I thoroughly enjoyed Sick In The Head, so I was excited to give this book a read!
Judd Apatow made many of the movies that shaped my young-adult comedic mind, so I’m always in awe of his work. In this book, Mr. Apatow interviews comedians during the pandemic and we get to see how their creative process was changed – for better or worse – during that time.
I loved digging into the honesty these comedians were willing to share about topics like mental health. It’s something everyone deals with, so I can now say, “Comedians! They’re just like us!”
There were also good discussions regarding the Cosby scandal – how comedians see it and deal with it. I really connected with how they explained we can validate the art, but still hold the artist accountable for bad (or in this instance, completely hideous) deeds.
Purchase your copy here.
Back Cover Copy of Sicker In The Head:
No one knows comedy like Judd Apatow. From interviewing the biggest comics of the day for his high school radio show to performing stand-up in L.A. dive bars with his roommate Adam Sandler, to writing and directing Knocked Up and producing Freaks and Geeks, Apatow has always lived, breathed, and dreamed comedy.
In this all-new collection of interviews, the follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Sick in the Head, Apatow sits down with comedy legends such as David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, and Will Ferrell, as well as the writers and performers who are pushing comedy to the limits, and defining a new era of laughter: John Mulaney, Hannah Gadsby, Bowen Yang, Amber Ruffin, Pete Davidson, and others. In intimate and hilariously honest conversations, they discuss what got them into comedy, and what—despite personal and national traumas—keeps them going.
Together, they talk about staying up too late to watch late-night comedy, what kind of nerds they were high school, and the right amount of delusional self-confidence one needs to “make it” in the industry. Like eavesdropping on lifelong friends, these pages expose the existential questions that plague even the funniest and most talented among us: Why make people laugh while the world is in crisis? What ugly, uncomfortable truths about our society—and ourselves—can comedy reveal? Along the way, these comics reminisce about those who helped them on their journey—from early success through failure and rejection, and back again—even as they look ahead to the future of comedy and Hollywood in a hyper-connected, overstimulated world.
With his trademark insight, curiosity, and irrepressible sense of humor, Apatow explores the nature of creativity, professional ambition, and vulnerability in an ever-evolving cultural landscape, and how our favorite comics are able to keep us laughing along the way.
About Judd Apatow:
Judd Apatow is an American producer, writer, director, actor, and comedian. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and developed the cult television series Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and Girls and directed and produced The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), This Is 40 (2012), and Trainwreck (2015).
Apatow’s work has won numerous awards including a Primetime Emmy Award (for The Ben Stiller Show), a Hollywood Comedy Award, and an AFI Award for Bridesmaids (2011). His films have also been nominated for Grammy Awards, PGA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Academy Awards. In 2007, he was ranked No. 1 on Entertainment Weekly’s The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood. He is considered a pioneer of the modern film genre bromantic comedy.
