Comedy instruction — book review:

No Laughs to Know Laughs — Rory Vaden

Book with a cheesy title will get lost in amongst a ream of others.

The first time I read this it came across as pretty light.

In truth, it is, and the book speeds through its subject.

It tells you why we should make people laugh. Gives you reasons people laugh. Throws in a few formulas.

Not much to go on.

The book is mainly theory.

However, further reads leave me more impressed.

The theory comes sprinkled with examples that allow you to try the ideas yourself.

There aren’t any lengthy explanations, but what is shown is useful in any situation.

Y’know, hostage negotiations, funerals, the aftermath of a painful medical diagnosis.

The ideas within don’t go into any particular depth (unlike some other resources), but there’s more than enough here to start your journey.

A brief introduction and the benefits of comedy is quickly explained.

Perhaps socially obvious, the book informs of the advantages of humour in a more professional context.

‘Chapter Two — Why do we laugh?’ is more than it sounds. It gives you pointers and examples under 10 concepts that audiences find funny.

Despite being in sales, author Rory Vaden comes across as a nice guy. Which is his job. Could the real man be a crazed lunatic?

Reason 6 is something I don’t recall seeing elsewhere (Perhaps I have, but my memory can be patchy. A definite section to read if you’re set on performing to an audience).

Other reasons people laugh are also helpful; they deal with stress release, popping tension, bringing together unrelated ideas, and a few more things.

Beyond this, there are several tips and ways to improve the laughs you do get, and things which work best in comedy.

There’s a bit near the end on overcoming fear, and some practical use of humour from the author’s past, ready to replicate or tweak to your own needs.

As an extra, the reading list in the back contains 6 titles, if you do wish to further explore the world of comedy instructionals.

Verdict

Even though the book is short, with some repetition, plus two or three mentions of his premium service, there’s enough here for the low price you can get this for.

How to go about using the ideas here might leave some scratching their heads, which leads to the following recommendation.

Recommended for:

The type of person who wants to get on with it when a compass is enough.

Useful for either beginners or those who want a quick reference.

Not so much for:

If you’re seeking further explanation and demand more practical examples, look elsewhere (the reading list has some useful recommendations).

Other thoughts

The book sometimes feels like a beginner version of Jerry Corley’s Breaking Comedy’s DNA. (Do you need Corley’s book? No, but if you want something which goes further into the dissection of comedy, it’s certainly a route to explore.)

No Laughs to know Laughs isn’t a cash in effort, either. This title was published around a decade prior to Corley’s work.

Length

Short, medium. 106 pages of medium sized font used.

Dedicated slower readers won’t take more than a few days to read it, while quicker readers can be finished in less than a couple of hours.

If you have to hang on to such guides, the physical book is pretty small and doesn’t take up much space.