Laugh Lines

My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier

By: Alan Zweibel, Billy Crystal - foreword

Narrated by: Alan Zweibel

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

With his tender, funny memoir of four decades in the business, Alan Zweibel traces the history of American comedy.

Alan Zweibel started his comedy career selling jokes for seven dollars apiece to the last of the Borscht Belt standups. Then one night, despite bombing on stage, he caught the attention of Lorne Michaels and became one of the first writers at Saturday Night Live, where he penned classic material for Gilda Radner, John Belushi, and all of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. From SNL, he went on to have a hand in a series of landmark shows - from It’s Garry Shandling’s Show to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Throughout Laugh Lines, Zweibel weaves together his own stories and interviews with his friends and contemporaries, including Richard Lewis, Eric Idle, Bob Saget, Mike Birbiglia, Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow, Dave Barry, Carl Reiner, and more. The book also features a charming foreword from his friend of 45 years, Billy Crystal, with whom he cowrote and coproduced the film Here Today starring Crystal and Tiffany Haddish. Laugh Lines is a warmhearted cultural memoir of American comedy.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Alan Zweibel (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

I laughed–cried–googled throughout

Thank you, Alan Zweibel for sharing your full-write-stuff life. I loved your NY accent and rhythm of your reading and each vignette and histories of your world as a writer –for comedy, TV, movies, books in NYC & LA....you took me behind the scenes of a related world I enjoyed as a dancer in the 70s, also employed in Rockerfeller Center, across the street from SNL. I lost my husband 18 months ago to dementia so I super cried at your tender friendships throughout –esp. with Gilda, Garry and the eventual collaboration with Marty Short –I was touched with your description how Marty's wife Nancy looked on and reacted with such love during each of his touring shows. For those of us who day dream about someday being a writer--uh, dream on...MUCH here to give us pause or... give us the needed kick. In the meantime, eagerly awaiting your writing and Billy Crystal's directing and acting in your upcoming movie "Here Today."

A wonderful book!

Oh how this took me back to those hysterical early skits on SNL, some of which we “replayed” in our family over the years. I enjoyed every minute, it made me cry, but it also made me laugh—a lot! I’m sorry the book ended, but I learned so much from it that I have a lot to ponder for a long time. It was a pleasure to listen to this audiobook.

Well worth listening to

This is a very entertaining Audible book about a fine comic writer. I enjoyed it immensely.

Nice job Alan

I really enjoyed this behind the scenes look at comedy writing and TV show development. I loved that this was read by the author, the only way to do it. Funny and touching

I should have listened sooner

Very funny! I knew the author had written for SNL but he has done much more—writing for Gary Shandling, Billy Crystal and others. Lots of interesting behind-the-scenes info including older comedians that Zweibel knew or heard about. I’ll listen to this again.

Interesting & sometimes very funny

Be prepared for a LOT of name dropping, to the detriment of the listening experience.

A book so nice, I listened twice

I liked Laugh Lines so much, I listened to it twice. Alan Zweibel has had and still has a very successful career as a joke, sketch, TV and film writer. The book is read by the author himself and I can’t imagine anyone else reading it. These are his stories, his jokes and he knows how they are supposed to be told. The stories range from writing for old Catskills comics when they were twice his age and stuck in a different time, to one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live, the development and launch of This is the Garry Shandling Show, 100 Sundays with Billy Crystal and so many more iconic shows. It’s an honest book and he talks about his successes AND his failures, leaving no detail out.

Overall, the stories about his life and career are fantastic, he comes across as a mensch, a guy with a loving marriage, good children and lots of very close friends, some of them the most creative and comic geniuses of our time. Alan may be lesser known, but using the genius word to describe him and his lasting jokes and characters he has created, is as valid as any of the comics with more familiar names. Fans of the history of comedy and television, what it’s really like to be in a writer’s room, work with brilliant talent and survive the industry is all in this book. Finally. fans of Gilda Radner and Garry Shandling will be moved by his stories about his special friendship with both of these complicated personalities. It’s a testament to Alan’s personality that he stuck with them and did everything he could to help them. Listen to this book at least once.

Loved it!

A unique insight into the craft of writing comedy. Zweibel’s story of what he said to Roger Ebert years after receiving a scathing review of “North” is worth the price of the audiobook. Highly recommended!

Pure humor gold

I grew up in with my dads comedy records. This book was a joy. Alan does a wonderful job of detailing so many comedic moments in my life. Thanks for a great read(listen).

Loved it!

It was a great journey into the insights of some of my very favorite shows, comics, actors and, of course, writers. Thanks Alan!