The Perfect Amount of Wrong: The Rise of Alt Comedy on Chicago's North Side(The History Press)

In just over a decade, a tiny, do-it-yourself stand-up scene on the North Side of Chicago produced some of the most successful and influential stand-up comedians of their generation. Hannibal Buress, T.J. Miller, Kyle Kinane, Cameron Esposito, Pete Holmes, Beth Stelling, Matt Braunger and Kumail Nanjiani make up a partial list of names of comics who emerged from a scene that had very little industry attention--or even a home club. It was also a scene that took a backseat to the city's vaunted improv institution, and if we're being completely honest, it was a scene where comics mostly performed to drunks in the backs of dingy bars on their off nights. None of it was glamorous. None of it should have worked at all. But somehow, some way, the comedians from this scene have managed to etch their own names into the Chicago comedy pantheon. The Perfect Amount of Wrong is the story of that scene, as told by its veterans.

About the Author :
Mike Bridenstine is a product of the Chicago stand-up scene. He has performed at festivals all around the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, including New Faces at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. Some of his TV credits include Last Call with Carson Daly on NBC, Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central and The Eric Andre Show on Adult Swim. You can listen to his podcast, Hunk with Mike Bridenstine, or listen to his comedy albums, The Hungry Wolf Hunts Best and Hustle, from AST Records on Apple and Spotify. This is his first book.

Review :
"Mike Bridenstine shines a light on an often-overlooked moment in our recent comedy history: the alternative stand-up scene in 1990s Chicago. Rich in detail, memory and imagination, this book is a must-read for both industry insiders and fans of cutting-edge comedy." --Kelly Leonard, The Second City "Bridenstine has written the ultimate guide to this specific period in Chicago comedy history. His book is funny, engaging, approachable and thorough. So very thorough. He remembers stuff that happened to me that I don't remember happening to me." --Kumail Nanjiani "Not only is this a stunningly well researched book, but Bridenstine lived through it all too. There's no substitute for getting on stage yourself but if you break your leg or are in prison, this book is absolutely the next best thing to slogging through the standup trenches with some genuine legends before they were household names (in my household anyway). There was a lot to like about the pandemic; we can now add to the list the fact that it allowed Bridenstine to complete this incredible book." - Rob Delaney "Mike creates a comprehensive roadmap of the scene I started in as well as a detailed account of the comics who arrived after my departure. If anyone is curious about the landscape that created some of the best (if not popular) comics working today, this is the book to read. I hate saying that it pulls no punches, but what would a book about Chicago standup be without a little bit of shit talking." - Kyle Kinane "Alternative comedy, like punk rock, was a rebellion against the status quo of an art form gone stale. Every major city had an alt scene, bucking the trends, confusing the audiences and annoying the club owners. In other words, Comedy Heaven. Mike Bridenstine's "Perfect Amount of Wrong is the next best thing to being there." - Dana Gould. Just when I thought the cultural obliviousness of my college years couldn't be greater, a new book, "The Perfect Amount of Wrong: The Rise of Alt Comedy on Chicago's North Side," opens another avenue of regret. Its author, the comic Mike Bridenstine, makes a persuasive case that Chicago in the late '90s and aughts was one of the great incubators of modern stand-up. Bridenstine was part of it, but his account, catnip for comedy nerds, benefits from detailed reporting, tracking the careers of, among others, Kumail Nanjiani, Kyle Kinane, Pete Holmes, Hannibal Buress, Beth Stelling and Cameron Esposito.