By clicking “Accept,” you agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies on your device as set forth in our Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy. Please note that certain cookies are essential for this website to function properly and do not require user consent to be deployed.

I'm Dying Up Here

Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era

Contributors

By William K Knoedelseder Jr

Formats and Prices

Price

$18.99

Price

$23.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $18.99 $23.99 CAD
  2. ebook $11.99 $15.99 CAD
  3. Trade Paperback $15.99 $18.50 CAD

In the mid-1970s, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Robin Williams, Elayne Boosler, Tom Dreesen, and several hundred other shameless showoffs and incorrigible cutups from all across the country migrated en masse to Los Angeles, the new home of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. There, in a late-night world of sex, drugs, dreams and laughter, they created an artistic community unlike any before or since. It was Comedy Camelot — but it couldn’t last.

William Knoedelseder, then a cub reporter covering the scene for the Los Angeles Times, was there when the comedians — who were not paid for performing — tried to change the system and incidentally tore apart their own close-knit community. In I’m Dying Up Here he tells the whole story of that golden age, of the strike that ended it, and of how those days still resonate in the lives of those who were there.

On Sale
May 23, 2017
Page Count
304 pages
Publisher
PublicAffairs
ISBN-13
9781610398664