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His new book is Happiness and Tears: The Ken Dodd Story.
At the Guardian he tagged a (UK-centric) top ten list of books about comedy. One title on the list:
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The Late Shift by Bill Carter (1994)Read about another entry on the list.
This book, by a New York Times correspondent, is an engrossing and hilarious account of the squabbles and politics involved in choosing a successor to Johnny Carson as host of a chatshow that was also the US’s leading showcase for standup comedy. It was a showcase that on one occasion sat Richard Pryor next to Rod Hull and Emu, so how could you fault it?
--Marshal Zeringue