NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ò NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE A.V. CLUB ò Includes new interviews! From the writer and director of Knocked Up and the producer of Freaks and Geeks comes a collection of intimate, hilarious conversations with the biggest names in comedy from the past thirty yearsùincluding Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Harold Ramis, Seth Rogen, Chris Rock, and Lena Dunham. Before becoming one of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood, Judd Apatow was the original comedy nerd. At fifteen, he took a job washing dishes in a local comedy clubùjust so he could watch endless stand-up for free. At sixteen, he was hosting a show for his local high school radio station in Syosset, Long Islandùa show that consisted of Q&As with his comedy heroes, from Garry Shandling to Jerry Seinfeld. They talked about their careers, the science of a good joke, and their dreams of future glory (turns out, Shandling was interested in having his own TV show one day and Steve Allen had already invented everything). Thirty years later, Apatow is still that same comedy nerdùand heÆs still interviewing funny people about why they do what they do. Sick in the Head gathers ApatowÆs most memorable and revealing conversations into one hilarious, wide-ranging, and incredibly candid collection that spans not only his career but his entire adult life. Here are the comedy legends who inspired and shaped him, from Mel Brooks to Steve Martin. Here are the contemporaries he grew up with in Hollywood, from Spike Jonze to Sarah Silverman. And here, finally, are the brightest stars in comedy today, many of whom Apatow has been fortunate to work with, from Seth Rogen to Amy Schumer. And along the way, something kind of magical happens: What started as a lifetimeÆs worth of conversations about comedy becomes something else entirely. It becomes an exploration of creativity, ambition, neediness, generosity, spirituality, and the joy that comes from making people laugh. Loaded with the kind of back-of-the-club stories that comics tell one another when no one else is watching, this fascinating, personal (and borderline-obsessive) book is Judd ApatowÆs gift to comedy nerds everywhere. Praise for Sick in the Head ôI canÆt stop reading it. . . . I donÆt want this book to end.öùJimmy Fallon ôAn essential for any comedy geek.öùEntertainment Weekly ôFascinating . . . a collection of interviews with many of the great figures of comedy in the latter half of the twentieth century.öùThe Washington Post ôOpen this book anywhere, and youÆre bound to find some interesting nugget from someone who has had you in stitches many, many times.öùJanet Maslin, The New York Times ôAn amazing read, full of insights and connections both creative and interpersonal.öùThe New Yorker ôFascinating and revelatory.öùChicago Tribune ôAnyone even remotely interested in comedy or humanity should own this book.öùWill Ferrell
- | Author: Judd Apatow
- | Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
- | Publication Date: May 31, 2016
- | Number of Pages: 576 pages
- | Language: English
- | Binding: Paperback/Humor
- | ISBN-10: 0812987284
- | ISBN-13: 9780812987287
