It is not a normal person who wants to go onstage and make thousands of strangers laugh every night--this celebration of comedy by a veteran comedy critic is also a story of lives lived to excess

A look at one of the modern world's most dominant and compelling art forms, this book would not be complete without covering comedy's dark side. Homing in on the scandals that have surrounded some of light entertainment's biggest stars, the book tells it as it is, featuring quotes from those that were there at the time. It reveals how the devoted laughter of fans never seemed to be enough for...