The Mee-Ow Show put Evanston’s Northwestern University on the comedy map. And someone finally wrote about it! Mee-Ow alums include Paul Barrosse, Dana Olsen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seth Meyers, Ana Gasteyer, Dermot Mulroney, Craig Bierko and Kristin Schaal. Joseph Radding was the Mee-Ow Show’s first Surrealist in Residence. Paul W. Warshauer was one of the show’s original creators and producers.
I can’t relate to her multi-award-winning genius, but I always relate to her comedy. Many of Elaine May’s formative years were spent in Chicago. Legend is she used to audit philosophy classes at University of Chicago and start big fights. Is it true? Find out! She was a founder of the Compass Players and one-half of the Grammy Award winning duo Nichols & May. As a comedian, actor, writer and director at age 92, she continues to influence generations of comedians.
Chicago native Jim O’Heir gives you a personal tour behind the scenes and talks about his unforgettable run as Jerry/Garry/Larry on Parks & Recreation.
Behind the scenes of one of the most Chicago of Chicago movies of all time.
Jean Carroll was a major comic innovator. You’ll recognize her influence on many of today’s stand-ups. She is one of the greats and I’m happy that she’s no longer “forgotten”!
Speaking of comic innovators and first ladies of comedy! Tiffany Haddish is pure sunshine even when she’s telling the hard things.
A personal confessional from the head writer of The Problem with Jon Stewart.
Definitely read Moshe Kasher’s first memoir Kasher In the Rye first. There’s no one in comedy who’s had a life like his, from growing up Hasidic with deaf parents to leaving that community in the biggest way possible. Subculture Vulture follows up on what happened next. It’s divided into six sections: AA, Raves, Deafness, Burning Man, The Jews, Comedy. Comedians from all walks of life have shouted universal acclaim.
Find this audiobook at try.everand.com/gethard/ Chris Gethard’s series of memoirs began with A Bad Idea I’m About to Do. Dad At Peace finds him settling into a more reflective life.
So first of all, there’s a look-alike book out there about Paul Scheer, so be sure you get this one. In this real deal, he talks about making his way through trauma to find his true creative self, but doesn’t make it sound quite that straightforward because it totally isn’t.
From an extremely unconventional childhood to early independence to Breaking Away and Diner, Home Alone, City Slickers, Rookie of the Year (what a list!), here is the unvarnished truth about what it’s like to occupy an iconic place in film and comedy history. Also – he was once sued for $25 million by CBS and Columbia Pictures. ACCKKK!!
Michael Richards has lived through many dramatic “Entrances and Exits.” Although one reviewer calls out the writing for being “boggy’, you can also expect much honest reflection. A lot about Seinfeld, too!
Reviewers praise this memoir for being super real and an honest tour of all the emotions. If you want to get to know JJ Barrows via her standup, check out Doodle All Day, her Dry Bar special.
A childhood to rival Moshe Kasher’s, but in Ireland.
A hybrid self-help memoir. Miranda Hart is a British comedian best known in the US as Chummy in Call the Midwife. But wait, there’s so much more! Miranda has ME/CFS and is very honest about what it takes to cope. I’m not sure I’ve seen any other celebrity memoir that discusses living with this extremely challenging condition. (Note: published in the UK in 2024, the US version won’t be available until next month.)
There are the great men, Tom Lehrer, PDQ Bach and Dr. Demento, but in this book, you’ll also find the great women like Fanny Brice, Jo Stafford, Garfunkel & Oates, and Jessica McKenna. I don’t see Bridget Everett, tho, and she deserves mention in any work about comedy and music. But this still sounds like a very fun, interesting read. Randy Rainbow fans! He is in this book and he also had a new memoir this year. (see below)
This book is $181 on Amazon and $159 on barnesandnoble.com! I’d love to learn about India’s vibrant comedy scene. May need to ask my library to order.
In comedy circles, Laura Benanti is known for her on-point Melania on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Only available as an audiobook, Nobody Cares includes five original songs by this Broadway star.
Behind the scenes and interviews detailing the first pitch to Apple execs, to the writers room, casting decisions and individual episodes.
One of New Zealand’s biggest comedy stars talks about life and his cancer battle.
Whoopi Goldberg continues her series of memoirs with these stories about her relationship with her mother and brother .
Also from Whoopi Goldberg this year. Not exactly a memoir (but who’s to say?). This is an adventure comic about a woman going through “The Change” and how it turns out to be a super power.
What it’s like being friends with the Gilmore Girls, all the Golden Girls, plus Roseanne Barr, Lily Tomlin and more. Plus lots of other adventures in NYC and show biz.
Speaking of the Gilmore Girls! But she’s not only Lorelei’s mom. Kelly Bishop originated the role of Sheila in A Chorus Line and won a Tony. She is also the mom in Dirty Dancing.
When Scott Seiss’s shows sold out at the Den, I had to research who he was, but that’s on me. He went from viral Tik Tok-er to stand up sensation with angry stories about working retail opposite the entitled masses. This book picks up there. It’s not just ranting, though. His material is also a thank you to the amazing, gracious people who make sure the stores are open and we have everything we need.
Personal and political crises, plus his mom, his cat and his dating life.
A testament to imaginary friends and their role in coping and creativity.
Adventures in a retirement community or “The Home” as Peggy Rowe calls it. Peggy Rowe is the hilarious mom of Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe. If you follow her on social media or read her first four memoirs, you know who their funniest family member is! She became a New York Times bestselling author at age 80 with her first book All About My Mother.
One of Married’s writer-producers reveals surprises about the show’s beginnings and what happened behind the scenes throughout the years.
A faith-based memoir about surviving trauma and finding love.
Part memoir, part free-speech manifesto. Includes personal never-before-told stories about Chris Farley, Norm Macdonald, Christopher Walken and more.
Epic travel misadventures and other personal stories.
His meteoric rise is controversial in comedy circles. By Matt Rife’s own admission, he was a struggling comic and then came one viral video which he didn’t even want to make. Now he’s selling out show after show at the Chicago Theatre and cuddling up to Drew Barrymore and I’ll just admit I bought a signed copy at Barnes & Noble.
A comedian’s epic up-and-down adventure on the Appalachian Trail.
The New Yorker cartoonist and TV comedy writer (Seinfeld, Six Feet Under) details the highs and despairs of launching a project in Hollywood.
A memoir about growing up with a mom who conveyed important life lessons like “Do you know what happens if you laugh while crying? Hair grows out of your butthole” – and how that ability to find the absurd helps this standup face challenges at every age.
A debut collection of personal essays from comedy writer Michael Jamin (Maron, King of the Hill, Just Shoot Me, Beavis and Butthead, Tacoma FD).
Comedian and Second City alum Ellen Skrmetti puts Jesus on speed-dial.
This comedian now plays venues like the Chicago Theatre, but actually lived a lot of life before becoming a standup.
Another hit by the author of Seinfeldia, Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted, and When Women Invented Television. Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is a pop culture authority known for her thorough, accurate reporting and her sense of humor. This is the Mean Girls book the Academy of Motion Pictures sells in its shop!
AND FOR THE JENNIFER COOLIDGE FAN:
