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  • Book
  • © 2018

The Punk Turn in Comedy

Masks of Anarchy

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explores the interconnections between comedy and punk studies
  • Focuses on a key moment in the history of comedy, the ‘punk turn’, and its continuing legacy in the way stand-up comedy has developed
  • Undertakes a comparative study of the punk and alternative comedy scene in the UK

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Comedy (PSCOM)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 1-11
  3. Peter Cook: Missing Links

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 13-31
  4. The ‘Alternative’

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 33-65
  5. Attitudes Towards the Past

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 67-98
  6. Styling the Amateur

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 99-110
  7. The Role of the Audience

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 111-121
  8. Modes of Dis-/Engagement

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 123-151
  9. Power Play

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 153-173
  10. ‘Style Without Affectation’: Honesty and Performance

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 175-193
  11. Boundaries of the (Un)Said

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 195-240
  12. Conclusion

    • Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone
    Pages 241-249
  13. Back Matter

    Pages 251-254

About this book

This book examines the interconnections between punk and alternative comedy (altcom). It explores how punk’s tendency towards humour and parody influenced the trajectory taken by altcom in the UK, and the punk strategies introduced when altcom sought self-definition against dominant established trends. The Punk Turn in Comedy considers the early promise of punk-comedy convergence in Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s ‘Derek and Clive’, and discusses punk and altcom’s attitudes towards dominant traditions. The chapters demonstrate how punk and altcom sought a direct approach for critique, one that rejected innuendo, while embracing the ‘amateur’ in style and experimenting with audience-performer interaction. Giappone argues that altcom tended to be more consistently politicised than punk, with a renewed emphasis on responsibility. The book is a timely exploration of the ‘punk turn’ in comedy history, and will speak to scholars of both comedy and punk studies.

Reviews

“Punk scholarship and comedy studies offer a wide range of routes into academic enquiry. The relationship between punk, humour and comedy is a largely unexplored area, with rich and exciting potential for research and critical analysis. This fascinating study of the shared influences that informed the evolution of both punk and alternative comedy in the late 1970s and early 1980s is a timely and important contribution to an evolving and expanding field.” (Dr Russ Bestley, London College of Communication, UK)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom

    Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone

About the author

Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone is Lecturer of English at the University of Malta, and member of the Centre for Critical Thought at the University of Kent, UK. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Punk Turn in Comedy

  • Book Subtitle: Masks of Anarchy

  • Authors: Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone

  • Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Comedy

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72841-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-72840-7Published: 06 June 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-10275-3Published: 25 January 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-72841-4Published: 24 May 2018

  • Series ISSN: 2731-4332

  • Series E-ISSN: 2731-4340

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XI, 254

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 3 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Popular Culture , Audio-Visual Culture, Music, Comedy Studies

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access