“Too much has been said about stand-up comedy,” claims comedian and comedy coach Bobbie Oliver. “I think it’s time someone said Nothing – which is why I have written The Tao of Comedy: Embrace the Pause.“

Oliver tosses a grenade into the conventional wisdom regarding stand-up comedy books and classes, and gives the status quo a thorough shaking in her new book. “My goal is to de-hack comedy, one comedian at a time,” she says.
Drawing on Taoist and Zen Buddhist philosophies, The Tao of Comedy is about comedy as art, not as a means to the perennial end: fame.

Check out Bobbie’s book and see comedy in a whole new way.
Available HERE for a SIGNED COPY OR Amazon OR Kindle.

Contact Bobbie for an interview

only $25

What People Are Saying About
The Tao of Comedy: Embrace the Pause

Bobbie in Pasadena Weekly

Maria Bamford:
“I wish I had The Tao of Comedy when I was starting out and am so glad to have it now! Bobbie’s book is the equivalent of a great headliner spending the week with you, cheering on your sets from the back bar.”

Wendy Liebman:
“Before writing this blurb, I was going to read the first sentence of the Tao of Comedy preface, but I ended up reading the whole freaking book- I couldn’t put it down! It’s that good. I am actually still holding it.’

Tom Simmons:
“I love The Tao of Comedy. I hope it sells a million copies. Actually, part of me hopes no one else reads it… cause then it will be my secret weapon. In ten years, you will be able to watch a comedy show and tell who didn’t read this book. He will be opening for the comic who did.”

This book is like no other stand-up comedy book out there. It does not give you stringent formulas for joke writing or promise to make you rich and famous. No gimmicks. No props. No wacky catchphrases. No false personas or one-dimensional characters. This book is about learning the art of stand-up comedy. Comedy as a spiritual path to disover who you really are and what you want to express. This path will make you a better writer, performer and businessperson, and help you lighten up a little in the process. Look at stand-up comedy in a new way. Come with me, grasshopper, and we will learn the Tao of Comedy.

Bobbie Oliver is a 25-year veteran stand-up comic, writer, producer and comedy coach living in Los Angeles. Owner of Tao Comedy Studio, Bobbie has taught comedy to hundreds of comedians in Los Angeles. She has appeared on ABC, TNN, Style, NPR, Comedy TV, Sirius XM Radio and was called one of “the best comics in America” by the New York Post. Bobbie has performed in comedy clubs, colleges and hell gigs all over America.

More Testimonials for The Tao of Comedy: Embrace the Pause

“Never before, in my knowledge, has a book been written that get so completely to the soul of creativity.”
-JJ Miller

“The only how-to book on comedy I ever picked up that I couldn’t put down.  Bobbie Oliver puts into words how one’s life can be transformed by stand-up and how to do stand-up so it transforms your life.”
-Jane Alcala

“Bobbie Oliver quotes comedian Garry Shandling as saying – It’s like taking a Buddhist temple bell, an authentic, two-thousand-year-old bell, ringing it and going, “Can you tell me why that rings so purely?” Because it’s the real thing.

This aptly describes her own book; it rings deep and true because it is based in the reality of learned truth, compassion, the way, in hard experience all anchored in authenticity, integrity and artistry.

I would have to say that for me personally, this is the best overall book on comedy I’ve ever read. This book touches upon aspects of comedy you don’t often ever hear discussed such as spirit, integrity, philosophy, ethics, and authenticity. This is a book written by an artist for those who consider comedy an art as I do, and I love how she delves into the tension between commerce and artistic expression. I enjoy that she treats her readers with respect, she’s honest and forthright but also considerate and clear. She explains WHY you need to do things, she just doesn’t tell you what to do.

I’ve been doing comedy over three years now, just now getting paid doing showcases and this book gave me guidance, hope, inspiration, useable techniques and overall strategy. It spoke to me in a voice I understood and was willing to trust and articulated things that rang true to my own personal experience. Her example embodies the comedian, teacher and person I would like to grow into being more like.

This book gives me confidence that I’ve been going about it the right way, that finding your voice and persona is really all about being true to yourself. On page one of the preface, Bobbie opens with, “Your comedy, your art, is an invitation to your Self. I have chosen to follow comedy as a spiritual path. What religion and I? I am comic.” Amen sister!

I also loved this passage from page two, “I also put forth this book as an answer to the people who have brought comedy down to the level of bullying. There is an ever-growing tangent of comics who use their position to be mean for the sake of being mean…I choose a nobler profession than Bully. I choose Social Philosopher. I choose Advocate for those without a microphone. I choose Artist and Seeker.” I feel like Bobbie is also an advocate for us who like her possess integrity, authenticity, have something to say and not just something to sell. She speaks for me and to me.

The biggest surprise and what she emphasizes the most, is the pause. The effective use of silence and pauses. I’m really getting how melodic and musical comedy can be, always knew that but to have it explicitly expressed and analyzed is an eye opener and real advantage. Slow down, enjoy the now.

Just a real gem and joy of a book! I’ve never been to a comedy workshop before, but I can’t imagine there would be anyone else I would even consider going to after reading her book!”
–John Lee Grogan Jr.

 “The Tao of Comedy: Embrace the Pause helped me to connect my creativity and my everyday struggles. In reading it I was able to find my own voice, and found much comfort in using it. Thank you Bobbie for helping me kick start my dream!”
–Lonisone Marshall

 “This book is a turning point in the history of comedy as an art form. Whether you’re a professional or a newcomer, Bobbie Oliver’s is the definitive book on stand-up comedy. Rather than teaching new comics rigid joke formulas and inauthentic personas, Bobbie teaches the tools any emerging comedian would need to develop their own style and material. For veteran comics, this book offers a philosophical approach to comedy that helps put you in the right state of mind to find and develop new material or get through writer’s block and various stresses. You’ll be stunned at how she’s managed to boil down and articulate some of the little tricks and nuances of stand up you’ve gained through years of experience into such a concise methodology. I was skeptical of some of the eastern philosophy and meditation stuff but Bobbie applies it to comedy in a way that’s challenging and really has helped put me in the mindset to write and perform. For my fellow female comics, this book addresses the added challenges of being a woman in comedy in a very real way- Bobbie’s coming from a place of experience and respect.

When Bobbie addresses the social politics in comedy and in society in general as they relate to comedy, she does so in a way that acknowledges the complexity of certain social issues. Bobbie never panders or acts as though certain subjects should be ‘off limits.’ Rather than appeal for censorship, she appeals to the comedian: Will you mine the same old stereotypes and hack jokes comics have been telling for years, or will you take a serious look at our prejudices and come up with something new and funny?

Almost every art form- painting, poetry, music, etc., has had its own techniques to help artists improve and build upon their own work and the medium as a whole. Now, thanks to Bobbie Oliver, so does comedy. “
-Hana Michels

“After reading The Tao of Comedy I no longer fear going on stage to perform. Instead I’ve learned to use that fear to my advantage.  ”
-Kevin Thomas

“One of my purpose in life is to do stand-up comedy……I did it for about 4 years during the heyday of stand-up in the mid-late 80’s, stopped but I knew one day I will get back behind the mike. So enters Bobbie Oliver……..who is born to teach stand-up.  I believe Bobbie’s purpose in life is to teach, nurture, support and keep the laughter alive.

I took a workshop with her, and I knew she must be in my life to ‘fan my flames.’ Been a ‘magic carpet ride’ with Bobbie.-literally, my life is on fire.

I would say to take a workshop with her is the best, but the book The Tao of Comedy Embrace the Pause will embrace you and help your standup a thousand fold. And for the beginners, how lucky you are to have a book that will guide, teach and have you get in touch with your ‘universe’ inside you.

I will stop here but…………..laughter goes on………….because of Bobbie Oliver…….”
-Yoshio Moriwaki

“I enjoyed this book! Bobbie Oliver takes a pragmatic and helpful approach to creating comedy, and it’s very readable and enjoyable. She highly recommends meditation, which is great for me, but even if you’re not into it there is plenty of good advice in this book.”
-Thomas Bickle

“This is the perfect book providing comics (and useful for many actors in general, as well) advice on what to do on stage, It provides much useful advice that should be followed by most anyone hoping to be a comic (or even an actor). It also contains humor and jokes making it a fun read even for people who never want to set foot on a stage yet wish to learn about comedy. This is a fun book about being fun on stage.”
-Leon Czikowsky

“I think Bobbie nails it. In a way this book is more than just a book for comedians, it’s for anyone who wants to truly express themselves; it’s about being open enough to allow yourself to truly experience of the moment. If you’re a human being there is something you can get out of this book. If you can’t find it check your pulse.”
-Gerry Albitre

“Bobbie Oliver is not only a comedian, she is a comedy teacher. Her true calling in life is to teach comedy. She has taught thousands of students the art of comedy. I started with a blank sheet of paper. I would never have thought in a million years I would be able to stand up on stage with ut passing out from fear. Everything in this book is exactly what Bobbie taught me about comedy. If I can do it, so can you. Inside this book is her life with comedy and every secret she knows to make you a comedian.”
-Mike Bagack