Judd Apatow's "Sick in the Head" A Fascinating Compilation of His Interviews with Celebrity Comedians

Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up" & "This is 40") was obsessively drawn to comedy as a boy.  His insatiable fascination with comedians led to an audacious drive to connect with his comic heroes & interview them.  As high school student in the early 1980s he sought & graciously received numerous interviews from the humorists & entertainers at the highest echelons:  Garry Shandling, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Allen & Martin Short to name just a few.  The comedy legends he interviewed as a teen, he revisits as an adult with a successful career in filmmaking, comedy writing and TV producing.  These  interviews are invaluable and should placed in the Smithsonian Institute & the Broadcast Hall of Fame.  They are invaluable with genuine warmth, mutual respect, helpful advice, intelligence, candor & wit.  The analysis by these comic celebrities of their crafts and work processes are contemplative & insightful.  Apatow's natural ability to converse & elicit information from the most successful & funniest entertainers of the last 3 decades is nothing short of miraculous.  The book has interviews from the funniest people on the planet:  Mel Brooks, James L. Brooks, Albert Brooks, Martin Short, Key & Peel, Steve Martin & Mike Nichols.  There are also many interviews with female comics & writers:  Lena Dunham, Sarah Silverman, Amy Schumer to name a few.  Judd writes an intro for each individual telling us of his admiration for the person & any personal relationship.  Apatow & Sandler were roommates as struggling comics in their early 20's.  The enduring relationships Apatow maintains throughout his career is admirable and the creative genius these artists possess is enviable.   Some of the comics dealt with their own demons and were forthright in discussing.  (Apatow whined too much about being a child from a divorced household.  Boo hoo hoo, get over it).  Regardless, reading these intimate behind the scenes dialogues with comic geniuses is endlessly fascinating.  The craft of writing & performing is revelatory and exceptionally entertaining.  This is as close as mere mortals can get to being included into the camaraderie of comic megastars.  The spirit of generosity & encouragement among these talented artists is magical & heartwarming.  The ability to make others laugh is arguably the most wonderful gift someone can share with the world.  I strongly urge everyone to read "Sick in the Head" and argue these precious recordings be placed into our national treasure troves for posterity.