That's Not Funny, That's Sick
The National Lampoon and the Comedy Insurgents Who Captured the Mainstream
گزارش تخلف
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
April 15, 2013
The story of the National Lampoon begins with a group of disaffected Harvard boys in the late 1960s who decide to produce a satire magazine. Journalist Stein leaves no tangent unexplored and no petty grievance unaired as she traces the magazine’s evolution and growing fame; forays into radio, stage, television, and movies; and its inevitable decay. The tumultuous 1970s provided innumerable subjects for mockery on both sides of the political spectrum, though the Lampoon didn’t pretend to have a loftier social goal than to garner some crude laughs—and some paychecks. Despite Stein’s detailed chronicles of the writing and business evolution of the magazine, the book itself isn’t particularly funny. Jokes that worked 40 years ago have been removed both from the immediate context of the magazine and from the social context of the period. Stein’s explanations of visual gags are even more problematic. She takes her subject seriously, when any of the people interviewed would be the first to point out how absurd it was. Though the book succeeds as journalism, and Stein shapes the magazine’s uneven history into a coherent narrative, readers shouldn’t expect many laughs. Agent: Chris Parris-Lamb, the Gernet Company.
March 15, 2013
The National Lampoon has changed the landscape of American comedy. Stein (contributor, New York Times and Variety) provides an in-depth look at the magazine from its debut in 1970 through its various offshoot radio, television, and film projects such as the hit movie Animal House. By having conducted extensive interviews of the editors, writers, and production team, she re-creates the story of how the magazine, which was based on the Harvard Lampoon, developed into a best-selling humor magazine and training ground for some of the most beloved comedians in recent American history. Saturday Night Live stars such as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Chevy Chase all got their start doing projects associated with the magazine. The author also describes the magazine's 28-year history in the context of its time period, and provides insights into the people who worked on the print magazine and related Lampoon media. VERDICT For fans of the magazine and pop-culture enthusiasts.--Donna Marie Smith, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., FL
Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
دیدگاه کاربران