All you Kindle owners out there looking for something… comedy… to read– we have a short list for you.
Our comedy colleagues have been busy writing for the written word., not the spoken word. And, while they’re at it, they’re utilizing the wondrous (relatively) new tool that is self-publishing. If you have a kindle or similar device, you can download the following electronic book or “e-book” for anywhere from free (!) to $14.49.
First up, Al Romas has penned, “Let’s Hear It For The Last Guy,” an account of his 25 years in the standup business. Romas, who’s worked with everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Jimmy Fallon, Dennis Miller to Jim Carrey. In the Amazon.com description, Romas says, “If you are interested in becoming a comic or just enjoy stories about comedians, this is the book for you. It’s like having a good friend who is a comedian, telling you stories from the road.” And there’s 19 five-star reviews! (And one four-star… there’s always that one guy in the front row who just can’t let himself have a great time!) Available for only $3.99, or for free if you’re an Amazon Prime customer!
Dwayne Perkins has assembled “Hot Chocolate For The Mind,” a collection of short stories and observations from his travels throughout the world doing standup. “This is the book David Sedaris would’ve written if he was a straight Black man from Brooklyn doing stand-up in Dubai.” He initially set all his thoughts down via a blog. “In the end, I realized that, while writing my blogs, I was writing my first book and a manifesto of sorts.” (We always tell people that the best way to kickstart a book is to start blogging first– even if you don’t make the blog public!) Available for $2.99, or for free if you’re an Amazon Prime customer!
In “Sometimes Ask A Man,” SHECKYmagazine’s Female Half of the Staff hilariously skewers traditional social and sexual mores as well as modern feminism, using the bestselling woman’s self-help book, “Always Ask A Man” by Arlene Dahl as a jumping-off point. As one five-star review puts it: “Traci Skene puts several gazillion electrons to good use by “fisking” an old book by Arlene Dahl on beauty and deportment advice for women who want to please their men.” Available for download for $1.99, or for free if you’re an Amazon Prime customer.
In addition to being a veteran standup, Tom Wilson is also an eye-popping painter. And and actor– he played “Biff Tanner” in the classic “Back To The Future” series. And a writer. In one five-star review for “The Masked Man,” Wilson “takes a genius idea for a book and weaves through satisfying behind-the-scene stories of his long Hollywood career– from his early standup days on the Sunset Strip to creating one of the most recognizable bullies ever caught on film.” Available for $5.94 at Amazon.com
“Dyn-O-Mite: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times– A Memoir” is the truly amazing tale of Jimmy Walker whose standup comedy brought him from the poverty of the Melrose Projects to the early years of the Greenwich Village comedy scene to Hollywood and a top-rated television show that was also a cultural phenomenon. Along the way, we meet Richard Pryor, Freddie Prinze, David Letterman and the Black Panthers! It’s not just an autobiography, it’s a mini-history lesson of both America and American standup comedy. Available for $14.49 at Amazon.com.
Comedian and actor Fred Stoller found himself on the writing staff of the historic Seinfeld television series. Fortunately for all of us, he remembered a lot of what happened… and what didn’t happen! It’s an often hilarious and sometimes frustrating tale of the “annoying schnook” whose “chance encounter with Larry David (whom he kind of knew from New York stand-up)… led to a giant office and a staff writer position on Seinfeld.” Must-reading for anyone who is a Seinfeld fan or who aspires to be a staff sitcom writer. Available for $1.99, or free for Amazon Prime members.
Also check out Stoller’s follow-up, “We’ll Have You Back,” available for $6.49 in the Kindle edition.. With a foreword by Ray Romano!
Comedian Ward Anderson‘s ebook doesn’t sugarcoat matters. “The average working comic will never get any major television exposure, never make six figures, and never even have a taste of true fame. Each comedian has a dream to become rich and famous, but most are happy just to be working. That’s the life of a road comic.” “Four Wheels And A Microphone,” says the Toronto Star, “describes with a humourous, self-effacing aplomb the unglamorous grunt work of the typical full-time standup” You can read the gorey details for just $2.99, or for free if you’re an Amazon Prime customer.