More than fascinating...
Robin Ince wrote this book to figure out if the world could learn anything from the life and experience of a comedian. His other motivation was to see whether everyone is equallly mad: so that we can embrace our 'hidden eccentricities, safe in the knowledge that many other minds contain absurd trains of thought.'[pg 7-8]
This is a comedian's glance into psychology and then, psychological stances on the art of comedy and comedians, themselves. Ince interviews a number of psychologists, asking questions in relation to his past and his career as a stand-up. There's a lot to be gained from reading this book, you get a sort-of inside look into the lives of multiple popular comedians.
These days nearly everyone is a psychology expert, we are all drawn to books that aspire to help us understand ourselves and others we know. But, for me, this was the first time I've read such a book by a comedian. And it seems so very fitting- if not a psychologist, why not a comedian? The latter would at least keep you entertained!
Ince discusses having personas which I thought to be fascinating. These "other selves" who change through life, sometimes we don't notice this creation but with comedians, the persona is the act. They craft and alter it until it only reflects what they want to be seen. Quite manipulative, I thought but there are also instances, as Ince describes, when the persona and real self become so melded it is difficult to distinguish between them.
Ince writes in a storyteller's prose, with deep reflections and personal insights cropping up all the while. It is not so much a frantic scribbling down of ideas but a thoughtful look at an art form. It's a journey towards a better undersyanding of comedy and the people behind it. Ince reads as a humorous but also anxious and over-thinking individual, and I think that makes him the best person to have written on this subject. I especially enjoyed reading his take on internal voices/inner monologues!
Ince, closer to the end concludes that comedy is the only thing comedians take seriously. But that it's used to help make sense of the world, the past and that which remains unknown or uncertain. This, I suppose, sustains it and why most of us agree it's a source of comfort. And why, I think we all should take it a little bit more seriously: Ince compassionately discusses the role of comedy in times of grief and anxiety.
This book is a valuable, thoughtful resource- I recommend.
Robin Ince wrote this book to figure out if the world could learn anything from the life and experience of a comedian. His other motivation was to see whether everyone is equallly mad: so that we can embrace our 'hidden eccentricities, safe in the knowledge that many other minds contain absurd trains of thought.'[pg 7-8]
This is a comedian's glance into psychology and then, psychological stances on the art of comedy and comedians, themselves. Ince interviews a number of psychologists, asking questions in relation to his past and his career as a stand-up. There's a lot to be gained from reading this book, you get a sort-of inside look into the lives of multiple popular comedians.
These days nearly everyone is a psychology expert, we are all drawn to books that aspire to help us understand ourselves and others we know. But, for me, this was the first time I've read such a book by a comedian. And it seems so very fitting- if not a psychologist, why not a comedian? The latter would at least keep you entertained!
Ince discusses having personas which I thought to be fascinating. These "other selves" who change through life, sometimes we don't notice this creation but with comedians, the persona is the act. They craft and alter it until it only reflects what they want to be seen. Quite manipulative, I thought but there are also instances, as Ince describes, when the persona and real self become so melded it is difficult to distinguish between them.
Ince writes in a storyteller's prose, with deep reflections and personal insights cropping up all the while. It is not so much a frantic scribbling down of ideas but a thoughtful look at an art form. It's a journey towards a better undersyanding of comedy and the people behind it. Ince reads as a humorous but also anxious and over-thinking individual, and I think that makes him the best person to have written on this subject. I especially enjoyed reading his take on internal voices/inner monologues!
Ince, closer to the end concludes that comedy is the only thing comedians take seriously. But that it's used to help make sense of the world, the past and that which remains unknown or uncertain. This, I suppose, sustains it and why most of us agree it's a source of comfort. And why, I think we all should take it a little bit more seriously: Ince compassionately discusses the role of comedy in times of grief and anxiety.
This book is a valuable, thoughtful resource- I recommend.