Where:
Boston Public Library
Central Library in Copley Square
Boston, MA 02117
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Accessible Spots, History, Lectures & Conferences, Rainy Day Ideas
Event website:
https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/63e177895310f9d2b6419343
Join freelance writer Nick Zaino in a look back at the long history of humor in Boston and New England. From a young Fred Allen finding inspiration at the Boston Public Library, to Norm Crosby and Bill Dana playing swinging hotspots, and Jay Leno playing strip clubs before the sense blossomed. Then the comedy boom in the 80s that spawned Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Denis Leary, and others, through some contemporary names like Eugene Mirman, Mike Birbiglia, and Bo Burnham. He will also cover people from the area who didn’t perform live in Boston, but were born or educated here, like Conan O’Brien, who worked his comic muscles at the Harvard Lampoon, and Ziwe, who’s childhood in Lawrence and education at Phillips Academy contributed to her outlook on race relations, part of the basis of her comedy.
Nick A Zaino, III, is a resident of Lynn, and has been covering comedy from a local angle for the Boston Globe and Boston Phoenix for almost 25 years. He is currently seeking representation for a book that collects interviews and experiences from his career writing about comedy, including sections on George Carlin, Jon Stewart, Lily Tomlin, Vir Das, Bob Newhart, Mike Birbiglia, Phoebe Robinson, comedy after 9/11, and his early days talking to road comics for the Buffalo News, among others. Zaino is also a gigging musician, a podcaster and published author of short horror fiction.
Saturday, Dec 21, 2024 11:00a
Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre