I'm a Joke and So Are You : Reflections on Humour and Humanity

What better way to understand ourselves than through the eyes of comedians - those who professionally examine our quirks on stage daily? In this touching and witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some of the biggest questions we all face. Where does anxiety come from? How do we overcome imposter syndrome? What is the key to creativity? How can we deal with grief? Informed by personal insights from Robin as well as interviews with some of the world's top comedians, neuroscientists and psychologists, this is a hilarious and often moving primer to the mind. But it is also a powerful call to embrace the full breadth of our inner experience - no matter how strange we worry it may be! "Robin Ince has a good life. As a successful comedian, presenter, and writer, he's got a job that you are probably jealous of. So, why did he find himself stuck on a train platform in rural Northumberland, swearing maniacally, punching his own leg, vowing never to do stand-up again? Was he having an existential crisis? He didn't know. But he wanted to find out. Insightful, witty, and often just plain weird, this book charts his journey to discover why he's made the choices he did in life, and what makes us who we are. Why did Robin become a comedian? Why did you become an accountant (sorry)? Why are we like we are? Informed by interviews with a bevy of neuroscientists, comedians, psychologists and doctors, Robin looks back on his life and turns his comedic observational skills on himself - exploring the key psychological we all ask ourselves. How does our childhood shape our life choices? Do we all have a need to perform? Are we more than our brains? Is failing good for us? Did our parents f* & k us up? A primer to psychology and neuroscience without the textbooks, this fascinating book will amuse, inform, and give you an invaluable insight into yourself (and Robin), while also treating you to his hilarious musings on the human condition"--Publisher description "Robin Ince has a good life. As a successful comedian, presenter, and writer, he's got a job that you are probably jealous of. So, why did he find himself stuck on a train platform in rural Northumberland, swearing maniacally, punching his own leg, vowing never to do stand-up again? Was he having an existential crisis? He didn't know. But he wanted to find out. Insightful, witty, and often just plain weird, this book charts his journey to discover why he's made the choices he did in life, and what makes us who we are. Why did Robin become a comedian? Why did you become an accountant (sorry)? Why are we like we are? Informed by interviews with a bevy of neuroscientists, comedians, psychologists and doctors, Robin looks back on his life and turns his comedic observational skills on himself - exploring the key psychological we all ask ourselves. How does our childhood shape our life choices? Do we all have a need to perform? Are we more than our brains? Is failing good for us? Did our parents f*&k us up? A primer to psychology and neuroscience without the textbooks, this fascinating book will amuse, inform, and give you an invaluable insight into yourself (and Robin), while also treating you to his hilarious musings on the human condition"-- Publisher description Evening Standard's the Best Comedy Books of the Year, 2018Skinny's Book of the Year, 2018'Joyfully entertaining. Full of warmth, wisdom and affectionate delight in the wonder and absurdity of being human.' Observer'Funny, honest and heart-warming.' Matt HaigWhat better way to understand ourselves than through the eyes of comedians - those who professionally examine our quirks on stage daily? In this touching and witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some of the biggest questions we all face. Where does anxiety come from? How do we overcome imposter syndrome? What is the key to creativity? How can we deal with grief?Informed by personal insights from Robin as well as interviews with some of the world's top comedians, neuroscientists and psychologists, this is a hilarious and often moving primer to the mind. But it is also a powerful call to embrace the full breadth of our inner experience - no matter how strange we worry it may be! 'Joyfully entertaining. F ull of warmth, wisdom and affectionate delight in the wonder and absurdity of being human.' Observer 'Funny, honest and heart-warming.' Matt Haig What better way to understand ourselves than through the eyes of comedians - those who professionally examine our quirks on stage? In this touching and witty book, award-winning presenter and comic Robin Ince uses the life of the stand-up as a way of exploring some of the biggest questions we all face. Where does anxiety come from? How do we overcome imposter syndrome? What is the key to creativity? How can we deal with grief? Informed by personal insights as well as interviews with some of the world's top comedians, neuroscientists and psychologists, this is a hilarious and often moving primer to the mind. Foreword by Stewart Lee Introduction: Shouting at Strangers for Money CHAPTER 1 Tell Me About Your Childhood CHAPTER 2 The Brain, Hardware and Chemistry CHAPTER 3 Talking About Myself Behind My Back CHAPTER 4 Daydreaming for a Purpose CHAPTER 5 Is There a Real You? CHAPTER 6 Getting to Know Your Inner Fraud CHAPTER 7 Anxiety and the ‘Imp of the Mind’ CHAPTER 8 Morals and Temptations CHAPTER 9 Death, Where Is Thy Punchline? Afterword Notes The Popular Comedian And Science Presenter Blends Memoir, Wit, And Popular Science To Examine The Human Condition.