
Be Funny or Die
How Comedy Works and Why It Matters
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $27.29
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Joel Morris
-
By:
-
Joel Morris
About this listen
Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone, and provide the answer to life’s most difficult questions, such as What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?* It’s a social glue, but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don’t understand how it works.
So what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic, and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter, where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms, and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy.
Packed with gags and examples of comedy at its best—plus some invaluable tips on how to master that b’dum tish timing—Be Funny or Die is a fascinating investigation into how our species has developed and mastered this essential art form where laughter is the universal language and only the funniest survive.
*Cliff.
©2024 Joel Morris (P)2024 Dreamscape MediaListeners also enjoyed...
-
Laugh Tactics
- Master Conversational Humor and Be Funny on Command
- By: Patrick King
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laugh Tactics is full of strategies that dissect, break down, and analyze all of the types of humor that you'll encounter in daily conversation - stuff you can really use with people you talk to. We're not all trying to become standup comedians, and this isn't a book about ha-ha jokes with setups and punch lines. Learn to simply make a better impression on people, put them at ease, charm them, and make them smile with you.
-
-
Failure isn't always funny ...
- By R.A. on 04-28-17
By: Patrick King
-
The Elements of Humor
- By: Scott Dikkers
- Narrated by: Scott Dikkers
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you ready to elevate your writing, speeches, and conversations with unparalleled wit and comedy? Look no further than The Elements of Humor by bestselling author and comedy writing legend, Scott Dikkers. This isn't just another book on humor—it's a transformative guide that stands head and shoulders above the rest, designed to make you the funniest version of yourself. The Elements of Humor is your key to making the people around you laugh. Perfect for enhancing presentations, content creation, or everyday conversations, this book will secure a prominent place on your library shelf.
-
-
He puts it all together
- By Amber Morales on 04-22-25
By: Scott Dikkers
-
Finding Your Funny Muscle
- How to Create Laughs Like a Pro
- By: Mike Lukas
- Narrated by: Mike Lukas
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Finding Your Funny Muscle, Mike shows you how to “flex” your ideas into funny, original, and relatable humor that gets big laughs—and makes you memorable for the right reasons.
-
-
The layout
- By Bartley Kennane on 04-25-25
By: Mike Lukas
-
The Hidden Tools of Comedy
- The Serious Business of Being Funny
- By: Steve Kaplan
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt, Steve Kaplan
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While other books give you tips on how to “write funny,” this book offers a paradigm shift in understanding the mechanics and art of comedy and the proven, practical tools that help writers translate that understanding into successful commercial scripts. The Hidden Tools of Comedy unlocks the unique secrets and techniques of writing comedy. Kaplan deconstructs sequences in popular films and TV that work and don’t work and explains what tools were used (or should have been used).
-
-
A book to see the funny around us
- By Jorge Sigler on 10-29-23
By: Steve Kaplan
-
The Science of Storytelling
- By: Will Storr
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do master storytellers compel us? There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story, but few have used a scientific approach. In The Science of Storytelling, Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can tell better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers - and also our brains - create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change.
-
-
A great portal into human psychology
- By Stephanie Romer on 02-13-21
By: Will Storr
-
The Ellipsis Manual
- Analysis and Engineering of Human Behavior
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ellipsis Manual is the kind of book that used to be locked away deep in a vault underground, far away from the prying eyes of those who could misuse its power.
-
-
Don’t get AUDIO Book
- By Will on 09-18-24
By: Chase Hughes
-
Laugh Tactics
- Master Conversational Humor and Be Funny on Command
- By: Patrick King
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laugh Tactics is full of strategies that dissect, break down, and analyze all of the types of humor that you'll encounter in daily conversation - stuff you can really use with people you talk to. We're not all trying to become standup comedians, and this isn't a book about ha-ha jokes with setups and punch lines. Learn to simply make a better impression on people, put them at ease, charm them, and make them smile with you.
-
-
Failure isn't always funny ...
- By R.A. on 04-28-17
By: Patrick King
-
The Elements of Humor
- By: Scott Dikkers
- Narrated by: Scott Dikkers
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Are you ready to elevate your writing, speeches, and conversations with unparalleled wit and comedy? Look no further than The Elements of Humor by bestselling author and comedy writing legend, Scott Dikkers. This isn't just another book on humor—it's a transformative guide that stands head and shoulders above the rest, designed to make you the funniest version of yourself. The Elements of Humor is your key to making the people around you laugh. Perfect for enhancing presentations, content creation, or everyday conversations, this book will secure a prominent place on your library shelf.
-
-
He puts it all together
- By Amber Morales on 04-22-25
By: Scott Dikkers
-
Finding Your Funny Muscle
- How to Create Laughs Like a Pro
- By: Mike Lukas
- Narrated by: Mike Lukas
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Finding Your Funny Muscle, Mike shows you how to “flex” your ideas into funny, original, and relatable humor that gets big laughs—and makes you memorable for the right reasons.
-
-
The layout
- By Bartley Kennane on 04-25-25
By: Mike Lukas
-
The Hidden Tools of Comedy
- The Serious Business of Being Funny
- By: Steve Kaplan
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt, Steve Kaplan
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While other books give you tips on how to “write funny,” this book offers a paradigm shift in understanding the mechanics and art of comedy and the proven, practical tools that help writers translate that understanding into successful commercial scripts. The Hidden Tools of Comedy unlocks the unique secrets and techniques of writing comedy. Kaplan deconstructs sequences in popular films and TV that work and don’t work and explains what tools were used (or should have been used).
-
-
A book to see the funny around us
- By Jorge Sigler on 10-29-23
By: Steve Kaplan
-
The Science of Storytelling
- By: Will Storr
- Narrated by: James Clamp
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How do master storytellers compel us? There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story, but few have used a scientific approach. In The Science of Storytelling, Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can tell better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers - and also our brains - create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change.
-
-
A great portal into human psychology
- By Stephanie Romer on 02-13-21
By: Will Storr
-
The Ellipsis Manual
- Analysis and Engineering of Human Behavior
- By: Chase Hughes
- Narrated by: Jonam Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Ellipsis Manual is the kind of book that used to be locked away deep in a vault underground, far away from the prying eyes of those who could misuse its power.
-
-
Don’t get AUDIO Book
- By Will on 09-18-24
By: Chase Hughes
What listeners say about Be Funny or Die
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lana BStar
- 04-29-25
Highly Recommend
This was such a great read! It was enlightening and a fun read at the same time. The book had me laughing out loud multiple times and, as an American, I appreciated the explanations and appendix with all the British comedy references.
I imagine this book would be a holy grail for anyone working in comedy. Even as a non-comedy person, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommended it to my family, my also non-comedy friends, and my deeply-in-need-of-a-sense-of-humor frenemies.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 03-22-25
Amazing Theory
I have many books on comedy theory. This goes into greater detail, explains it all thoroughly, and covers things that aren't repeated in every book I have.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful