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    • Cool thing to buy this week: ‘I Can Barely Take Care of Myself: Tales From a Happy Life Without Kids’ by Jen Kirkman

    Jen KirkmanEver thought about having kids or even worse, have friends tell you that you should consider having kids? Well Jen Kirkman’s new book will prove to you that it is A-OK not to procreate, if you don’t want to.

    I Can Barely Take Care of Myself explains that it is hard enough being an adult. You have to pay bills, tip correctly, get annual physicals and dress yourself among other things. I mean, who wants to take time caring for a kid when you could be kickin’ it at da club, tossin’ back Jagerbombs?

    “I think you will get some laughs. There’s stories about failed teenage love, failed early 20-something love, fights with my parents, bad stand-up comedy gigs, getting engaged, getting married, getting divorced, bad haircuts, anxiety disorders, the threat of nuclear war, not wanting to have a baby, not wanting to talk to strangers and explain why I don’t want to have a baby, pretending to be pregnant at a nail salon, my nana and next door neighbor who died alone, the horror of alcohol-free afternoon birthday parties for adults, getting bullied at school, feeling like an outsider in life…” – Jen Kirkman

    This is Kirkman’s first book but has released two comedy albums, Self Help and Hail to the Freaks. You can also catch her frequently on E! Network’s, Chelsea Lately as she is a regular guest. She is also doing a tour promoting her book release and will be signing books after each show.  Read the rest of this entry

    Marc Maron will release his memoir, “Attempting Normal” on April 30th

    Attempting NormalMarc Maron is a very busy man these days and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. On April 30th he will release a new memoir, Attempting Normal. It’s not the comedian’s first foray into book writing, he released a book back in 2001 called Jerusalem Syndrome which was an adaptation of his one-man show of the same name.

    While you don’t have to take our word for it, but we have this feeling that this book will get a bit more attention than the last one. Pre-order it now.

    The book release will also be accompanied by the IFC premiere of his new sitcom Maron making for a Spring of Maron™.

    Marc Maron was a parent-scarred, angst-filled, drug-dabbling, love-starved comedian who dreamed of a simple life: a wife, a home, a sitcom to call his own. But instead he woke up one day to find himself fired from his radio job, surrounded by feral cats, and emotionally and financially annihilated by a divorce from a woman he thought he loved. He tried to heal his broken heart through whatever means he could find—minor-league hoarding, Viagra addiction, accidental racial profiling, cat fancying, flying airplanes with his mind—but nothing seemed to work. It was only when he was stripped down to nothing that he found his way back.

    Read the rest of this entry

    Contest: Enter to win a copy of The Spit Take’s new book

    The Spit Take Book

    It’s Friday so here’s your chance to enter to win something! Our pals at The Spit Take just released a new book featuring their best comedy reviews from the site’s first year in business. We even caught up with the editor/founder Julie Seabaugh last week to talk shop.

    Last night was the release party for the book and we were not only in attendance but later humbled to see that we were mentioned in the books acknowledgments. We have also got our hands on a few copies of the book to give away to our readers. Read the rest of this entry

    The Spit Take’s Julie Seabaugh talks about the site’s one-year anniversary and new book release

    The Spit Take BookOn February 19th the comedy website The Spit Take will release 2012 Best of The Spit Take: A Compilation of Professional Comedy Criticism, a book that showcases the best comedy reviews the site delivered over the course of its first year in business (it just turned 1 on February 6th). We reached out to our pal Julie Seabaugh, The Spit Take’s founder / Editorial Director who also happens to be the editor of the new book. We discussed the first year of the website, the new book, and what it means to be a manager of professional comedy criticism. We also talked about the birthday party/book bash she’s planned in New York City next week to celebrate it all.

    Please tell us about the new book, 2012 Best of The Spit Take.

    My background is arts journalism, then about five years ago I began working with comedians more directly, including PR, management, booking and producing. After connecting at SXSW I began working with Brown Paper Tickets, an indie, artist-friendly, excessive-fee-shunning, fair-trade ticketing company based out of Seattle. As their Comedy Doer, I simply “Do” things that are in need of doing. BPT also employs a Sports Doer, Music Doer, Maker Doer and more; in addition to aiding our communities in different ways, we also work toward specific big-picture goals. How can we help the public perceive comedians as the legitimate artists they are? I say write about them with the highest standards possible. That’s where TheSpitTake.com came from. I’d also always been a huge fan of Da Capo’s annual Best Music Writing, Best Sports Writing, Best Travel Writing, etc. series. Paradisiac Publishing’s Lauren Wood has a shared passion for comedy, and we decided that it would be cool to do something similar within the comedy realm. Read the rest of this entry

    Jim Gaffigan has a new book about being a fat father

    Jim Gaffigan wrote a book, Dad is Fat which chronicles his ordeal living in a NY apartment raising his brood of children (five total) as they test his fatherhood. The book is currently available for pre-order pretty much anywhere.

    If you order the book before December 14th and email proof of purchase to dadisfat@randomhouse.com Gaffigan will hook you up with some goodies including, an autographed book excerpt, autographed bookplate, autographed thank you letter/gift confirmation letter signifying you are a great person, and finally an autographed autograph!

    In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, who’s best known for his legendary riffs on Hot Pockets, bacon, manatees, and McDonald’s, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children—everything from cousins (“celebrities for little kids”) to toddlers’ communication skills (“they always sound like they have traveled by horseback for hours to deliver important news”), to the eating habits of four year olds (“there is no difference between a four year old eating a taco and throwing a taco on the floor”). Reminiscent of Bill Cosby’s Fatherhood, Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.

    Read the rest of this entry

    Having a Merry F#%$in’ Christmas with Denis Leary at the Paley Center

    Denis Leary just released a new book, Merry F#%$in’ Christmas. It’s the first book as part of the before-mentioned Comedy Central book division and the book version of Leary’s previously-released CD of the same name.

    The book is picture book-style with expanded lyrics to make it something that you’d probably not want to read to a child come Christmas time.

    Last week during the NY Comedy Festival, Leary sat down with Kate Snow to for a conversation about the book that was then turned into an audience Q&A about the book and Leary’s career. Leary discussed everything from his career doing stand-up, movies, TV shows, as well as his critically-acclaimed TV show Rescue Me which just ended it’s run about a year ago. Read the rest of this entry

    A new book giving a behind the scenes look at The Comic Strip

    It’s been four years in the making but it’s finally finished. The book co-authored by Jeffrey Gurian and Richie Tienken about the legendary NYC comedy club The Comic Strip.

    The book, Make ‘Em Laugh: 35 Years of the Comic Strip, the Greatest Comedy Club of All Time! recounts the 35 year long history of one of New York’s most iconic comedy club and one that’s responsible for launching the careers of Jerry Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Paul Reiser, Gilbert Gottfried, Lisa Lampanelli, and so many more.

    The book also includes interviews with some of the biggest stars to come out of the club including Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Jim Gaffigan, Judah Friedlander who reveal some never before seen anecdotes about the club. It also touches on the club’s owner/founder Richie Tienken who discovered both Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock.

    There will also be a book party to celebrate the release of the book on Read the rest of this entry

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