And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft and the Industry

From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Veteran journalist Sacks conducted dozens of interviews with the top humor writers of the last century, and the result is a whiz-bang collection of Q&As that will school readers just as often as it provokes laughter. The assortment boasts elder statesmen including Dick Cavett, 93-year-old Irving Brecher (who wrote shtick for the Marx Brothers and Milton Berle) and Mad magazine's Al Jaffee, who reminisces about reading American comic strips during his 1930s boyhood in Lithuania. High notes include David Sedaris, with the bestselling humorist confessing to cringing when he reads earlier writing, including breakthrough Me Talk Pretty One Day: ''I used to exaggerate a lot more than I needed to. So when I needed readers to believe me, they didn't.'' Other contemporary writers offer up equally revelatory tidbits, especially Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall) and Allison Silverman (The Daily Show), but would-be humorists will appreciate most the nuts-and-bolts knowhow regarding the industry. Though it's decidedly testosterone-heavy, Sack has compiled a lively compendium sure to captivate anyone who loves a good comedy. Review (Starred Review) Veteran journalist Sacks conducted dozens of interviews with the top humor writers of the last century, and the result is a whiz-bang collection of Q&As that will school readers just as often as it provokes laughter. The assortment boasts elder statesmen including Dick Cavett, 93-year-old Irving Brecher (who wrote shtick for the Marx Brothers and Milton Berle) and Mad magazine's Al Jaffee, who reminisces about reading American comic strips during his 1930s boyhood in Lithuania. High notes include David Sedaris, with the bestselling humorist confessing to cringing when he reads earlier writing, including breakthrough Me Talk Pretty One Day: ''I used to exaggerate a lot more than I needed to. So when I needed readers to believe me, they didn't.'' Other contemporary writers offer up equally revelatory tidbits, especially Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall) and Allison Silverman (The Daily Show), but would-be humorists will appreciate most the nuts-and-bolts knowhow regarding the industry. Though it's decidedly testosterone-heavy, Sack has compiled a lively compendium sure to captivate anyone who loves a good comedy. --Publisher's Weekly Comedy writers--like George Meyer (The Simpsons) and Dan Mazer (Borat)--tend to be depressed, brilliant, erratic and sometimes even funny. Mike Sacks' collection of remarkably frank interviews with 21 of them readers like a secret history of popular culture. --Time Magazine Laughter may be universal, but the world of comedy writing is shrouded in mystery. In AND HERE'S THE KICKER (Writer's Digest Books), Mike Sacks, a humor writer and Vanity Fair staffer, helps lift the veil with in-depth interviews of 21 top comedy writers from various fields. How in-depth exactly? To give you an idea, 94-year-old Irving Brecher, who wrote for the Marx Brothers, accused the diligent Sacks of ''killing'' him. (It would prove to be one of Brecher's very last interviews. He died in 2008.) Collecting rare musings--and practical advice--from the likes of Harold Ramis (Animal House, Groundhog Day), David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day), Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), and Allison Silverman (The Colbert Report), Sacks puts together the book he wishes he had read as a budding humor writer. The comedy world is a treacherous landscape. All of his subjects agree: Funny can't be taught, but it can be self taught. And it helps to know where the banana peels are hidden. --Vanity Fair Analyzing why something is funny is a little bit like trying to fathom why people fall in love. You might be able to do it, but by the time you do, you feel just a little foolish about falling for that person, or that joke. There's a new book, ''And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers On Their Craft.'' Mike Sacks, a veteran magazine writer, who's now on staff at Vanity Fair, poses questions to old comedy hands, including Larry Gelbart, who co-wrote ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,'' as well as wrote the television show ''M.A.S.H.,'' to new hands like Steven Merchant, who invented ''The Office'' with Ricky Gervais, Tom Hanson of The Onion, and classical comedy writers, including Dave Barry, David Sedaris, Allison Silverman, and Harold Ramis. Mike Sacks joins us from New York. Thanks so much for being with us. . . . --NPR Weekend Edition And Here's the Kicker builds to a funny, sad, tremendously insightful group portrait of the comic mind. It's an almost sociological dissection of the strange creature that is the comedy writer. In his glorious extended ramble through the minds of comedy greats, Sacks finds a number of common denominators, like depression, self-doubt, raging insecurity, a predilection toward obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a borderline pathological need to entertain. It's enormously comforting to realize that some of the most gifted writers in the world (other Kicker subjects include David Sedaris, Harold Ramis, Buck Henry, Mitch Hurwitz, Robert Smigel, Dave Barry, Bob Odenkirk, George Meyer, and The Onion's great Todd Hanson) wrestle with the same demons we do. They are a wondrous breed of misfit. They're not normal; they're better than normal. They're lucky to have a gifted chronicler like Sacks documenting their curious ways and odd customs for posterity. . . . --The Onion

did You Hear The One About ?

every Great Joke Has A Punch Line, And Every Great Humor Writer Has An Arsenal Of Experiences, Anecdotes, And Obsessions That Were The Inspiration For That Humor. In Fact, Those Who Make A Career Out Of Entertaining Strangers With Words Are A Notoriously Intelligent And Quirky Lot. And Boy, Do They Have Some Stories.

in This Entertaining And Inspirational Book, You'll Hear From 21 Top Humor Writers As They Discuss The Comedy-writing Process, Their Influences, Their Likes And Dislikes, And Their Experiences In The Industry. You'll Also Learn Some Less Useful But Equally Amusing Things, Such As:

• how Screenwriter Buck Henry Came Up With The Famous 'plastics' Line For The Graduate.
• how Many Times The Cops Were Called On Co-writers Sacha Baron Cohen And Dan Mazer During The Shooting Of Borat.
• what David Sedaris Thinks Of His Critics.
• what Creator Paul Feig Thinks Would Have Happened To The Freaks & Geeks Crew If The Show Had Had Another Season.
• what Jack Handey Considers His Favorite 'deep Thoughts.'
• how Todd Hanson And The Staff Of The Onion Managed To Face The Aftermath Of 9/11 With The Perfect Dose Of Humor.
• how Stephen Merchant And Ricky Gervais Created The Original Version Of The Office.
• what It's Really Like In The Writers' Room At Snl.

funny And Informative, And Here's The Kicker Is A Must-have Resource - Whether You're An Aspiring Humor Writer, A Fan Of The Genre, Or Someone Who Just Likes To Laugh.

the Washington Post - Jeff Nussbaum

sacks…scored Some Great Interviews, Finding Writers Who Could Comment On—and In Many Cases Created—virtually Every Comedic Touchstone We Reference Today, Including The Marx Brothers, The Colbert Report, Woody Allen's Movies, Mad Magazine, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live And Late-night Talk Shows. The Real Fun In This Book Comes Less When The Writers Talk About Their Craft And More When They Talk About Their Careers, Experiences, Disappointments And Favorite Jokes. That's When You Feel Like You've Been Ushered Into An Exclusive Fraternity (and It Really Is A Fraternity—only Two Women Are Interviewed) And Exposed To The Admiration And Competition Inherent In Any Club.

Buck Henry (Get Smart, The graduate, Catch-22, To die for) Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) Todd Hanson (The Onion) Merrill Markoe (Late Night with David Letterman, it's my f -ing birthday, Walking in circles before lying down) Dick Cavett (The Tonight Show, The Dick Cavett Show) Dan Mazer (Da Ali G Show, Borat, Bruno) Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks, Kick me, Superstud) Irving Brecher (At the circus, Go west, Meet me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz) Bob Odenkirk (The Ben Stiller Show, Mr. Show with Bob and David) Roz Chast (The New Yorker) Daniel Handler (A series of unfortunate events) Robert Smigel (Saturday Night Live, Late nIght with Conan O'Brien, Lookwell, The Dana Carvey Show, TV Funhouse) Daniel Clowes (Like a velvet glove cast in iron, Ghost World, David Boring, Twentieth century eightball, Art school confidential) Marshall Brickman (The Tonight Show, The Dick Cavett Show, Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Muppet Show: sex and violence) Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested development) David Sedaris (Barrel fever, Naked, Me talk pretty one day, Dress your family in corduroy and denim, When you are engulfed in flames) George Meyer (Army man, The Simpsons) Al Jaffee (Mad) Allison Silverman (The Daily Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report) Harold Ramis (SCTV, National Lampoon's Animal House, Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Groundhog day) Dave Barry (Dave Barry's Guide to marriage and / or Sex, The World, According to Dave Barry, Dave Barry is not making this up) Larry Wilmore (In living color, The Bernie Mac Show, The Daily Show, The office) Bruce Jay Friedman (Stern, The Collected Short fiction of Bruce Jay, Friedman, the heartbreak kid, Stir crazy) Larry Gelbart (Caesar's hour, M*A*S*H, Tootsie). DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT ... Every great joke has a punch line, and every great humor writer has an arsenal of experiences, anecdotes, and obsessions that were the inspiration for that humor. In fact, those who make a career out of entertaining strangers with words are a notoriously intelligent and quirky lot. And boy, do they have some stories. In this entertaining and inspirational book, you'll hear from 21 top humor writers as they discuss the comedy-writing process, their influences, their likes and dislikes, and their experiences in the industry. You'll also learn some less useful but equally amusing things, such as: How screenwriter Buck Henry came up with the famous'plastics'line for'The Graduate.'How many times the cops were called on co-writers Sacha Baron Cohen and Dan Mazer during the shooting of'Borat.'What David Sedaris thinks of his critics. What creator Paul Feig thinks would have happened to the'Freaks & Geeks'crew if the show had had another season. What Jack Handey considers his favorite'Deep Thoughts.'How Todd Hanson and the staff of The Onion managed to face the aftermath of 9/11 with the perfect dose of humor. How Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais created the original version of'The Office.'What it's really like in the writers'room at SNL. Funny and informative, And Here's the Kicker is a must-have resource—whether you're an aspiring humor writer, a fan of the genre, or someone who just likes to laugh. Writers who specialize in humor, who make a career out of entertaining strangers with words, are a notoriously intelligent and quirky lot. In this entertaining and inspirational book you'll hear from 21 top humor writers as they discuss the comedy writing process, their influences, their likes and dislikes, and experiences in the industry. Funny and informative, And Here's the Kicker is a must have guide for aspiring humor writers and simply a great read for fans.