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Satiristas: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs & Vulgarians
Featuring our greatest comedic minds on the nature of humor, its relevance in society—and why sometimes you just need a good dirty joke to cleanse the palate—Satiristas is a hilarious multi-voiced manifesto on satire and comedy presented by Paul Provenza, co-creator of The Aristocrats.
579 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2008
21 people are currently reading
688 people want to read
About the author
Paul Provenza
8 books9 followersPaul Provenza is an actor, comedian and filmmaker. Provenza grew up in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx and graduated in 1975 from the Bronx High School of Science. Whilst in high school, he started performing stand-up comedy, and at just 17 made his stage debut at the original Improvisation in Manhattan. Provenza continued performing while attending the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania, taking a year's leave of absence to study in London at the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. While at R.A.D.A., he joined a classical repertory theater company, becoming one of few Americans to perform the role of "Romeo" on the London stage. He then graduated in 1979 from the University of Pennsylvania, with the first Theatre Arts degree ever awarded by that Ivy League school. At Penn, he wrote for the Pennsylvania Punch Bowl and was a cast member of The Mask and Wig Club. He has returned numerous times to perform with Mask and Wig in their annual Intercollegiate Comedy Festival.
Provenza spent decades traveling the world as a stand up whilst also working in both theatre and television, appearing on TV shows including Northern Exposure and Empty Nest. He received critical acclaim for his work on stage, with his performance in the hit Off-Broadway play Only Kidding! nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor and winning the Theater World Award for Best Actor in a Play. He was honored with a caricature by the legendary Al Hirschfeld.
After decades as a stand-up comic and actor, Paul Provenza found a new calling as an interviewer of other stand-ups. His passion for the craft was evidenced in his 2005 directorial debut The Aristocrats (made with Penn Jilette) revered by many comedy fans "not merely for its unspeakable and hilarious filth but also for the truly magical way in which it captured the wonder and creativity of the world’s funniest comics."
Provenza spent decades traveling the world as a stand up whilst also working in both theatre and television, appearing on TV shows including Northern Exposure and Empty Nest. He received critical acclaim for his work on stage, with his performance in the hit Off-Broadway play Only Kidding! nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor and winning the Theater World Award for Best Actor in a Play. He was honored with a caricature by the legendary Al Hirschfeld.
After decades as a stand-up comic and actor, Paul Provenza found a new calling as an interviewer of other stand-ups. His passion for the craft was evidenced in his 2005 directorial debut The Aristocrats (made with Penn Jilette) revered by many comedy fans "not merely for its unspeakable and hilarious filth but also for the truly magical way in which it captured the wonder and creativity of the world’s funniest comics."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 10, 2010
actually a very interesting book. the interviews are quite good and provenza worked hard to make the book flow in an interesting and cumulative way. kinda paltry in it's representation of anyone other than white males, though. i would have found a more diverse group more interesting. a recommended read none-the-less.
October 26, 2015
I found out about "¡Satiristas!" through Paul Provenza's recent appearance on Marc Maron's podcast, with which this collection of interviews shares a similar spirit. These are simple, honest conversations, focused loosely on the subject of comedy and satire as an art form. However, the book's biggest strength - the breadth and variety of social commentators represented within - is, in some ways, also its weakness.
"¡Satiristas!" contains some fifty interviews, all with unarguably important voices on the subjects of comedy and satire, but I can't help but think the book would have been better had it had been slashed to 25 or 30 interviews, with each one granted a little more time and depth. As is, each interview is only given around six pages, and many of the conversations fail to evolve to their full potential. Provenza has arranged the book very well so that each interview leads comfortably into the next, but because these conversations are so short, and because they all focus on similar subject matter, the book can become repetitive after awhile.
That being said, the good in "¡Satiristas!" far outweighs the bad. Even these brief conversations yield a number of good stories and poignant nuggets of wisdom. Robin Williams is smart and disarmingly honest talking about George W. Bush and the Iraq War; Randy Newman offers interesting insights on his songs "Rednecks" and "Short People"; Greg Giraldo's interview is oddly poignant and almost impossible not to read differently in light of his recent demise; David Cross and Bill Maher spare none of their usual vitriol in discussing American culture; finally, the interview with George Carlin, the last ever given by the standup legend ends the book on a perfect note.
Dan Dion's photography also provides a terrific accompaniment to Provenza's interviews. In addition to black-and-white portraits of all those interviewed, "¡Satiristas!" contains a glossy insert with color photographs of a number of other prominent entertainers. These portraits are worth a book in and of themselves, and I spent a long time just looking through them when I first sat down with the book.
"¡Satiristas!" isn't perfect. It's too broad and not as deep as I'd like, but it's clear that it was lovingly and carefully compiled, and there's enough wisdom and insight within to appeal to any comedy fan.
"¡Satiristas!" contains some fifty interviews, all with unarguably important voices on the subjects of comedy and satire, but I can't help but think the book would have been better had it had been slashed to 25 or 30 interviews, with each one granted a little more time and depth. As is, each interview is only given around six pages, and many of the conversations fail to evolve to their full potential. Provenza has arranged the book very well so that each interview leads comfortably into the next, but because these conversations are so short, and because they all focus on similar subject matter, the book can become repetitive after awhile.
That being said, the good in "¡Satiristas!" far outweighs the bad. Even these brief conversations yield a number of good stories and poignant nuggets of wisdom. Robin Williams is smart and disarmingly honest talking about George W. Bush and the Iraq War; Randy Newman offers interesting insights on his songs "Rednecks" and "Short People"; Greg Giraldo's interview is oddly poignant and almost impossible not to read differently in light of his recent demise; David Cross and Bill Maher spare none of their usual vitriol in discussing American culture; finally, the interview with George Carlin, the last ever given by the standup legend ends the book on a perfect note.
Dan Dion's photography also provides a terrific accompaniment to Provenza's interviews. In addition to black-and-white portraits of all those interviewed, "¡Satiristas!" contains a glossy insert with color photographs of a number of other prominent entertainers. These portraits are worth a book in and of themselves, and I spent a long time just looking through them when I first sat down with the book.
"¡Satiristas!" isn't perfect. It's too broad and not as deep as I'd like, but it's clear that it was lovingly and carefully compiled, and there's enough wisdom and insight within to appeal to any comedy fan.
October 15, 2010
I'm less than 100 pages into this and it's already blowing my mind. I'm having a great time reading comedy-related non-fiction right now. If you've got a recommendation for something in that vein, please send it my way.
*EDIT*
I've finished reading Satiristas now and I'm convinced I'll have to buy a copy. (Got this one from the library.) It's like a compendium of reasons to stick to your guns, speak boldly and trust that your audience will gravitate to you. The inspirational value of this book made "Outliers" look like a booger collection.
*EDIT*
I've finished reading Satiristas now and I'm convinced I'll have to buy a copy. (Got this one from the library.) It's like a compendium of reasons to stick to your guns, speak boldly and trust that your audience will gravitate to you. The inspirational value of this book made "Outliers" look like a booger collection.
December 9, 2013
This is the best, most comprehensive collection of interviews with comedians I've ever read. It covers all aspects of "satire" - a chimera of a term that has been invoked to cover just about every form of comedy and commentary under the sun. Not just The Daily Show and Colbert but Cheech and Chong, The Onion, The Graduate, the silliness of Monty Python, the songs of Randy Newman, the political rants of Jello Biafra and Janeane Garofalo, and the bizarreness of Mr. Show and Wonder Showzen.
July 4, 2012
A wonderful compilation of interviews from some of my absolute favorite comedians. Anyone who is a TRUE comedy fan needs to own this book, mainly because it holds the last interview done with George Carlin before he passed. It also has interviews with the late Greg Giraldo and Patrice O'Neal. (Btw, my copy is autographed by Lewis Black, who's also interviewed in the book, jealous yet?) ;-D
September 19, 2011
this should be required reading for every fucking person...
January 5, 2011
This is not a funny book. There are a few funny bits, but that's not at all the point. To the contrary... this is a deadly serious work, a compendium of interviews with a specific kind of comedian. Satiristas is an intense look at the modern "Contrarians, Raconteurs and Vulgarians" of the subtitle, all talking about their craft, about "speaking truth to power," and about how hard it was to be funny in the first decade of the 21st Century—how political satire was affected by the Bush years, by 9/11, and by America's "war on a human emotion" (to lift a phrase from Andy Borowitz's interview). Numerous lively and sympathetic photographs by Dan Dion, "comedy's most celebrated portrait photographer" (to quote the jacket blurb) illuminate the work.
A comedian himself, Paul Provenza got inside the heads of dozens of fellow funny men (and a few women, though this does seem to be a very guy-centric field). There are omissions; some are acknowledged, and others are unsurprising. Many names you'll recognize; others you... probably won't. It's also... kinda pale; apart from Paul Mooney and Patrice Oneal, you won't see many people of color on these pages.
This book does have the distinction of containing one of the last interviews, if not the very last one, with the late George Carlin. You'll also see frank discussions with the likes of Lewis Black; Robin Williams; Lily Tomlin; Bill Maher; Sandra Bernhard; Trey Parker and Matt Stone... and a host of others.
This book is not for children, or for the naive. The language is uninhibited, and the opinions are as well. It also has a sometimes self-congratulatory tone; that's an occupational hazard, perhaps. You may have gathered that this book is written from a particular political perspective—from the Left, to put it pointedly. That's not at all incidental to how satire works, actually, though just how that is is left as an exercise for the reader.
As a physical package, and as a work of thoughtful editing, this book stands out. I was impressed with how well and how smoothly the interviews flowed into each other. I also liked the way Provenza showed these professionals' awareness of, and respect for, each others' work—often, one interviewee's comments about a fellow artist led directly into the next interview with that very comedian. It was easy to see these very different personalities as belonging on the same continuum.
If you're looking for a joke book, look elsewhere. But if you're interested in a thoughtful collection of observations, mixed with rueful laughter, about modern life, you could do a lot worse than to read this book.
A comedian himself, Paul Provenza got inside the heads of dozens of fellow funny men (and a few women, though this does seem to be a very guy-centric field). There are omissions; some are acknowledged, and others are unsurprising. Many names you'll recognize; others you... probably won't. It's also... kinda pale; apart from Paul Mooney and Patrice Oneal, you won't see many people of color on these pages.
This book does have the distinction of containing one of the last interviews, if not the very last one, with the late George Carlin. You'll also see frank discussions with the likes of Lewis Black; Robin Williams; Lily Tomlin; Bill Maher; Sandra Bernhard; Trey Parker and Matt Stone... and a host of others.
This book is not for children, or for the naive. The language is uninhibited, and the opinions are as well. It also has a sometimes self-congratulatory tone; that's an occupational hazard, perhaps. You may have gathered that this book is written from a particular political perspective—from the Left, to put it pointedly. That's not at all incidental to how satire works, actually, though just how that is is left as an exercise for the reader.
As a physical package, and as a work of thoughtful editing, this book stands out. I was impressed with how well and how smoothly the interviews flowed into each other. I also liked the way Provenza showed these professionals' awareness of, and respect for, each others' work—often, one interviewee's comments about a fellow artist led directly into the next interview with that very comedian. It was easy to see these very different personalities as belonging on the same continuum.
If you're looking for a joke book, look elsewhere. But if you're interested in a thoughtful collection of observations, mixed with rueful laughter, about modern life, you could do a lot worse than to read this book.
July 23, 2010
The main focus in Satiristas is on stand-up comedians and tv-show writers or hosts, rather than novelists, columnists, cartoonists, or other kinds of writers. There are many fine insights into using comedy to comment on social and political affairs, and what makes comedy work (or not work). It's obvious that most of these folks work hard at trying to poke holes in the establishment.
The consensus seems to be that for the satire to work, you need to make a point, but more importantly you need make it funny. This is something they understand very well at The Onion. Several of the interviewees worked at Air America, which failed partly because they forgot to be funny.
After a while--there are about sixty short interviews here--I got the impression that Provenza has a lot of friends in the comedy business, and he got them together to reminisce about their favorite comedians from the sixties onward and congratulate each other on how smart and funny they are. That makes it a fun historical review, but at times I felt like I was watching an overlong awards show.
It's interesting how frequently the interviewees refer to other stand-up comedians and how infrequently they refer to print satirists. (Mencken or Benchley? Buchwald or Baker? Trudeau or Luckovich?)
Almost all of these comedians come from the Left side of the stage. Provenza throws in P.J. O'Rourke, the token conservative on Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. When it comes to "preaching to the choir", the Right has talk radio and the Left has comedy clubs.
Provenza ends the book with an excerpt from the last videotaped interview with George Carlin, who was the best.
The consensus seems to be that for the satire to work, you need to make a point, but more importantly you need make it funny. This is something they understand very well at The Onion. Several of the interviewees worked at Air America, which failed partly because they forgot to be funny.
After a while--there are about sixty short interviews here--I got the impression that Provenza has a lot of friends in the comedy business, and he got them together to reminisce about their favorite comedians from the sixties onward and congratulate each other on how smart and funny they are. That makes it a fun historical review, but at times I felt like I was watching an overlong awards show.
It's interesting how frequently the interviewees refer to other stand-up comedians and how infrequently they refer to print satirists. (Mencken or Benchley? Buchwald or Baker? Trudeau or Luckovich?)
Almost all of these comedians come from the Left side of the stage. Provenza throws in P.J. O'Rourke, the token conservative on Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me. When it comes to "preaching to the choir", the Right has talk radio and the Left has comedy clubs.
Provenza ends the book with an excerpt from the last videotaped interview with George Carlin, who was the best.
April 23, 2012
A tad moribund, given the ubiquity of comedy podcasting these days.
The seesaw of confessional depth with bumptious party atmosphere in any good episode of Nerdist or WTF or Comedy Death Ray capture what the printed page can often barely register.
Space-restraints also forced Provenza to cut the interviews he did with Fred Willard, Andy Zaltzman, Maria Bamford, Tim Minchin, John Oliver, and Paul F. Tompkins (but again, the myriad-channeled podverse has all of these voices archived), while retaining those with Jay Leno, Rosanne Barr, and Janeane f***ing Garofalo.
All gripes aside, this bulky 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" anthology is still a creditable tribute to some of the greatest human beings on the planet.
Among my favorite chestnuts was Todd Hanson's (a veteran Onion writer) encounter with Jim Abrams (of Airplane! fame) at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Abrams was a cancer survivor whose lurch through Sloan-Kettering hell was revitalized when a friend put into his hands the immortal Onion dispatch Loved Ones Recall Local Man's Cowardly Battle With Cancer.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/love...
Abrams laughed for the first time in months, galvanizing him to soldier on.
And that, my friends, says it all.
(Hanson citing Jonathan Swift's Letters to Alexander Pope in the same interview was the chili on my ballpark-wiener.)
The seesaw of confessional depth with bumptious party atmosphere in any good episode of Nerdist or WTF or Comedy Death Ray capture what the printed page can often barely register.
Space-restraints also forced Provenza to cut the interviews he did with Fred Willard, Andy Zaltzman, Maria Bamford, Tim Minchin, John Oliver, and Paul F. Tompkins (but again, the myriad-channeled podverse has all of these voices archived), while retaining those with Jay Leno, Rosanne Barr, and Janeane f***ing Garofalo.
All gripes aside, this bulky 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" anthology is still a creditable tribute to some of the greatest human beings on the planet.
Among my favorite chestnuts was Todd Hanson's (a veteran Onion writer) encounter with Jim Abrams (of Airplane! fame) at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Abrams was a cancer survivor whose lurch through Sloan-Kettering hell was revitalized when a friend put into his hands the immortal Onion dispatch Loved Ones Recall Local Man's Cowardly Battle With Cancer.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/love...
Abrams laughed for the first time in months, galvanizing him to soldier on.
And that, my friends, says it all.
(Hanson citing Jonathan Swift's Letters to Alexander Pope in the same interview was the chili on my ballpark-wiener.)
March 20, 2011
This was a weird one for me...probably more of a 3.5 than a 4. For obvious reasons, I'll read and enjoy any book that is people talking intelligently about comedy. That said, I felt like this book needed some serious editing. The relatively narrow topical focus made me feel like there were too many interviews and none went as in-depth as And Here's The Kicker, which is the gold standard of comedy interview books for me. Also, Paul Provenza inserts himself way too much into the interviews, particularly for someone I don't find all that interesting.
For the record: number of comedians/groups interviewed: 61. Number of women: 7.25 (Amy Poehler was interviewed along with the rest of the UCB 4).
For the record: number of comedians/groups interviewed: 61. Number of women: 7.25 (Amy Poehler was interviewed along with the rest of the UCB 4).
March 14, 2015
Comedians make for fascinating interviews, and that is all this book is. It collects relatively short (4-6 page) interviews with various performers, writers, etc. and gets into how they think about comedy, satire, being offensive, being thought-provoking, and personal experiences which inform their performances.
I really enjoyed how the interviews were arranged. I do not believe it was merely chronological. Instead, often times the interviews would create a back and forth on some aspect, such as is sincerity important in satire, or is being a character advantageous to making satire more powerful. It's extremely interesting to know how some people are such students and thinkers on what makes something funny, while others have a more instinctual approach.
I really enjoyed how the interviews were arranged. I do not believe it was merely chronological. Instead, often times the interviews would create a back and forth on some aspect, such as is sincerity important in satire, or is being a character advantageous to making satire more powerful. It's extremely interesting to know how some people are such students and thinkers on what makes something funny, while others have a more instinctual approach.
March 18, 2017
El humor y la comedia son temas que me apasionan. ¿Cómo se forma un comediante? ¿De dónde brota su humor? ¿Cuál es la técnica correcta para compartirlo exitosamente con el mundo? A través de muchas entrevistas con comediantes y satiristas varios, Paul Provenza busca encontrar las respuestas. No encuentra consenso, pero sí una variedad de opiniones y formas de ver el humor y la vida que vale la pena conocer. La risa es una manifestación de libertad; nos sobreponemos a nosotros mismos y nuestra tragedia cuando decidimos reír y hacer reír. Recomiendo.
December 5, 2010
I wished that I had liked this more, because it's pretty much a who's who of the comics who have helped to shape my sense of humor, and occasionally, my worldview. Carlin, Billy Connolly, The Kids in the Hall, Marc Maron, and plenty of others.
But there's not a lot of depth to the interviews, and they tend to get repetitive after a while.
Worth a read, but I don't know that I'd come back to it.
But there's not a lot of depth to the interviews, and they tend to get repetitive after a while.
Worth a read, but I don't know that I'd come back to it.
May 5, 2011
This is a great book. Showcasing a broad range of comedians in their roles as thinkers, entertainers and social commentators. The photography is personal and nuanced.
With little exception the author does an amazing job of drawing out the interviewee without strongly inserting himself into the narrative. The rapport and respect that Mr Provenza has with his subjects is obvious and provides a basis for trust that allows them to expound on a broad range of political and social themes.
With little exception the author does an amazing job of drawing out the interviewee without strongly inserting himself into the narrative. The rapport and respect that Mr Provenza has with his subjects is obvious and provides a basis for trust that allows them to expound on a broad range of political and social themes.
April 26, 2014
Honestly, I bought this book because of Stephen Colbert's interview, but I'm really enjoying what all the other comedians have to say as well. Really interesting to hear everyone's different point-of-view on what they do. It's more of a dip-in and dip-out kind of book as far as I'm concerned, so I just marked it as "finished" at last.
September 12, 2013
Got this book from my parents for my birthday and I've finally started reading it. The introduciton is kind of awful, but so far the interviews are great. The interview with Paul Mooney is particularly insightful - Mooney's thoughts on Michael Richards might be surprising to some, but they're also one hundred percent accurate.
March 1, 2013
If you like comedy, especially thinking-person's comedy, and like to read what thinking comics say about thinking-person's comedy, this is pretty cool. Many of the comics Paul Provenza interviewed are remarkably articulate and introspective about their work, which makes sense, and makes even more sense for comics, since their medium is, after all, straightforward language.
August 10, 2010
I learned a lot about the satirical side of today's comics--both stand-up and the comic writers of The Onion and the late night shows. Comedy has gone in a very different direction since the days of Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Buddy Hackett. Worth a read--
December 28, 2010
I've read a good handful of books about comedy in the last couple months. This one is the best one by far. Great pace, great choices of people to interview, great photos, great sequencing, great conversations.
January 18, 2011
Great book. Table talk of comedians is fantastic reading, and really interesting. It's also a great overview of stand up comedy in the last 30 years. I would like to see paul provenza do more books or movies like this. More than the Aristocrats.
July 26, 2012
Perhaps the best book out there for satirical comedians, an excellent introduction and insight into this subgroup of comics. I understand why comedy is important, even beyond entertaining and making people laugh.
May 22, 2010
Thought provoking set of interviews with satirists and comedians--primarily focuses on the state of the American mind and politics, and is far more deep than you expect from the cover.
June 8, 2010
Discussing comedy is usually a fruitless exercise, but Provenza coaxes insight out of some of the comedians.
June 6, 2010
some decent interviews with people I like, a lot with people I didn't care about
August 16, 2010
Ok, a bit lacking in depth/density... I paid $20 used for this, I think it's about $5-$10 of value.
October 26, 2010
A solid read. The more I liked the comedian, the more I liked his/her interview. (And might I add: holy crap, Greg Giraldo was not a well man. Yikes.) The photos were really well done.
June 25, 2011
Very satisfying. Very entertaining. Also really damn smart and funny and illuminating.
September 7, 2011
If you like looking behind the scenes, this book is a great collection of interviews with masters of satire. The portraits show so much more character than comedy venue head shots.
February 28, 2013
The sheer variety of contradictory perspectives that the interviewees had was fascinating; I wish several of them had been ten times as long.
February 12, 2012
Excellent coverage of an interesting subject. A little too broad and shallow. I would have preferred fewer comedians and humorists, but more in-depth interviews—also, more pictures of vaginas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews