Louis Barfe is expert on all aspects of the entertainment industry. He is the author of Where Have All The Good Times Gone? The Rise and Fall of the Record Industry (2004), Turned Out Nice Again: The Story of British Light Entertainment (2008) and The Trials and Triumphs of Les Dawson (2012).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:
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
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