Showalter - Mr. Funny Pants

The author has changed the names of some individuals who appear in the book to protect their privacy.

Copyright 2011 by Michael Showalter

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the authors intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the authors rights.

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Second e-book edition: February 2012

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ISBN 978-0-446-56360-4

What ultimately makes MR. FUNNY PANTS so funnyand what allows it to hang together so improbablyis Showalters commitment to baring his weirdness and anxieties completely and full on. By the end of it we truly feel like weve been spending time with the author and know him on a personal level. And although we may not always be certain whether were laughing along with him or directly at him, we do know for sure that were always in his corner, rooting him on.

TheAwl.com

A brainy, offbeat, and, yes, funny literary debut filled with irreverent, clever pieces.

New York Post

An incredibly quirky sense of humor At best, MR. FUNNY PANTS is a hip mix of a Monty Python sketch, mid-1970s National Lampoon magazine article, and any later-season episode of Seinfeld.

Washington Times

Showalter is a comic genius. This is, cover to cover, the funniest book Ive ever read! (Dear Mike, Havent time to check it out yet. Do you want to just write a quote and put my name on it? Best, Ben)

Ben Stiller

Very funny Showalter combines Woody Allenlike essays with episodes from his own life Fans of Showalters offbeat comedy will very much enjoy this book.

Booklist

Heres the deal: I think Michael Showalter is a genius. And I dont use that term lightly. This book is brave, merciless, and soulful and I think that by that I actually mean stupid, smart, and very funny. (I mostly just wanted to use the word merciless in a sentence.) If you see it on a friends shelf do yourself a favor and just take it. Not the shelf. Just the book. Unless of course you need a shelf. Merciless!!!

Paul Rudd

I read Michaels book on a train. It was funny and engaging. I also once took a train with Michael. I wish that Michael, as a passenger sitting next to me, was as funny and engaging as his book was.

Janeane Garofalo

With MR. FUNNY PANTS, Showalter deconstructs books down to their core, then builds them back up into a swirling core-nado. Which is a tornado made out of book cores. Its not a real thing. This book is funny.

Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone of SNL and The Lonely Island

Showalter continues to prove his gift for milking hilarity from the awkward exchanges that comprise an everyday routine.

Punchline Magazine

[An] often hilarious account of one comedians struggle to write a comedic memoir.

Salon.com

We dont exactly know what to call it, but it really, really is funny.

Asbury Park Press

A book that is unsurprisingly very funny but also sweet and at a few points poignant.

Gothamist

Michael Showalter: amusing trousers, singular mind.

Sarah Vowell, New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates

MR. FUNNY PANTS is unlike any book Ive ever read. Its this weird, hilarious, choose-your-own-adventure inside Michael Showalters brainwhich is, of course, brilliant. I was at first skeptical of the premise of deconstructing the process of writing a book, but ten pages in, I was literally crying with laughter and by the time he got to analyzing his own high school poetry, I could no longer read the book in public without embarrassing myself.

Mike Birbiglia, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepwalk With Me

The book is a new showcase for Showalters brand of goofy mannerisms and subtle wit. [MR. FUNNY PANTS] promises to make readers literally LOL.

Seattlest.com

This is a very funny book Showalter has taken time and effort to make PANTS stand on its own Its a delightful piece of finely crafted absurdist writing.

PortlandMercury.com

[MR. FUNNY PANTS] explores writing in an offbeat, yet intelligent, way [Showalter] delivers a book that will charm.

EdgePublications.com

Showalter, Michael has written a very clever book. And he has written about writing a book, cleverly. Showalter, Michael asked me to write a blurb. It was easy to dohere it is: I very much really really liked this MR. FUNNY PANTSa book so enjoyable that blurbing about it is so very easy.

Zach Galifianakis

Michael Showalter takes every kind of book a comedian could write, mashes it together with every kind of book every other occupation could produce, and comes up with a hydra-headed monster thats really fun to play with The book is funny.

OwlandBear.com

Uniquely absurd.

Indianapolis Star

MR. FUNNY PANTS is a sidesplitting meta-memoir It puts on the page what fans of Showalters work in film, television, and on stage have embraced for yearshis surreal, self-referential, goofball wit and sense of humor.

Flavorwire.com

The book is one of the funniest things Showalter has attached his name to in years.

Neufutur Magazine

MR. FUNNY PANTS as a title for Michael Showalters new book is actually not hyperbolethis guy is so funny, we even find his trousers hilarious.

Flavorpill.com

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me

Bob Dylan

Dont shoot til you see the whites of their eyes!

General Prescott

It aint the size of the boat that counts. Its the motion of the ocean.

my old high school friend Richard

For Amelia, my lovely wife of forty years. Tobias and Evelyn, my beautiful children. Scooter, my chocolate Labrador, and all seventeen of our chickens at our farm that we have. This book is for you.

Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey (for more, see About New Jersey, )

Currently Resides: Brooklyn, New York (for more, see About Brooklyn, )

Age: In years, 40; emotional maturity, 17; physical maturity, 92; spiritual maturity, Monk-like

Marital Status: Hitched

Occupation: Comedian (oy)

Favorite Color: Magentaits like magic + polenta

Favorite Word: Twineits like magic + twinemagic

Least Favorite Word: Juices (Juice singular I have no problem with)

Second Least Favorite Word: Sauce

Third Least Favorite Word: Broth

Fourth Least Favorite Word: Marinate

Fifth Least Favorite Word: Gravy

All-Time Least Favorite Couplet of Words: