Going Too Far

Going Too Far: The Rise and Demise of Sick, Gross, Black, Sophomoric, Weirdo, Pinko, Anarchist, Underground, Anti-Establishment Humor

Author Tony Hendra

Publisher Doubleday, 1987 First Edition

Format Hardcover with original dust jacket, protected in Brodart archival covering

Condition like new

Summary

Tony Hendra’s Going Too Far is a sharp, fascinating chronicle of American humor’s most unruly evolution—the wild and wicked rise of anti-establishment comedy. As a key player in the satire revolution through National Lampoon, Hendra delivers a deeply informed and outrageously entertaining exploration of boundary-pushing comedy from the postwar era through the 1980s. He charts the fearless voices that dared to offend, disturb, and expose hypocrisy—comedians like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and the creators of MAD Magazine. With biting wit and insider insight, Hendra exposes how these subversive comics transformed cultural taboos into comic material and why their influence mattered. For anyone intrigued by the cultural wars of the 20th century, or simply hungry for comedy with a conscience and a rebel streak, this book is essential. A compelling read for fans of satire, media studies, and American cultural history.