Control Freaked

A wild look at the entertainment industry by the man who gave Jim Carrey his big break. The life and times of Mark Breslin who began as the enfant terrible of comedy and eventually built an empire: the Yuk Yuk's chain of comedy clubs. He pulled Jim Carrey out of open-mic obscurity and gave dozens of other comics their big breaks. Along the way he learned how far some people will go for money, or for a dream, and how truly puritanical North American society remains in this supposedly progressive age. Written in an irreverent, confessional prose style, Control Freaked takes us on a hilarious and shocking journey into the dark corners of the entertainment industry. This book defies categorization. It is an auto-biographical novel, a book about how to have fun, a cautionary tale for the sexually and socially inhibited. It is a political treatise on how to combat puritanism, a philosophical tract on the importance of humour to the human soul, a buyers'guide to outstanding porno tapes and a business book for the entertainment industry. It is the life of Mark Breslin. Beginning as the enfant terrible of Canadian comedy, Mark Breslin rose up and built an empire: the Yuk Yuk's chain of comedy clubs. He pulled Jim Carrey out of open-mic obscurity, gave dozens of other comics their big breaks and made an astounding contribution to the widely held belief that Canadians are the funniest people in the world. Along the way he learned how far some people will go for money, or for a dream; how truly puritanical North American society remains in this supposedly progressive age; how as you move closer to the top, the only thing you really get is a better view of the men pulling the strings. Written in the sort of irreverent, confessional prose style that will keep the Yuk Yuk's lawyers awake at night, Control Freaked takes us on a hilarious and shocking journey into the dark corners of the entertainment industry. Control Freaked is the gospel according to Breslin, the way he looks at the world, this country and the heady business of making people laugh. It is a gospel of harsh truth arrived at in the fastest way: through humour. Breslin sums up his basic philosophy in a single sentence:'I would rather have fun than be happy.'Control Freaked is a dark ride you'll want to go on again and again. Control Freaked......Page 4 Introduction......Page 6 One......Page 8 Two......Page 18 Three......Page 32 Four......Page 46 Five......Page 58 Six......Page 74 Public Service Announcement......Page 92 Seven......Page 100 Eight......Page 120 Nine......Page 144 Ten......Page 162 Eleven......Page 180 Twelve......Page 192 Appendix......Page 214 Acknowledgements......Page 230 The Outrageously Funny Autobiography Of Mark Breslin, Founder Of Yuk Yuk's Comedy Clubs.