Dumb Ideas: A Behind-the-Scenes Exposé on Making Pranks and Other Stupid Creative Endeavors

by Eric Andre, Dan Curry

From the brilliantly demented minds behind The Eric Andre Show and Bad Trip, an insane illustrated compendium about the art of pranking.

Eric André is a master of the art of pranking—“an Andy Kaufman for the Four Loko generation,” as Spin magazine once hailed him. For over a decade, he and longtime collaborator Dan Curry have dreamed up and performed a cornucopia of outrageous, often illegal, and always death-defying hijinks for the Adult Swim series The Eric Andre Show, as well as in the hit movie Bad Trip. Now, in their very first book, Eric and Dan reveal the secret fuel behind their surrealistic prank machine. Get ready to gorge your thirsty peepers on epic stories of shame, redemption, and glory behind pranks so dumb they’re brilliant…and beyond the realm of criticism.

But wait, there’s more! This pranktastic potpourri
-Tips for prankers of any skill level, from the importance of a “safe word” to why you should always keep the camera rolling, even after the prank is over.
-All new pranks to try at home such as “Jell-O Surprise,” “Benadryl Steaks,” “Amateur Graverobber” and “The Jim Morrison.”
-Wild behind-the-scenes stories about the most classic pranks from The Eric Andre Show and Bad Trip.
-Learn about the dark existential dread behind everyone’s favorite mac-and-cheese-spurting DJ, Kraft Punk.
-Discover how Eric avoided getting stabbed when a penis-in-a-finger-trap prank went horribly wrong.
-Exclusive never-before-filmed pranks deemed too hot for TV.
-Inspirational quotes from philosophers so obscure that they might not even exist.

Artfully designed, loaded with funny photos, and a gracious foreblurb by Jack Black, Dumb Ideas is an essential manual for getting a laugh out of friends, family, and complete strangers—and staying out of jail while doing it.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Humor

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2023

Reviews

[Meghin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s no secret Eric Andre is my second husband (after Pete Davidson of course) so I was really excited to read this one. Each chapter flips between Eric and Dan (a writer for The Eric Andre Show and Bad Trip) and I thought it was overall a fun time. I would have liked to have gotten even more behind the scenes insight on some of the pranks and the logistics of them. I felt like sometimes things were just skimmed over super quick. Also felt like it was missing something without Hannibal commentary.
Overall would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Eric and his show. I’ve been binge re-watching that show and movie all February long so far and it’s the only thing keeping me sane.
YABOOBAY. DOC CHICKEN. LEGALIZE RANCH.
Thanks so much Simon Books for sending this one my way in exchange for an honest review!

[Alex MacMillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, especially in audiobook format. However, Hannibal Burress is a notable absence throughout. Dan Curry, someone I never heard of before this book, provides unique perspective of what it's like being in the writer's room and behind the camera. But Hannibal's stories and reflections are what the fans want. I got the vibe that Eric and Hannibal had a falling-out with each other after season 4, and that everyone involved in the show signed an NDA to never talk about what happened. That NDA must include anecdotes about Hannibal's participation during seasons 1-4, as the book almost never describes what he was like behind-the-scenes. - 2/3/24

[Alicia Ceasar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun time. If you are a fan of Eric Andre or Dan Curry, this is a must read. I would recommend the audiobook because the production on it is amazing but have the physical book on hand because the photos in it really add to the experience.

[CJ Opal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love an audiobook with sound effects, I am a child. This was a great listen to get me through a few mornings and I bookmarked quite a few bits that were just too funny not to share. I've never watched the Eric Andre show, so anything left out about the show didn't feel like a loss to me. Based on how funny this was, I'm definitely going to binge it and love it.

[Weischris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a dumb idea

[Rasheem Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In addition to being laugh out loud funny, Eric Andre is also a gifted storyteller with the ability to speak about his past with profound insight and clarity. I just wished he released this on his own without the Curry parts.

[Ashleah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dumb Ideas: A Behind-the-Scenes Exposé on Making Pranks and Other Stupid Creative Endeavors by Eric André and Dan Curry is a hilarious illustrated compendium about the art of pranking.

This is the first audiobook I listened to via my Spotify Premium account, and it's narrated by the authors, Eric's mom, and various others. There are tons of audio bits and ad libs as the authors narrate. The production value is very high quality.

I lost count how many times I laughed out loud while I was listening and following along in the physical book for the photos, illustrations, and other visual references. The book opens with a legalese READER RELEASE AND AGREEMENT which had me howling with laughter even before I got to the foreblurb (read and written by Jack Black, one of my favorites).

If you're a fan of the Adult Swim series The Eric Andre Show, or even if you're not and you just want to laugh for a few hours, please check this out.

I received a copy of this book to review. Thank you to Simon Books and Simon and Schuster for the free hardcover. All opinions contained herein are my own.

If you want to see more from me, check out my blog, Bookstagram, TheStoryGraph, Bluesky, Facebook or Twitter.

[Colin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Eric Andre and enjoyed his more human and vulnerable moments in this book. Enjoy Dan and Eric’s stories from the making of the show—so many of the key moments of the show I’ve loved.

The prank recipes started funny and slowly became a little annoying. The scripts of scenes that never got filmed weren’t anything to write home about. And overall there was a lot less analysis of their own style and art form than I thought from the name and buzz around the book.

As someone who also believes in the power of dumb ideas, I was hoping to learn more about how Eric and Dan work. Start to finish.

[Samantha Glasser]

I love the Eric Andre Show. Part Andy Milonakis, part Tim and Eric, part Jackass, completely insane and awkward, this show has a way of making my husband and I giggle uncontrollably at the audacity and off-the-wall nature of the skits. They come hard and fast and before you can wonder what just happened, you're into the next one. I can't wait to read this book.

[Scotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was consistently funny throughout the book. It has some background on Andre and Curry, anecdotes from the show as well as before, and even some details of pranks that never aired. It's very short, which, as much as I enjoyed it, I think is a good thing. The absurd, quick humor lends itself to the shorter format. If you're a fan of Eric Andre, give this a read.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting it to be light and funny, but I didn’t know who the authors were. Turns out that they’re on TV and everything. Despite my ignorance, it was a better book than I had been expecting. I laughed a ton through this book and they answered questions I never would have wanted to ask. If you want to read something funny and weird, I would recommend this book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved the non-sequitur Eric André show, so I figured I'd give this book a listen. It was hilarious learning about the behind-the-scenes action of his antics and high jinks. Worth the listen especially learning about his life growing up in Florida.

Highly recommend if you are a fan of his or his show.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

was okay, i really liked reading about stuff behind the scenes of the shows and movie, it was interesting and funny. i liked learning more about who Eric Andre is as a real person like not in character for the show. i thought it was a little difficult to read just bc of the blurbs on every page.

tbh only read bc i got a signed copy

[Dan Spaventa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I would rather it be presented like a regular memoir instead of padding the stories with collages. I read it in the bookstore in one sitting so I can't really complain but overall I wouldn't bother buying it.

[Bryson Grau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric and Dan are legends, love getting a deeper look into the minds of the dudes who made what I think is the funniest TV show of the past decade. Hearing some of the behind-the-scenes stories of my favorite bits was really awesome.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delight in audiobook form. I appreciated the production value and how they incorporated different voices and sound effects for a more dynamic listen.

Like others, I was disappointed to not hear anything from Hannibal, but overall still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Jeff Wait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and great for fans of the Eric Andre show. Not a masterpiece. Very silly. But there's some good anecdotes, tons of prank ideas, some emails from Eric's mom and exclusive bits that didn't make it on TV.

[Ashley Kerns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. The ads for the book were much more entertaining lol

[Samm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think both of these guys are funny...but this book was not.

[Jim]

Alas, a DNF. Came in expecting one thing, got another.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud so many times it turned a few hearts on the subway. Really really funny!!!

[Nate Dawg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny as hell! Oddly a self-help book too if you overthink it.

[Greg Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must read for any adult swim dorks like myself.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fun tidbits about the making of The Eric Andre show but overall forgettable. Basically helped me pass a shift at work as an audiobook. Let’s give a quick shoutout to Christina Applegate!

[thatmillenialbookgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dear (good)readers,
I must confess something- I thought Eric Andre's movie
Bad Trip was one of the funniest movies l'd seen in a long time. 100%. There's just something about having regular people react to these outrageous as f#€% scenarios that really makes me laugh constantly. Okay, the gorilla scene was... a lot. But questionable ape hijinks aside, this movie is an American comedic classic.

So when I got the chance to get a copy of this book I jumped at the chance! I did really enjoy Eric's parts of the books but I wasn't as interested in Dan Curry's parts. I'm not sure if this is more due to the fact that I really didn't know who Curry was prior to reading this book or because his parts just didn't hit as hard for me. But that is the main reason I'm giving this one a 3/5, that combined with the fact that I would have liked even MORE prank BTS than there was. That's a me problem, though, probably.

Since l've read the book, Ryan and I have been watching all of the old Eric Andre Show seasons on Hulu and some parts are SO bizarre but I still love watching the pranks so much!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny book. I’m relieved to be able to say that since one of my BFF’s gave it to me, and her brother (Dan Curry) is the author (together with Eric Andre.)
If you’ve got a sense of humor and appreciate real life comedic storytelling, this book is for you. However, if you don’t like boy bathroom humor (ugh) do what I did and focus only on the other half of the book.