Greeves, Lucy

PERSONAL:

Education: Graduated from Cambridge University.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Simon Trewin, PFD, Drury House, 34-43 Russell St., London WC2B 5HA, England.

CAREER:

Comedy venue manager and copywriter.

WRITINGS:

(With Jimmy Carr) Only Joking: What's So Funny about Making People Laugh?, Gotham Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Lucy Greeves has worked as an advertising copywriter and a comedy venue manager, two jobs not commonly paired together. While studying at Cambridge University, Greeves met her best friend and fellow comic, Jimmy Carr, host of Comedy Central's Distraction game show. The pair collaborated to create Only Joking: What's So Funny about Making People Laugh? in 2006. The book analyzes the concept of joking and covers a number of related topics punctuated with jokes and dry humor along the way. The opening discusses the importance of laughter, and the development of a sense of humor in children. The middle section hypothesizes on what type of people become comedians, why it is still a male-dominated field, and the use of language to convey your joke. The last section of the book covers the use of potentially problematic topics, such as race and politics. Jack Helbig, writing in Booklist, called the book "lively, intelligent, highly readable, often hilarious." In the London Times, a reviewer admitted that the book "makes you laugh." A critic in Publishers Weekly stated that Greeves and Carr "deserve a round of applause for this entertaining and educational book."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2006, Jack Helbig, review of Only Joking: What's So Funny about Making People Laugh?, p. 36.

Psychology Today, September-October, 2006, Jessica Heasley, review of Only Joking, p. 36.

Publishers Weekly, July 24, 2006, review of Only Joking, p. 51.

Times (London, England), November 26, 2006, Roland White, review of Only Joking.

ONLINE

Chortle.co.uk Web site,http://www.chortle.co.uk/ (January 24, 2007), Steve Bennett, review of Only Joking.