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A review by pixie_d
Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers by Mike Sacks
4.0
These are interesting interviews about comedy writing in various mediums. Some were living history, and the reader feels grateful that the author did the interviews before everyone from those eras died out. Before the longer interviews the author gives overviews of the writers' careers, and those stories are also interesting.
Many interviews were current at time of publication, 2014. The reader will be relieved to know that many of the writers and their shows are still familiar; some are still on the air. So, the book does not feel "dated" to read. These are interviews and advice about work, not necessarily a book trying to be funny. But the last sentence on the last page is very funny (if you have watched the same shows I have over the years). Don't miss it.
I just want to add a note about something that triggered me in one of the interviews (I'm looking at you, Dan Handler). A writer had complained to him about the cost of getting her work self-published. He recalled stealing toner cartridges from his employer when he worked for a dying man, and basically said if you can't find a way to steal paper or whatever from your day job you don't deserve to be a writer. I wonder if he thinks that way now that he is successful and possibly has an assistant. It reminded me of Just Kids where Patti Smith reminisced about stealing art supplies. Would that mean if you can't afford art supplies and won't steal that you don't deserve to be an artist? Screw that. There is no excuse. Stealing is not noble or romantic. It really annoys me that someone would think a thief is more deserving than an honest person.
Btw, most of the interviewees are very clear about how much luck is involved in their business, that they know many deserving people who don't get a break. They all seem very grateful for their breaks and all the people who helped them along the way. Which is to say, this is not just a book of disparate interviews. It all coheres since they are all talking about the same business and more or less know all the same people, even if they don't all work in the same medium.
Many interviews were current at time of publication, 2014. The reader will be relieved to know that many of the writers and their shows are still familiar; some are still on the air. So, the book does not feel "dated" to read. These are interviews and advice about work, not necessarily a book trying to be funny. But the last sentence on the last page is very funny (if you have watched the same shows I have over the years). Don't miss it.
I just want to add a note about something that triggered me in one of the interviews (I'm looking at you, Dan Handler). A writer had complained to him about the cost of getting her work self-published. He recalled stealing toner cartridges from his employer when he worked for a dying man, and basically said if you can't find a way to steal paper or whatever from your day job you don't deserve to be a writer. I wonder if he thinks that way now that he is successful and possibly has an assistant. It reminded me of Just Kids where Patti Smith reminisced about stealing art supplies. Would that mean if you can't afford art supplies and won't steal that you don't deserve to be an artist? Screw that. There is no excuse. Stealing is not noble or romantic. It really annoys me that someone would think a thief is more deserving than an honest person.
Btw, most of the interviewees are very clear about how much luck is involved in their business, that they know many deserving people who don't get a break. They all seem very grateful for their breaks and all the people who helped them along the way. Which is to say, this is not just a book of disparate interviews. It all coheres since they are all talking about the same business and more or less know all the same people, even if they don't all work in the same medium.