Jesse David Fox is a Senior Editor at Vulture, where he works as the site's comedy critic and serves as the Chief Curator of the magazine's event series, Vulture Festival. He is also the host of the hit podcast Good One, where he interviews comedians about their process. He lives in Brooklyn.
"[An] energetic and wise book . . . Comedy Book is not the
definitive history of the past three-plus decades. It's Fox's
history, and better for it." --Rich Juzwiak, The New York Times
Book Review "A blend of criticism, history, and personal
experience, Fox's Comedy Book is the equivalent of talking with an
extremely smart friend about something they are absolutely obsessed
with." --Isaac Fitzgerald, Today Show "Compendious, deeply
considered, provoking, and rather dizzying . . . There's a rhythm
and an expertise about comedy criticism right now (Fox's very much
included) that reminds me of good jazz writing from the '50s and
'60s: savvy, insidery, immersed, excited, with its own developing
vocabulary . . . A bonus side effect of reading Comedy Book, of
reading about all these comedians and their processes, was that I
was cured, finally, of my sentimental attachment to the idea of the
stand-up as truth-telling philosophe." --James Parker, The Atlantic
"That which makes us laugh reveals what we value, or so Jesse David
Fox argues in this deft and detailed history of comedy through the
1990s into the 2020s and its path to cultural and political
dominance. Both humorous and intellectually rigorous, Comedy Book
is an essential read for anyone who's curious how and why comedy
became a perspective through which we make sense of the modern
age." --Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE "Jesse David Fox is a shrewd and
incisive critic of a vibrant and mutable art form that historically
rejects criticism . . . he writes movingly about the craft of
comedy - both its deft, hilarious uses and its hack, cruel abuses."
--Glen Weldon, NPR "Fox achieves an analytic rigor that is notable:
He's genuinely curious about the form's twists and turns, and he is
a true expert on comedy's contemporary history . . . By the end of
Comedy Book, I still didn't care about comedy's classification, but
I did remember why I fell in love with it in the first place."
--Ginny Hogan, The Nation "The comedy book that Comedy the Art Form
didn't have until now -- a vibrant mash of meaning and history that
pokes into how comedy ages; conservatives and jokes; the genius of
lowbrow and more." --Chicago Tribune "Few people writing about
comedy nowadays do so with the diligence or verve that Jesse David
Fox brings to the table. You might recognize him from his work as
host of the podcast Good One, or his incisive writing on the
subject at Vulture and elsewhere. At a time when comedians are
getting massive deals from streaming services and comedians occupy
a substantial share of the pop culture space, a comprehensive look
at how we got here feels like essential reading -- and that's
exactly what Fox has assembled." --Tobias Carroll, InsideHook
"Electric . . . [Fox] has a knack for finding revelations in
unexpected places . . . There are fresh perspectives on every page,
and the style is as humorous as one would expect . . . Brilliant
and a pleasure to read, this raises the bar for comedy studies."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Jesse David Fox is not only very funny but also one of the most
thoughtful writers about comedy working today. Comedy Book catalogs
the most inventive voices in the field, but also changes the way we
talk about an art form that is more diverse and exciting than ever
before." --Seth Meyers "I thought I was the ultimate obsessed
comedy nerd but after reading Jesse David Fox's comprehensive
Comedy Book I realized there is someone out there much sicker than
me." --Judd Apatow "This is a book for people who love comedy, and
for people who know nothing about comedy and are curious about who
is in there and how it can all work. This is a sharp, loving, well
written exploration and analysis of the art form that makes us
smile, helps us relate, and is perpetually mysterious. Comedy Book
is excellent for many reasons, but my favorite one is that Jesse
David Fox lays it all out in a way that still allows the reader to
wonder. He writes about the power and mystery of comedy in a way
that only adds to that very power and that very mystery." --Jenny
Slate "Not a single person alive knows, consumes or truly loves
comedy like Jesse David Fox." --Tig Notaro "Many people write about
comedy but nobody writes about it with such passion and knowledge
as Jesse David Fox. His Comedy Book is a thorough and caring ride
through the world of comedy. I am honored to write a blurb for the
book so hopefully he will write nice things about me for many years
to come!" --Nick Kroll "As someone who has been in the comedy game
for 15 years and also loves to nerd out, this is one of the most
comprehensive and delightful books on comedy I've ever read. It's
such a joyful read from someone who, for as long as I've known him,
has the purest love of stand-up, sitcoms, improv, and everything
else comedy related. I'm proud of Jesse and this book and it's an
honor to have him tell our story and also teach me some thangs!
It's a must read!" --Phoebe Robinson "A fascinating snapshot at a
crucial moment in the fast-mutating world of comedy. Jesse David
Fox has taken a loving look at where comedy stands today, and this
will become a hilarious, and much-referred to, historical document
when it all warps and mutates again." --Patton Oswalt "Taking
comedy seriously sounds mighty fishy to me. Then I read this juicy
book and said, 'Well, hold on a second, I think the kid has a
point!' And you know what? Everyone else in my cult agreed!"
--Aparna Nancherla "Jesse Fox's Comedy Book knocks our socks off
showing how comedy not only became a major cultural force, but a
form of literature unto itself, and a high art." --Jerry Saltz,
author of Art is Life "[A] smart and comprehensive survey of the
world of modern comedy . . . In Comedy Book, Jesse David Fox serves
as a knowledgeable and informative guide to the world of
contemporary comedy, and its diverse practitioners and forms."
--Shelf Awareness "A thoughtful assessment of how, for better or
worse, humor ages . . . [Fox is] clearly passionate about his
subject and has an encyclopedic knowledge of modern humor . . . A
well-informed, appreciative assessment of the current state of
comedy." --Kirkus
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