not for the reason you think………. It was for the drugs.
In our stoner haze, we thought we’d found a hole in the market there. See, we were fans of comedy who’d grown up visiting Second City, Chicago’s improv and sketch institution.”
“Like many young, aspiring comedians in Chicago, we were also taking improv classes. Lots of improv classes….
Performing improv wasn’t just not paying the rent - it was actually costing us money. But what if we turned it around? What if we skipped the classes and just put on a show? And what if we tried to make a business of it? Hey, what if we left Chicago and did it somewhere else? What about Amsterdam? Why not?”
There you have it - the origins of Boom Chicago by the perpetrators themselves!

There is also a Foreword by Seth Meyers.
“As ideas go, Boom Chicago should never have worked. It should have ended up on a scrap heap of ‘Terrible ideas Americans have had while stoned in Amsterdam’, a scrap heap likely higher than the tallest building in the Netherlands.”

There is a Fore-And-A-Half-Word by Ruben van der Meer.
Ruben is a native Amsterdammer and a massive star in The Netherlands. He is a “true titan and innovator on the national comedy scene.”

There is a Meet the Cast section by Rob AndristPlourde and Greg Shapiro.
Rob and Greg compiled short bios of the people whose voices appear in this book - adding some “bonus salacious details and ridiculous nicknames”.

25 Chapters follow spanning the years 1993-2023.
I loved ALL the chapters, but (as a soccer fan) I really liked Chapter 3. 1995: Ajax wins the Champions League. Actors get soccer fever. Ajax (pronounced Eye-ax) is the Netherlands most successful club.
I also liked the title of Chapter 23. 2016: Boom Chicago hired to teach Dutch Prime Minister how to be funny. (Just the chapter title is funny.)

There is a ‘Backword’ by Jordan Peele.
“I don’t know if my quality of life has ever gotten close to the time I lived in Amsterdam as a Boom Chicago cast member. It’s such a timeless world, with one foot in the past, one foot in the future. It’s a great combination.
The biggest laughs I’ve ever been part of, or seen, were at Boom Chicago. Improv itself is such a special art form. When you combine that with the excitement of Amsterdam, the freedom of that environment, the letting loose……it’s magic.”

There are also Acknowledgements, a List of Boom Chicago Alumni 1993-2023 and an About the Authors page.
There is also a 16 page, full-color insert with both behind-the-scenes snapshots and images from live performances.

I LOVED this book. I love comedy and this book made me laugh out loud on every page. It was so much ‘FUN’ to read. It was extremely personal, friendly and hilarious. It was very interesting to read - historical and cultural tidbits of the Netherlands, and all the historical and cultural tidbits of the cast members of Boom Chicago.
Boom Chicago is “an exciting history of the improv group you’ve never heard of that changed comedy in America.”
I am very happy to have received an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) from the publisher, Akashic Books for my reading and unbiased review. *I swear this was an unbiased review, even though I adore Akashic Books and their eclectic book list, and am secretly very fond of the work of Seth Meyers.
*****

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOM CHIGAGO presents THE 30 MOST IMPORTANT YEARS IN DUTCH HISTORY (2023) by Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld. Usually I am not a big fan of tribute books. In the past dozen years I have reviewed perhaps three or four that were agreeable to me, and I was almost without hope when this book arrived on my doorstep. I was very wrong because I loved this book. Akashic Press has yet another great read on there hands.
For those, like me, who didn’t know what a BOOM CHICAGO was, you will wonder how you missed it. Thirty years ago two guys from Northwestern University, just north of Chicago, wanted to go into comedy with eyes on Second City. But, as so many young comics know, that is almost impossible, especially if you want a slot that actually gets paid. So, tired of waiting tables and other meaningless jobs that wouldn’t get them on stage, they decided to head to Amsterdam.
After all, there were and are lots of drugs there, so why not.
Somehow they were inspired to open their own improve club there and, despite the difficuties, not only beat the odds, but also became a proving ground for a vast array of great talent. Rather than suffering through the grind that getting onstage at an improv club in the States provided, they and the comics, actors, writers and unheralded geniuses who showed up, gave birth to a showcase where an aspiring artist could hone their craft not maybe once a week, but nightly. Many would step off a plane from the states and be performing that evening or the next day.
The chapters of the book are arranged in order by year. Each opens with a few paragraphs about what was happening in Amsterdam at the time, or in the States, or in the world in general. That is followed by a conversation among the actors who were part of the group at that time. They talk about comedy and being in a foreign land for the first time. One section is on the odd rituals and customs that Christmas presents. Soccer is a chapter almost by itself. Drugs and sex and how different attitudes are about both were surprising and welcoming to all. Race is discussed. The ability, nay the need to become good at every aspect of performing, is stressed throughout. The actors were also writers, producers of their material, sometime hawking tickets on the street or distributing the show’s flyers or magazine to the public. In short this was a place where you learned quickly what improv, comic acting and writing, and what it takes to put on a daily show, was all about
Toss in a slew of corporate shows that had to be tailored to the individual client and you have an ongoing, ever changing comedy machine producing many talented writers.
There is an early section that highlights a great number of the cast through the years. A short list includes Jordan Peele (Oscar winner), Seth Meyers (as in SNL and Late Night With…, Amber Ruffin (the first black woman to host a late night talk show with The Amber Ruffin Show, Kay Cannon (writer/director of 2021’s Cinderella reboot and director of Blockers and worked on the Pitch Perfect movies). The rest of the list contains many of the best writers, actors and what-have-yous in the television and film industry today.
And to think it all started with a smoke dream.
This is an oral history of a time and a place that makes you wish you had been a part of it. If you were lucky enough to have been in the show, I envy you. If not, this book will give you an insider’s look.
And do not pay full price for a bike if you are planning to stay in Amsterdam for a few weeks, because there is always another way. And speaking of soccer, the FIFA Women’s World Cup play is happening (Go U.S.A.) and the show Ted Lasso is chock full of BOOM alums.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm somewhat conflicted about this book. Boom Chicago, having launched the careers of so many talented comedians, actually has rather humble origins. After reading this, I would now go so far as to say its entire history has been remarkably humble. So humble, in fact, that this near-500 page book barely seems to acknowledge much about its history at all, but perhaps that's the point.

Boom Chicago tends to focus more on (some 0f) the comedians who brought themselves up through it, but Boom itself really was more of a stepping stone until something else came along for most of the people who have stories to tell about it, and as a stepping stone, it isn't really that interesting. Seeing where most of these comedians came from and how some of them knew each other as amateurs is fun, but overall, there isn't really a lot to tell. The book mainly consists of "We did a lot of drugs, and here's some minor information about what we perceive to be Amsterdam's local identity."

The writing style is different and took a little bit to get used to. There is a central "narrator", basically setting the scene and giving some background information, but the bulk of this book takes place in the form of conversations these comedians seem to be having with each other. I'm not sure if this was done in email exchanges or phone calls or if they actually gathered around a table somewhere and had conversations about the very specific topics that each chapter delved into, but something about it feels unnatural. Everybody has the perfect story to springboard into another topic that the book happens to want to go to, there's quite a bit of small talk taking up entire pages, it just feels sort of awkward. I do wish the central narrator compiled most of these stories into a single cohesive narrative rather than just having a big book of conversations.

(They must've been audio recording these conversations and intentionally railroading the topics, right? It's just a little weird and unnatural for me.)

For being a book about comedians, you would expect there to be a good amount of comedy. There is, but it's hard to write jokes on the page that need so much delivery to work properly. The jokes don't really land because Boom is such a visual show, everything funny happening has to be illustrated through text and by the time you get that out of the way, it's hard to land the joke properly. Even their one-liners didn't ever really land and that's a huge shame.

I haven't watched Ted Lasso but there's a lot of it in this book. It feels like the most recent thing they're the most proud of and for good reason, it seems to be an extremely popular show. The problem is there's so much time spent on this one show being a huge success that you realize it doesn't really have anything to do with Boom Chicago at all. The actors who worked improv at Boom typically went on to do greater things, and Boom is sort of left behind in its own story as it starts to follow one person instead of what the company's up to.

This is also a shame, because I got the impression throughout the book that Boom was a background character in its own story. It set people up to succeed, but the success stories that did happen are typically years or even decades removed from their time at Boom. It gives the impression that Boom Chicago was relegated to "first entry-level job" status. The comedians typically only spent a couple of years here before moving on, if that. It feels like an awkward high school reunion where its entire claim to fame is what the alumni managed to accomplish many years after leaving it behind.

The book itself is definitely bloated, especially in the front half, but there isn't a lot to really learn about. At a point the years start speeding up to the present day, very briefly touching on 9/11 and then immediately speeding towards COVID-19. This gave the impression that nothing really happened for most of these years and I don't find that surprising.

Boom Chicago's primary success, judging by this book, seems to be in living vicariously through its accomplished comedians. It's good to have a successful alumni but if the pride of its past lies in the futures of comedians who haven't been cast members in literal decades, one has to wonder how much Boom Chicago actually contributed to their careers and how much of it was the luck, work, and decisions made only after leaving it.

Thanks to Andrew Moskos, Pep Rosenfeld, Akashic Books, and Boom Chicago for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It was very much appreciated.

[Tom Brazelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History was a study in contrasts for me.

Recommended to me by a friend, the subject matter was very much up my alley as it explores a variable in the current American comedy landscape that doesn't get discussed that often. I think most so-called "comedy nerds" know about the influence of The Second City or The Groundlings as a means of paving the way for greater success down the road, but few know about Boom Chicago's role. And why would they? Located in Amsterdam, it's practically "out of sight, out of mind."

But Boom had a large role in shaping the style and sensibilities of many comedic stars of the current day - Seth Meyers, Amber Ruffin, Jordan Peele, Jason Sudekis, Brendan Hunt, Ike Barinholtz and many more. In fact, the authors of the book won't let you forget it. And that's where my difficulties came in.

The book's authors - Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld - also founded Boom Chicago. Their book is at once a celebratory victory lap and also a self-promoting pat on the back.

Granted, an idea like theirs to establish a Second City-style improv comedy theater in Amsterdam should NOT have worked. Nevermind keeping it going for 30 years. But at the same time, they take a little too much ownership of the success of their former cast members.

Maybe that's deserved, maybe not. Certainly from the testimony of their alumni, the consensus seems to be that their Boom Chicago experience gave them the foundation they needed to find and develop their voice. But that's something I'd rather here from them and not something necessarily echoed or propped up by Moskos and Rosenfeld.

I think, too, part of the challenge of this book is that it is constantly trying to contextualize Boom Chicago's position within the history of Dutch entertainment and politics. On the one hand, that kind of contextualization is totally necessary to ground the organization's challenges and achievements. But, on the other hand, as an American, I had a hard time internalizing any of it. But on the other, OTHER hand, reading about the ins and outs of Dutch society gave me great wanderlust and a desire to the Netherlands

Fundamentally, it left me asking the question, "Who is this book for?" Comedy fans, assuredly. People who've maybe visited Holland? Ultimately, it felt like the book was written mostly because Moskos and Rosenfeld wanted their own keepsake. And you know what? Let them have it. They deserve it. Because if they weren't out here with the definitive take on the history of Boom Chicago, I don't know if anyone in America could come close to matching their enthusiasm for it.

[Arah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to cram for a trip to Holland. Reading it took a little longer than 2 podcast episodes (from The Rest is History) but filled in the gaps with laughs and, I hope, guidance for interacting with people when we get there. So glad Matt Diehl promoted it so heavily!

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Dutchman living in New York who has been telling all his American friends about weird American things, it was a joy to read a book with so many fun American perspectives on weird Dutch things. Boom Chicago has definitely become ‘onze eigen’ Boom Chicago, a Chicago-Amsterdam institute.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories about a little known comedy troop that produced a lot of talented writers and comedians. Not sure if there is an audio version, but if so that would be a lot of fun to listen to if they had the real actors telling stories.