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Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with…
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Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers (edition 2014)

by Mike Sacks (Author)

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1296213,947 (4.02)1
Amy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, George Saunders, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, and many more take us deep inside the mysterious world of comedy in this fascinating, laugh-out-loud-funny book. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, from a day in the writers room at The Onion to why a sketch does or doesnt make it onto Saturday Night Live to how the BBC nearly erased the entire first season of Monty Pythons Flying Circus? Poking a Dead Frog is a must-read for comedy buffs, writers and pop culture junkies alike.… (more)
Member:anprice
Title:Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers
Authors:Mike Sacks (Author)
Info:Penguin Books (2014), 480 pages
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Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today’s Top Comedy Writers by Mike Sacks

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Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
And I will read it AGAIN. ( )
  ByronDB | May 24, 2022 |
Although this book is really just a series of anecdotes about writers' experiences in the business, I did enjoy it. I found the final interview with Mel Brooks brilliant fun. ( )
  CorbettBuchly | Jun 9, 2017 |
This book is long, but if you have a shred of interest in comedy writing or in the process of being creative, then check it out even if only to skim through. Most of the interviewees are a gold mine of laughs and hard-won life lessons.

My current job is about as far away from writing comedy as a job can be, and yet I could easily identify with the backgrounds of many of these professionals. They tended to be smarter than average but overwhelmingly disliked school. All were capable of this obsessive work ethic, one that only required the right push of creative motivation. Recognizing that is something a garden-variety high school teacher would be clueless on how to inspire. ( )
  Daniel.Estes | Jul 31, 2015 |
Poking a Dead Frog by Mike Sacks; some one said on Amazon that this was a much better collection of interviews than in Apatow's Sick in the Head and he was right. Sacks is a much better interviewer and way more insightful. Good reading whether or not you are seeking advice in the comedy area. ( )
  PrimosParadise | Jul 17, 2015 |
The comedy writers interviewed for this span generations and formats. Some of them share their favorite moments, break-out jobs, and creative missteps. Others give practical advice about the writing process and careers. Even without any aspiration of being a comedy writer, these 400 pages were interesting and useful - and often enough, funny. ( )
  jpsnow | Dec 7, 2014 |
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Amy Poehler, Mel Brooks, Adam McKay, George Saunders, Bill Hader, Patton Oswalt, and many more take us deep inside the mysterious world of comedy in this fascinating, laugh-out-loud-funny book. Packed with behind-the-scenes stories, from a day in the writers room at The Onion to why a sketch does or doesnt make it onto Saturday Night Live to how the BBC nearly erased the entire first season of Monty Pythons Flying Circus? Poking a Dead Frog is a must-read for comedy buffs, writers and pop culture junkies alike.

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