The (first) Book: A Vulgar Art

A Vulgar Art book cover

A Vulgar Art book cover

My book A Vulgar Art came out in October of 2014. It was published by University Press of Mississippi and is available in hardback and, as of February 2016, paperback. It was part of the Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World series It is slowly becoming a standard reference for studies of stand-up comedy, both in folklore and without.

Reviews

Here is what people have said about it.

  • A Vulgar Art is an important contribution to the study of stand-up comedy. The writing is clear and accessible, so there is clear potential for classroom use. Brodie does an excellent job of breaking the genre down into its component parts, and I imagine the text will be cited heavily in future work done on the topic. For any reader who is interested in the genre, or in the work of a particular comedian, Brodie’s book is a must read. [David Gillota in Studies in American Humor]

  • Brodie’s examination of the art of stand-up comedy reflects on the entire context, environment, and concerns of performing comedy effectively. His folkloric lens focuses on minute details, such as microphones and clothing, to wider concerns, such as bridging the various elements of intimacy between a performer on the stage and his or her audience. […] This liberal invocation of story, in all shapes and sizes, made this book an absolute pleasure to read and contemplate. [Gail de Vos in Ethnologies]

  • His excellent study takes both the genre itself and specific routines of stand-up seriously, delivering a thoughtful and informed discussion of his subject that does, as his subtitle promises, provide a “new approach” to it. […] His text actually accomplishes its mission: it allows people to see the comedic interaction from the folkloristic viewpoint without diminishing the impact of the humor. [Daniel P. Compora in Journal of Folklore Research Reviews]

  • Ian Brodie's A Vulgar Art is addressed to an interdisciplinary field of scholars and students, but also to readers who enjoy stand-up as audience members (or - why not - as performers themselves) and who are interested in the mechanisms behind this “vulgar art." All readers will benefit from the author’s insight into stand-up as a performance of vernacular culture. [Liisi Laineste in Western Folklore]

Interviews

I occasionally talk about it too.