Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book (2024)

emma

2,260 reviews74.8k followers

November 14, 2023

this title is like a list of my favorite things!

i thought this book was going to be more of a History Of Comedy Bang Bang, or maybe Behind The Scenes or Insider Info, but instead it was like a collection of bits that were always going to work better as audio in the (literal) voice of their corresponding comedians.

but i did have a few exhalations through the nose (reading equivalent of laughing) at things that REMINDED me of funny things, so that's not bad!

also the design was fun and interesting. so that's not bad either.

bottom line: we'll take it!

    3-stars eh non-ya

Tess Kelly

213 reviews4 followers

April 27, 2023

New foam šŸ„¹

Parker Wilgus

1 review

April 26, 2023

I loved this very book. I certainly would have finished in one sitting if I had enough - okay Iā€™ll say it - TIME!

Jonathan Von

497 reviews71 followers

May 4, 2023

Iā€™ve been a big Comedy Bang Bang fan for a long time now, right around when they first broke off that third hundo, and lots of Earwolf and related series. I saw them live, I subscribe to the patreon, and I still canā€™t hear the phrase, ā€œItā€™s been a whileā€ without smiling. Iā€™m not a SUPER FAN of everyone involved, but Iā€™d say for the last eight years or so Earwolf related shows have accounted for the great majority of my podcasting experience.

So the book, is it good? Itā€™s ok. Itā€™s worth reading, itā€™s a lot of different material from different people, mostly improv comedians but some of them are respected comedy writers in their own rights. I LOVE Paul F Tompkins and his prose pieces here are great. Other highlights include Tim Baltz, Andy Daly, Lauren Lapkus, Jessica McKenna, Jason Mantzoukas, Will Hines, Lily Sullivan, and Mary Holland. And itā€™s awesome to see some of these people whose work I enjoy and whose brought me many hours of laughter turn in some solid written stuff. But itā€™s still just like 70% playing the hits. Thereā€™s not a whole lot of new material, and while thereā€™s some legit good original pieces, itā€™s a few pages here and there in between a lot of recounting of old bits which I found frustrating.

It really seems like this is a book designed both for the fans and people only vaguely familiar with the show. And I kept finding myself trying to imagine how a first time reader would see a lot of very random, and absurd silly humor without the context. Some would probably love it and seek out the show, but most would likely be confused with the occasional laugh. Itā€™s still a funny book, but your mileage is going to vary.

There were some real bright spots donā€™t get me wrong and I laughed out loud several times. But I ultimately found it unsatisfying. Paul F. Tompkins should write an actual book, heā€™s great. Baltz, Daly, and McKenna had the best bits, with a nice surprise from a short piece from Mary Holland that makes me wish there was more. Happy that the Lapkus stuff is pretty strong but thereā€™s not a lot. Itā€™s made me realize that some of these people I would pay good money for longer prose pieces. Wouldnā€™t hesitate for one second if Scott wrote his own book. But here, itā€™s in-between a bunch of other callbacks that feel airless and out of context. Still a big fan, will remain so, but does this book elevate itself from tie-in curio? Yes, but not as much as Iā€™d like.

Alex Nagler

341 reviews6 followers

February 16, 2023

Scottrick has written a book. A delightful little tome of wit and whimsy that includes a missive from the diary of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. And I, thanks to NetGalley, was able to glimpse it with all its TKs and placeholders of wonders to come. If you have ever Solo'd a Bolo, this book is for you.

(Do not go into this expecting an oral history of Comedy Bang! Bang! This is not an oral history, this is the comics you love writing as the characters you love)

    fiction

Tracy Daugherty

1 review1 follower

July 26, 2023

Ya gotta laugh. C+ book.

Ben

63 reviews1 follower

May 24, 2023

Before I read this I wasn't able to "perform" with my fiancee but now we can do most of Les Mis pretty good. Other books exist, but they're for fascists.

Adam

442 reviews195 followers

July 17, 2023

As one of the most reliable sources of joy in my life, the Comedy Bang Bang podcast has been a mainstay in my weekly listening schedule for well over a decade. This book feels like a victory lap for all involved. Impossible to read without hearing the charactersā€™ voices in your head on every page.

Would be a tough sell to someone whoā€™s not intimately familiar with the show and its format, but true fans of all things CBB will treasure it.

Mary

381 reviews

June 4, 2023

If you love the podcast, you'll love the book. Especially the Harris Wittels piece. That man was taken far too soon.

Daniel Marks

3 reviews

February 26, 2024

This book had a bunch of different sheets of paper in it. Oddly, they all had numbers on them that kept getting bigger, and when I tried to pull out said pages... nothing happened! They stayed in the book! Good book experience... 5 stars.

James

42 reviews1 follower

May 6, 2023

This was an absolute delight to read and I was truly pleased/unsettled to realize how much CBB Lore Iā€™ve internalized over the years. I Lā€™dOL frequently and am happy Scott and his nepo baby will get years of publishing residuals from this.

Eleanor

42 reviews2 followers

May 12, 2023

This book will be mostly indecipherable to anyone who is not a listener of CBB, but those who have been following for years will find a lot of joy in these pages. Lots of memorable characters that I apparently forgot over time, almost makes me want to relisten to the 14 year back catalogue.

Harris's Foam Corner was the perfect way to end the book, RIP šŸ’•

Steven P Engel

122 reviews

December 17, 2023

I LOLed a bunch or maybe Lā€™dOL (if you read the book). I have not listened to the podcasts but have watched the IFC series at least twice so was familiar with some of the characters at least. Wish there were more shows to watch, probably donā€™t have time for the pcasts.

Sam Tracy

23 reviews

May 27, 2024

I absolutely love CBB so had high expectations for this book, which might be why it short of them - but it was still enjoyable as a long time weekly listener and might actually be even better for a newbie.

My main gripe was that a majority of it was rehashing stuff that happened on the show, just in book form, rather than expanding upon it. I recognize that some rehashing was probably necessary to make it accessible to more casual audiences, and it's a tough line for them to have to walk, but it felt like too much to me.

The new material was all really enjoyable, and it was fun getting to see many of the contributors dressed up as their characters. It had some laugh out loud moments, and I'm still very glad I got a copy.

Shawn Bertke

110 reviews9 followers

May 2, 2023

4 stars but had to add an extra one for how much this podcast means to me and that Harris Wittels and his contributions werenā€™t forgotten.

Mike

96 reviews4 followers

June 7, 2023

Probably 2.5 mostly due to a surprise entry at the end. I wish I had liked it better because I really enjoy the show and the podcast. Itā€™s probably the format because itā€™s similar to how I donā€™t like to watch standup specials with subtitles. You see the jokes coming. Iā€™m sure a lot of people will like it, just wasnā€™t for me.

Ben Estes

40 reviews

October 31, 2023

If you're a Comedy Bang Bang fan, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. If you aren't, you probably won't. I am, so I did.

M Caesar

137 reviews

January 5, 2024

I've been a fan of the podcast since it was called comedy death ray in the indie 103.1 days (i'd listen after the fact haha). It's been one hell of a ride and I simply love it. I vibe with the madcap improv of it you see. This show, this universe that Scott and his many, many collaborators create is mother's milk to me. There was never a world where this book isn't just, incredible to me.

Joey

83 reviews1 follower

October 18, 2023

Probably not 5 stars but it's a must-have for fans of the CBBiverse

Jake

218 reviews1 follower

January 26, 2024

Diverting enough for fans of the podcast.

TVā€™s Kevin Lanigan

209 reviews

May 12, 2023

What a gift this book is. A preservation of one of my favorite things. I laughed out loud while reading, which I think is against the law, so know that might happen.

Laura Saavedra

1 review

August 3, 2023

Obvs

Thelonious

63 reviews

May 20, 2023

The Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast is an improv/alt-comedy institution, and I canā€™t put into words how much it means to me. I started listening in summer 2015 and havenā€™t missed an episode since. Iā€™m so happy this podcast exists and continues chugging along.

As for this book: itā€™s a delight for diehard fans, but not quite as funny as the podcast itself. Some big laughs, but mostly snickers and smiles. Not all of the characters translated well to this medium. And naturally, a book of prepared material isnā€™t going to have the unique elements of spontaneity and collective improvisation that make the podcast so great. Still, some hilarious bits in here. Highly recommend to any regular listener.

alexis

241 reviews49 followers

May 11, 2023

As a somewhat sporadic podcast listener who really loved the tv show, this book is obviously much funnier when you can remember the charactersā€™ voices. I have an extremely one-sided parasocial relationship with Scott Aukerman, though, so Iā€™m always happy to give him $25

Renata

2,732 reviews425 followers

July 25, 2023

CBB was one of the first podcasts I really got into, but over time my listenership faded. This book both reminded me why I loved it and also why my interest waned. There are some real literal laugh out loud moments in this (Fourvel really sent me), but also some clunkers. Some the things benefitted from images/formatting while others seemed less funny than their audio counterparts because of not having the voice performances. Basically: fun for existing fans! Probably will not convert many new listeners!

    fiction grownup humor

Noah Goats

Author8 books28 followers

May 2, 2023

You may have noticed that I have given this book five stars. These are a sincere five stars. My enjoyment of this book definitely reached the five star level. And yet, Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book is a book that I would only recommend to a small subset of my friends: the ones who listen to the CBB podcast. It is a book composed entirely of inside jokes, and if you donā€™t know these jokes, this book is not for you. Do you know that the actor Jason Mantzoukas is actually a character played by Jeffrey Characterwheaties? Is your favorite country band Memphis Kansas Breeze? In your darkest moments have you considered hiring Al A. Peterson, The Smooth Criminal, to provide his services (also, do you know why he is called "The Smooth Criminal" and what part of him is not smooth)? If not, you can skip this book.

On the other hand, if the names Dalton Wilcox, Brock Lovett, and Big Chunky Bubbles bring up very specific voices, you know who the Nite Wolf is, and you canā€™t hear The Monster Mash without immediately thinking of Leo Karpatze, then you absolutely must buy this book.

Iā€™ve been listening to the Comedy Bang! Bang! Podcast for about ten years now. I am a fan. This show makes me laugh. From the very first episode I ever listened to, Iā€™ve been hooked (Marissa Wompler was on that first ep, reading sexy excerpts from Outlander to devastating comic effect). The guests are characters played by some of the worldā€™s funniest improvisers, including Paul F. Tompkins, Tim Baltz, Lauren Lapkus, Carl Tart, Mike Handford and many others who I will not mention to spare you the boredom of an even longer list of names. Anyway, these people are funny, and on CBB they create ridiculous characters and I love them with all my heart.

In this book many of the best of these characters are given a few pages. Generally, it's a page or so explaining what the personā€™s deal is, and then another page or two providing an artifact related to them. This can be a tour poster, a transcript of a conversation, a poem, or anything really, and these items are hilarious.

If you love Maxwell Keeper, Bean Dip, and Bob Ducca, you will love this book. I wasn't sure that the loose improv of CBB could be distilled into book form, but it works.

My only criticism is that a more accurate title would be, "Fast and the Furious Presents: Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book"

Scott Parker

47 reviews2 followers

May 17, 2023

Most of the book is line-for-line repeats from the show. If you'd like show transcripts with great graphic design, or if you're a huge Bob Ducca or Fourvel fan (who are both repeatedly featured throughout the book), then this is for you!

Neither describes me so I didn't really connect with this. There are a few notable exceptions though that hit me so hard that I still must give this a three-star review:

* Harris Wittels' Foam Corner in print is worth the price of admission alone. I was really happy to see these silly jokes one more time.

* The "Hollywood Facts" song is... not my favorite bit from the podcast. I think I audibly groaned when I saw it made the CBB book. So it's amazing that it turned into one of my favorite sections. The Hollywood facts collected herein are hilarious. I'm now a believer and 100% on Team Hollywood Facts.

* A few bits expand their characters' weird universes in unexpected directions which I really dug. I could have read an entire book of Werner Herzog's Yelp reviews, Margery Kershaw's earnest park diaries, or Memphis Kansas Breeze's bizarre tour schedule.

* Of the book's many forewards and prefaces, Weird Al's is just so good ā€“ I had to immediately re-read when I finished the book.

James

92 reviews9 followers

December 31, 2023

I have loved listening to the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! since 2010 or so, an improv comedy podcast full of absurd and obscene characters that never fails to make me laugh (even if, like most improv comedy, though sometimes the end result can be transcendently funny, some episodes can be a little underwhelming and serve as a reminder of the benefits of planning and editing). So I was eager to buy the book they released this year because $20-30 is a small token of my appreciation for hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours of enjoyment I've gotten from Ackerman and co. Sadly that ended up being the main draw of this book for me. There is stuff in here that made me chuckle, funny extrapolations of existing bits from the show, and it's nicely designed and covers a wide range of beloved characters. But it took months for me to finally finish it, which I mostly did because the year is ending and I wanted to cross it off my list. It's worth flipping through if you like the show, and I'm glad I gave them some money, but as a book, it's pretty inessential. A better recommendation is to listen to their best of the year episodes for this year.

Jenni

303 reviews4 followers

June 13, 2023

If you've ever shared that screenshot of Werner Herzog's Yelp review of Trader Joe's on Hyperion, this is the book for you - because that review was written and performed by Paul F. Tompkins and it's included in this book in full! With other content by characters performed on the Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast by PFT, Lauren Lapkus, Andy Daly, Carl Tart, Bobby Moynihan, Jessica McKenna, Ego Nwodim, and many, many more (so the probability of running into YOUR favorite comedian is high in this book)!

I'm an insufferable fan of pretty much anything Scott Aukerman touches, so there was no way this book would get less than 5 stars. If you're not sure if this kind of comedy is your cup of tea, please, read the multiple introductions (and their rebuttals) before you proceed deeper down the rabbit hole. If you didn't chuckle, cackle, or guffaw at any point, I dunno... are you already in an urn?

Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Stevie Stamm

Last Updated:

Views: 6380

Rating: 5 / 5 (80 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Stevie Stamm

Birthday: 1996-06-22

Address: Apt. 419 4200 Sipes Estate, East Delmerview, WY 05617

Phone: +342332224300

Job: Future Advertising Analyst

Hobby: Leather crafting, Puzzles, Leather crafting, scrapbook, Urban exploration, Cabaret, Skateboarding

Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.