Sicker in the Head: More Conversations About Life and Comedy

by Judd Apatow

"No one knows comedy like Judd Apatow. From interviewing the biggest comics of the day for his high school radio show to performing stand-up in L.A. dive bars with his roommate Adam Sandler, to writing and directing Knocked Up and producing Freaks and Geeks, Apatow has always lived, breathed, and dreamed comedy. In this all-new collection of interviews, the sequel to the New York Times bestselling Sick in the Head, Apatow sits down with comedy icons John Mulaney, Hannah Gadsby, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Bowen Yang, Hasan Minhaj, Margaret Cho, and many others to discuss what got them into comedy, and what--despite personal and national traumas--keeps them going. Together, they talk about staying up too late to watch late-night comedy, what kind of nerds they were in high school, and the right amount of delusional self-confidence one needs to try and "make it" in the industry. Along the way, they reminisce about their fellow comedians and showrunners who helped them through failure and rejection, and look ahead to the future of comedy and Hollywood in a hyper-connected, overstimulated world. With his trademark insight, curiosity, and legendary sense of humor, Apatow explores the nature of creativity, professional ambition, and vulnerability in an ever-evolving cultural landscape, and how our favorite comics are able to keep us laughing along the way"--

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Comedy, Memoir, Essays, Biography, Writing

530 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 29, 2022

About the author

Judd Apatow is an Emmy Award-winning American film producer, screenwriter, director and former stand-up comedian. He is best known for producing a distinct series of critically and commercially successful comedy-style films, including Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Step Brothers, Pineapple Express, and Funny People. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the critically acclaimed cult television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared.

Reviews

[Armand Rosamilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some great, insightful interviews in this book. More regular conversations between two people, which is great. Some of the people interviewed I had to look up to see who they were, which is good. It gives me a new person to follow after their perspective. Never read the first book but will have to soon.

[Richard L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded down.
* At least the subtitle is accurate in the sense that this book is comprised of conversations and most definitely not interviews.
* Even for devoted followers of pop culture, the book would have benefited from the simplest of introductions to each conversation. Instead, readers are expected to be familiar with every individual with whom Mr. Apatow conversed, and their cultural contributions/significance. In this way, some conversations are very "inside baseball" but not necessarily in a good way.
* Also, while Mr. Apatow has been scrupulous in representing a diversity of voices, too often he steers the conversations in comfortable and thus predictable directions. Consequently, rather than coming across as organic and natural, some exchanges feel contrived, and they tend to cover exactly and only the territory which one might expect, given the person on the other end of the line.
* As well, in these conversations, the author seldom seems to pass up an opportunity to talk about himself. Perhaps understandably, given his CV, but inevitably this grows tiresome.
* Overall, this book (and its predecessor) come across as the product of privileged access, but without any particularly interesting insights or unique revelations which might be expected or hoped for.

[Brynn | readyourworriesaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

SICKER IN THE HEAD is an all-new collection of interviews from the king of comedy — Judd Apatow. He sat down with comedy legends such as Pete Davidson, Mindy Kaling, David Letterman, Will Ferrell and more, to discuss how they got started in the comedy world and where their career has taken them.

Judd Apatow’s comedic mind is behind some of my all-time favorite films. I loved reading these interviews because I am always fascinated with where celebrities started and their career arc. I ate up the interviews with some of my favorite comedians, but I was just as interested in the interviews of comics that I didn’t know as well. Apatow interviewed each person in a unique way with different questions, touching on both hard/vulnerable topics as well as lighthearted topics. If you are a fan of comedy and enjoy reading non-fiction, I highly recommend picking this one up!

[Margot Correa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) even better than the first!!!! So honored to have received an ARC and I can’t wait for it to be published so everyone can read these special conversations that Judd is known for!

[Dan Connors · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great interviews from Mr. Apatow. He should have a talk show.

[Dana Friend-Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the first one Mr. Apatow likes to interject stories of himself as he interviews others. I liked the Roger Daltrey interview the best.

[Ryan McSweeney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really struggling to finish this one. I LOVED the first Sick In the Head. As a huge comedy nerd it was very cool to hear chats between some of the best comedic minds of all time about the craft and philosophies on life in general…this was a lot of celebrities I didn’t care about giving their thoughts (presumably over Zoom) about how they’re dealing with the pandemic…which I could not care less about. But hey, the profits of the book all went to charity and I got to read Nathan Fielder out of character so not a total loss.

[Nicki Escudero · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to be a Judd Apatow fan to enjoy his book "Sicker in the Head". The writer/director/producer of some of my favorite films (Bridesmaids, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) presents dozens of interviews with notable comedians and entertainers. These include big names like David Letterman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Whoopi Goldberg, Steven Spielberg and Will Ferrell, as well as comedians I'm a fan of, like Bowen Yang, John Mulaney and Nathan Fielder.

The interviews are more two-way conversations. Apatow inserts a lot of, "When I was working on Freaks and Geeks...", "When I was producing Lena Dunham in Girls...", "I started comedy because of..." etc. into the book. So half the book is insights from the big names, and the other half is Apatow working out his own place in the comedy world.

Which means, if you're not an Apatow fan, you probably won't be able to stomach this book. But if you can tolerate him, you'll:

-Learn a ton about the comedic process
-Learn about some of your favorite comics' professional journeys and the upbringings that drove them to comedy
-Gain insights into the makings of some of the biggest films, TV shows and comedy specials of modern time

As a comedy (and Apatow) fan, I enjoyed this book, just like I did the earlier edition. If you have any interest in comedy, if you want to learn how to break into the industry, or if you simply want to read interviews with some big-name comedy stars, you'll enjoy this book.

[Adrienne Michetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my goodness I can't believe it took me aaaaages to finish this. I wanted to love it as much as the first collection. But.. It falls short. Despite the fact that this new volume has some stunningly interesting guests, somehow two things have gotten in the way of letting their stories shine:
1- Judd Apatow is older, and therefore he has lost his naivete and vulnerability that made his first collection so sweet. His questions are less inquisitive, more anecdotal.
2- the pandemic colours almost the entire series. It's hard to get past the fact that most of these interviews were done in 2020 when Judd and most of his guests were likely bored at home, chatting over yet-another-Zoom-call. The intimacy just isn't there. And there is a lot of talk about "this time" in history.

I love Apatow and I love most of these guests. But this collection just hits different than the first. It's less raw, more familiar, and altogether pretty meh. If I was going to highlight a few interviews, I'd tell you to read the ones with John Candy, Tig Notaro, and Whoopi Goldberg. You might like a few others. Or you might think it's just a lot of navel gazing.

Read the first, collection. Skip this one.

[Paula Rooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took my sweet time reading this, mostly because I knew I’d be bummed when it was over. This was my bedtime book for a long time, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. I think the interviews are always engaging even if I don’t particularly know the person, and I really enjoy that they all center a lot more on mental health than I think most people would expect. Not sure how, but I feel like this is a version of self help for me. Here’s hoping there’s a third.

[Alex Smith-Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of incredible insight into so many different comedic voices. Apatow isn't the greatest interviewer of all time but does seem to have an uncanny ability to get people to divulge all sorts of interesting anecdotes and advice. His reach is substantial, to say the least, so the comedic world's reverence for Judd Apatow has really paid off for all of us here in this excellent collection.

[Katherine Bowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have always been a fan of Apatow’s movies and discovering his book when I listened to his interview on a movie review podcast. I found all of the interviews very interesting and loved discovering new information/perspectives from various people in the entertainment industry. I never read the first one but it’s on the To Buy list!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to get some insight on all the various comics that Judd interviewed as well as Judd himself.

[Danielle H]

I read the interviews I was going to read. It made me watch Funny People again. What more do we need to say?

[Tommy Mcclellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but I wish the interviews were entirely with comedians.

[Rock Cousteau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book. Nice to learn about how comics develop their styles.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and interesting interviews with some important artists and comedians.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first one is much better. Reading this outside the quarantine, with such a reflection on the quarantine--and with a roster of interviewees outside of comedy makes it feel unfocused.

That said, Judd is a great interviewer, and it's still enlightening to read some of these people's thoughts.

I love when he talks about what drove him to create Freaks and Geeks and how he reflects on the story he's told throughout his career:

"Then I've noticed something that was at the end of almost every movie and every tv show, almost down to the episode: I tend to write an ending where one character is selflessly present for the other character, who desperately needs it....and then I thought I must try to force everyone I deal with to do that ending. It must be a mantra. Can you be selfless? Can you be giving?"

And it taught me about writing stories with a message, an ending, and a mantra.

I've never been a Monty Python fan, but my favorite interview was with John Cleese.

He talked about finding an answer to an unfinished sketch by letting it go and sitting down peacefully with his cup of coffee in the morning--and allowing his mind to work it out. James L Brooks said something similar while talking about washing the dishes. John Cleese says, "The problem with the unconscious is that it's extraordinary what it can do, but you can't order it about. You Can't hit it with a stick. You have to discover how to coax it."

And that helps me frame how I see a joke or creative issue I'm working on. I'll learn to utilize my subconscious more to process it so it can all come to me. Being Bored is essential to creativity, allowing your mind time to process.

Don't let a star rating deter you. There's a lot here, and there is plenty of wisdom.

[Tayler Ganem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I much prefer Judd’s first book of interviews, mostly because I preferred the work of all his interviewees. I’m kinda forgetting who he even interviewed in this but I did like the Pete Davidson interview !!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judd Apatow is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and comedian.


Judd Apatow

Apatow embarked on a project to interview great comics of the age, explaining "I have always seen comedy as a lifeline.....Without comedy, I don't know how I would survive." Apatow's first book 'Sick in the Head' includes conversations with a variety of humorists and the sequel, 'Sicker in the Head', continues the interviews with comics and other people in the entertainment industry.

The talks in 'Sicker in the Head' cover a variety of topics, such as choosing entertainment as a career; failures and successes along the way; types of comedy (political, observational, etc.); being influenced by family and friends; mental health problems; diversity in the entertainment industry; and much more. The conversations are candid and informative, and Apatow reveals a good deal about himself along the way.

To provide a feel for the book, I'll include snippets from interviews with some of the subjects.


⦿ Amber Ruffin - an American comedian who hosts the late-night talk show, The Amber Ruffin Show.


Amber Ruffin

When Apatow observes that, historically, talk shows almost never had female writers, Ruffin replies: "Yes it's true that I was the first Black woman writer with a show.....and the word is out about how good Black women are at the job, no matter what that job is....And I think people are slowly realizing that.....This shift in representation, this shift in hiring practices, might just stick around, because once you create a safe space for Black people at your job, which a lot of television shows are capable of doing now, then you see Black people excel."

⦿ Bowen Yang - an Australian-born American actor, comedian, writer, and podcaster who's on Saturday Night Live (SNL).


Bowen Yang on SNL

When Bowen came to America as a child he couldn't speak English very well, but he had a sense of humor. Yang observes that he realized "Humor can be my thing." As a kid Bowen was funny and goofy and "nerded out on comedy, which at that age meant watching SNL every week." Yang eventually made it onto the show as a writer and performer.

⦿ David Letterman - an American television host, comedian, writer and producer.


David Letterman

When Apatow asks about depression Letterman - talking about his history - observes, "I knew something had gone haywire. I always thought depression was 'Oh jeez, the Reds got beat last night. My day is ruined'....But you don't know it's a real sinkhole.....it's not just 'Go out and run around the block, you'll feel better."

⦿ Gary Gulman - an American stand-up comedian.


Gary Gulman

Gulman did a comedy special about depression and Apatow asks "What else is [depression] telling you other than that you're talentless?" Gulman responds, "[It's telling me] you're a bad person and if anybody knew who you really were, they would be horrified and you wouldn't have a friend in the world." On the upside Gary notes, "One of the magical things about being a comedian is when bad things happen you think, I can use this in an act, and it's not purely bad....There's revenge and redemption over these tragedies if you can get a joke out of it."

⦿ George Shapiro - Shapiro was an American talent manager and television producer.


George Shapiro

Apatow asks Shapiro why he went from being a talent agent to a manager, and Shapiro states, "When you're an agent, you're handling two hundred fifty to three hundred people, so there's a good percentage of assholes within that group, and that was also part of the reason why I left." When Apatow asks Shapiro about someone he likes, such as Jerry Seinfeld, George says, "He's just a joy to be with. He knows how to have fun. I have this part of my brain that, even though I'm quite old, has sort of stuck from when I was eight, nine, ten years old, and he has that too."

⦿ Hannah Gadsby - an Australian comedian, writer, and actress.


Hannah Gadsby

In a discussion about the nasty comments that haters post on social media, Gadsby notes, "Their anger is fascinating. And I think most women who have a public-facing persona understand hatred. People just hate you; it's kind of incredible. It's not always so clear-cut or obvious, but there is an element that, as a woman or anyone who's different, really - it just makes people angry."

⦿ Hasan Minhaj - an American comedian and actor of Indian descent.


Hasan Minhaj

Talking about diversity, Apatow observes that people need to "fall in love with the gay couple on Modern Family in order to realize that they're okay with gay marriage.....to fall in love with Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan, or to idolize Beyoncé, in order to see through all that racist bullshit." And Hasan says, "This is the thing where I feel a deep sense of sadness....I've been able to accomplish a lot, and very powerful people have been able to see my humanity despite my [Muslim] religion, but can my son or daughter also carry that? If they walk into a room and people don't know they're my son or daughter, will people be like, Hey, are you a terrorist?"

⦿ Jimmy Kimmel - an American comedian and talk show host.


Jimmy Kimmel

When Apatow asks Kimmel why he connected with comedy as a child, Jimmy responds, "For me, my house was very loud, and there was a lot of yelling, so comedy was an escape from that.....I would just sit with my twelve-inch black and white TV in my bedroom. I had it on a desk, and I would sit there and draw, and I would watch or listen to the TV [comedy shows] late into the night, every night.

⦿ John Mulaney - an American comedian and actor.


John Mulaney

Apatow and Mulaney are discussing 'regular' people who are successful, and - referring to himself - Mulaney says, "It wasn't like, Oh, my dad died when I was two, and my mom had a heart condition, and the doctor was like, You better make her laugh.....there was none of that for me.....I definitely had a lot of embarrassment about being from a family that was well-off, and nothing other than personal problems that I had to deal with. My drug problems were basically fun until they weren't, and I took care of them rather quickly."

⦿ Kevin Hart - an American comedian and actor.


Kevin Hart

When Apatow asks Hart about Jay-Z being a mentor to him, Kevin observes, "Hova, he's my guy. He's who I go to when I have real questions, or when I've got an idea and I'm having trouble figuring out how to make it a reality.....When you've got a good mentor or advisor, you're able to dissect and process their wisdom, and use it how you feel best fits or suits you."

⦿ Margaret Cho - an American comedian and actress.


Margaret Cho

When Apatow asks Cho what club she got her start in, Margaret replies, "Probably the Holy City Zoo in San Francisco. I lived across the street from it so I could emcee there. I would go there every night after I would do shows everywhere else, and just watch everyone. It was really fun, too, because that was the one club that when we were all young, everybody lived close by." Cho mentions seeing Patton Oswalt, Blaine Capatch, Jeff Garlin, Robin Williams, Ron Lynch, Dana Gould, and others.

⦿ Mindy Kaling - an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer.


Mindy Kaling on 'The Office'

Talking about her early career, Kaling says, "I thought I was funny, and I did have a good sense of humor, but it wasn't until I was on The Office, when I was around all these other funny people in a writers' room, where I realized, [My] kind of jokes are kind of hacky, and these observations have already been made. I was already twenty-four when I felt like I was starting to become more sophisticated."

⦿ Ramy Youssef - an American comedian, actor, writer, and director of Egyptian descent.


Ramy Youssef

Speaking about diversity in the industry, Youssef says, "Overall, the demand for more diversity changes what people are looking for, and I think it can be really positive....The thing that I'm afraid of is that we hire people BECAUSE they're minorities, because if someone doesn't get the opportunity to get rejected for a job, they don't get the opportunity to grow.....I think there needs to be this healthy balance of just making sure that we're really doing due diligence in meeting the right people and making sure that they're getting a chance to audition....And then you really do have to make the hiring choice that you feel will inform your storytelling most accurately."

⦿ Samantha Bee - a Canadian-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actress, and television host.


Samantha Bee on her TV show 'Full Frontal.'

When Apatow asks Bee about making a living while getting started in her comedy career, Samantha says, "I had other jobs. I worked in restaurants; I waitered a lot.....Toward the end, right around the time I auditioned for The Daily Show, I was working at an ad agency. [When] I got hired for The Daily Show I just walked away from the job. For sure, there was a cascading series of ad-related problems all over western Ontario because I didn't follow up on so many different projects."

⦿ Tig Notaro - an American comedian, writer, and actress.


Tig Notaro

Apatow asks Notaro about her parents' divorce, and Tig observes, "My parents hated each other so much. They didn't stop fighting in court until they both literally filed bankruptcy. So it made me think, Oh I gotta get a job. And I got to take care of myself. I don't think they can take care of me. It made me very hypervigilant to pay my bills and have the right job while I pursued comedy. I got hyperorganized from their madness."

Will Ferrell - an American comedian, actor, and producer.


Will Ferrell

Apatow asks Ferrell about his time on SNL, and Will responds, "I just remember thinking to myself, This will be the hardest and yet most fun job you'll ever have. Because you basically live there, and these dumb little ideas you may have on a Tuesday actually have a chance to be on national television by Saturday. I was always amazed at the fact that it's a live show, where you have a hundred people running around, changing sets and wardrobe. It never grew old to me."

Other people interviewed in the book are: Cameron Crowe, Ed Templeton, Gayle King, Jeff Tweedy, John Cleese, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Roger Daltrey, Sacha Baron Cohen, Whitney Cummings, and Whoopi Goldberg.

All the conversations are interesting and informative, and would probably be helpful to aspiring comedians. The book also has photographs, most of them related to Judd Apatow, his family, and his career.

The book is especially suitable for dipping into between other tasks or books.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

So… Judd Apatow started interviewing comedians since he was a teen (Paul Reiser, John Candy) because he was fascinated with comedy. This compendium is overflowing with so many stars. So many surprises. This was like watching a talk show (which I haven’t done in years). Loved the Letterman piece, didn’t have a clue who Ed Templeton was… and that’s generally how my read went. (Skimmed Templeton, Fiedler, and others, but ate up the Letterman piece, with a lot of Cameron Crowe in that land of in-between). I felt like starting with the chapters of my favorites (at least those celebs that I recognized) and then finishing with the no-names (I might feel guilty calling these important (?) people no-names, when it’s my ignorance being exposed here.) That being said, I was glad to have discovered entertainers like Gary Gilman, whose comedy is nearly as valuable as his frank discussion of depression. I learned sadly that mental health challenges haunt many comedians (re: the genius of Robin Williams). Then I finally figured the connection of all these interviews and the title “Sicker in the Head”, insensitively called from the warped world of comedic sensibility, right?

And the shock of discovering Hannah Gadsby! Again Worthwhile! Liked Jimmy Kimmel’s chapter to see the mind of talk show hosts. Lots of cool trivia. Buck Henry wrote ‘The Graduate’!?! Bill Hader is a nice guy. Kevin Hart’s mind (comedy, writing, business) ends him up worth $450, and a seat on Shark Tank! Lin Manuel-Miranda’s part in The Sopranos… and on a related note in the chapter…“[Hamilton’s] son died in a duel, and then he died in a duel in the same place three years later.” 😳

Ultimately, even halfway through, it felt like I was reading 20 cool biographies in a single book! What great insights into so many varied careers, so many paths to celebrity success. So many different personalities, struggles, resilience, endurance, and belief fueled by fiery ambition buttressed by damn hard work.

So this multi-dimensional compilation of interviews is more entertaining than first blush. And side benefits were introductions to artistic gems that I’d yet to be exposed to. Like Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” or the podcast ‘This American Life.’.. all in one fell swoop). Like the first political comedian, Mort Sahl, whose downfall was the JFK assassination (He wrote jokes for Kennedy!). Like Ramy Youssef, who has a prejudiced take on white Uber drivers (😂). And then there’s Roger Daultry and Pete Townsend, making their own guitar and bass since they couldn’t afford to buy. The genius of Keith Moon against the angst of the Who. Daultry getting booted out for flushing their drugs.

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved Judd Apatow since August 2001 when I saw my first episode of 'Freaks and Geeks' in my Lower East Side apartment in Manhattan where I was living to work for a comedy-writing startup in Brooklyn. (I share a longer version of that story here.) There was a certain nerve he was twanging that I hadn't felt twanged before and when you see how deep he's plumbed the art and science of comedy, it kind of makes sense. So here comes the follow-up to his 2015 interview collection Sick In The Head and, sure nuff, it's another dense collection of longform interviews between Judd and comedians like Sacha Baron Cohen, Samantha Bee, Ramy Youssef, Will Ferrell, and Pete Holmes. You hear the genius below the comedy like Sacha Baron Cohen on Page 372 saying "... there are two things, and they're not necessarily connected: There's the product, and then there's the ability to sell that product. There's a difference between whether the product is good and whether the marketing campaign is good." Amen. Unlike the first book where the interviews were conducted over decades, these ones are all largely of the "since the pandemic" variety and, as a result, there's a bit of a post-success tone here. More "two winners talking" versus the "one artist sharing their secrets to a young Judd with a clipboard who banged on their door in 1982" tone in the original. A lot of Judd here — his stories, his experiences, a giant glossy photo spread with him with a bunch of famous people. In the first book he was a student so the vibe was more classroom than coffee shop. I preferred that. But hey, longform interviews with George Saunders, Neal Brennan, and Lin-Manuel Miranda don't come round often so this gem slips nicely on the shelf between Sick In The Head and Poking A Dead Frog by Mike Sacks (08/2017). (PS. Very cool that Judd's donating all profits from the book to the Dave Eggers-created tutoring and literacy organization 826 National.)

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simple transcribed interviews with some of the most over-exposed comedians on the planet makes for an insanely long (450 pages!) and dull book. There's very little that's profound in Apatow's interview style and he often spends too much time talking about himself or his family. Some will see this as endearing, it's actually incredibly annoying. He'd start interviews talking about himself or insert a self-centered fact in the middle of his guest's responses, making him the focus here instead of the people he talks with. After almost every one of his self-focused comments I'd say "who cares?" and condemn him for not knowing when to simply shut up. The guy isn't a great interviewer.

Most of the conversations were done in 2020 during the pandemic, but some are very outdated and the whole "book" lacks variety of modern perspectives. John Candy from 1984? Interesting but seems very out of place. Pretty much all the guests are extremely liberal leftists that make broad biased statements which don't reflect mainstream America. It's funny that all these people are worried about "representation" when about half of the country isn't represented here.

There are also too many talk show hosts in the mix, like Jimmy Kimmel, Amber Ruffin, David Letterman, Gayle King, Samantha Bee, and Whoopi Goldberg. We honestly don't need to hear any more from them, except maybe Letterman who doesn't do many interviews anymore.

There are also a few people included I've never heard of before and don't care to hear from again.

There is no "writing" in this book, shocking for so many pages from a man known for his comedic writing abilities. His seven-paragraph introduction includes the statement "It's hard to write the intro to this book." Huh? The man who wrote major comedy movie hits couldn't put together a couple paragraphs? Judd Apatow simply isn't that talented or worth all these pages, and neither are most of the people he chose to include in the book.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judd Apatow has been involved with some hilarious TV shows and movies, either as writer, director, or producer. When I looked through the photos in the back of this book, I was amazed at everyone he's met, worked with, etc. With that said, I struggled to figure out the purpose of this book. There's really no theme or guiding principle to it. I believe it was mostly something Apatow did while bored during quarantine. "Sicker in the Head" consists of a bunch of short interviews with comedians, actors, writers, and other creative types. What amazed me was that despite the book's length (over 300 pages), there was very little here that was funny or illuminating. The interviews were mainly about how people got their starts, and the answers were usually the same: hard work and luck. I think the comedians were trying to be earnest, which made them unfunny. Grouped together here as they were, there's an unvarying sameness to the interviews. I struggle to even think of any that stood out. I'm generally drawn to interviews with entertainers, especially accounts of how they got their start. Maybe I'm just past the point of caring as much, so this book might be more intriguing to a young person trying to make a start in the entertainment business. For me, the interviews were mildly interesting, but the book as a whole was a lot to get through.

[Beetlebug · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐½ — A massive, uneven, but consistently fascinating hangout with the comedy brain trust.

Sicker in the Head is exactly what it promises: Judd Apatow sitting down with comedians he admires and letting the tape run. The results are intimate, occasionally profound, occasionally meandering, and often very funny. If you’re a comedy nerd, this is pure catnip—Letterman reflecting on his armor, Hannah Gadsby dissecting truth-telling, John Mulaney wrestling openly with his implosion, Amber Ruffin talking craft with the precision of a surgeon.

The flip side: it’s long. Some interviews ramble, some tread familiar ground, and Apatow’s own interjections can feel a bit too fanboyish. But when the conversations lock in—and they frequently do—you get a rare window into how comedians think about pain, timing, persona, rejection, ego, and the strange compulsion to make people laugh while the world falls apart. The cumulative effect is surprisingly emotional.

If you want a polished thesis on comedy, look elsewhere. If you want to spend hours eavesdropping on smart, damaged, hilarious people trying to explain why they do the most masochistic job in the world, Sicker in the Head is absolutely worth the time.

[Michael Emond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read but I do admit to skipping several chapters of people I had never heard of before. The problem with Judd's interviewing style is he doesn't really let you know who any of these people are with his first questions so if you don't know (as one example) that Roger Daltrey was in The Who you probably won't know by the end of the interview either. And his questions aren't revealing enough that you'll know more about these people after reading their interview.

What you DO get though is some fun interview with some interesting people. The best (for me) was with Gary Gulman who went back and forth with Judd about their experiences with their mental health issues. that one was most interesting because Judd and Gary could share and what they went through and it felt less like an interview and more like a conversation.

Some interviews were painfully short and superficial (an old John Candy one) and others didn't have much to say. But overall I enjoyed it. I recall liking the first book more but that might be because he interviewed some more of his comedian friends in that one and those are the ones I am most drawn to.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Judd Apatow serves up a lot of great stuff here for the comedy fan. I enjoyed the insight into a comedian's or writer's process and all that went into becoming who they will be as a performer (or whatever it is they're doing in showbiz, as the book isn't limited to standup).

This collection of interviews follows his first book, Sick in the Head, which held interviews dating back decades when he was a teen comedy nerd clever enough to find a way to interview his heroes. He made good use of people being stuck at home during the early days of covid to schedule more interviews, expanding the list of subjects to include more than comedians.

In addition to comics, he interviewed people like Gayle King, Cameron Crowe and Mindy Kaling (all great reads, btw). I also loved the chapters for Tig Notaro, Pete Davidson, and George Shapiro (that last one was surprising to me, but Jerry Seinfeld's longtime agent had good stories to share).

There's a lot to love here. A nice perk: if you don't have a lot of time to read, you can easily dip into a chapter here and there without losing the plot, 'cause there ain't one. Each chapter stands alone. If you do have time to read through at a faster pace, all the better, it's great either way.

[Lynnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Judd Apatow's Sick in the Head and the interviews in it so I was looking forward to this follow-up. Unfortunately, I found myself bored more than interested.

Sure, there are some gems among the interviews, but most of them felt like a lot of naval gazing and conversation I didn't really care about. In the original Sick in the Head, all of the interviews were interesting, even when they were with people whose work I was unfamiliar with. In Sicker in the Head hoever, I was often bored by the conversations I was reading and often felt that if I had walked up to this conversation in the wild, I would have walked away and not even tried to join in.

Perhaps this book could have benefited from editing, or by including fewer interviews, it's hard for me to know. I only know it took me ages to read because I just wasn't that interested. The takeaway is that Apatow loves comedy and knows lots of other people who do, too. I think most readers' enjoyment will vary based on how much they like comedy, Apatow or the collection of people he interviews.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sicker in the Head” is Judd Apatow’s second book of collected interviews he’s done with comedians and a handful of other celebrity types from musicians to skateboarders to fellow filmmakers.

At the time I read his first book, I really enjoyed it. But in looking back I developed a sour taste in my mouth about the book as I realized how few women or people of color he had interviewed in the book. And one of the seven women he interviewed (out of 41 people) was his wife.

The ratio is better in this book (10 of the 31 interviews are of women).

Some of my favorite conversations were with Cameron Crowe, Bowen Yang, and Gary Gulman who I had never heard of before this book but who shared powerful insights into living with depression.

If you’re a comedy and entertainment nerd you’ll enjoy the whole book. Otherwise I’d suggest just reading a selection of the interviews with people you are most interested in.

I hope that he’ll eventually write a third book that features even more funny women!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

as seen on @aliciaisreading on instagram:
I LOVE listening to interviews/podcasts of comedians. and so even though i think i have the backstories of comedians like hasan minhaj, bowen yang, and john mulaney memorized at this point, I still had to read this. I love listening to successful individuals ~talk shop~, because despite the differences in specifics between my passion and theirs, key lessons still come through. Reading these interviews shows me that to have a passion is to have both the ultimate confidence in your success and the work ethic to devote yourself and put the time into understanding your craft— a level of dedication I want to bring to my life.

As a collection of many many interviews, this is a great read for those with short attention spans or a nice beach read for the summer 🤠