Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

*Starred Review* As a self-designated comedy freak, Apatow has served as producer, writer and/or director for venturesome television series The Larry Sanders Show, Freaks and Geeks, and Girls as well as such boffo movies as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Bridesmaids. In his frank and funny autobiographical introduction to this incandescent treasury of interviews with nearly 40 top comedians, he describes his apprenticeships in the art of hilarity in the early 1980s as a teenage dishwasher at a comedy club and a high-school radio station geek who had the temerity to interview his comedic heroes. Young Apatow acquired a priceless education in conversation with Steve Allen, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld (interviewed in 1983 and 2014), Garry Shandling, and Sandra Bernhard. Those vintage conversations are shared here for the first time, along with delving, up-to-the-moment exchanges with Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Louis C. K, and Apatow's former roommate, Adam Sandler. Apatow never loses his unabashed fan's enthusiasm even as he asks canny questions that yield superbly illuminating conversations rich in shop talk and musings on the lure, demands, and resonance of comedy. With the proceeds supporting 826, Dave Eggers' national literacy and tutoring nonprofit organization, Apatow has created an irresistible, ultimate-insider's comedy-interview extravaganza.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2015 Booklist

In this hilarious, insightful, and deeply personal look into what makes comedians tick, writer-director-producer Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, etc.) gives his fellow comedy nerds a generations-spanning backstage peek at some of America's greatest humorists. Apatow includes his interviews with a veritable Who's Who of the comedy world, from old-school stalwarts Mel Brooks and Steve Martin to Apatow's contemporaries, including Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, and Lena Dunham. Each talk is quirky and personable in its own way; what makes them resonate even more is the fact that Apatow undertook several of them while still in high school and working for the student radio station, lugging a tape recorder around to interview comedians and asking them "How do you write a joke?" One of the best interviews, which he did in 1983 at age 15, is with Jerry Seinfeld, a scenario the two repeated in 2014. Apatow's undeniable respect for his comedy idol is clear, and so is Seinfeld's genuine interest in discussing his craft, even with a teenager. Apatow's breadth of experience is not nearly as impressive as the sheer pleasure he so obviously derives from talking about the craft he loves with people who love it too. This exploration of what it really means to be funny, day in and day out, is for the comedian in everyone. (June) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Apatow, best known for wedding low comedy with honest emotion in such films as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People here examines his life, work, and other random concerns. His conversation partners include almost every important comedic artist of the last 50 years. Albert Brooks, Mike Nichols, Gary Shandling, and Lena -Dunham are but a sampling from the long list of actors, writers, and directors who discuss craft and career with the director/author. There are a brace of interviews from 1984 conducted by a 15-year-old Apatow with Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Allen, and others that showcase the budding talent pressing his elders for information not only on technique but also how to pave a path into the profession. These are bookended with present-day interviews with such emerging talents as Amy Schumer, in which Apatow assumes the mentor role with generosity and humility. -VERDICT An exceptional volume; in a field where shallowness is a hallmark, these artists reveal an unexpected depth. For all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 1/5/15.]-John Frank, Los Angeles P.L. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Three decades of interviews with comedy greats conducted by writer, producer, and director Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, etc.). The author's sprawling and insightful collection of interviews with some of the biggest and most respected names in comedy was a project that began over 30 years ago when, as a high schooler in Long Island, he coerced various agents and managers to grant him time to speak with comedians for his school radio program. Such ambition is a testament to Apatow's self-stated obsession with comedy and an unyielding desire to learn as much as he could about the form. The early interviews, often conducted when the author was only 15, offer a unique glimpse into the minds of the rising comedic stars of the 1980se.g., Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Paul Reiser, and Harold Ramis. Little did Apatow know that he was interviewing future megastars, and the comedians were unaware that the young man hoisting his giant tape recorder during the interview would become a comedic sensation in his own right. The author also wisely conducts follow-up interviews with several comedians for juxtapositions that are the most immediate charms in a book nearly bursting with them. The table of contents is a who's who of major players: Martin Short, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Mel Brooks, Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K., Jim Carrey, Seth Rogen, and Stephen Colbert, among others. For added perspective, Apatow also includes interviews with less-conventional funny people like musician Eddie Vedder, novelist and artist Miranda July, and director Spike Jonze. The persistent theme across this diverse range of interviews is the comedian as tireless tradesman constantly touring and honing his craft. The candidness of the interviews also exposes the peculiar community of comedians with anecdotes and cameos unlikely to be heard elsewhere. A delightful and hilarious read for anyone interested in what makes comedians tick. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* As a self-designated "comedy freak," Apatow has served as producer, writer and/or director for venturesome television series The Larry Sanders Show, Freaks and Geeks, and Girls as well as such boffo movies as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Bridesmaids. In his frank and funny autobiographical introduction to this incandescent treasury of interviews with nearly 40 top comedians, he describes his apprenticeships in the art of hilarity in the early 1980s as a teenage dishwasher at a comedy club and a high-school radio station geek who had the temerity to interview his "comedic heroes." Young Apatow acquired a priceless education in conversation with Steve Allen, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld (interviewed in 1983 and 2014), Garry Shandling, and Sandra Bernhard. Those vintage conversations are shared here for the first time, along with delving, up-to-the-moment exchanges with Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Louis C. K, and Apatow's former roommate, Adam Sandler. Apatow never loses his unabashed fan's enthusiasm even as he asks canny questions that yield superbly illuminating conversations rich in shop talk and musings on the lure, demands, and resonance of comedy. With the proceeds supporting 826, Dave Eggers' national literacy and tutoring nonprofit organization, Apatow has created an irresistible, ultimate-insider's comedy-interview extravaganza. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Apatow, best known for wedding low comedy with honest emotion in such films as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Funny People here examines his life, work, and other random concerns. His conversation partners include almost every important comedic artist of the last 50 years. Albert Brooks, Mike Nichols, Gary Shandling, and Lena Dunham are but a sampling from the long list of actors, writers, and directors who discuss craft and career with the director/author. There are a brace of interviews from 1984 conducted by a 15-year-old Apatow with Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Allen, and others that showcase the budding talent pressing his elders for information not only on technique but also how to pave a path into the profession. These are bookended with present-day interviews with such emerging talents as Amy Schumer, in which Apatow assumes the mentor role with generosity and humility. VERDICT An exceptional volume; in a field where shallowness is a hallmark, these artists reveal an unexpected depth. For all libraries. [See Prepub Alert, 1/5/15.]—John Frank, Los Angeles P.L.

In this hilarious, insightful, and deeply personal look into what makes comedians tick, writer-director-producer Apatow (Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, etc.) gives his fellow comedy nerds a generations-spanning backstage peek at some of America's greatest humorists. Apatow includes his interviews with a veritable Who's Who of the comedy world, from old-school stalwarts Mel Brooks and Steve Martin to Apatow's contemporaries, including Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Amy Schumer, and Lena Dunham. Each talk is quirky and personable in its own way; what makes them resonate even more is the fact that Apatow undertook several of them while still in high school and working for the student radio station, lugging a tape recorder around to interview comedians and asking them "How do you write a joke?" One of the best interviews, which he did in 1983 at age 15, is with Jerry Seinfeld, a scenario the two repeated in 2014. Apatow's undeniable respect for his comedy idol is clear, and so is Seinfeld's genuine interest in discussing his craft, even with a teenager. Apatow's breadth of experience is not nearly as impressive as the sheer pleasure he so obviously derives from talking about the craft he loves with people who love it too. This exploration of what it really means to be funny, day in and day out, is for the comedian in everyone. (June)