Favorite Humor Writers

[determined2finish]

Hi everyone,
I love finding new humor writers to read and was wondering if you could all share your favorites here with me? So, who makes you laugh out loud?

My favorite authors include: David Sedaris, Fran Lebowitz, Dave Barry, Dorothy Parker, Cynthia Heimel, Mary Jo Pehl

Other Favorite reading: The Onion, Poopycaca.com, old Mad magazines to name a few.

Favorite Viewing: The Office (TV), MST3K, Absolutely Fabulous, I Love Lucy,
Reno 911, Rushmore, The Producers (movie) and other early Mel Brooks, early Woody Allen

[Liam Jackson]

OH, OH! Pick me! Pick me!

Uh..wait a minute. I write dark fantasy. Hmm...nevermind.
:gone:

[batyler65]

Liam, hate to tell you this, pal, but that post WAS funny.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/smilies/EmoteROFL.gif

Barb

[batyler65]

In the big names, I love Barry, Bombeck, Sedaris...
Mary Roach's Reader's Digest column is good for a chuckle or two, W. Bruce Cameron, Jennifer Layton (though, I think she's pretty much stopped her online humor) Oh, and Michael Fry's "Committed" cartoons.

I also get grins from our own Frank Baron and Rich Marino *waves at the guys*. (No, I don't get kickbacks for naming them.)

My latest find is www.dooce.com Though not precisely a humor site, this blogger cracks me up.

[ChunkyC]

Andy Rooney. He's way funnier in print.
James Herriott
Douglas Adams
most of the posts made by our own batyler65
ditto Zaz
Travis Tea
the guy who wrote the last line on the optometrist eye chart -- who was he trying to kid?

[Liam Jackson]

Erma Bombeck, Eraser, Chunky and Dave Berry in no particular order.

(And Stephen King showed a helluva funny bone in On Writing.)

[maestrowork]

David Sedaris
George Carlin
Oh, and the new Jon Stewart book is hilarious.

[Julie Worth]

If you liked David Sedaris, you’ll also like Augusten Burroughs—Magical Thinking, Running With Scissors.

[maestrowork]

Augusten is cool. Edgy and funny. His other memoir "Dry" is funny too. But if you're grossed out by the gay stuff (he can be really graphic about it), then be warned!

They're making a movie of "Running with Scissors" with Annette Benning now (she plays Augusten's crazy, sometimes-lesbian mother).

[Galoot]

Alright, who edited their post? I found this thread when Googling for my name.

[Humourwriter]

If you enjoyed Dave Barry's novels, you might also enjoy Carl Hiaasen. I've currently working my way through them now, and they've all been pretty funny so far.

Bill.

[determined2finish]

Oh! I forgot about George Carlin! I saw him in concert about ten years ago - he was so funny I could hardly breathe. I've never read his writing, though. His new book has been on the best seller list for a while.

I couldn't imagine life without Andy Rooney, he gives me a glimpse of myself in 40 years. The 60 minute website has a whole bunch of his essays online. Great reading!

I also forgot to mention Spaulding Gray's book Gray's Anatomy was an excellent read.

And of course, Monty Python is hysterical! I hear their new Broadway show "Spamalot" is supposed to be amazing.

Thanks for the all replies. Anyone else want to share?

[determined2finish]

If you enjoyed Dave Barry's novels, you might also enjoy Carl Hiaasen. I've currently working my way through them now, and they've all been pretty funny so far.

Bill.

I've never heard of him, but that's why I started this topic! I'll have to check him out on Amazon. Thanks :)

[determined2finish]

In the big names, I love Barry, Bombeck, Sedaris...
Mary Roach's Reader's Digest column is good for a chuckle or two, W. Bruce Cameron, Jennifer Layton (though, I think she's pretty much stopped her online humor) Oh, and Michael Fry's "Committed" cartoons.

I also get grins from our own Frank Baron and Rich Marino *waves at the guys*. (No, I don't get kickbacks for naming them.)

My latest find is www.dooce.com (http://www.dooce.com/) Though not precisely a humor site, this blogger cracks me up.

I've got a lot of reading ahead of me, I see. I've never checked out a blog before (I'm still living in the 1980's) but I have to give it a try!

[determined2finish]

If you liked David Sedaris, you’ll also like Augusten Burroughs—Magical Thinking, Running With Scissors.

I've been meaning to find stuff by Augusten Burroughs, if he's anything like Sedaris I'll be reading all his books :)

[Julie Worth]

I've been meaning to find stuff by Augusten Burroughs, if he's anything like Sedaris I'll be reading all his books :)


A couple of years ago, disgorged onto the tarmac at the Paris airport, I followed a crowd onto a bus headed for the terminal. Packed in there with Frenchmen. Way in the front was an intelligent looking guy reading and laughing. He’d turn a page and laugh some more. I edged closer. Excusez-moi, stepping on someone’s foot, attracted to this laughing man, wondering what this Frenchman thought was so funny. Closer and closer. And now I could see the cover—Me Talk Pretty One Day.


Burroughs is exactly like Sedaris—a neurotic gay guy with “nothing but faults stitched together with good intentions,” to quote from memory. The difference is he doesn’t shy away from sex. It’s all rolled in there together. All hilarious.

[aka eraser]

Once again, Barb and Liam have offered demonstrable proof of their extraordinary intelligence and discernment.

;)

Quite a few of our AW'ers crack me up: Barb, Chunk and Rich do so regularly. Reph has a dry wit. Galoot has hit the charts with a bullet. William Haskins is often very funny. There are others whose names escape me atm.

Away from these hallowed halls I really don't seek out humourists. I've read enough of Bruce Cameron to know he's very funny indeed but our styles are similar and I don't want any more of him creeping into me - if you know what I mean. I've read and enjoyed Dave Barry, Erma Bombeck and a couple of Canuckleheads, Gary Lautens and Gary Dunford.

When I was younger I was a huge fan of J. P. Donleavy's novels. He often left me gasping for breath. I must revisit those books soon. I also used to enjoy Woody Allen's writing and Peter Ustinov's.

Away from print I was a huge Monty Python, SCTV and CODCO fan. There is another Canuck cable show I enjoy now called The Trailer Park Boys. It's chockful of 4-letter words; the characters have to reach way up to get to Loser-hood and it has zero redeeming social values. It's just sidesplittingly funny.

[rich]

Frank, Barb won't spare the taser, no matter how much you suck up.

[spacejock2]

I'm supposed to be a humour writer, and like a previous poster I avoid reading it in case I taint my brain. It's bad enough writing something and wondering whether it's been done before (inevitably - yes), but worse when you write something and then remember where it was done before - and done better, naturally.

My poison is SF, so I'm happy to read humour outside the genre. I like dry & subtle humour because I can enjoy it more than once. Clever, witty writing often seems stale the second time around, like a bunch of leftovers warmed up for the third straight day.

Tom Holt is funny. Tom Sharpe is funny and wicked with it. I've only read 2 Terry Pratchett books because they're SF, and IMO Hitchhiker's Guide fell to pieces after the second or third book (can't remember which, something about krikket and golden stumps of whoever. Long time ago, brain poisoned, must stop.)

Cheers
Simon

[ChunkyC]

Tell ya the truth, a great number of AW'ers get me guffawing on a daily basis. I'll definitely vouch for our own Frank P. Baron in the rib tickling department. Subscribe to his weekly e-lec-tronical diatribe to see what I mean, or better yet, shell out a few bucks and pick up a copy of his book, even if you don't fish for fun or profit.

/endendorsement

And no, he's not giving me a cut, but I sure hope he'll buy my book(s) when I finally have some to sell. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Wormo]

I'm a big fan of Scott Adams and his Dilbert Collection ,aside from his comics, the books that he has written are so true and let you reflect with a sense of humour.

Or maybe i'm just a geeky kind of guy :o

[stace001]

I'm with Chunky...you guys all crack me up.:D