Gondelman describes performing as an opening act for more famous comedians, and this book could easily be read as a warm-up...
A genial memoir by an Emmy- and Peabody-winning comedian and writer.
Working against the adage that “nice guys finish last,” Gondelman has done well for himself. Happily married, he has sustained a career onstage, on TV, and in print after spending his earliest days following college teaching preschool. Though comedy is often considered a cutthroat arena, a survival-of-the-fittest challenge where the comedian must either kill or die, the author seems to suggest that there are other paths to perseverance. Early on, he confesses, “for a comedian, ‘nice’ can be shorthand for someone’s work being bland. And on a personal level, ‘nice’ is about as meaningful as saying someone ‘has decent breath’ or ‘is usually punctual.’ ” Throughout the book, the writing risks blandness, as Gondelman rarely aims for comedic punch, settling for gentle taps. In many ways, he brings to mind Bob Newhart of Tom Papa, a gentle man with a wry sense of humor who makes himself the butt of most of his jokes. Gondelman remembers that well into his 20s, he was considered not merely nice but “ ‘too nice,’ which is a very sweet euphemism meaning ‘simply not a person I am interested in having sex with in the foreseeable future.’ ” When he did meet a woman who was interested in him, it was through exchanges on Twitter, where he also received a career boost by collaborating on an account titled Modern Seinfeld, offering pitches for the series that had ceased to exist, and somehow attracted 800,000 followers. He also gained some traction on social media with his “Twitter Pep Talks,” offering personalized encouragement to strangers in need. Somewhere between grade school and marriage, an expanse that he covers in detail, he began performing stand-up and eventually found great success writing for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Desus & Mero, and other programs.
Gondelman describes performing as an opening act for more famous comedians, and this book could easily be read as a warm-up for a much funnier one to come.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-285275-5
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Perennial/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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BOOK TO SCREEN
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Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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