The History of Stand-Up

About this book

The History of Stand-Up is the first book to chronicle the evolution of stand-up comedy in the USA. Other book have focused on certain eras (New Wave, 70s, comedy boom, vaudeville, etc.) but the History of Stand-up succinctly lays out the whole story: from its earliest pre-vaudeville practitioners like Artemus Ward and Mark Twain to present-day comedians of HBO, Hulu, and Netflix. And it's presented in a breezy, brief, and clear style. The story has a connective tissue – humans standing on stage, alone, trying to get laughs. That experience connects all stand-ups through time, whether it's at the Palace, the Copacabana, the Apollo, Mister Kelly’s, the hungry i, Grossinger's, the Comedy Cellar, the Improv, the Comedy Store, Madison Square Garden, UCB, or at an open mic in a backyard. Stand-up comedy blossomed in the United States for a multitude of reasons beginning with a national identity founded on “the pursuit of happiness” and the freedom of speech. Then mix in a colorful and idiosyncratic language, immigrant culture, emerging mass media technologies, cheap transportation, individualism, free-market entrepreneurship, and you get a fertile environment which elevated this new version of comedic self-expression. Today’s top stand-up comedians sell out huge arenas, generate millions of dollars, tour the world, and help shape our social and political discourse. So, how did this all happen? Drawing on his acclaimed History of Stand-up podcast, and his popular USC cfclass, veteran comedian Wayne Federman guides us on this fascinating American journey.