Stand-Up Comedy is a battlefield not for the faint of heart. You either die on that stage or you kill. Born Funny: A Comic’s Chronicle Through the Rise of Alt Comedy , is an autobiographical novel based on my experiences as an up-and-coming stand-up comic during the significant era that launched a generation of comedy talent. Featuring cameos from many well-known future comedy stars before they made it big, some names have been changed, including mine. In 2002 Steve Collin was a brand spanking new comic who accidentally stumbled onto a burgeoning irreverent New York comedy movement in its infancy. Alternative Comedy quickly gained a following as a backlash to the stale ‘club style’ of the 80’s. It was new and exciting, and Steve’s loose style of comedy was a perfect fit for the ‘Alt’ scene. But in comedy, timing is everything…just one misstep and you become a cautionary tale or a punchline. A former class clown and comedic natural, Steve enters the stand-up world wholly unprepared for the rejection, heavy drinking and cut-throat competition accompanying it. Recognized early on by comedy tastemakers as a talent to watch, and swiftly securing a litany of TV credits, Steve soon gets caught up in a whirlwind of endless shows, free drinks and the unrelenting New York City nightlife. Through one comic’s personal narrative, Born Funny documents the golden era of alternative comedy. Along his journey, Steve unintentionally influences the trajectory of pivotal comedic moments - almost like the Forrest Gump of stand-up. His contemporaries are some of the best professional funny people of this generation, and Steve’s there to witness firsthand key turning points in comedy history. Encountering comedy landmines everywhere, Steve slowly discovers a dark side to the funny, and as the decade closes, understands that the business of comedy is no laughing matter.
