Sacks - And heres the kicker: conversations with 21 top humor writers on their craft

A hearty thank-you to

My parents

Ellie and John

Shimmy

To each and every one of the writers you know who you are (hopefully)

Lauren Mosko, for the complete edit and for her kind ways

S.P. Nix, for his top-notch copyediting, fact-checking, and line-editing skills

Eric Spitznagel, for his tremendous contributions to all of the introductions

Sharon Festinger, Holly Morris, Adam Nadler, and Alana Quirk, for their superior editing skills

Tae Won Yu, for his design and illustrations

Gabe Sanders, Amelia Kahaney, and Ezra

Ted Travelstead and Julie Wright and Skittles

Steve Wilson and Erin Mayes

Austin Merrill and Gina Rhodes

Connell Barrett

Jason Eaton, Todd Jackson, and Ian Lendler

Laura Griffin, Scott Jacobson, Todd Levin, Jason Roeder, John Warner, and Teddy Wayne

Jason Cronic

Merrill M.

David S.

by Adam McKay

There are a few ways that you, the reader, have come to this book. Either you hope to someday write comedy professionally and want to see how the masters do it, or you are a comedy fan and want to read some funny stories from funny people. Or you are friends with someone interviewed within, or maybe you even hate someone within and want to see if they come off as much like an asshole in print as they do in real life. Or you work for the FBI or CIA and are forced to scan books for potentially inciting or dangerous content. Then there are those of you who are trapped in a flood or hurricane and the only book that is within reach is this one. So, you read this book not so much for its content but for its affirmation that human interaction is possible even as the water rises and your faith erodes. Lastly, there are probably one or two people out there who are mentally ill or under the influence of methamphetamine and are using this book as a bible to decipher the signs of the impending end-time or Ragnarok, as it's referred to in Norse mythology.

Only you, and you alone, know which of these paths have led you to hold this book at this very exact moment. And yet, no matter the reason, I encourage you to take a deep breath to give thanks for the knowledge you are about to receive.

Each of the writers interviewed here has devoted his or her life to making people laugh or smile. Some call these people comedy writers or humorists or, within the business itself, guffaw generators. My twin and I call them chaba honloos. In general, and in the United States in particular, comedy writers are not usually met with a great deal of legitimate literary respect. They are admired for making a living on their wits, or even praised for their earning power, but unless a writer's work appears on the pages of The New Yorker which, in fairness, a few of the individuals within have or drifts into the realm of satire, accolades are rare and celebrity almost nonexistent.

Why is this, you ask? The answer might be that this genre of writing needs to provoke a bodily response: a laugh. As we all know, the body and all of its emissions (fluids, sounds, gases, the occasional kidney stone) have never officially made the domain of high art. They exist on the periphery. And yet, interesting and subversive voices have always come from that murky area far beyond the world of high-end literary circles. Case in point: George Meyer, Bob Odenkirk, and Buck Henry are dirtbags by Paris Review standards. But I would argue that The Simpsons, Mr. Show, and To Die For are all works that understand our culture and its narcissistic obsession with fame, greed, and other weighty matters better than or as well as anything written by Martin Amis or Jonathan Franzen.

(Note: In order to make that last statement, I am depending heavily on the fact that Mr. Amis and Mr. Franzen will never be within five miles of this book. If by some freakish chance either of you is reading these words, I am terribly sorry. You are literary titans. I made that previous and ridiculous claim because I'm writing for the riffraff, and I hope to see you both at Elaine's on Tuesday! Good cheer, chums!)

So, if you're reading this book to find out how they do it, you've come to the right place. There are five or six pie charts, three or four formulas, and one dance mat that will show you precisely where to place your feet and hands. More important, look at this book as an invitation to see some great writers finally put on a three-piece suit and load up a cigarette case and then try their damndest to provoke a bodily response. Again, hopefully a laugh and not bloody urine to signify a kidney stone.

Adam McKay is a writer and director of movies such as Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. He was head writer of Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 1999, and a founding member of the improv- and sketch-comedy group Upright Citizens Brigade. He started the Web site Funny or Die with Will Ferrell and Chris Henchy and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.