How To Be: Phyllis Diller, Vol. 2 - Paperback

by Heather McConnell (Introduction by), Maija Digiorgio (Author)

Great comedians are great because they are unafraid to be themselves at any cost and they have mastered the art of How To Be. Comedy legend Phyllis Diller is interviewed by fellow comedienne Maija DiGiorgio. In the second volume of the "How To Be" series, Ms. Diller talks in depth about getting started, being a woman in show business and being the only woman in the early days of comedy. This is a lesson in life and the craft of stand-up comedy performance by one of the great comediennes of our time. THE "HOW TO BE" SERIES: In early 2000, comedienne Maija DiGiorgio set out to make a film, documenting the bizarre, tragic, and hilarious world of the New York stand-up comedy circuit. Maija's interviews became a chance for her to get the answers she and so many others had sought about the business and craft of comedy. Her film, "Hollywood Outlaw" (originally titled "Bitter Jester") became an expose on fame, comedy, and the journey one comedienne takes to find her voice in this bizarre business. The film received rave reviews from Variety, the New York Times, and many other industry papers. Maija conducted hundreds of hours of interviews over a two year period. This series is the best of those interviews, raw and uncut. Get to know some of the greatest comedians like you have never known them before and understand a little better the art of How To Be.

Author Biography

Maija Di Giorgio is one of the industries most versatile and high voltage female comics around. Both nationally and internationally, Maija has commanded the stage at A-List Comedy Clubs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Canada, Scotland the UK and Japan. Both in the US and abroad, Maija has shared the stage with the modern comedy greats, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jim Norton, Dane Cook, Louis CK and Wanda Sykes among a few. Because of her ability to hold her own with the best, it was no surprise that Maija got standing ovations on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Showtime's At the Apollo. She was then invited to perform at The Beacon Theater with Def Jam's best. In addition to her numerous comedy club appearances, Maija has hosted live comedy events such as the LA division of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity Event. Maija's career has not stopped there, she also has numerous TV credits to her name such as Fox's Mouth Off (as a writer and co-host) NBC Friday Night and Sex in the City. Her radio career started at the top as the morning co-host and writer on New York City's #1 station, Hot 97. Maija then started her own radio network, Hollywood Outlaw which was a spin off of her acclaimed film, Bitter Jesters. Maija wrote, directed and starred in this comedy juggernaut of uproarious unpredictability. With cameos from the world's best and most respected comics in the industry; George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg and Paul Mooney, Maija was also the last person to hold an interview with legend, Richard Pryor. The film received rave reviews from Variety and The New York Times in addition to sold out screenings at Tribeca Film Festival, Cinequest, and The London Comedy Festival. The "How To Be" series is a compilation of the interviews Maija held with all of the comedy legends of the past several decades. She sat down with many of our favorites and received some the most insightful and funny interviews ever recorded.