In 'Class Clown,' humorist Dave Barry embraces both the funny and hard parts of life

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pulitzer Prize-winner Dave Barry wrote a humor column for 22 years. In his new book Class Clown, he tells the story of the first 77 years of his life, spent embracing comedy – but also some difficulties. One focus of the book is his relationship with his parents. Barry writes that his mom was a kind of comedic mentor who possessed a uniquely dark, edgy wit, but also struggled with depression. And Barry's father was a Presbyterian minister and, he says, a famously good listener, but also developed alcoholism. In today's episode, the author joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on Barry's family, and also his concerns about new trends in the comedy industry.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. It's almost a cliche at this point that the funniest people are the saddest, that humor can be a shield, a crutch, and a bomb for people really going through the worst that life has to offer.
0:19.1	Humor's Dave Barry is no exception.
0:21.3	The author and columnist is out with a new memoir titled Class Clown.
0:25.5	It's about his life growing up.
0:27.4	His dad was a Presbyterian minister and an alcoholic.
0:30.8	And his mom, well, his mom was the funny one.
0:33.9	And as he tells NPR Scott Simon, Barry's mom was going through it herself.
0:38.9	That's ahead.
0:40.4	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:45.2	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.
0:51.8	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,
0:55.5	helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
0:59.1	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:04.6	Sometimes the title does tell it all, and even maybe a little too much.
1:10.1	Dave Barry's new book is Class Clown,
1:12.2	The Memoirs of a Professional Wise-Ass.
1:16.1	Now I went 77 years without growing up.
1:19.8	Dave Barry wrote a syndicated humor column for 22 years.
1:23.1	He won a Pulitzer Surprise for commentary.
1:26.3	And like his many books, Class Clown is funny.
1:30.1	And that makes some of the recollections that are darkest and probably hardest stand out.
1:35.6	And we will alert you that there may be mention of suicide.
	...

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