Mike Sacks

This is a must read for anyone who fancies themselves a comedy writer, or is just intrigued by the notion and process of creating comedy. Mike Sacks interviews such luminaries as Buck Henry, Stephen Merchant, Harold Ramis, Merrill Markoe, Marshall Brickman, George Meyer, David Sedaris, Robert Smigel, Dick Cavett, Dave Barry, Jack Handy, and Larry Gelbart.

If some of those names don't ring a bell, trust me, you likely know their work. These are men and women who have written Carson, Letterman, The Simpsons, SNL, Conan, The Office, the New Yorker, M*A*S*H, Jack Paar, Woody Allen, Second City, and such films as The Graduate, Ghostbusters, and others.

I read this on concurrent plane rides, and longed for a highlighter so I could mark up passages. Harold Ramis shares the story of how "Groundhog Day" was originally conceived, Merrill Markoe reels off a long list of the things she hates most in comedy (it's a must for any writer), David Sedaris explains the difference between exaggeration and 'making shit up', and Dick Cavett reveals what it was like to write for Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. The Simpsons writers and SNL writers give peeks into their approaches and the way their respective writers' bullpens work. Buck Henry tells us where his classic line in "The Graduate" about plastics came from, and Marshall Brickman talks about collaborating on "Annie Hall" and "Manhattan".

You'll find out what Carson, Letterman, Conan, Belushi, Murray, and others are like to work with, and sadly, how miserable so many comedy writers and comedians seem to be in their everyday lives.

Really, if you love comedy, or comedy writing, this book is indispensable. Honestly, you could read a dozen "How to Write Comedy" books and not glean nearly as much as you could just soaking in the experiences of these pioneers and warriors.… (més)