Sleepwalk with me is a comedic memoir, but im only thirtytwo years old, so id hate for you to think im wrapping it up, so to speak. Sleepwalk with me, by the comedian mike birbiglia the. Sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories. This same material is more enjoyable in birbiglias stage. Mom helps sleepwalking son go back to bed virtual sex, older woman, mature, fauxcest. Mike birbiglia s magnum opus sleepwalk with me is now on cd. Bursting with sincerity, mike birbiglias foray into the medium marks the invigorating emergence of a strong and poignant american voice, at once hilarious and heartbreaking. Standup benefits by giving the impression of effortlessness. This and other reasons to fear sleep, including bedbugs, the shining, and mildmannered husbands who turn into maniacs while asleep. In the comedy central regulars first foray into the book business, the author engages in plenty of selfdeprecating putdowns, non sequiturs and underdogloser stories.
His doctor tells him to start using a sleeping bag and to wear mittens so he cant get out of it. Borrego, new mexico is a peaceful little desert town. Except, that is, for one thing, someone there hates the teenagers and wants them silenced forever. Sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories by mike. He is a frequent contributor to this american life and the moth, and has released several comedy albums and television specials. His one person shows sleepwalk with me and my girlfriend s boyfriend have both run successfully offbroadway and toured internationally.
His one person shows sleepwalk with me and my girlfriends boyfriend have both run successfully offbroadway and toured internationally. One night in a motel in walla walla, he leaps through a secondfloor window and escapes death but has to have glass splinters removed from his legs. Stories that i considered not publishing time and time againabout my childhood, about girls i made out with when i was thirteen, about my parents, and, of course, about my bouts with sleepwalking. I heard mike birbiglias original sleepwalking story when it aired on this american life, which i listen to faithfully every week. Shortly after, he made a live standup record and wrote a book of the same name.
His first book, sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories, was a new york times bestseller and a finalist for the thurber prize for american humor. It rose to the number 1 position for the last two weeks in september and. Sleepwalk definition of sleepwalk by merriamwebster. Sleepwalk with me is a low budget but expertly made, moving comedydrama. Like, comment, and subscribed and check out my other lesson and cover videos. Sleepwalk with me by lauren ambrose, james rebhorn, carol. Publication date 2010 topics birbiglia, mike, comedians united states biography publisher.
Sleepwalk with me by mike birbiglia hello, i am mike birbiglia and i want you to read my book. But making sleepwalk with me, based on birbiglias oneman show and comedic memoir, caused birbiglia anxiety which exacerbated his disorder. This short film, starring comedian and author mike birbiglia and fresh air host terry gross, was part of last weeks live this american life show that was seen in movie theaters across the country. I would recommend this as an audio book so you can listen to mikes excellent storytelling skills instead of in book form. Despite my fondness for birbiglias comedy, at the end of this i found birbiglias standup special what i should have said was nothing hysterical. If you are a david sedaris fan, you will probably enjoy this book. Mike birbiglia is a comedian, author, actor, and director. Should germany really be blamed for the first world war, or did european nations simply sleepwalk into it. First, know that this book is well written and funny.
Its written by, directed by, and stars mike birbiglia as a thinly veiled version of himself, a struggling young standup comic who battles a severe sleepwalking disorder en route to success. Mike birbiglia actor, comedian, writer is all three archetypes compounded, and his new book, sleepwalk with me, based on his offbroadway show of the same title, legitimizes his funny bone. I have read a lot of humor books and not many of them make me laugh. Sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories book. Sleepwalk with me features lauren ambrose six feet under, carol kane taxi, james rebhorn meet the parents, cristin milioti star of broadways once, plus comedians marc maron, kristen schaal, wyatt cenac, jessi klein, henry phillips and david wain. Fear of sleep mike birbiglia got used to strange things happening to him when he sleptuntil something happened that almost killed him mikes story is now a feature film, sleepwalk with me. Mike birbiglia offers a humorous memoir about first love, denial, sleepwalking, and. Some of the stories are about my childhood, some are about girls i made out with when i was thirteen, some are about my parents, and some are, of course, about my bouts with sleepwalking. The book details several painfully embarrassing moments from his. Mike birbiglia the comedian offers a humorous memoir about first love, denial, sleepwalking, and the.
He is the author of the forthcoming book the new one. Sleepwalk with me is the rare collision of comedy and theatre that touches your funny. Sleepwalk with me ebook by mike birbiglia official. Sleepwalk with me book columbus metropolitan library. Sleepwalk with me by mike birbiglia overdrive rakuten. In his theatrical debut, comedian mike birbiglia takes the audience on a hysterically funny and intensely personal journey through his struggles with sleepwalking and his reluctance to confront his fears of love, honesty and growing up.
Although i love his sleepwalk with me comedy sketch, sleepwalk with me the book is a little boring. I recommend reading the book first and then watching the movie with the same title. Sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories poets. But in sleepwalk with me, they feel less like deliberate choices and more like careless omissionsor worse, a kind of emotional timidity, an unwillingness to dig beneath the surface, even a. Based on the successful oneman show, sleepwalk with me engages in the kind of passionate and personal storytelling that transfigures intimate anguish into comic art. Comedian mike birbiglia has a disorder that makes him sleepwalk. Sleepwalk with me book by mike birbiglia official publisher page. A burgeoning standup comedian struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore. Its constantly depressing, both the story and the main character, but he nails. Sleep walk entered billboards top 40 on august 17, 1959.
He truly brings to life his story as he tells it more so than is possible in a book. I saw him perform sleepwalk with me and its followup, my girlfriends boyfriend in new york. In sleepwalk with me, a movie that the comic performer and writer mike birbiglia adapted from his oneman show, a slightly schlubby comedian takes his act on the road. The hero of mike birbiglias sleepwalk with me is a standup comic who suffers from rem behavior disorder. He was a finalist for the thurber prize for american humor for this book and his feature film adaptation of it won the next categorys audience award at sundance film festival in 2012.
Sleepwalking aiden valentine sleeps with stepsister and stepmom. Birbiglia recounts the events leading up to his neardeath experience in washington in his new comedic memoir, sleepwalk with me. Winner of a 2012 audience award at sundance, comedian mike birbiglia wrote, directed and stars in this film based on his offbroadway show and bestselling book. Birbiglia took his sleepwalking woes and made a hit oneman offbroadway show about it called sleepwalk with me. Spending the night with sleepwalker mike birbiglia. Sleepwalk with me by comedian mike birbiglia is a fast and funny read which also delves into the serious topic of his sleepwalking. Sleepwalk with me takes familiar material and twists it slightly, bringing new themes into focus even as it relies heavily on mike birbiglias tales of screwy gigs, stoic audiences and.
Its also the first movie cowritten by ira glass and coproduced by this american life. Although you can definitely tell this is a directorial debut, as its edited and shot very amateurishly, sleepwalk with me is still an engaging, harrowing start for mike birbiglia as a director. His sht luck was good luck, and the continued success of this act pushed him to make a feature about it called you guessed it sleepwalk with. Sleepwalk with me ebook by mike birbiglia rakuten kobo. As an actor, birbiglia has appeared on billions and orange is the new black, as. Im reading sleepwalk with me late at night on my phone. The book, which debuted at number 29 on the new york times. His featurelength directorial debut sleepwalk with me 2012, based on his oneman show of the same name and in which he also. Explore audibles collection of free sleep and relaxation audio experiences. Popular comedian birbiglia reminisces about his wacky childhood pipe dreams, sleep disorders and occupational and social failures. Sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories by mike birbiglia. A good nights sleep is essential for keeping our minds and bodies strong. He recounts his worst episode as well as other painfully embarrassing moments. Read sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories by mike birbiglia available from rakuten kobo.
The book, which debuted at number 29 on the new york times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list, was based on his oneman show of the same name and was a finalist for the 2011 thurber prize for american humor. Hello, i am mike birbiglia and i want you to read my book. Birbiglias 2010 book, sleepwalk with me and other painfully true stories, was made into a movie that will be released by ifc films this fall. Sleepwalk by john saul meet your next favorite book. Prominently featuring steel guitar, the song was recorded at trinity music in manhattan, new york city. With mike birbiglia, lauren ambrose, james rebhorn, carol kane. Sleepwalk with me comedy winner of a 2012 audience award at sundance, comedian mike birbiglia wrote, directed and stars in this sincere and hilarious film, based on his offbroadway show and bestselling book. Sleepwalk definition is to walk while or as if while asleep. His sht luck was good luck, and the continued success of this act pushed him to. Sleepwalk with me, mike birbiglias purposeless and unfunny memoir, castrates his standup routine by putting it into the deliveryless medium of book form.