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Kliph Nesteroff is a best-selling author regarded for his vast knowledge of show business. '' Vice Magazine'' called him "The Human Encyclopedia of Comedy," and ''
Los Angeles Magazine ''Los Angeles'' magazine is a monthly publication dedicated to covering Los Angeles. Founded in the spring of 1961 by David Brown, the magazine is currently owned and published by Hour Media Group, LLC. Los Angeles magazine's combination of feat ...
'' profiled him as "The King of Comedy Lore." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' has deemed some of his theories "provocative" while '' Vanity Fair'' calls his work "essential." Nesteroff was included on ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose pare ...
''s Best of Los Angeles list in 2016, and was dubbed the "premier popular historian of comedy" by the ''New York Times'' in 2021. After eight years as a stand-up comedian, Nesteroff became a frequent contributor to WFMU and a national, on-air contributor for
CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of ...
. For several years he moderated Classic Television Showbiz, a website devoted to classic show business and comedians. The A.V. Club referred to Nesteroff as their "favorite pop culture historian." He is perhaps best known for his several appearances on Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast and his five appearances on '' WTF with Marc Maron''. Maron was the executive producer of Nesteroff's limited-series Earwolf podcast Classic ''Showbiz''. In the year 2022, Nesteroff appeared in the
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
documentary George Carlin's American Dream on HBO, W. Kamau Bell's We Need to Talk About Cosby on
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
,
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning s ...
's Right to Offend on A&E, and The Dark Side of Comedy on Vice TV. He currently serves as a consultant on
Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom '' All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a perform ...
's forthcoming documentary about
Albert Brooks Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein ; July 22, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's '' Broadcast News'' and was widely praised for his performance as a ...
.


Early life

Nesteroff is from South Slocan,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...
. He was expelled from high school for giving a speech exposing "salacious dirty laundry" about the teachers, and within a year had moved to Toronto to take a sitcom writing class.


''The Comedians''

Grove Press released Nesteroff's first book, ''The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy'' on November 3, 2015, to uniformly positive reviews. It was selected as a book of the year by several papers including ''
LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose pare ...
'', ''
The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'' and the ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
''.
Merrill Markoe Merrill Markoe (born August 13, 1948) is an American author, television writer, and occasional standup comedian. Early life Markoe was born in New York City. Her family moved several times including stays in Miami, Florida and San Francisco, ...
wrote in the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', "I thought I knew a lot about the history of American comedy. But this book located gaps in my knowledge I never knew were there and filled them with jaw-dropping anecdotes that made my eyes spin in different directions. For comedy completists and comedians alike, this book is a real treat." ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' said of Nesteroff, "He writes with insider perception but never seems to be either whitewashing or trashing any of this outrageous cast. Like a biblical epic, ''The Comedians'' seems to have a cast of thousands. One act barely somersaults offstage before Nesteroff leads on the next. The anecdotes are memorable and often hilarious ... With his encyclopedic knowledge, talent for vivid anecdotes and tireless gusto, he drives this busload of rowdy clowns into the 21st century." ''
The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August ...
''s AV Club stated, "Nesteroff is intent on giving the beautiful losers of comedy their due. The Comedians san astonishingly assured and compulsively readable exploration of an impossibly vast topic." ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' book review said, "The way he traces ... the evolution of comedy is fascinating ... Through his elegiac attention, these forgotten comedians become almost romantic figures, the stars of a secret history of laughter."


''We Had a Little Real Estate Problem''

Nesteroff's second book, ''We Had A Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans and Comedy'', was released on February 16, 2021 by Simon & Schuster. Nesteroff said that he approached the book by emphasizing the comedians telling their own stories. ''Publishers Weekly'' called it a "disturbing yet beautiful history." According to the ''New York Times'', "His new book, which darts back and forth in time, is a sprawling look at Indigenous comedians, an overlooked branch of comedy ... His book provides context for an argument about the importance of representation, detailing an exhaustive history of the racism suffered by Indigenous people in popular culture..."
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...
referred to the project as "important" and praised it as a "remarkable book that takes the history of Native American comedy and turns it into a page-turner." Notable endorsements have come from
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
,
Bob Odenkirk Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
, and Marc Maron. Major Indigenous authors including Stephen Graham Jones, David Treuer, and Philip J. Deloria have also lauded the project. A chapter was excerpted in ''Esquire''. Colby Cosh wrote in his ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...
'' synopsis, "I decided that I wasn’t sure whether the material was promising, but also that Nesteroff couldn't write a bad book if you kicked him in the head and cut off his thumbs. I'm pleased to report very smugly that the last half of this estimate has proved true. No fans of Nesteroff's uncanny interviewing of old-time comics or readers of his 2015 book "The Comedians" will have doubted it. So the high quality of the book imposes a duty on me to persuade other readers, people who may not be comedy nerds or Nesteroff fans, that it's worthwhile ... The whole thing is a fascinating picture of how an artistic tradition evolves. You could learn a lot from it if you have no earthly interest in, or even sympathy for, First Nations ... It's a fascinating universe, and you couldn’t have a better guide than Nesteroff."


Television

Nesteroff was the consulting producer on both seasons of the CNN series ''The History of Comedy'', which had its premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
. His work with CNN continued with the
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
mini-series and his prominent role in the prime time series The Story of Late Night. He has appeared many times on the CNN Newsroom eulogizing famous comedians like Gilbert Gottfried,
Dick Gregory Richard Claxton Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights leader, business owner and entrepreneur, and vegetarian activist. His writings were best sellers. Gregory became popular among the Afr ...
, and
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in pop culture, Lewis was nickn ...
. Nesteroff hosted the
Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...
mini-series ''Funny How'' from executive producer Spike Jonze in 2016. ''Funny How'' featured appearances from James Adomian,
Dave Atell David Attell (born January 18, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer best known as the host of Comedy Central's ''Insomniac with Dave Attell'', which earned him a cult following. His work has drawn admiration from many comedi ...
, David Cross, Dana Gould, Artie Lange,
Doug Stanhope Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, author, political activist and podcast host. His stand-up material favors caustic and often obscene observations of life in the style of Bill Hicks and Bill Burr, which he d ...
, and Michael Winslow and presented the first television appearances of Mary Beth Barone and Irene Tu. Six years later, Nesteroff was a producer of another Vice TV series titled The Dark Side of Comedy. Other notable appearances included a
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...
documentary about
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...
in 2021, and George Carlin's American Dream on HBO, We Need to Talk About Cosby on
Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
, and
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning s ...
's Right to Offend on A&E in 2022.


Live shows and podcasts

Nesteroff has appeared at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, the New York Comedy Festival, the Los Angeles Cinefamily,
Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown, New York, Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Estab ...
, SF Sketchfest, Caroline's on Broadway,
Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...
, Mark Twain House, the
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of ...
Film Festival, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, and Harvard. He has appeared onstage with
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...
,
Peter Farrelly Peter John Farrelly (born December 17, 1956) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist. Along with his brother Bobby, the Farrelly brothers are mostly famous for directing and producing quirky comedy and romantic comedy ...
, Joel Grey, Gilbert Gottfried, Ronny Chieng, Lewis Black,
Robert Klein Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (19 ...
, Larry Wilmore, Buck Henry,
Robert Morse Robert Alan Morse (May 18, 1931 – April 20, 2022) was an American actor, who starred in '' How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', both the 1961 original Broadway production, for which he won a Tony Award, and its 1967 film adapta ...
, George Schlatter,
Anthony Atamanuik Anthony Atamanuik (; born June 15, 1974) is an American writer, actor, and comedian. He impersonated former U.S. President Donald Trump during the campaign and his presidency, first on the ''Trump vs. Bernie'' debate tour and then on '' The Pre ...
, Judah Friedlander, Rip Taylor,
Baratunde Thurston Baratunde Rafiq Thurston (; born September 11, 1977) is an American writer, comedian, and commentator. Thurston co-founded the black political bloJack and Jill Politics whose coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention was archived in the ...
, Lizz Winstead,
Fred Willard Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film '' This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Wa ...
,
Alan Zweibel Alan Zweibel (born May 20, 1950) is an American television writer, author, playwright, and screenwriter whom ''The'' ''New York Times'' says has “earned a place in the pantheon of American pop culture." An original '' Saturday Night Live'' ...
, and
Robert Smigel Robert Smigel (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and puppeteer, known for his ''Saturday Night Live'' "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph the Insult Comic Do ...
with
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is a puppet character created, puppeteered and voiced by Robert Smigel. As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy. A Montenegrin Mountain Hound, Triumph often puffs a ciga ...
. Nesteroff addressed the
Mensa International Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa formally comp ...
Annual General Meeting in July 2016. ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' announced in May 2016 that Nesteroff was curating the National Comedy Center, which houses
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...
's personal archive. Nesteroff previously toured with a one-man show about the history of comedy. One critic described his Toronto engagement as "heroin for comedy nerds ... Nesteroff shared dozens of unforgettable stand-up-related tales from the early 19th century to now. The depth of his knowledge about the history of American comedy combined with his off-the-cuff and funny yet eloquent stage presence made this entire show utterly engrossing." Nesteroff has appeared on a number of podcasts, including '' WTF with Marc Maron'' five times, and five appearances on Gilbert Gottfried's ''Amazing Colossal Podcast''. He is a frequent presence on the
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
programs '' Day 6'', ''Q'', and ''The Current'', and NPR programs ''Air Talk'' with Larry Mantle, ''The Leonard Lopate Show'', ''Press Play'', and ''
Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 A ...
''. He has appeared on the programs of Adam Carolla, Illeana Douglas, Dana Gould, Greg Fitzsimmons,
Moshe Kasher Mark Moshe Kasher (born July 6, 1979) is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in the Los Angeles area. He is the author of the 2012 memoir ''Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, ...
, Slate.com, Longform,
Tom Scharpling Thomas John Giuliano II (born February 9, 1969), known professionally as Tom Scharpling, is an American comedian, television writer, producer, music video director, voice actor, and radio host. He is best known for hosting the weekly Internet ...
, and
Doug Stanhope Doug Stanhope (born March 25, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, author, political activist and podcast host. His stand-up material favors caustic and often obscene observations of life in the style of Bill Hicks and Bill Burr, which he d ...
.


References


External links

*
Biographical feature in ''Los Angeles Magazine''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesteroff, Kliph Living people Media historians Year of birth missing (living people)