How to Be Funny

Welcome to my How to Be Funny book summary!

Astoundingly unfunny and dated. If you so dare yourself to read this book, you will be forcibly brought back with a voice in your head to the black-and-white TV days with a comedian of yesteryear speaking overly proper trying to be funny but missing the mark. But what really irks me about this book, and maybe the reason for its horrendous nature, is the author’s audacity to speak into a recorder and turn that into a book. The result is a really annoying and unreadable publication. Ultimately, I had to stop reading after Chapter 3 to lower my cortisol levels.

If you make it past Chapter 3, tell me how it is.

One-Sentence-Summary: A long-form interview between Steve Allen and Jane Wollman transcribed into a book of very little substance and less comedy.

The issue with the gook is two-fold. It’s two decades old, and funny has transformed into something sharper and less innocent. At one point, he lists ten jokes, and one is mildly funny.

Two, Bill Maher, in the intro, mentioned how the book was transcribed in an audio recording. As soon as I read that, I questioned the book quality. We do not speak how we write. The tone of the book is a mismatch with humor. It sounds like I’m reading a research paper or, rather, listening to a science lecture.

I’ve given up reading How to Be Funny by Steve Allen. Current page: 61

booboo real-time book rating: ★★☆☆☆ (percentage of books with this rating: 34%)

Funny Formulas

• Focus on the wrong word/interpretation mistake.
  • Have you ever eaten a banana split?
    • I thought about rubbing it on my head, but thought eating it made more sense.
• The Reverse
  • Saying the opposite of what’s expected.
    • When someone asks where I live, I usually respond that I’m homeless.
    • Getting into a hot car and saying you’re freezing.
• Skip-a-step/Answering Indirectly/Implication (what are you implying?)
  • Let the audience fill in a little blank.
    • Discussion about why you moved to LA and when asked ‘how do you like it?’ you say ‘Next week I’m planning to move back’.

You are reading my book review and summary by Steve Allen. Be sure to check out my digital bookshelf for 100+ book summaries.

Did you know I’m an author? I wrote four books on real estate investing, travel, and language learning.

Thanks for visiting and thanks to Steve Allen for writing How to Be Funny!

Date Started: Thursday, September 5, 2024

Date Finished: n/a