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Mike Sacks

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American writer and magazine editor
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Mike Sacks
BornVirginia, US
Alma materTulane University
GenreHumor
Notable worksAnd Here's The Kicker,
Your Wildest Dreams, Within Reason
Website
mikesacks.com

Mike Sacks is an American author, humor writer and magazine editor based in New York City. Sacks is currently an editor at Vanity Fair and formerly worked for The Washington Post. He contributes to the New Yorker, McSweeney's, Esquire, Salon, Vanity Fair, GQ, Believer, Vice, the New York Times and the Washington Post. As of 2022, Sacks has published a total of ten books, six of which have been under his own imprint.

Sacks' collection of humorous photos of television shows has been featured on NPR and Gawker. He has also been featured in The New York Post, Vanity Fair and LA Weekly, and has appeared on BBC, CNN and NPR's Weekend Edition.

In 2017, Sacks created a vanity press imprint dubbed "Sunshine Beam Publishing" which he created "primarily to publish stuff no one else would publish."

Episodes of the podcast, Doin' It with Mike Sacks... and Rob!, have been produced since January 2016.

Early life

Sacks was born in Virginia and raised in Maryland. He attended Winston Churchill High School before attending Tulane University in New Orleans.

Books

And Here's the Kicker

Sacks's first book of interviews with comedy writers, And Here's the Kicker, was published in 2009 from Writers Digest Books and re-released in 2024 from Open Road Media. The book contains interviews with Stephen Merchant, Harold Ramis, Dan Mazer, Paul Feig, Bob Odenkirk, Todd Hanson, Mitch Hurwitz, David Sedaris, Al Jaffee, Allison Silverman, Robert Smigel, Dave Barry, Larry Wilmore, Jack Handey, Larry Gelbart, Buck Henry, Merrill Markoe, Irving Brecher, Marshall Brickman, George Meyer and Dick Cavett.

The book received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, saying "Sack has compiled a lively compendium sure to captivate anyone who loves a good comedy."

The A.V. Club wrote that these comedy writers are "lucky to have a gifted chronicler like Sacks documenting their curious ways and odd customs for posterity."

Time Magazine wrote that "comedy writers tend to be depressed, brilliant, erratic and sometimes even funny. Mike Sacks' collection of remarkably frank interviews with 21 of them reads like a secret history of popular culture." The book was a Top 10 seller for Amazon's "Comedy Television," "Biographies of Comedians," and "Comedy."

Your Wildest Dreams, Within Reason

In 2010, Sacks published Your Wildest Dreams, Within Reason from Tin House Books, which contains short humor pieces from The New Yorker, Esquire, Time, Vanity Fair, McSweeney's, and other publications. The A.V. Club rated the book as an A-, saying: "The fun in Your Wildest Dreams is watching Sacks unpack his weirdness, and there’s plenty of weirdness to unpack." Booklist gave the book a positive review and wrote: “Previously published in such publications as McSweeney’s and the New Yorker, these comic pieces should appeal to fans of offbeat humor. Sacks and his various coauthors are gifted humorists, and it’s safe to say that any reader will emit chuckles, guffaws, and chortles while perusing nearly every page." NPR declared that "Vanity Fair editor Mike Sacks is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and McSweeney's, and the comic shorts collected in Your Wildest Dreams are as smart and silly as fans of those magazines might expect." Publisher's Weekly wrote that the book is "a selection of contemporary social satires" that is often "hilarious."

Poking a Dead Frog

Poking a Dead Frog was published in June 2014 from Viking/Penguin. It's Sacks's second collection of interviews with comedy writers. Those interviewed for the book include James Downey, Terry Jones, Mike Schur, Todd Levin, Andres du Bouchet, Henry Beard, James L. Brooks, Megan Amram, Peg Lynch, Peter Mehlman, Paul F Tompkins, Adam McKay, Bill Hader, Scott Jacobson, Bruce Jay Friedman, Bruce Vilanch, Kay Cannon, Will Tracy, Gabe Delahaye, Glen Charles, Joel Begleiter, Marc Maron, George Saunders, Dave Hill, Tom Scharpling, Bob Elliott of Bob and Ray, Amy Poehler, Roz Chast, Henry Alford, Patton Oswalt, Daniel Clowes, Daniel Handler, Anthony Jeselnik, Adam Resnick, Paul Feig, Dan Guterman, Alan Spencer, Mike Dicenzo and Mel Brooks.

The book was a NY Times Bestseller and Best of the Year from NPR. Vulture wrote: "a greater look into the craft and business of comedy writing than you can find anywhere else….A comedy nerd bible." RogerEbert.com wrote: "Analysis of why something is funny can be deadly, but to your credit, the interviews are fascinating inside looks at the process of creating comedy, which is much more illuminating."

The book received a grade of an A from The A.V. Club, which described it as "a series of rich, intimate conversations about the ins and outs of turning funny ideas into real-world art". Flavorwire called the book "a fascinating look into the ways stand-up comedians, directors, and even short stories authors write funny... An absolute must."

Publishers Weekly wrote: " excellent book... once again displays his ability to get fascinating and honest interviews from comic luminaries."

The book received a positive review in the Wall Street Journal: " conversations with humorists poke at some fundamental concepts of comedy without chloroforming any frogs. More revealingly, the book examines what kind of person comes to make a living putting funny words on paper."

Stinker Lets Loose

Stinker Lets Loose, published in 2017, is a novelization to a non-existent trucking and CB movie from 1977. The book, a satire on late 1970s Southern-themed movies such as Smokey and the Bandit, Convoy, Every Which Way But Loose, and Hooper, was designed to look similar to a decades-old used book, with creases on the front cover and stains on the back cover.

Vulture wrote that the premise of Stinker Lets Loose is a faux re-release of "a long-out-of-print novelization from 1977 based on a mysterious, long forgotten trucking movie called Stinker Lets Loose! The book features the movie's 'original' ads, 25 black-and-white movie stills (with captions), and an order form to purchase other novelizations."

Vulture named Stinker Lets Loose as an “incredible feat of humor writing” and one of the funniest books of 2017.

In 2018, Audible Originals released Stinker Lets Loose as a three-hour comedy, starring Jon Hamm as Stinker, Rhea Seehorn, Andy Richter, Paul F. Tompkins, Andy Daly, Philip Baker Hall, and others. It made the Amazon Comedy Audio best-seller list and the NY Times Audio Comedy Bestseller List. The audio also features a live reading of Stinker Lets Loose at the 2018 San Fran Sketch Fest. Performers included Jon Hamm, Kevin Pollack, Steve Agee, Andy Richter, Paul F Tompkins, and Busy Phillips.

The Stinker Lets Loose soundtrack was released on cassette and streaming by Burger Records, featuring musicians from Cat Power, Guided by Voices, Bambi Kino, and Nada Surf.

Randy: The Full and Complete Unedited Biography and Memoir of the Amazing Life and Times of Randy S.!

Randy is a book purported to be a self-published memoir found by Mike Sacks at a garage sale in Poolesville, Maryland and re-published "as is" in 2018. The book was published on Sacks's own imprint Sunshine Beam Press and it made Vulture's list of the Top 10 Humor Books for the year. In January 2023, Randy was re-published by Archway Editions.

In September 2024, Randy became a five-hour audio comedy series on The Sonar Network, starring actors and comedians Dave Willis, Brett Davis, Mike Mitchell of The Birthday Boys and the Doughboys, Samara Naeymi, Colleen Werthmann, Eric Jason Martin and others.

Vice said that "the year's best memoir is about a man who shot a porno in a Baskin-Robbins." Nathan Rabin wrote that "Randy is a hilariously, unexpectedly poignant and eminently worthy addition to Sacks' sociological/anthropological exploration of the American Jackass and his curious ways. Audacious and inspired." John Colapinto of The New Yorker wrote that: "Randy does more to explain certain unexpected turns in this nation's political fate over the last couple of years than a bazillion think-pieces in the Times, Atlantic, New Yorker, MSNBC."

Other books

  • Sacks, Mike; Thyre, Sarah (August 24, 2010). Sex: Our Bodies, Our Junk. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0307592163.
  • The Believer (March 6, 2012). Care To Make Love In That Gross Little Space Between Cars?: A Believer Book of Advice. Vintage. ISBN 978-0307743718.
  • E.L. Lessert (July 1, 2020). Passable in Pink: A Prom Com. Sunshine Beam Publishing. ISBN 978-0578706290.
  • Sacks, Mike (December 8, 2020). Slouchers: The Novelization. Sunshine Beam Publishing. ISBN 978-0578792057.
  • Skippy "Batty" Battison (February 22, 2022). Passing On The Right: My Ups, My Downs, My Lefts, My Rights, My Wrongs ... and My Career (So Far) in this Bizarro World of Comedy. Sunshine Beam Publishing. ISBN 978-0578329499.
  • Sacks, Mike (March 17, 2022). I Am Super Pumped! Let's Do This Shit!!!!!!!!!!!: The Marketing of "Passing on the Right". Sunshine Beam Publishing. ISBN 978-0578394985.
  • Sacks, Mike; Roeder, Jason (April 26, 2022). Welcome to Woodmont College. McSweeney's Publishing. ISBN 978-1952119439.

Other work

Some of Sacks' works were originally, or have been adapted into, audiobooks. The audiobook version of Stinker Lets Loose featured Jon Hamm, Andy Richter and Phillip Baker Hall. Passable in Pink was an audiobook satire of John Hughes' filmography, and featured Gillian Jacobs, Adam Scott and Bobby Moynihan.

At The New Yorker in 2021, Sacks interviewed Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder. This was Swartzwelder's first major interview.

Critical reception

Sacks is popular with some comedians, including David Sedaris and Andy Richter. Critics tend to appreciate his work, while the general public can be left confused.

This is evident in the reception of Sacks' two interview anthologies, Poking a Dead Frog and Here's the Kicker. While some critics saw and appreciated the interviews as a reflection on working in the industry, many readers expected a manual on how to make it as a comedian. Dead Frog was also criticized for a lack of diversity: 7 of 44 interviews were with women.

His early work and works published under his own imprint have received both praise and critique.

References

  1. "Mike Sacks Archive at Vanity Fair". Vanity Fair.
  2. Kuntzman, Gersh (7 March 2011). "Checkin' in with… Comedy Writer Mike Sacks". New York Post.
  4. ^ Dan, Bova (February 14, 2018). "How This Writer Embraced the F--- It Mentality and Turned a Crazy Idea Into a Project Starring Jon Hamm". Entrepreneur.
  5. Chillag, Ian (4 January 2010). "'Photos of TV':It's Photos of TV". NPR.
  6. Douglas, Nick. "Photos of TV". Gawker. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22.
  7. Estes, Lenora Jane (March 1, 2011). "Mike Sack Reads From Your Wildest Dreams, With Reason". Vanity Fair.
  8. Molyneaux, Libby (April 28, 2011). "Make Us Laugh, Funny Boy:Mike Sacks". LA Weekly.
  9. "The Comedy Cafe". BBC.
  10. "Comics Confess Their Nightmares". CNN. October 21, 2009.
  11. Simon, Scott (August 1, 2009). "Comedy Writing:How To Be Funny". NPR Weekend Edition.
  12. Alex, Norcia (September 13, 2018). "The Year's Best Memoir Is About a Man Who Shot a Porno in a Baskin-Robbins". Vice.
  13. Belford, Susan (July 24, 2014). "Dissecting Comedy". Potomac Almanac.
  14. Stout, Andrew. "An Interview with Mike Sacks". Bookslut.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012.
  15. "And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft by Mike Sacks". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  16. "Mike Sacks' And Here's The Kicker". The A.V. Club. 2009-08-11. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  17. "The Short List of Things to Do - TIME". Time. 2009-01-23. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  18. "David Sedaris". Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  19. "Laugh Yourself Cool: 5 Funny Books To Beat The Heat". WQLN. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  20. "Publishers Weekly". MikeSacks. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  21. Cohen, Nicole; Eads, David; Friedman, Rose; Lettenberger, Becky; Mayer, Petra; Novey, Beth; Rees, Christina (3 December 2014). "NPR's Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2014's Great Reads". NPR Books. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  22. Evans, Bradford (2013-03-27). "Preview: Mike Sacks's Sequel to 'And Here's the Kicker'". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  23. Liebenson, Donald (6 August 2014). "Mike Sacks, Author of "Poking a Dead Frog," Explores the Comedic Process". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  24. "Our favorite books of the year". The A.V. Club. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  25. Diamond, Jason (2014-06-02). "10 Must-Read Books for June". Flavorwire. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  26. "Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers by Mike Sacks". publishersweekly.com. June 30, 2014. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
  27. Steinberg, Don (June 12, 2014). "When is a Joke Funny?". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  28. Goldstein, Ian (2017-05-03). "Inside James Taylor Johnston's 'Stinker Lets Loose!' with Mike Sacks". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  29. Boone, Brian (2017-12-25). "The Best Comedy Books of 2017". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  30. Boone, Brian (2018-12-12). "The 10 Best Comedy Books of 2018". Vulture. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  31. Sacks, Mike (2023-01-10). Randy. powerHouse Books. ISBN 978-1-57687-972-6.
  32. "Home". Randy: The Full and Complete Audio Memoir of the Amazing Life and Times of Randy S.!. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  33. Norcia, Alex (2018-09-13). "The Year's Best Memoir Is About a Man Who Shot a Porno in a Baskin-Robbins". VICE. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  34. "Literature Society: Mike Sacks' Randy: The Full and Complete Unedited Biography and Memoir of the Amazing Life and Times of Randy S.!". It Turns Out the Naming Rights! Membership Option Was For Real and Someone Is Now Five Hundred Bucks Poorer Presents Nat. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
  35. Sacks, Mike (2023-01-10). Randy. powerHouse Books. ISBN 978-1-57687-972-6.
  36. "This Week in Comedy Podcasts: The Star-Studded Passable in Pink". Vulture. 14 Nov 2019. Retrieved 15 Nov 2022.
  37. Blistein, Jon (2021-05-03). "Reclusive, Revered 'Simpsons' Writer John Swartzwelder Gives First-Ever Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  38. Goldstein, Ian (2016-06-21). "Mike Sacks Is Doin' It". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  39. Nelson, Rebecca (22 Oct 2018). "A writer mined his '80s adolescence in the D.C. suburbs. Then came the Kavanaugh hearings". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 Nov 2022.
  40. ^ Chen, Adrian (2014-07-09). "Who Gets a Place in the Writers' Rooms of TV Comedy?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  42. Loftus, David (2011-05-21). "'Your Wildest Dreams' review: Mike Sacks has an inconsistent wit". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  43. Boone, Brian (2022-11-01). "The Best Comedy Books of 2022 (So Far)". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  44. Kutner, Rob (2018-10-17). "Lives Of Loud Desperation". Book and Film Globe. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
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