Why Not?, Mark Schiff
Why Not?, Mark Schiff
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Why Not?
Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah

Author: Mark Schiff, Jerry Seinfeld

Narrator: Mark Schiff

Unabridged: 9 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/07/2024


Synopsis

From master comedian Mark Schiff, a long-time touring partner of Jerry Seinfeld, comes a hilarious account of decades of foolery with comedy and acting legends and how he honed his mensch skills in all of life's arenas.

Pursuing a career in comedy has always taken a lot of chutzpah. Today Mark Schiff looks back at his fifty-year career as a stand-up comic, actor, and writer and knows he's laughed with the best of them. His comedy and character have been widely praised by everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Bill Maher, Paul Reiser, and Colin Quinn—as Seinfeld writes in his foreword, Mark is "the greatest comedy pal a guy could ever wish for"—but it hasn't always been easy.

In this brilliantly honest collection of essays inducing both heart tugs and deep belly laughs, Mark recounts growing up Jewish in the outer boroughs of New York City and shares how he survived a harrowing childhood and managed health crises, aging, marriage, parenting, and career highs and lows. With wit and wisdom, Mark reminds us that no matter the troubles at-hand, the show must always go on. The result is an unforgettable and highly relatable account from one of the best humor writers of our time that will leave listeners of all faiths energized and feeling like they've schmoozed with the best of them.

About Mark Schiff

Mark Schiff is a stand-up comedian who has headlined at comedy clubs nationwide, including all the major casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and toured worldwide with Jerry Seinfeld for fifteen years. Mark has specials on HBO and Showtime, has appeared on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman, is featured in Seinfeld's Netflix special Jerry Before Seinfeld and Live from the Laugh Factory with Dom Irrera, and has been the featured act at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival. He coedited I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics with Ritch Shydner, is the playwright of Married People, cowritten with Steve Shaffer, which played to sold-out audiences in Los Angeles in 2019, and The Comic, which ran in Los Angeles for ten months as well as at the Aspen Comedy Festival, a regular contributor to LA's Jewish Journal, and the host of the podcast You Don't Know Schiff. Mark lives in Los Angeles with his first wife, his fifth dog, and photos of his three sons who have all moved out and have good jobs, yet still manage to call and ask for money.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sylvia on March 09, 2023

Why Not? Lessons on Comedy Courage, and Chutzpah Nonfiction Biography By Mark Schiff Foreword by Jerry Seinfeld Book review by Sylvia Jacobs This book was dedicated to the author's wife, who was also the editor of the book and to his children who support all his ideas. He also dedicated the book “to all......more

Goodreads review by Whistler's on March 12, 2023

"Why Not?" or "Say WHAT?" This book has some great stories, a lot of laughs, and the author is a thoroughly likable, admirable man. It's also puzzling. I wasn't surprised that I've never heard of the author, a successful stand-up comic since I never watch stand-up comics. I WAS surprised that he port......more

Goodreads review by David on May 11, 2023

Sounds like a great guy, who admirably overcame a very difficult childhood and a rough start as an adult, notably a severe drinking problem, to become a devoted family man and successful standup comic. He knows lots of famous people, some quite well (e.g., Jerry Seinfeld wrote the foreword and appea......more

Goodreads review by Judy on January 10, 2024

Schiff's stories about his life and career have heart, soul, and the courage to reveal a great deal of a painful past. While revealing personal pain has become a favorite American sport among writers, Schiff does it in a way that retains respect and empathy for those who had caused him pain--most pa......more

Goodreads review by Jane on August 08, 2023

I teach a course titled “the worlds religions” at a local University and Mark’s book is an excellent recommendation to offer my students to learn about Judaism. What a fun and informative book to read!......more