Description
"The ultimate Ted Talk on comedy ... Joel Morris has finally invented 'being funny whilst talking about being funny'" -- Caitlin Moran
Comedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse.
Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life's most difficult questions, such as, 'What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?' It's a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don't understand how it works.
So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy.
Packed with gags and examples of comedy at its best - plus some invaluable tips on how to master that b'dum tish timing - Be Funny or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive.
*Cliff.
Author: Joel Morris
Publisher: Unbound
Published: 09/03/2024
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.40w x 1.60d
ISBN13: 9781800183100
ISBN10: 1800183100
BISAC Categories:
- Performing Arts | Comedy
- Social Science | Anthropology | Cultural & Social
- Social Science | Media Studies
About the Author
Joel Morris is a BAFTA-winning comedy writer. A long-time collaborator with Charlie Brooker and the co-creator of dimwit pundit Philomena Cunk, he has written for countless TV and radio shows, including Mitchell and Webb, Miranda and Murder in Successville, as well as the Paddington films. He co-created cult spoof newspaper The Framley Examiner, the hit Bollocks to Alton Towers tourist guides and the chartbusting Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups. Joel lives in London, UK.