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Humorists

Where Have All the Humorists Gone?, Part 2: Conversations with Modern Comedy Writers

by | October 21st, 2010

Be sure to check out Part 1 of Where Have All the Humorists Gone?, Robert Benchley, S.J. Perelman and the Decline of Modern Humor Writing.

Even established comedy writers condescend to dabbling in print, to great effect –- Allison Silverman’s (The Colbert Report) “Et Tu, Brooklyn?” being a recent favorite. That’s not the only example — in his review of Elliot Allagash, Seth Meyers reveals that Simon Rich was hired at Saturday Night Live “because of his amazing short fiction.” Before Amy Ozols ever wrote “Let Us Play With Your Look” for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, she wrote “A Mass Email” and “Looking Your Best” for The [...]

Humorists

Where Have All the Humorists Gone?, Part 1: Robert Benchley, S.J. Perelman and the Decline of Modern Humor Writing

by | October 19th, 2010

Among aspiring comedy writers, the would-be print humorist seems rare. Though The Onion, McSweeney’s, and The New Yorker are high-profile exceptions, it seems everyone wants to write for sitcoms, late night shows, and film. What's not rare is to hear Woody Allen named among the influences of comedians and comedy writers. In fact, Woody Allen’s impact over the genre of comedy writing is so vast that it almost seems redundant to name him as an influence. But when Allen is named, it's not just because of his stand up or his films. His humor collections (including one of my favorites, Without Feathers) and decades of contributions to The New [...]