Like a Lampshade In a Whorehouse: My Life In Comedy
by Phyllis Diller
Book Summary Information
Author: Phyllis DillerCollaborator: Richard Bushkin
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-02-16
ISBN: 1585424765
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Tarcher
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9781585424764
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of Like a Lampshade In a Whorehouse: My Life In Comedy
Book Review: Bittersweet Comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
Ms. Diller provides plenty of laughs and food for thought in this brash, few-holds-barred autobiography nicely polished by Richard Buskin's prose. From the title to the stories, Ms. Diller grabs your heart and your funny bone as she recounts her long struggles to make it as a stand-up comedienne and survive the men in her life. The book is also filled with the unexpected tales of Ms. Diller's career as a pianist, nude model for Playboy and heart-breaking moments as a mother.If you ever caught her routine, you probably remember something about "Fang" . . . her reference to the fictional man in her life. While the portrait of Fang was far from appealing, it was close enough to the truth about her first husband that he proudly liked to claim that he was Fang.
In the days before working women were the ideal and feminism was a new outlook, Ms. Diller struggled to put herself in charge of her own life and to develop her talent. The story is hardly rags-to-riches . . . but it's certainly homeless-to-earning-a-living.
The best parts of the book are where she reveals the art behind her humor . . . especially its psychology, playing off her appearance and our assumptions about her . . . and examples of the humor are suspended like a helium balloon above stories about the pain in her marriage.
Most autobiographies and biographies of comics fall flat. This is the best one I remember reading. Pick it up . . . you won't get hurt . . . unless you try to use it as a toothbrush!
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