What do you think?
Rate this book
Road Comic: Heartbreak, Triumph and Obsession on the Comedy Circuit
Road Comic is a must-read for anyone interested in life on the comedy circuit. It'ss about the perils of parenting from the road, and the excitement of tattooed, pierced, and dangerous women. And, it'ss the story of Barry Friedman, who started in the Elks Lodges and topless bars of Oklahoma and worked his way up to being one of today'ss top comics.
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
8 people want to read
About the author
Barry Friedman
2 books1 followerThere is more than one author with this name
A comedian, born in New York, Barry started performing comedy in Tulsa, concluding that while Manhattan was the place to be discovered, Oklahoma had more parking. He has been a regular at club in Las Vegas, Reno, as well as NYC, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Houston, San Antonio, on cruise ships, The Bahamas, and once in a bar in Bartlesville, Oklahoma that advertised 'Comedian and Beer.' Further, Barry has appeared in national commercials, like the one for Mazzio's, where he is lying upside down, barking at a pizza, and movies, like UHF with “Weird Al" Yankovic, which still provides him with $3.76 residual checks every time it plays at some Lithuanian drive-in.
In May of 2002, Barry's first book, ROAD COMIC was released. An autobiographical look at his life on the comedy circuit, it was a raw, funny, pathetic, relentless account of comedy, comedians, sex, passion, suicidal Germans, pierced cocktail waitresses, disappointment, and receding hairlines. In his second book, FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION IT, released in 2005, Barry continued to explore the cultural zeitgeist of life, love, and humor, but also mused about gun shows, Baptists, old Jews, and Winnie Cooper.
Barry has co-hosted "The Politics Blog with Charles P. Pierce" ESQUIRE.com (Charles P. Pierce calls him "Friedman of the Plains"); does commentary on PUBLIC RADIO TULSA; writes a monthly column for Tulsa Voice; contributes to MEDIA POST; and reports for EXPLORER, an oil and gas journal, which is odd for Barry knows nothing about the oil and exploration business and has been known to hurt himself pumping his own gas.
Barry's latest book FOUR DAYS AND A YEAR LATER has just been released.
You can find out more about Barry at www.barrysfriedman.com or www.friedmanoftheplains.com
*Barry hates referring to himself in the third person.
A comedian, born in New York, Barry started performing comedy in Tulsa, concluding that while Manhattan was the place to be discovered, Oklahoma had more parking. He has been a regular at club in Las Vegas, Reno, as well as NYC, Los Angeles, Atlantic City, Houston, San Antonio, on cruise ships, The Bahamas, and once in a bar in Bartlesville, Oklahoma that advertised 'Comedian and Beer.' Further, Barry has appeared in national commercials, like the one for Mazzio's, where he is lying upside down, barking at a pizza, and movies, like UHF with “Weird Al" Yankovic, which still provides him with $3.76 residual checks every time it plays at some Lithuanian drive-in.
In May of 2002, Barry's first book, ROAD COMIC was released. An autobiographical look at his life on the comedy circuit, it was a raw, funny, pathetic, relentless account of comedy, comedians, sex, passion, suicidal Germans, pierced cocktail waitresses, disappointment, and receding hairlines. In his second book, FUNNY YOU SHOULD MENTION IT, released in 2005, Barry continued to explore the cultural zeitgeist of life, love, and humor, but also mused about gun shows, Baptists, old Jews, and Winnie Cooper.
Barry has co-hosted "The Politics Blog with Charles P. Pierce" ESQUIRE.com (Charles P. Pierce calls him "Friedman of the Plains"); does commentary on PUBLIC RADIO TULSA; writes a monthly column for Tulsa Voice; contributes to MEDIA POST; and reports for EXPLORER, an oil and gas journal, which is odd for Barry knows nothing about the oil and exploration business and has been known to hurt himself pumping his own gas.
Barry's latest book FOUR DAYS AND A YEAR LATER has just been released.
You can find out more about Barry at www.barrysfriedman.com or www.friedmanoftheplains.com
*Barry hates referring to himself in the third person.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 21, 2008
From his "Introduction to the Introduction" to the closing painful laugh, this book is as close to a confessional experience from a Jew as I can imagine reading. Barry doesn't shy away from writing explicit, raw (with both exotic, erotic experiences and gentle, emotionally wrecking ones), and possibly reputation damaging essays. Some of his stories caused me to cringe with the sordidness of it, while most made me envious of the experience. The best thing, though, about the book is the lyricism of his writing. Regardless of whether he's describing a woman whose altered breasts have morphed into one giant blob in the middle of her chest, to the exquisite pain of the loss of a lover, a friend, a mother, the writing itself never fails to place you in the moment. So there. It's a hell of a ride, but one you won't forget.
Displaying 1 of 1 review