Stand-Up Comedy: The Book

by Judy Carter

All the world loves a clown and whether you want to clown around at parties or make a living as a standup comic, comedian Judy Carter can show you how to "do" comedy.

Genres: Comedy, Writing, Humor, Stand Up, Reference, Self Help, How To

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 5, 1989

About the author

Judy Carter is an American comedian, magician, motivational speaker and author of five books on comedy and self-improvement.

Reviews

[John G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers some aspects of comedy and writing that others don't, it's worth adding on to your collection of "how-to" books on writing and performing stand-up comedy. This book, Greg Dean's "Step By Step To Stand-Up Comedy", and Dave Schwensen's "Comedy FAQ's" are the best books out there for learning the nuts and bolts of doing comedy. Again, noticing a theme that the best teachers of comedy have the heart of a teacher/mentor guide and all have conducted comedy workshops.

[Jorge Moukel]

This book helped me to do one of the greatest and creaziest things I've done: doing stand up.

I'm shy and don't speak much. I signed up for a local 2-months stand up workshop to improve my public speaking skills. Only for that, I wasn't interested in doing stand up. So, based on the advice on this book, I wrote some honest jokes about my lack of talent and skills with women, and it worked like magic.

I've never tought possible that I could make people laugh the way I did . One of the persons in the public of the theater where I said my 5-min routine, cried of joy and laugh. I could not belive it.

I highly recommend this book.

[Mike Kowis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This practical book offers tons of helpful advice for aspiring standup comics on how to develop material and hone their craft. However, this book is 33 years old now and pre-dates all forms of social media. So the advice near the back of the book on how to break into the comedy biz (e.g., perform at comedy clubs for X number of years til you develop enough solid material to audition for a sweet TV gig) is outdated and of limited use. Today's comics have a ton of options for building an audience via social media platforms, podcasts, and the like. Regardless, this is one of the better advice books I've read for newie standups and I strongly recommend it for anyone thinking about trying an Open Mic Night. I've tried an Open Mic Night a handful of times in recent years and I truly wish I had read this book first.

[Dillon Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is a staple of its time (published in 1989 & has not been updated since) and Judy Carter definitely has a traditionalist attitude about stand up that I do not fully agree with, the principles & craft of putting an act together are fully intact, incredibly informative and the advice given from pros in this book are ones I will be holding on to.

It’s not a quick, easy read, despite what the page count will make you think, it has dozens of time consuming exercises to help you develop material & find what makes you funny. Get out the pens & highlighters for sure.

Any comedian will come out of this feeling more confident & assured in their pursuit. As Carter assures, just keep going. There’s a place for everyone.

[Frank Leblanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for starting up in stand up comedy. Her advice was on point and the to-do lists along the way really helped me.

[Deanna Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good explanations on creating different types of humour. Lots of examples, too. It's a fun book to read and work with!

[Md Rizwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book

[Sheila Ajjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so much more confident after this

This book is exactly what I needed after taking a hiatus from performing standup. I feel so much better and more confident to keep going now.

[ukuklele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini adalah salah satu rujukan dalam Buku Besar Stand-Up Komedi Indonesia Ramon Papana (RP). Malah tampaknya sebagian besar materi dalam bukunya RP diambil dari buku ini. Dalam buku ini, penjelasannya lebih terperinci malah sampai ke langkah-demi-langkah dalam bentuk workshop di tiap akhir materi.

Dalam bukunya, RP sudah pasti menyesuaikan materi yang diambilnya dari buku ini dengan keadaan di Indonesia dan sepertinya juga menurut pengalamannya sendiri. Ada perbedaan-perbedaan, di antaranya RP mengimbau agar menulis joke sedang buku ini menyarankan agar langsung praktik ngomong (atau merekam ide) di tape recorder. Stand up comedy bukan sekadar susunan kata-kata melainkan juga cara kita menyampaikannya yang salah satunya dengan suara. Tujuannya adalah performing, not writing a leisure reading. RP menekankan pentingnya latihan, sedang buku ini cenderung kepada mengandalkan intuisi.

Bagi saya pribadi yang bukannya hendak berkarier di dunia stand up comedy, buku ini tidak untuk diterapkan secara sistematis tetapi tiap tool-nya dapat dimanfaatkan terus-menerus sebagai template untuk mengembangkan tema/karakter/premis tertentu sesuai dengan keperluan--macam struktur tiga babak ketika hendak merumuskan alur cerita lah. Agaknya saya sedang "haus akan struktur" *uhuk. Teknik-teknik menyusun materi stand up comedy memberitahukan cara membentuk pola kalimat yang kreatif, bahkan juga jujur (personal, truthful), sopan santun (clean), dan menarik (punching), sebagaimana dalam pengajaran gaya bahasa menurut Gorys Keraf. Set-list (atau kumpulan joke yang disampaikan dalam satu penampilan) pun sesungguhnya memiliki suatu "struktur dramatik", di mana comic mesti dapat meningkatkan keintiman dengan audiens. Bab yang paling berguna adalah bab dua dan bab tiga. Namun bab-bab selainnya juga sebetulnya berguna karena menyampaikan teknik-teknik berkomunikasi secara umum.

Saya merasa tidak hendak membaca buku petunjuk stand up comedy lainnya hingga teknik-teknik dalam buku ini sudah saya praktikkan dan kuasai (halah cuih). Namun saya masih penasaran dengan contoh materi stand up comedy dalam negeri. Contoh-contoh dalam buku ini ada yang kena, ada yang enggak--bisa jadi karena saya tidak memahami konteksnya, bisa juga disebabkan oleh kosakata bahasa Inggris saya yang terbatas. Di buku RP, contoh materinya ada yang diambil dari buku ini, ada pula yang buatannya sendiri tetapi tidak kena buat saya.

Sementara saya masih memandang stand up comedy secara ironis. Labelnya comedy, tetapi salah satu tipsnya adalah don't try to be funny. Menurut pengalaman saya sependek ini, apa pun yang dilabeli dengan "humor" atau "komedi" atau apalah yang semacam itu biasanya justru tidak lucu. Seandainya saya menghadiri pertunjukan stand up comedy secara live, sepertinya saya akan menjadi si penonton di bangku paling belakang yang pasang muka datar sepanjang waktu sampai-sampai bikin si comic cemberut begitu turun panggung. Atau, saya dapat terus mengeksplorasi contoh materi stand up comedy sampai menemukan yang kena buat saya.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, I read this because Darren LaCroix recommended it. Toastmasters have heard the recommendation for years. Judy Carter's book is instrumental to stepping up one's speaking. At least that is what was sold.

To be fair, this did seem like advice Toastmasters receive: slow down, be confident, practice, connect with the audience, etc.

I imagine comedians laugh at this book. It goes over how to go from nothing to hiring agents, getting on television, etc. All in one book. Awesome!

My biggest issue is that the book was short . . . really short. It capped out at 70%. Really? The rest were appendices.

Pfft . . .

Some of the activities that the reader completes are helpful.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this ages ago when I was obsessed with Seinfeld and with the world of comedy in general. I had never fathomed the idea of going onstage to try and make people laugh, but this book was mesmerizing enoughto make me think about it.
I checked it out over and over, hating to take it back to the library. It has wonderful advice for those who are brave enough to go out there and try doing stand up, but it's also a very hilarious read for anyone who just wants to laugh. There are plenty of quotes and words of advice from famous comedians (Jerry Seinfeld for one), which is why it appealed to me.
It's somewhat dated now and I didn't enjoy it quite as much the second time around, but as a first read, it's awesome.

[Ashley Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and concise introduction to making your way as a stand-up. Although it was written in 1989 (when I was merely a foetus) it still holds up now. It teaches how to find your own style as well as how to design your own material from real life scenarios that are probably happening around you right now!

There are lots of nods to comedians who are still active today so in reality this book is nowhere near as dated as you might think. I've just seen that Judy Carter has another book 'The Comedy Bible' so I'll be looking into ordering that soon too.

[Frederic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and just read it gain. Carter offers practical advice and then illustrates with concrete, funny examples from real comics. Her approach is very consistent with that of a comedy workshop I am taking. Highly recommended, timeless advice and a quick read. Published in 1989 but not dated at all.

[Daniel G Keohane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, practical application exercises, excellent lessons and discussions on comedy, and the book itself is pretty hilarious in its own right. If you want a good beginner's guide to comedy this is it.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

i mean, it was ok. same author as comedy bible, but this one is a little dumbed down. a lot more writing prompts.

[Cameron Macneil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful...all i can say

[Colin Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read have really helped shape some of my comic writing. highly recommend.

[Joleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has taught me a lot about stand up comedy. This book is actually published in 1989, but I think people can still learn things from it. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Shelley Bridgman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for anyone at the beginning of their career in Stand-up

[Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical how- to guide with lots and lots of exercises