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Sicker in the Head: More Conversations About Life and Comedy Kindle Edition
鶹
“When I need to read an interview with a comedian while in the bathroom, I always turn to Judd Apatow for deeply personal insights into the comedic mind. Place one on your toilet today.”—Amy Schumer
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Vulture
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.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRandom House
- Publication dateMarch 29 2022
- File size34.1 MB

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Product description
Review
“The conversations in this book are not only laugh-out-loud funny. They are also remarkably candid about the emotions—fear, hurt, anger, loneliness, alienation—that fuel this art, and the perils and imperatives of working in today’s political landscape. Sicker in the Head gives us an entry pass to ‘the tribe of comedians’ that have provided a sense of belonging to Apatow and the other funny people who became his friends and colleagues in the art of laughter.”—Michiko Kakutani
“Judd Apatow has written his first sequel, and as sequels go, this second collection of interviews with creative artists, featuring a diverse lineup and wide-ranging conversations about life and comedy, is more The Godfather Part II than Jaws: The Revenge. . . . The interviews . . . go well beyond origin stories to fruitful discussions about the mysterious creative process.”—The Washington Post
Praise for Sick in the Head
“An essential for any comedy geek.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Fascinating . . . a collection of interviews with many of the great figures of comedy in the latter half of the twentieth century.”—The Washington Post
“An amazing read, full of insights and connections both creative and interpersonal.”—The New Yorker
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I started this book before the pandemic. I did a few interviews—Mort Sahl, Whitney Cummings, Nathan Fielder, Gary Gulman—but I wasn’t exactly putting a ton of time into it. Then the pandemic hit and I realized that most of the people I wanted to speak with were stuck at home with nothing to do, too. It’s hard to say no to an interview when it is clear you are available. We all were available—for everything.
So, I began making calls and lining up conversations. And as we talked, a weird thing happened: Many of these conversations became way more personal and honest than they otherwise might have been, because we were in this vulnerable, raw space together. It’s hard to hold back in an interview when you have been pondering your life (and death) for the past few months—when not over-eating, drinking, or watching streaming programming you don’t even like.
Finishing this project was challenging. There were so many people I wanted to speak to, and I knew that as soon as the world calmed down it would become much harder to get access to them. As things opened up again, I was forced to give up my quest for Pete Townshend and Meghan Markle. Maybe for the next book. (Or the next pandemic?)
It’s hard to write the intro to this book because I still feel so in between. I am not who I was before the pandemic began and yet I am not sure who I am now. I am, frankly, existentially confused. What meaning does my life have? What is the point of all of the work I have done? Why am I so disinterested and interested at the same time? How come I have become so close to my cats? Why do I keep getting more cats? Maybe the conversations in this book will shed some light on these questions.
Other than my love for my family, the one consistent observation I have had, during all of this madness, is that I needed to laugh. I needed the insights of comic minds. I also was told by a lot of people that my work had given them brief, happy breaks from all we are experiencing, which was nice. I spent months getting those same breaks with Ted Lasso, Schitt’s Creek, Jackass, and anything by Maria Bamford.
I have always seen comedy as a lifeline—which is why I’ve been interviewing comedians about why they do what they do since I was fifteen years old. Without comedy, I don’t know how I would survive. When the pandemic was at full force, I grabbed my family and made a really silly movie. I didn’t know what else to do. Is that healthy? Is it denial? Is it medicine? Is it sick? I am not sure. But now I know that when the world seems to be collapsing my reaction is to make a movie about a group of people having a meltdown during a pandemic as they attempt to make a movie about flying dinosaurs. The process of making that film with my family got me through. It gave me purpose: to be ridiculous. Isn’t it all ridiculous? It also got me out of the house and into a community of people with the same goal—to make people smile. When the shit hits the fan that is all I have to offer. I may not know how to turn the gas off when the building is on fire, but I might be able to make you piss your pants. That’s got to be worth something?
I am still struggling. I don’t feel right. But maybe if things get back to normal, and maybe after I do another book and make a few more ridiculous movies, I will feel right again. And the world will have some more weird stuff to read and some more stupid shit to watch with the shades closed as the world teeters outside.
Product details
- ASIN : B09CCP835S
- Publisher : Random House
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : March 29 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 34.1 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 530 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0525509431
- Page Flip : Enabled
- 鶹 Rank: #451,382 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #257 in Comedy (Books)
- #462 in Comedy (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Judd Apatow (/ˈæpətaʊ/; born December 6, 1967) 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.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by David Shankbone (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
Customer reviews
Top reviews from Canada
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- Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2022Verified PurchaseBook value - this is a once read and pass it on type of a thing. Easy - Interesting and if one is overly interested in the iconic comedy persons of the past - again a good read and to pass on type of a book.
Top reviews from other countries
- Obsessive Reader, Traveler and Documentary AddictReviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Through the Looking Glass of Life and Comedy…
Verified PurchaseI ended up purchasing a copy for a cross-country flight and the interviews were so engaging, I couldn’t put it down! Judd Apatow sits down with some of the most exciting names in comedy for intimate and hilariously honest conversations about life, art, and the power of laughter. Apatow's subjects are a diverse group, from comedy legends like David Letterman and Whoopi Goldberg to up-and-coming stars like John Mulaney and Hannah Gadsby. But they all share one thing in common: a deep love of comedy and a passion for using it to make people laugh.
In these conversations, Apatow and his subjects explore the many facets of comedy, from the craft of writing jokes to the importance of vulnerability. They also talk about the challenges of being a comedian in today's world, and how they find the inspiration to keep going. Sicker in the Head is a must-read for anyone who loves comedy. It's a funny, insightful, and inspiring book that will leave you with a new appreciation for the power of laughter.
Apatow brings a level of trust to the interview that moved his subjects to open-up and share their personal stories, from the craft of comedy to the challenges of being a parent. The book's humor and insights, which will stay with you long after you finish reading it. If you're looking for a funny, insightful, and inspiring book about comedy, then I highly recommend Sicker in the Head! A great read!
Obsessive Reader, Traveler and Documentary AddictThrough the Looking Glass of Life and Comedy…
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
In these conversations, Apatow and his subjects explore the many facets of comedy, from the craft of writing jokes to the importance of vulnerability. They also talk about the challenges of being a comedian in today's world, and how they find the inspiration to keep going. Sicker in the Head is a must-read for anyone who loves comedy. It's a funny, insightful, and inspiring book that will leave you with a new appreciation for the power of laughter.
Apatow brings a level of trust to the interview that moved his subjects to open-up and share their personal stories, from the craft of comedy to the challenges of being a parent. The book's humor and insights, which will stay with you long after you finish reading it. If you're looking for a funny, insightful, and inspiring book about comedy, then I highly recommend Sicker in the Head! A great read!
Images in this review
- mandyReviewed in the United States on March 15, 2023
4.0 out of 5 stars Interviews with comedians
Verified PurchaseGood book, easy to read it's basically just 5 to 10 page reviews of various comedians and others who play an important role in the industry. Little stories of their struggles and how they got where they are.
- Crazy FelineReviewed in the United States on October 25, 2022
3.0 out of 5 stars Nowhere Near As Good As Sick in the Head
Verified PurchaseNot a lot of laughs here. Instead, you get a lot of introspection and analyzing of depression that plagues many comics. And for what it's worth, I hadn't heard of a lot of the interviewees. If you liked the first book you're going to want to pick this up but be warned. Some good anecdotes but mostly pretty serious stuff.