Far Too Funny List
The Best Book on Stand-Up Comedy I've Ever Read!
Hello!
Welcome back to the Far Too Funny List. Hope you are having a great week!
It seems like you can’t turn a corner in London without coming across another Work In Progress show. These comedians are certainly getting their reps in ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
This past week I went to Aces and Eights in Tufnell Park to check out a double bill of WIPs from Michael Akadiri and Ali Woods. Very funny stuff indeed.
Speaking of funny stuff, we had a great time at Too Far Comedy on Monday and we’ll be back again next week. Doors open at the Artillery Arms at 7.15pm. Don’t miss it!
😂 Far Too Funny List
📕 Reading - So I now have a new favourite book on stand-up comedy. Previously it was Adam Bloom’s Finding Your Comic Genius. Which is still superb. But I devoured A Director’s Guide to the Art of Stand-Up by Chris Head in a matter of days! It’s fantastic. It gives examples of exercises you can do to get the creative juices flowing and gives you an idea of the questions you should be asking as you write material. It breaks down different joke concepts and it goes into great detail on how you should construct an hour-long show. I’ve been waxing-lyrical about it to all the comedians I’ve met in the past week. If you don’t have it. Get it.
📺 Watching - In Chris Head’s book, he talks about transposition in comedy. Transposing the logic of one idea with another, effectively taking something and putting it into a different concept. The example he uses is Eddie Izzard’s Death Star Canteen sketch. I’d never seen it before but it’s brilliant. I’m now desperately trying to write pieces like this!
🎧 Listening - There’s an excellent interview with Bill Burr on the SmartLess podcast. (Oh, SmartLess again Richard?! You’re turning into TopJaw talking about The Devonshire!) Yes, I know I like to mention SmartLess but this episode has fantastic banter and it’s fascinating to hear about how Burr’s career began.
🎤 Where you can see me perform
Too Far Comedy - Monday 31 March, 7, 14, 28 April | 7.15pm doors
Lolipops - Tuesday 1, 22 April | 6.30pm & 8pm
Top and Bottom - Wednesday 23 April | 8pm
Off The Grid - Wednesday 30 April | 8.30pm
If you want to book me for one of your comedy nights please email me.
That’s it for now. Hope to see you soon!
Richard
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“Far Too Funny List” is a collation of content that Richard Parr finds hilarious or valuable as a comedian. Richard is the MC of Too Far Comedy. It’s a new act, new material night at The Artillery Arms in Old Street, London starting at 7.30pm. This weekly newsletter also gives acts priority access to spots to perform when they become available.