MATT DISERO’S

Suggested Reading List for Comedy Magicians

Matt Disero’s Essential Books for Comedy Magicians

There are no books on my list that will give you lines and routines. Nothing will make you a great
performer of comedy other than going out and working a ton of shows. Don’t believe me? Most comedy
clubs won’t book an act for money unless they’ve been doing it longer than six years. It takes at least that
long to get good. I’d say ten years. That said, if you want to learn how to write comedy, and use that in
your magic, with a bit of business help along the way, here are some great places to start.

Born Standing Up – Steve Martin. Want to learn how to shape a set, a career, and have fun while doing it?
This is the one.

On Writing – Stephen King. Crazy as it sounds, King has figured out the best explanation of how to
write. It details his work ethic. Love or hate him, he does put out a volume of work. Anyone who writes
anything should read this book. Period.

Ventriloquism for Dummies: Life of a Comedian – John Wing. True, John’s book is a biography of his
first ten years in comedy, starting at Yuk Yuks all the way to his first spot on The Tonight Show. But I
tell people to read this book because it details exactly what it takes to get good enough for TV good –
Tonight Show good.

Writing for Vaudeville – Brett Page. Everything funny is subjective and changes in some ways. Mostly
though there’s a formula to writing comedy skits. That never changes. The book helps with comedy
writing across the board. [Note: This book was published in 1915. It is now in the public domain. You can
find it here: http://www.authorama.com/book/writing-for-vaudeville.html]

Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic – Martin Gardner – Everyone should own this book. If you don’t, get
out. Go home, you’re drunk. The book is like having your own punch writer. It’s full of variety’s best one
liners and is full of great little transition bits.

Zen and the Art of Stand-up Comedy – Jay Sankey. I worked with Jay in comedy clubs for a while. Crazy
as he is, the book is full of useful performance advice – really useful. You will use it.

How to Be a Working Comic – Dave Schwensen. Generally I hate comedy schools and classes that teach
you to be a comic. It’s all a bunch of crap. Go out and work...you’ll learn. I only include this book because
along with being a comedy performer you’ll have to sell yourself to buyers if you want to get work. I’ve
known Dave since he was the head booker for the Improv comedy clubs and TV show. It’s a fine little
book filled with good guides to promotional material, structuring material, approaching bookers, etc.
Along the way he features short interviews with famous comedians. It’s an easy and fun read.

You can find more information about Matt Disero at www.mattdisero.com