Skip to content

Beyond a Joke : Inside the Dark World of Stand-Up Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Beyond a Joke : Inside the Dark World of Stand-Up Comedy Paperback - 2012

by Dessau, Bruce

  • Used

Description

Penguin Random House. Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Used - Good
NZ$10.04
NZ$16.70 Shipping to USA
Standard delivery: 5 to 21 days
More Shipping Options
Ships from Better World Books Ltd (Fife, United Kingdom)
The BIBLIO Guarantee | Ask Seller a Question

Details

About Better World Books Ltd Fife, United Kingdom

Biblio member since 2009
Seller rating: This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Better World Books generates funding for literacy charities through the sales of second-hand books. Our current partner charities in the UK are READ International, the National Literacy Trust, Room to Read. (Registered Charities no. 1128534, no. 1116260 and no. 1125803 and the National Adult Literacy Agency. Much of our stock is ex-library due to our close relationships with UK libraries. We offer a service that helps them keep their unwanted books out of landfill. All ex-library books will be marked as such in their individual listings. 99% of orders are dispatched within 24 hours and we offer a 100% money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.

Terms of Sale: 30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping cost for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged. Please keep in mind that because we deal mostly in used books, any extra components, such as CDs or access codes, are usually not included. CDs: If the book does include a CD, it will be noted in the book's description ("With CD!"). Otherwise, there is no CD included, even if the term is used in the book's title. Access Codes: Unless the book is described as "New," please assume that the book does *not* have an access code.

Browse books from Better World Books Ltd

From the publisher

Comedians are not normal. If they were normal they wouldn't want to go onstage and make thousands of strangers laugh every night. Beyond a Joke is the story of lives lived to excess: of alcohol, drugs, sex... and running marathons.
 
Beyond a Joke is a celebration of comedy -- one of the modern world's most dominant and compelling art forms -- but it is also the story of comedy's dark side, homing in on the scandals that have surrounded some of light entertainment's biggest stars, and telling it as it is, featuring insight from one who was there at the time.
 
While Beyond a Joke explores the extremes of this world it also addresses another question. Are comedians naturally dysfunctional, or does the stress and pressure of the job make them dysfunctional? Ruby Wax once told the author that she had builders in her house who were just as emotionally unstable as most stand-up comedians she had worked with. But they don't want to go on stage and plead with an audience to love them.
 
Bruce Dessau is the only person who could write this book. From Russell Brand slashing his chest onstage to Jo Brand trashing a friend's car on the motorway, he has heard it all. Bruce Dessau knows where the bodies are buried.

About the author

Bruce Dessau is a respected comedy journalists who contributes to many publications including the "Guardian," the "Evening Standard," and "Time Out." He is the author of "Rowan Atkinson," has chaired the Edinburgh Comedy Awards panel twice, and has regularly served on the judging committee.

Hang on… we’re fetching the requested page.