New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-23)

december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020 | new york 77

1.

It’s Garry Shandling’s

Book, edited by

Judd Apatow

A cohesive narrative

about a genius-level

mind, and an intimate

look at a man who

was hard to know.

2.

Generation

Friends, by Saul

Austerlitz

A delightfully thorough

history of the “Must See

TV” staple, including how

NBC nearly ruined it.

3.

Toxic Femininity

in the Workplace,

by Ginny Hogan

A vital (and hilarious)

tool in the daily hell of

not offending the fragile

egos of male co-workers.

4.

Dear Girls, by

Ali Wong

The comedian’s life

story as a series of

conversational letters to

her daughters. Stand-

ups’ books don’t often

feel like they’re in the

voice of the comedian

who supposedly wrote

them, but Wong’s

precisely worded vitriol

remains intact here.

5.

Little Weirds,

by Jenny Slate

A whimsical, riotous, and

vulnerable reflection

on childhood, career,

love, body image,

and aspiration.

6.

Funny Man: Mel

Brooks, by Patrick

McGilligan

Brooks’s long, incredibly

accomplished career was

due for the biography

treatment, but this is

a personal book, too.

McGilligan doesn’t shy

away from the more

embarrassing details

of the star’s life.

7.

Mostly Dead Things,

by Kristen Arnett

A hilariously dark novel

about a Florida strip-

mall taxidermist who

takes over the family

business after her father

commits suicide.

8.

Wild and

Crazy Guys, by

Nick de Semlyen

Here’s a rare case

of a writer trying to

make sense of the

mainstream comedies

of the Reagan era.

9.

The Grammarians,

by Cathleen Schine

A comic novel about the

sheer absurdity of life and

the hilarious coincidences

that ensnare us all.

10.

Ayoade on Top, by

Richard Ayoade

A book of film criticism,

written in character as

a man with a drive to

analyze every frame

of the 2003 comedy

View From the Top.

footage helps the special feel like

the herculean feat that it is.

5.

Bangin’, Nikki Glaser

There’s a sensation, when you’re

listening to a musical theme and

variations, where the first few

variations feel like eye-rolling

exercises. Okay, you’re still doing it.

There it is again. By the time you’re

on to variation six, the feeling shifts.

You become overwhelmed with the

ingenuity it takes to sustain that

kind of focus. The theme starts to

change; its contours become more

meaningful. You realize it’s an

obsession, a way of plumbing depths

of the self. This is how Glaser’s special

works, and the theme and variations

are an entire hour of sex jokes.

6.

No One Loves You,

Roy Wood Jr.

This is a special with an

argument, a point of view, and a

commitment to saying the things

Wood really cares about saying

without resorting to tired Trump

clichés or exasperated blankness

about the state of the world.

7.

Paper Tiger, Bill Burr

I thought I was going to loathe

this. A furious man yelling about

his grievances against feminism is

not my idea of well-made comedy.

But Burr builds up that character

of himself so he can undermine it,

unspooling his fears about his anger

and his sense of being increasingly

displaced in a changing world.

8.

Ice Thickeners,

Emily Heller

Heller’s comedy is full of wild,

goofy assertions of the self, the kind

of thing that’s often couched in

apologetic language, especially when

it’s about women. There’s none of that

here. The twist in so many of these

jokes is that she’s exactly who she

is, and she’s happy to be that way.

9.

My Favorite Shapes,

Julio Torres

Sometimes stand-up comedy is a

person standing on a stage telling

jokes about their life. Sometimes it’s

Torres dressed in a galactic silver

suit, seated behind a conveyor belt

that looks like it was designed by

Lisa Frank, describing the inner life

of a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy.

10.

Not Normal, Wanda Sykes

The joke that has stuck with me

from Sykes’s special is about the

experience of being a black parent in

a family with a white co-parent and

white children. She deftly juggles

perspectives, misunderstandings,

and a hilarious, multilayered

reinterpretation of the word play.

It’s one of the best pieces of comedy

writing I came across all year.

1.

Live in Crenshaw,

Lil Rel Howery

Live in Crenshaw is one of the most

gorgeous things I saw this year in any

medium or genre. The standout part

is Howery’s funeral story, a virtuosic

sequence in which he embodies an

entire ecosystem of people in and

around his family after his uncle’s

death. It’s a glorious piece of comedy,

but Live in Crenshaw is particularly

stunning as a recorded document:

Shot inside a window-lined gym

during the magic hour, the lighting

alone would put it among the most

beautiful comedy specials ever made.

2.

Fire in the

Maternity Ward,

Anthony Jeselnik

The thing I admire most about

Fire in the Maternity Ward is its

unblinking commitment to being

utterly unreadable. It’s a tower of

rhetorical cards that could fall at

any moment if he were to flinch and

betray some humanity underneath

the asshole character he creates.

3.

The New One,

Mike Birbiglia

This is a beautiful special about

having children, but it’s mostly

about the few moments in life

when people really do find it

within themselves to change.

4.

The Great Depresh,

Gary Gulman

Gulman’ s radical openness about

his history with depression

is already impressive, but the

insertion of documentary

THE TEN

BEST

COMEDY

SPECIALS OF

THE YEAR

By kathryn vanarendonk

Top Ten

Comedy

Books

By

brian boone

*

OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS: REBECCA ALTER, KATE DOYLE, PABLO GOLDSTEIN, NOAH JACOBS, BECCA JAMES, MARK KRAMER, ANNA MARR

PHOTOGRAPHS: LARA SOLANKI/NETFLIX (GLASER); HBO (HOWERY); HBO (TORRES)

Y ___ DD ___ AD ___ PD ___ EIC

ADVANCED FORM

TRANSMITTED

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2619CR_YIC_section_lay [Print]_36372551.indd 77 12/17/19 2:32 PM

december23,2019–january5, 2020 | newyork 77

1.

It’s Garry Shandling’s

Book, editedby

JuddApatow

A cohesivenarrative

abouta geniuslevel

mind,andanintimate

lookata manwho

washard toknow.

2.

Generation

Friends,bySaul

Austerlitz

A delightfullythorough

historyofthe“MustSee

TV”staple, includinghow

NBCnearlyruinedit.

3.

ToxicFemininity

intheWorkplace,

byGinnyHogan

A vital(andhilarious)

toolinthedailyhellof

notoffendingthefragile

egosofmalecoworkers.

4.

DearGirls,by

AliWong

Thecomedian’slife

storyasa seriesof

conversationallettersto

herdaughters.Stand

ups’booksdon’toften

feellikethey’re inthe

voiceofthecomedian

whosupposedlywrote

them,butWong’s

preciselywordedvitriol

remainsintacthere.

5.

LittleWeirds,

byJennySlate

A whimsical,riotous,and

vulnerablereflection

onchildhood,career,

love, bodyimage,

andaspiration.

6.

Funny Man:Mel

Brooks,byPatrick

McGilligan

Brooks’s long,incredibly

accomplishedcareerwas

dueforthebiography

treatment,butthisis

a personalbook,too.

McGilligandoesn’tshy

awayfromthemore

embarrassingdetails

ofthestar’slife.

7.

MostlyDeadThings,

byKristenArnett

A hilariouslydarknovel

abouta Floridastrip

malltaxidermistwho

takesoverthefamily

businessafterherfather

commitssuicide.

8.

Wildand

CrazyGuys,by

NickdeSemlyen

Here’sa rarecase

ofa writertryingto

makesenseofthe

mainstreamcomedies

oftheReaganera.

9.

TheGrammarians,

byCathleenSchine

A comicnovel aboutthe

sheerabsurdity oflifeand

thehilariouscoincidences

thatensnareusall.

10.

AyoadeonTop,by

Richard Ayoade

A bookoffilmcriticism,

writtenincharacteras

a manwitha driveto

analyzeevery frame

ofthe 2003 comedy

View FromtheTop.

footage helps the special feel like

the herculean feat that it is.

5.

Bangin’, Nikki Glaser

There’s a sensation, when you’re

listening to a musical theme and

variations, where the first few

variations feel like eye-rolling

exercises. Okay, you’re still doing it.

There it is again. By the time you’re

on to variation six, the feeling shifts.

You become overwhelmed with the

ingenuity it takes to sustain that

kind of focus. The theme starts to

change; its contours become more

meaningful. You realize it’s an

obsession, a way of plumbing depths

of the self. This is how Glaser’s special

works, and the theme and variations

are an entire hour of sex jokes.

6.

No One Loves You,

Roy Wood Jr.

This is a special with an

argument, a point of view, and a

commitment to saying the things

Wood really cares about saying

without resorting to tired Trump

clichés or exasperated blankness

about the state of the world.

7.

Paper Tiger, Bill Burr

I thought I was going to loathe

this. A furious man yelling about

his grievances against feminism is

not my idea of well-made comedy.

But Burr builds up that character

of himself so he can undermine it,

unspooling his fears about his anger

and his sense of being increasingly

displaced in a changing world.

8.

Ice Thickeners,

Emily Heller

Heller’s comedy is full of wild,

goofy assertions of the self, the kind

of thing that’s often couched in

apologetic language, especially when

it’s about women. There’s none of that

here. The twist in so many of these

jokes is that she’s exactly who she

is, and she’s happy to be that way.

9.

My Favorite Shapes,

Julio Torres

Sometimes stand-up comedy is a

person standing on a stage telling

jokes about their life. Sometimes it’s

Torres dressed in a galactic silver

suit, seated behind a conveyor belt

that looks like it was designed by

Lisa Frank, describing the inner life

of a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy.

10.

Not Normal, Wanda Sykes

The joke that has stuck with me

from Sykes’s special is about the

experience of being a black parent in

a family with a white co-parent and

white children. She deftly juggles

perspectives, misunderstandings,

and a hilarious, multilayered

reinterpretation of the word play.

It’s one of the best pieces of comedy

writing I came across all year.

1.

LiveinCrenshaw,

LilRelHowery

LiveinCrenshawis oneofthemost

gorgeousthingsI saw thisyearinany

mediumorgenre. Thestandoutpart

is Howery’sfuneralstory,a virtuosic

sequenceinwhichheembodiesan

entireecosystemofpeopleinand

aroundhisfamilyafterhisuncle’s

death.It’sa gloriouspieceofcomedy,

butLiveinCrenshawis particularly

stunningasa recordeddocument:

Shotinsidea window-linedgym

duringthemagichour,thelighting

alonewouldputit amongthemost

beautifulcomedyspecialsevermade.

2.

Fireinthe

MaternityWard,

AnthonyJeselnik

ThethingI admire most about

Fire in the Maternity Ward is its

unblinking commitment to being

utterly unreadable. It’s a tower of

rhetorical cards that could fall at

any moment if he were to flinch and

betray some humanity underneath

the asshole character he creates.

3.

The New One,

Mike Birbiglia

This is a beautiful special about

having children, but it’s mostly

about the few moments in life

when people really do find it

within themselves to change.

4.

The Great Depresh,

Gary Gulman

n’ s ut

or

is already impressive, but the

insertion of documentary

THE TEN

BEST

COMEDY

SPECIALS OF

THE YEAR

By kathryn vanarendonk

Top Ten

Comedy

Books

By

brian boone

PHOTOGRAPHS: LARA SOLANKI/NETFLIX (GLASER); HBO (HOWERY); HBO (TORRES)