Kliph Nesteroff

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Kliph Nesteroff
Kliph Nesteroff onstage with Mel Brooks in Los Angeles.png
Kliph Nesteroff with Mel Brooks, April 2014
Born
South Slocan, British Columbia

Kliph Nesteroff is a best-selling author regarded for his vast knowledge of show business. Vice Magazine has called Nesteroff "The Human Encyclopedia of Comedy,"[1] and Los Angeles Magazine profiled him as "The King of Comedy Lore."[2] The New York Times has deemed some of his theories "provocative"[3] while Vanity Fair calls his work "essential."[4] He made LA Weekly's Best of Los Angeles list in 2016 [5] and was dubbed the "premier popular historian of comedy" by the New York Times in 2021.[6]

After eight years as a stand-up comedian,[2] Nesteroff became a frequent contributor to WFMU[7] and a national, on-air contributor for CBC Radio One.[8][circular reference] For several years he moderated Classic Television Showbiz,[9] a website devoted to classic show business and comedians.[10][11] The A.V. Club referred to Nesteroff as their "favorite pop culture historian."[12] He is a regular on NPR affiliates in Dallas,[13] Las Vegas,[14] New York,[15] Milwaukee,[16] and Los Angeles.[17] NPR San Francisco did a mini-documentary on Nesteroff featuring the praise of comedians Dana Gould, Marc Maron, and film critic Leonard Maltin.[18]' He has appeared on WTF with Marc Maron three times. Maron was the executive producer of Nesteroff's limited-series podcast Classic Showbiz.[19]

Early life[]

Nesteroff is from South Slocan, British Columbia.[20] He was expelled from high school for giving a speech exposing "salacious dirty laundry" about the teachers, and within a year had moved to Toronto to take a sitcom writing class.[20]

The Comedians[]

Grove Press released Nesteroff's first book The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy[21] on November 3, 2015 to uniformly positive reviews. It was selected as a book of the year by several papers including LA Weekly,[22] The Los Angeles Times and the National Post.[23] Merrill Markoe wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "I thought I knew a lot about the history of American comedy. But this book located gaps in my knowledge I never knew were there and filled them with jaw-dropping anecdotes that made my eyes spin in different directions. For comedy completists and comedians alike, this book is a real treat."[24] The Washington Post said of Nesteroff, "He writes with insider perception but never seems to be either whitewashing or trashing any of this outrageous cast. Like a biblical epic, The Comedians seems to have a cast of thousands. One act barely somersaults offstage before Nesteroff leads on the next. The anecdotes are memorable and often hilarious ... With his encyclopedic knowledge, talent for vivid anecdotes and tireless gusto, he drives this busload of rowdy clowns into the 21st century."[25] The Onion's AV Club stated, "Nesteroff is intent on giving the beautiful losers of comedy their due. The Comedians [is] an astonishingly assured and compulsively readable exploration of an impossibly vast topic."[26] The New York Times book review said, "The way he traces ... the evolution of comedy is fascinating ... Through his elegiac attention, these forgotten comedians become almost romantic figures, the stars of a secret history of laughter."[27]

We Had a Little Real Estate Problem[]

Nesteroff's second book, We Had A Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans and Comedy,[28] was released on February 16, 2021 by Simon and Schuster.[29] Publishers Weekly called it a "disturbing yet beautiful history."[30] Nesteroff said that he approached the book by emphasizing the comedians telling their own stories.[31] According to the New York Times, "His new book, which darts back and forth in time, is a sprawling look at Indigenous comedians, an overlooked branch of comedy ... His book provides context for an argument about the importance of representation, detailing an exhaustive history of the racism suffered by Indigenous people in popular culture..."[32] Steve Martin has referred to the project as "important"[33] and praised it as a "remarkable book that takes the history of Native American comedy and turns it into a page-turner."[34] Notable endorsements have come from Judd Apatow,[35] Bob Odenkirk,[34] and WTF with Marc Maron.[36] Major Indigenous authors including Stephen Graham Jones, David Treuer, and Philip J. Deloria[34] have also lauded the project. A chapter was excerpted in Esquire.[37]

Colby Cosh wrote in his National Post synopsis, "I decided that I wasn’t sure whether the material was promising, but also that Nesteroff couldn’t write a bad book if you kicked him in the head and cut off his thumbs. I’m pleased to report very smugly that the last half of this estimate has proved true. No fans of Nesteroff’s uncanny interviewing of old-time comics or readers of his 2015 book “The Comedians” will have doubted it. So the high quality of the book imposes a duty on me to persuade other readers, people who may not be comedy nerds or Nesteroff fans, that it’s worthwhile ... The whole thing is a fascinating picture of how an artistic tradition evolves. You could learn a lot from it if you have no earthly interest in, or even sympathy for, First Nations ... It’s a fascinating universe, and you couldn’t have a better guide than Nesteroff.[38]

Television[]

Nesteroff was the consulting producer on both seasons of the CNN series The History of Comedy,[39] which had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.[40] He hosted the Viceland mini-series Funny How from executive producer Spike Jonze.[41] Funny How featured appearances from James Adomian, Dave Atell, David Cross, Dana Gould, Artie Lange, Doug Stanhope, and Michael Winslow and presented the TV debut of comedians Mary Beth Barone and Irene Tu. Nesteroff is frequently seen on the CNN Newsroom as a talking head.

Live Shows and Podcasts[]

Jeff Goldblum, Kliph Nesteroff, and Illeana Douglas attend a book event in Hollywood.

Nesteroff has appeared at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal,[42][43] the New York Comedy Festival,[44] the Los Angeles Cinefamily,[45] Chautauqua Institution,[46] SF Sketchfest,[47] Caroline's on Broadway,[48] Drawn & Quarterly,[49] Mark Twain House,[50] the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival,[51] Upright Citizens Brigade Theater,[52][53][54] and Harvard.[55] He has hosted live shows in which he has interviewed comedy legends and appeared onstage with Mel Brooks,[56] Peter Farrelly,[57] Joel Grey, Lewis Black,[58] Robert Klein, Larry Wilmore,[58] Buck Henry,[59] Robert Morse,[60] George Schlatter,[61] Anthony Atamanuik,[62] Judah Friedlander,[62] Rip Taylor,[63] Baratunde Thurston,[62] Lizz Winstead,[64] Fred Willard,[65] Alan Zweibel,[66] and Robert Smigel with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.[67] Nesteroff addressed the Mensa International Annual General Meeting in July 2016.[68] The Hollywood Reporter announced in May 2016 that Nesteroff was curating the National Comedy Center, which houses George Carlin's personal archive.[69]

Nesteroff previously toured with a one-man show about the history of comedy.[70] One critic described his Toronto engagement as "heroin for comedy nerds ... Nesteroff shared dozens of unforgettable stand-up-related tales from the early 19th century to now. The depth of his knowledge about the history of American comedy combined with his off-the-cuff and funny yet eloquent stage presence made this entire show utterly engrossing."[71]

Nesteroff has appeared on a number of podcasts including WTF with Marc Maron three times,[72][73][74] and four appearances on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast.[75][76][77][78] He is a frequent presence on the CBC Radio programs Day 6,[79][80] Q,[81][82][83] and The Current,[84] and NPR programs Air Talk with Larry Mantle,[85] The Leonard Lopate Show,[86] Press Play,[87] and Morning Edition.[88][89] Additionally he has appeared on the programs of Adam Carolla,[90] Illeana Douglas,[91] Dana Gould,[92][93] Greg Fitzsimmons,[94] Moshe Kasher,[95] Slate.com,[96] Longform,[97] Tom Scharpling,[98][99] and Doug Stanhope.[100]

References[]

  1. ^ "Modern Comedians Complaining About the 'PC Police' Are Cry-Babies - VICE - United States". 16 June 2015.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kliph Nesteroff Is the King of Comedy Lore - Los Angeles Magazine". 4 November 2015.
  3. ^ "Lenny Bruce Shattered Taboos, but Was He Funny?". The New York Times. 10 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Gilbert Gottfried Calls on Old Hollywood in his Gripping Amazing Colossal Podcast". 28 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Best Local Comedy Author". 5 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Writing Native American Stand-Ups Into the History of Comedy". The New York Times. February 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Time Magazine Top Blogs of 2011". 2011-06-06. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011.
  8. ^ Go (radio)
  9. ^ Nesteroff, Kliph (22 August 2016). "The Frances Langford Special with guests Don Ameche, Johnny Mathis and the Three Stooges (1960)".
  10. ^ "Hee Haw vs. Soul Train". The A.V. Club.
  11. ^ "They Might Be Guest Editors". Magnet.
  12. ^ "Craziness, friendliness or insight: What do we want from a celebrity interview?". The A.V. Club.
  13. ^ "Laughs, American Style - KERA".
  14. ^ "Remembering Pioneering Comedian Jack Carter".
  15. ^ "The Comedic Mark of the Last Century".
  16. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff". 3 December 2015.
  17. ^ Radio, Southern California Public (5 November 2015). "New book on comedy zooms in on the funny people behind the jokes".
  18. ^ "New Book Covers History of American Comedy, Including Its Darker Side - KQED".
  19. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MJGHO5OTNg
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Khanna, Vish (10 July 2015). "Comedy Historian Kliph Nesteroff Talks VICELAND Series 'Funny How?'".
  21. ^ Nesteroff, Kliph (2015). The comedians : drunks, thieves, scoundrels, and the history of American comedy (First ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-2398-5. OCLC 921844606.
  22. ^ Weekly, LA (8 December 2015). "The Best Books of 2015 by L.A. Authors".
  23. ^ "The NP99: The best books of the year, vol. 2 (74-50)".
  24. ^ Markoe, Merrill (20 November 2015). "A Man's Man's Man's Man's World". Wall Street Journal.
  25. ^ Sims, Michael (30 November 2015). "'The Comedians': An antic history of the people who make us laugh" – via washingtonpost.com.
  26. ^ "The Comedians explores the dark, swampy depths of the comic mind".
  27. ^ Zinoman, Jason (30 November 2015). "Humor: 'The Comedians,' 'A Carlin Home Companion' and More". The New York Times.
  28. ^ Nesteroff, Kliph (2021). We had a little real estate problem : the unheralded story of Native Americans in comedy (First ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-1-9821-0303-3. OCLC 1162988033.
  29. ^ Kipp, Priscilla. "Book Review - We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff". BookPage.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  30. ^ Book Review - We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-982-10303-3
  31. ^ Liebenson, Donald (22 February 2021). "From Charlie Hill to the 1491s, 'We Had a Little Real Estate Problem' gives Native American comedians their due". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Writing Native American Stand-Ups Into the History of Comedy". The New York Times. February 16, 2021.,
  33. ^ . Twitter. February 16, 2021 https://twitter.com/SteveMartinToGo/status/1361833863165730821. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Simon & Schuster We Had a Little Real Estate Problem The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy". Simon & Schuster.
  35. ^ . Twitter. February 11, 2021 https://twitter.com/JuddApatow/status/1360134902033903617. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. ^ "Episode 1203 Melissa Leo". WTF with Marc Maron. 22 February 2021.
  37. ^ "How Charlie Hill Became the First Native Stand-Up Comedy Star". Esquire. February 11, 2021.,
  38. ^ "Colby Cosh: The fascinating universe of Aboriginal comedy". . May 18, 2021.,
  39. ^ "Laugh Tracks".
  40. ^ "Sundance: Documentary takes a serious look at comedy".
  41. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff".
  42. ^ http://www.hahaha.com/en/artists/kliph-nesteroff
  43. ^ http://www.hahaha.com/en/show/cnns-the-history-of-comedy
  44. ^ "Acts to catch at this year's NY Comedy Festival".
  45. ^ "SKYLIGHT BOOKS and CINEFAMILY present KLIPH NESTEROFF discusses his new book THE COMEDIANS: DRUNKS, THIEVES, SCOUNDRELS AND THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN COMEDY - Skylight Books".
  46. ^ "Candid comedy discussion takes place at Chautauqua Institution".
  47. ^ "SF Sketchfest 2016: Hound Tall with Moshe Kasher".
  48. ^ http://www.carolines.com/comedian/kliph-nesteroff/
  49. ^ http://211blog.drawnandquarterly.com/2015/11/event-recap-kliff-nesteroff-launches.html
  50. ^ https://www.marktwainhouse.org/admin/assets/images/Pdf/1452708780-BOOK_MARK_%20_The%20Comedians_%20Drunks,%20Thieves,%20Scoundrels,%20and%20the%20History%20of%20American%20Comedy_%20with%20author%20Kliph%20Nesteroff.pdf
  51. ^ http://filmfestival.tcm.com/programs/special-guests/kliph-nesteroff/
  52. ^ "Hound Tall with Moshe Kasher".
  53. ^ Kliph Nesteroff [@ClassicShowbiz] (3 June 2016). "I'm the guest this Sunday for Asssscat at UCB on Sunset. 7pm. Come on down" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  54. ^ https://franklin.ucbtheatre.com/performance/52975#reservation
  55. ^ http://www.harvard.com/event/kliph_nesteroff/
  56. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff's Showbiz Imagery and Chicanery, Kliph Nesteroff and Mel Brooks  Cinefamily /..."
  57. ^ "Trevor Noah, Lewis Black, and Brian Regan Headline 2016 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown, NY - National Comedy Center".
  58. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kliph Nesteroff's Showbiz Imagery and Chicanery, a few more images from the show I hosted the other..."
  59. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff's Showbiz Imagery and Chicanery, Some people share pictures of their children. I..."
  60. ^ Bret. "Classic Showbiz presents Robert Morse in "That's Life!" — featuring Goldie Hawn, Liza Minnelli, Rodney Dangerfield and More".
  61. ^ "TV TUESDAYS: An Evening With George Schlatter (trailer)".
  62. ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.hahaha.com/en/show/political-comedy-pre-apocalyptic-world
  63. ^ http://www.cinefamily.org/rip-rip-hooray-hosted-by-kliph-nesteroff-w-rip-taylor-in-person/
  64. ^ "National Comedy Center Acquires the Archives of Comedian George Carlin - National Comedy Center". Archived from the original on 2016-08-27. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
  65. ^ Comedy, Katla McGlynn Senior; Editor, Viral; Post, The Huffington (20 January 2015). "Oops: Fred Willard Turned Down The Leading Role In 'Airplane!'".CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  66. ^ http://www.lucycomedyfest.com/event/1522476-alan-zweibel-in-conversation-jamestown/
  67. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-05-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  68. ^ "Mensa Annual Gathering 2017".
  69. ^ "Comedians' Holograms to Headline National Museum of Comedy".
  70. ^ http://www.gershcomedy.com/kliphnesteroff/
  71. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff Comedy Bar, Toronto ON, November 14".
  72. ^ ClassicShowbiz (3 January 2013). "Kliph Nesteroff - WTF with Marc Maron" – via YouTube.
  73. ^ "Episode 490 - Alan Bursky".
  74. ^ "Episode 659 - Gloria Steinem / Kliph Nesteroff".
  75. ^ "Kliph Nesteroff".
  76. ^ "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast".
  77. ^ https://soundcloud.com/gilbertgottfried/mini-ep-86-forgotten-late-night-talk-shows-with-kliph-nesteroff
  78. ^ https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/kliph-nesteroff-returns-2/https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/kliph-nesteroff-returns-2/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  79. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-261-aleppo-healthcare-crisis-isis-propaganda-songs-melting-glaciers-politics-of-comedy-and-more-1.3338712/kliph-nesteroff-on-the-power-of-comedy-in-politics-1.3338919
  80. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-301-human-rights-in-china-u-s-open-getting-schooled-in-comedy-cindy-blackstock-and-more-1.3743693/emerson-college-now-offers-a-masters-degree-in-comedy-no-joke-1.3743701
  81. ^ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/wednesday-july-25-2018-simon-pegg-kaia-kater-and-more-1.4759830/the-impolite-history-of-the-comedy-roast-1.4759868
  82. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/q/episode/12001656
  83. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/wednesday-july-19-2017-kliph-nesteroff-jim-derogatis-and-more-1.4205073/what-looking-at-comedy-s-past-can-teach-us-about-stand-up-today-1.4208517
  84. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/sacha-baron-cohen-s-controversial-new-show-has-critics-reevaluating-comedy-in-trump-era-1.4763980
  85. ^ http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2015/11/05/45124/new-book-on-comedy-zooms-in-on-the-funny-people-be/
  86. ^ http://www.wnyc.org/story/leonard-lopate-weekend-kliph-nesteroff-daily-shows-hasan-minhaj-and-understanding-inequality/
  87. ^ https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/l-a-times-buyouts-native-american-schools-and-the-comedians#seg-the-comedians
  88. ^ https://www.npr.org/2015/12/22/460613321/make-em-laugh-the-comedians-tells-the-story-of-stand-up
  89. ^ https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/11/477520580/george-carlins-stuff-gets-a-new-home-at-national-comedy-center
  90. ^ http://adamcarolla.com/kliph-nesteroff-jimmy-o-yang-and-matt-atchity/
  91. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXkjI84ucuY&t=14m14s
  92. ^ "It's here! The Dana Gould Hour podcast holiday… - Dana Gould".
  93. ^ http://www.danagould.com/santa-came-and-so-did-the-new-dana-gould-hour-podcast-w-the/
  94. ^ https://gregfitzsimmons.com/podcast/2016/10/27/kliph-nesteroffepisode-596
  95. ^ https://nerdist.com/hound-tall-33-comedy/
  96. ^ Pesca, Mike (10 December 2015). "How Stand-Up Got Its Name" – via Slate.
  97. ^ "Longform Podcast #172: Kliph Nesteroff · Longform".
  98. ^ http://thebestshow.net/episode/best-show-bests-54-an-interview-with-author-kliph-nesteroff/
  99. ^ "The Best Show with Tom Scharpling : NO DUDEVEMBER! MARY HOULIHAN! KLIPH NESTEROFF! @BESTSHOW!".
  100. ^ http://www.dougstanhope.com/journal/2017/5/10/ep-208-viceland-host-and-author-kliph-nesteroff

External links[]

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