There is nothing my husband and I like to do more than laugh. We do a lot of it. When we had a road trip ahead of us I thought it might be fun to "read" about the history of comedy.
In Planet Funny, Ken Jennings, gets into the history of comedy. From the ancient times to the Pope's need to make laughing okay, he covers a lot of history. Also speaking about how humor got involved with politics. Or how politics got involved with humor. He even speaks to how maybe humor got us into the political mess we now find ourselves in. He also discusses how humor has evolved and what was deemed inappropriate then and now. He talks about Lenny Bruces (raise your hand if you know who he is from his friendship with Midge Maisel) and he also talks about Daniel Tosh. And the run-in he had with Lindy West when he was testing some material at a night club. For the record, I cannot stand Daniel Tosh. His humor crosses the line for me.
Ken Jennings (yes the Jeopardy guy) even talks about his own history with comedy. From watching Mystery Science 3000 to how social media (Twitter) has changed the way people "get" their comedy. Planet Funny was much more cerebral than I thought it would be. And as interesting as it was, it was a little dry in some places. But that didn't stop us from listening to the whole thing. Ken Jennings and I are close enough in age, that we share a lot of the same nostalgia. And that made it really fun.
Bottom Line - Planet Funny is more history book than joke book, but it is still definitely worth the read. Especially if you enjoy comedy as much as we do.
Details:
- Planet Funny by Ken Jennings
- On Twitter
- Pages: 320
- Publisher: Scribner
- Publication Date: 5/29/18
- Buy it Here!
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