No one knows comedy like Judd Apatow. From interviewing the biggest comics of the day for his high school radio show to performing stand-up in L.A. dive bars with his roommate Adam Sandler, to writing and directing Knocked Up and producing Freaks and Geeks, Apatow has always lived, breathed, and dreamed comedy. In this all-new collection of interviews, the follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Sick in the Head, Apatow sits down with comedy legends such as David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, and Will Ferrell, as well as the writers and performers who are pushing comedy to the limits, and defining a new era of laughter: John Mulaney, Hannah Gadsby, Bowen Yang, Amber Ruffin, Pete Davidson, and others. In intimate and hilariously honest conversations, they discuss what got them into comedy, and what—despite personal and national traumas—keeps them going.
As sequels go, this second collection of interviews with creative artists, featuring a diverse lineup and wide-ranging conversations about life and comedy, is more The Godfather Part II than Jaws: The Revenge ... A more inclusive mix of subjects than the first book ... The interviews in Sicker in the Head go well beyond origin stories to fruitful discussions about the mysterious creative process ... Apatow’s movies are funny, and in times as dark and divided as these, funny is never ridiculous.
Coming in at a nerdily detailed 500 pages, it is a lifetime's labour of love for the artform ... As with a perfect stand-up set, it's hard to pick out highlights, though the sheer size and relentless Q&A style means it's more suited to dipping in and out of. There are jaw-dropping anecdotes aplenty ... It's the whys and wherefores of comedy that make this a Bible for all aspiring comics and their fans.
Scintillating interviews ... While the yuks abound, there’s some serious existential digging, too ... Apatow’s empathetic questioning and his interlocutors’ keen wit make for a fascinating chorus of showbiz lore.
