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Description
Five struggling stand-up comedians search for fame and fortune in the comedy clubs of the 1980s. Read more
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Publication date : June 6, 2000
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0684873605
ISBN-13 : 02
Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9.25 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #1,832,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #295 in Humorous American Literature #3,598 in Humorous Fiction
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Top Amazon Reviews
First of all, I am a huge Bill Maher fan. I think his show Real Time is one of the best forums on air for comedic commentary (read "honesty") on the politics of our country. So, I was eager to read this first novel of his. I though that, as a sort of memoir of his early days on the comedy circuit, this book might be a welcome change of pace from the serious and often heated debates seen on his show. Sadly, I was wrong. The monosyllabic character names in the book are just plain horrible, keeping you guessing who's saying what all the time. Even though each character has his own sort of "shtick" to identify him, it wasn't strong enough to present them as unique personalities. Apart from this inability to distinguish between the characters, their usual banter is all about getting women, getting laid, and getting paid. I could barely stand this kind of attitude from my classmates in Junior High School! Having it reproduced here was just as nauseating. And, yes, while these are characters straight out of the author's past, to hear the same juvenile conversation over and over was a bit tedious. I kept waiting for them to grow out of it and move on to the good stuff... But they don't. The author offers great insights for the up-and-coming comics of the time. And these insights are worth reading by anyone looking to make a career out of stand-up. If you are just a Bill Maher fan, though, you probably shouldn't read this book. It pales in comparison to his political insights and his most recent material. (Sorry, Bill!)
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Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2014 by Adam Johnson
I attended a live Bill Maher show several years ago and was very disappointed but that's a different story. I recently heard him on a podcast talking about his career and he mentioned this (long out of print) book he wrote as a novel, about four early-to-mid-career comedians on the east coast including their hookups and other relationships with women. I found this 300-page paperback (ordered used) to be very funny and an easy read. I finished it in four days. It was quite insightful about the world of modern American comedy of the 1980s and 90s, the people who are drawn to practice it, and even the audiences who patronize it. But be forewarned, Maher's descriptions of the characters' delusions including toxic sexuality is hard to take. Any group of people really this stupid and vapid should be avoided at all costs. His take seems to be "Comedians, feed 'em like pet dogs but only from a distance and don't trust 'em for more than 45 minutes or within a 6-feet protection zone."
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2021 by Rob in Santa Monica
Found it to be quite amazing and definitely times that I couldn’t put it down. My only disappointment was the epilogue as I came to the point of knowing there was no more to come. Mr. Maher has many statements that he would never write a novel again and that makes me sad.
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021 by KansasKim
It’s a well written story
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2019 by shagsoprano
funny
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019 by Jose Eustasio Rivera
Overall it was a good change of pace book for me. I have dabbled in open mics so I was curious as to how he painted the stand up comedian picture as a novel. Bill always writes from a smart perspective and I enjoyed this. It wasn't the greatest thing I've ever read, but I definitely don't regret reading it.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2012 by Kocese
BILL MAHER DELIVERS A FANTASTIC READ IN THIS BOOK JUST AS HE DOES IN HIS STAND-UP WORK AND HIS HBO SHOW REAL TIME, A DEFINITIVE MUST BUY
Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2013 by Amazon Customer
Big Bill Maher fan Butt This no Good
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2014 by Stanley Lynch