Indie Comedy - Mock Stars

There’s a new book out that interviews and analyzes a resurgence in comedy that’s connected to the independent music scene:

Denver Post entertainment reporter John Wenzel is out with a book, “Mock Stars,” about indie comedy (…)

These comics are “Mock Stars” rather than “Rock Stars,” Wenzel explains.

“Their business is to make fun of institutions and convention. It’s not a mainstream scene, it’s underground. But within that scene, these people are considered to be stars, ‘Mock Stars.’”

He traces stand-up and sketch comedy from the ’70s to the present — and profiles a number of indie comics I’m betting you’ve never heard of. Such as David Cross, Patton Oswalt and Zach Galifianakis.

From the Denver Post.

I may be missing the irony, but I think it’s likely you’ve heard of David Cross, no? Nonetheless, I get the point, Indie Comedy mocks convention and institutions (which mainstream comedy never touches?) but in a more profound way.. I guess.

Actually, the book’s indie publisher SpeckPress does the concept justice:

Overpriced two-drink minimums and potato skins; bad Clinton jokes on late night—these used to be the hallmarks of comedy, an art relegated to the controlled environs of comedy clubs and network TV. In the late ’90s, a daring breed of comedians began rejecting the status quo altogether and, by taking cues from the indie-music world, started reviving comedy as a savvy and groundbreaking art form. Mock Stars delves headfirst into this revolutionary scene, tracing the evolution of indie comedy as part of the underground music circuit and into mainstream America.