Get More Laughs (2 CDs)

Doug Stevenson
Cornelia Press (2005)
ISBN 9780971344075
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (11/06)


Doug Stevenson is a talented comic.  This is obvious even as he teaches the art and science of comedy.  As he teaches, you find yourself laughing.  His CD set “Get More Laughs” is a delight to listen to.  As he explains each technique, he also demonstrates them humorously. 

He discusses 29 aspects of comedy.  There are 3 categories these aspects fall into—physical, conceptual, and vocal comedy.  The 29 aspects include concepts such as:  idioms, misdirection, hyperboles, and inflections. 

He gives examples of mainstream actors and comedians that use certain aspect of comedy as a signature.  For example, Jim Carey is a great actor who uses a lot of physical comedy.  He is known for being able to contort his face into many different expressions, many that are exaggerated. 

Doug Stevenson encourages those who are serious about becoming funny, to study actors and comedians, using the knowledge in “Get More Laughs.”  Doug Stevenson also has a CD series “How to Write a Dynamite Speech” specifically about writing funny and meaningful speeches.   Speech writing is briefly addressed in “Get More Laughs.” 

This CD set is for those he considers “funny-boneless.”  He claims that almost everyone can be funny.  We all have the potential to be funny; we just have to expand our natural humor.  He explains that most people have trained themselves to not be funny in order to be taken seriously.   Often, to be funny, you must be able to make fun of yourself.  Stevenson calls this self-deprecating humor. 

The “Get More Laughs” CD set is to teach even the humor-challenged to spice up their speeches and every day life with humor and playfulness.  Will this CD series take someone from boring to hilarious?  It does not come with any magic pills or magic wands, so I doubt that it will be able to make a boring person into a hysterically funny person; however, I believe it is a stepping stone.  “Get More Laughs” is a great tool for those who want to be more humorous, maybe more likeable.   Go ahead and listen to “Get More Laughs.”  Let’s make the world a funny, less drab place.

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