An intriguing history of humour's bad boys claims that almost every great comedian is a damaged soul ... Delightful nuggets for the new wave of comedy enthusiasts

Dessau shows us that comedians tend to be weird, or compulsive, or obsessive; they veer easily towards depression; and they mostly find themselves, at least for a period, desperately out of fashion. Beyond this, he doesn't overanalyse. He simply lines them up, one after the other, and recounts their strange lives

Many intriguing tales of dark and outrageous dysfunction

Entertaining insight and audacity - Dessau has been reviewing comedy for more than 30 years, and knows his stuff ... A fascinating look at the dark side of stand-up

Its sporadic vulgarity leavened by wit and insight, the book mirrors the mood of a late-night gig.

I can see a marked improvement in my posture and tone.

A loving and detailed biog

Cute on the machinations of the industry and internal band politics

Brilliant... forensically put together

The real pleasure of his beguiling, meandering narrative is not the destination but the rococo scenery en route. ****