I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics
Posted by Admin on December 31st, 2009 at 10:08am
Frοm Publishers Weekly
Sοmе οf thе fυnnіеѕt—аnd mοѕt outrageous—ѕtοrіеѕ a comedian hаѕ don’t gеt tοld onstage. Thеу′re passed around аftеr hours аnd derive frοm thе bizarre intersection οf travel, intoxicants аnd thе colorful characters οn thе fringes οf thе comedy world. (A lіttlе poverty саn’t hυrt—thе best ѕtοrіеѕ frοm “top comics” οftеn come frοm thе early days.) In thіѕ collection, Ron Shock tells οf being goaded bу outlaw comic Bill Hicks іntο dropping acid before a s…
Bυу I Kіllеd: Trυе Stοrіеѕ οf thе Road frοm America’s Top Comics аt Amazon
Under Webmaster
3 Comments for I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics
1. Anonymous | December 31st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
The Publishers’ Weekly review on this page says this book is fantastic “bathroom reading.” I guess they mean that it’s perfect for people who don’t always have time to sit down and read for an hour or two at a stretch. Because the stories in here are so short, it’s easy to read for ten minutes, get a few complete stories and good chuckles, and then put the book down for next time. There are well over a hundred stories in here so if you read the book this way it’ll last you for a while!
The feeling of the book is a bit like the documentary The Aristocrats– you get the feeling that the comics are not “performing” but just sitting back and exchanging their favorite crazy stories. Not all the stories are hilarious, but most of them are very entertaining and there are some that will stick in my mind for a LONG time. Some of the stuff these guys confess to is great–Chris Rock talking about call girls, Tom Arnold about murdering goldfish, many, many stories of one-night stands and drug use. I think my favorite story has to be Doug Stanhope’s one about the 5-dollar streetwalker who turns out to have a couple of surprises hidden away. I also loved the one about the comic’s mother and Rodney Dangerfield.
This is also a good book for anyone interested in the history of comedy–along with all the contemporary stuff, there are lots of stories about legendary comedy greats like Rodney Dangerfield, Johnny Carson, Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman (Bob Zmuda contributes a great story about the Tony Clifton character).
This book doesn’t go for the gross-out humor nearly as much as The Aristocrats did, but because it shows comics talking how they REALLY talk, it is definitely PG-13 or R-rated. But if you don’t need your humor to be squeaky, sit-com clean (I certainly dont) then you will really get a kick out of this book.
2. Tuwa | December 31st, 2009 at 12:58 pm
This book takes you into the comedy trenches and excavates some of the greatest comedic anecdotes ever. Not only are the longer stories great but there are short segments that are really funny as well. The Tony Clifton and Kevin Pollack stories were my two favorites but I loved them all. The pacing of the book was great. I can’t wait for volume 2.
3. Zuzana | December 31st, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I am amazed that no one thought of writing this book sooner. Hysterical, brilliant, an enjoyable read. A few stories aren’t so funny but that just gives you a chance to catch your breath from laughing so hard. BTW: After reading this rent Seinfeld’s movie “Comedian” which goes well with this book.
Leave a Comment for I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed