Filed Under Print, Stand-Up Comedy
Harry Potter and the 3 AM Set For Obnoxious Drunks
I was strangely hopeful to discover there a suggestion that Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling wants to write a novel about a stand-up comedian. I’ve only read a couple of the Potter books… I don’t remember them as especially funny, but they had a good sense of whimsy about them. So I’m not necessarily a fan (or a hater) of Rowling’s work.
However, what I do kind of love about the idea is that there are tons of young fans who are probably hooked on Rowling. If she were to pen a novel focused on a stand-up comic, it could be the first detailed introduction lots of young people have to stand-up outside of the odd Comedy Central special. Sure, they’ve seen stand-up, but had they thought about as an art form? It’s an interesting opportunity.
As Chortle correctly points out, there’s plenty of reason Rowling might be credible at writing a book about stand-up as she lives in Edinburgh, home to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which brings many of the best international comics working today right to her doorstep. If she’s got a viewpoint on the art form, she’s certainly had the opportunity to see stand-up at its best.
Also, I can’t really think of too many novels where stand-ups are the main characters. The only one that comes to mind immediately is Bill Maher‘s “True Story”
Of course, Rowling says she hasn’t written a word yet. So it may never turn up. But I’d read it. Would you?
Digg
del.icio.us
Stumble It!
Subscribe (RSS)
I think this would be an awesome idea because—in all honesty—I think the world of comedy nowadays is too mired in the world of improv and a bit overly dismissive of the world of stand-up. I’ve always found that imbalance bizarre.
If this comes to reality and becomes popular then in 10 years—maybe sooner—there will be tons of new/fresh ideas in the world of stand-up and we can have a new wave of comedians who can hopefully jump-start the medium to a new level.