STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Dylan Brody

March 18th, 2014

Angie Frissore

Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.

This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Dylan Brody’s comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.

This week in Stand-Up Tuesdays, we switch off. We unplug, we unwind, and we pick up a good book – more specifically, comedian and storyteller Dylan Brody’s recent novel, Laughs Last.

Released last summer and available in e-book and paperback, Laughs Last tells the story of Damon Blazer, a comedian, and his vastly different relationships with his grandfather and his parents. Estranged from his family following the death of his grandfather, who himself was a legendary comedian, Blazer flashes back throughout the book to key moments in time shared with his beloved grandfather, his experiences coming up the ranks of stand up, and crucial turning points in his familial relationships.

Through these flashbacks, we are privy to the knowledge that something happened to divide Blazer from the rest of his family at his grandfather’s funeral. Brody does an excellent job of building up the reader’s curiosity about what took place and creates so much suspense that I did not want to put the book down until I had figured out what went down all those years ago for the protagonist.

Laughs Last largely focuses on the loving dynamic between Blazer and his grandfather, who was very much a comedic mentor to Blazer. Instead of simply painting the image of such a mentor, Brody brings the reader right into the intimate conversations so as to share honest and useful career advice for any working comedian. Through Blazer’s story, the reader is able to learn an incredible amount about the industry of stand up comedy, from being the club rookie to the experience of a Letterman booking. For anyone involved in comedy, the book serves as an insightful tool; for the comedy laypeople, a wonderfully heartwarming and, at times, agonizing story is shared beautifully.

Brody is an articulate and imaginative storyteller whose ability to engage his audience is almost unmatched. As the reader, you’re not simply reading the story of Damon Blazer – you are right there as he wipes the blood from his nose after getting beat up by his older brother. You feel angered when he is confronted about going over his time. You want Blazer to reach his happy ending.

Dylan Brody is no novice when it comes to writing books, which is refreshing in a time where more and more comedians are penning memoirs or other books. Brody has been a playwright since he was in grade school and his novels, A Tale of a Hero andThe Song of Her Sword and The Warm Hello, were published in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Brody’s work has been published in periodicals ranging from TSR’s Adventure Fantasy magazine, Dragon, to Harvard Press’ scientific humor magazine, Annals of Improbable Research.

You could probably use a break from the internet, your iPhone, and cable television, right? Pick up a copy of Dylan Brody’s Laughs Last and remember how much fun a good book can be.

Grade: A