The Laugh-Makers: Stand-up Comedy as Art, Business, and Life-Style

Greg Turko is a policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and
Universities.

The rapid growth of commercial comedy clubs in North America represents
a significant departure from the big-business orientation of many other
commercialized leisure activities, such as professional sports and
popular music. Commercial comedy clubs are, in some ways, probably as
close as one can come in the 1980s and 1990s to entertainment by the
people for the people, and at the people’s request. (This idealized
vision should not be taken too far, however, as comedy club ownership is
becoming concentrated in fewer hands.) Comedy clubs are, in short, a
social and an entertainment phenomenon.

In The Laugh-Makers, Stebbins examines the components of this
phenomenon, including the comedy clubs themselves; their owners; the
performers (particularly their apprenticeship and their motivation; the
clubs’ raison d’кtre; and their patrons. This detailed study, which
relies heavily on first-hand observations and interviews, is generally
more descriptive than analytical. This should not, however, be taken as
a criticism; while commercial comedy clubs operate in most major cities,
it would be safe to say that few people outside the business know much
about the origins of these clubs or how they operate. This book provides
a glimpse into this largely unfamiliar world in the form of a
sociological study.

It’s tempting to recommend this book as a sort of What Color Is Your
Parachute? for would-be commercial comedy club performers. It is,
however, highly unlikely that this advice would be appreciated or taken
given what Stebbins has written about this group of entertainers.