Christopher Claro

Stand-up comics are really good at making us laugh. The best of them make us forget that what they do is a profession and, like any profession, has a huge body of knowledge attached to it. What makes a joke work, for example? And why do people still talk about vaudeville? This guide offers a good mix of the history of the comic, as well as fun, if subjective, guides to “classic” material like Lenny Bruce routines and early Bill Cosby records.