Reading what Mandy Stadtmiller had to say about me in her new memoir “Unwifeable” (best part of the book) reminded me that I’ve appeared in several other memoirs that I’ve never read. I found one on Amazon, called “Stand Up or Die,” written by Andy de la Tour. Andy was part of the vanguard of British “alternative” standup comedians of the 1980s.
They’re called “alternative,” because American-style solo standup was a big left turn from the British sketch and musical hall tradition that dominated their comedy scene for so long. He came to NYC when I ran my Tell Your Friends! show in the basement of Lolita, and when he told me that he was coming to NYC to get back to his standup roots after a multi-decade absence, I booked him immediately.
Andy wrote “Stand Up or Die” about his months in the New York indie comedy scene, and turned it into a one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe.
He has some wry and almost complimentary things to say about the New York comedy scene as a whole, and a lot of nice things to say about my show, where I tried to make comedians who were a little more obscure feel as important and wanted as the big names I had like Jim Gaffigan, Janeane Garofalo, Lewis Black.
PS: If you know any other books I’m mentioned in, please message me. I can’t remember any more.
Liam McEneaney: Comedian, Writer, Producer 