We Should All Be Sicker in the Head
Review by Jaime Balboa
If you’ve laughed at the sophomoric or the sophisticated, the witty or the sharp, the timely or the timeless jokes of any of the comedic giants in Judd Apatow’s Sicker in the Head: More Conversations About Life and Comedy–interviewed by one of their own–you’ll want to read this book. If you’re a student of comedy or a student of humanity, Sicker in the Head should definitely be on your reading list.
It was on mine because, in addition to being a longtime Apatow fan, I also direct one of the organizations he chose as a recipient for the book’s proceeds. Reading this collection, I was reminded how writing, whether improvised, on the page, or on the screen, draws lines connecting human beings. We foster this connection among students at 826LA, and Apatow creates it in his films through humor. In this book, he investigates the why and the how of humor and the humans who write it.
The best humorists, in my opinion, are undergirded by a well of empathy, by an interrelatedness of humanity. In their performances, that humanist connection is sometimes hidden by the humor, sometimes revealed by it, but it is always there. This book reveals the humanity of each interviewed subject–and Apataow himself–in honest, sometimes raw discussions that took place before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Parts of the book you can read quickly, even skim–Jimmy Kimmel loves to cook–but other parts will slow your reading to such a pace as to allow you to soak it up. Apatow asks Kimmel how he deals with the weight of the world, getting weightier by the day. “I dread talking about a school shooting or the death of a friend or anything that exposes my vulnerability,” Kimmel says (181). But if you’ve ever watched Kimmel, you know he doesn’t let that dread stop him from tackling with humor those very weighty, trying issues.
What finally makes this book such an excellent success is that Judd is, at heart, so incredibly relatable. He’s as much a fan of the talent he interviews as we are, which means he gets them to speak about the things we want to know. Apatow sat down with entertainment legends and got them to speak candidly about a staggering range of topics.
With the uproarious Margaret Cho, he discussed racism and inclusion. ”Other Asian American comedians say that I inspired them to do comedy, which is really awesome,” she said. (274) “I think it’s about seeing ourselves the way we are in the world,” (275).
He and side-splitting Pete Davidson discussed Davidson’s coming to terms with the loss of his father, a firefighter who died heroically at the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attack. “I was just seven years old. You’re not supposed to learn about what death is until you’re in high school.” (314).
What a treat that Mindy Kaling seemed intent on interviewing Apatow as much as being interviewed herself! But Apatow patiently and skillfully turned the conversation around, and before you know it, Kaling opened up about her insecurities, about meanness on the internet, about her work with the South Asian community.
Judd Apatow’s comedic genius is behind some of my favorite films. How special that Sicker in the Head takes us into his mind in a deeper way, revealing through his questions and conversations a profoundly empathetic human being. I loved reading these interviews because they proved over and over the deep connection these comics–among the very best working today–have with humanity.
At 826LA we teach writing–stories, poetry, college application essays. But no matter the genre, if the writing is to be great, it must be honest and rooted in a deeper human connection. Apatow shows that in spades in his writing and in so doing, demonstrates what good writing has in common with good humor.
---------------
Judd Apatow generously donates the proceeds from Sicker in the Head to 826 National, 826NYC, and 826LA.
