Laughing Legends ─ How the Comic Strip Club Changed the Face of Comedy

Once in a lifetime a venue comes along that changes show business dramatically, that fosters growth and camaraderie, experimentation and freedom. The Comic Strip is one of those places, and Make ’Em Laugh is an inside look at how it all happened, straight from the mouths of the stars who built their careers on its stage. Owner Richie Tienken and a wealth of comics open their hearts and souls to share their most intimate memories, the laughs and tears, the good times and the bad, in order to paint an all-encompassing, behind-the-scenes history of this iconic club. Interviews include famous comedians, such as:

Jerry Seinfeld
Gilbert Gottfried
Paul Reiser
Lisa Lampanelli
George Wallace
Billy Crystal
Jim Breuer
Susie Essman
Lewis Black
Ray Romano
And many more!

Relive the excitement as these comics explain how they came to belong to the Comic Strip family, and how they went on to enjoy huge careers, bringing laughter to millions of people all over the world. This book is a must for any comedian or comedy lover’s library!

Jeffrey Gurian is a comedy writer, performer, director, author, producer, doctor, and Healer. He’s written material for comedy legends such as Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, George Wallace, Phil Hartman, Richard Belzer, and Andrew ?Dice” Clay. Jeffrey has performed stand-up at all the big clubs in New York City and Los Angeles and was featured several times on Comedy Central’s hit Kroll Show with Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogen, Laura Dern, and Katy Perry. He was in the viral ?Too Much Tuna” sketch and is also a regular on-air personality on SiriusXM’s Bennington Show, where he brings on special guests/friends, such as Russell Peters, Trevor Noah, Colin Quinn, Artie Lange, Susie Essman, and Lisa Lampanelli.
He writes a weekly column covering the comedy scene for The Interrobang called ?Jumping Around with Jeffrey Gurian,” and has also written for MTV, National Lampoon, Weekly World News and many Friars Roasts. In 1999, he launched ?Comedy Matters,” a celeb-based online entertainment column that has evolved into Comedy Matters TV, an internet TV channel with over 400 A-list celebrity interviews and well over one million views. He's produced shows starring Kevin Hart and Susie Essman, and, according to Paul Provenza, is known by everyone in comedy.

Richie Tienken opened the Comic Strip on June 1, 1976, and effectively changed the face of comedy forever. He has managed some of the biggest comedy stars, such as Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, and Colin Quinn.

Chris Rock is a comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, and film producer.