
Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History
Description
"It's kind of crazy, the impact on culture so many Boom Chicago alums have had. Boom was where I became my best comedic self: the excitement of Amsterdam, the freedom of that environment, the letting loose--it's magic. There's no better training ground." --Jordan Peele
"Boom Chicago should have ended up on the scrap heap of 'Terrible Ideas Americans Have While Stoned in Amsterdam.' But when you stubbornly love one thing (comedy) as much as another thing (Amsterdam), you just believe they should be together. And here we are--thirty years later, Boom Chicago is alive and kicking." --Seth Meyers
"Working at Boom Chicago was an unbelievable experience. Thank goodness someone was smart enough to write it all down! You're lucky 'cause you get to read about THE most exciting, fun, and illegal time I've ever had!" --Amber Ruffin
Featuring interviews with: Meyers, Peele, Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Ike Barinholtz, Greg Shapiro, Kay Cannon, and many more; and a sixteen-page, full-color insert with both behind-the-scenes snapshots and images from live performances.
What do Ted Lasso, Get Out, Late Night with Seth Meyers, 30 Rock, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Breaking Bad, Saturday Night Live, Girls5Eva, The Colbert Report, Inside Amy Schumer, Pitch Perfect, Key & Peele, The Daily Show, MADtv, Rick and Morty, The Amber Ruffin Show, Horrible Bosses, Portlandia, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Suicide Squad, Superstore, How I Met Your Mother, Wicked, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Broad City all have in common? They all feature writers, creators, directors, or stars who got their start at Boom Chicago.
Having risen roughly to the middle of Chicago's cutthroat comedy scene, Andrew Moskos and Pep Rosenfeld decamped the Midwest for Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1993 to start their own improv comedy troupe, Boom Chicago. In a foreign land with zero tradition of English-language humor, Moskos and Rosenfeld unwittingly created the finishing school for some of today's most groundbreaking comedic talents. They (along with coauthors Matt Diehl and Saskia Maas) document this journey in the definitive oral history Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History.
From its stages, Boom Chicago went on to launch cultural game changers like Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Ike Barinholtz, Kay Cannon, and Tami Sagher (and that's just a partial list). At Boom, these young upstarts honed their craft in front of unsuspecting foreign audiences and visiting dignitaries like Burt Reynolds, Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, Dutch royalty, and the Netherlands's prime minister--all while navigating a world with legal weed and prostitution, annual holiday celebrations involving blackface, cookies with weird racist names, and football that has nothing to do with the NFL. From this culture shock, this collective created a more topical, inclusive, tech-savvy humor that would become the dominant comedy style of our time.
Product Details
Publisher | Akashic Books, Ltd. |
Publish Date | July 04, 2023 |
Pages | 456 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9781636141046 |
Dimensions | 9.0 X 6.1 X 1.5 inches | 1.2 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
Boom Chicago has enjoyed three decades of success and provided stage and play for some of the entertainment industry's brightest lights. This oral history gives the backstage pass. Before Jordan Peele was making movies and winning Oscars, he was 'yes, and'-ing it up in the Netherlands. Same goes for the careers of Seth Meyers, Amber Ruffin, Jason Sudeikis, Ike Barinholtz, Kay Cannon, and so many more. The book also gives readers a playful American take on Dutch culture and what it's like performing abroad.-- "Booklist"
It is a book that truly tries to deliver 30 years in the history of a comedy club in a way that totally defies expectation. Even as you read it, it defies your expectations.-- "Book & Film Globe"
Many of today's most thoughtful, emotionally and politically driven comedians honed their chops at Boom Chicago, an American theatrical and improvisational comedy troupe that primarily operates in Amsterdam. Jordan Peele, Seth Meyers, and Amber Ruffin are all veterans, and it's where Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis met and first worked together . . . The baby-faced photos of current legends are fun, but the book's tone of fascination and how the sausage is made provides a compelling account of how improv is crafted, and how Boom Chicago's approach informed so much of its participants' later work.-- "Vulture"
Moskos and Rosenfeld debut with a fun oral history of Boom Chicago, the international comedy troupe they cofounded in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1993 whose best-known alumni include Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele, Jason Sudeikis, and Amber Ruffin . . . An impressive array of former cast members reminisce on their time in the group; Meyers weighs in on adjusting to Dutch audiences, Peele recalls performing while high, and Ted Lasso cocreator Brendan Hunt discusses falling in love with the Dutch national soccer team. The recollections read like a lively conversation between old friends, offering a humorous glimpse into the freewheeling early days of some of today's marquee comedians. This will be catnip for comedy fans.-- "Publishers Weekly"
Earn by promoting books