Miller And Cooper

I Killed is a fun collection of road stories from comics. Almost all involved drugs, sex or tough audiences and club owners.

There's not much to say, since there's no plot, just anecdotes, and I don't want to give them away. Okay, here's one. It's probably the best (or at least the most amazing), and they must know because it's the first story in the book.

It's from Larry Miller, who's also told this story on talk shows. He's just starting out, and one of his earliest bits is about how when you return for high school reunions, you still call your former teachers "Mr." or "Mrs." After noting that, Miller would look off into the audience, point and says "Hey, Mr. Cooper, remember when we set you on fire?"

Maybe not the most brilliant line, but it always got a laugh.

He and a friend get a gig in the hinterlands of New Jersey, at a high school. Perfect for the bit. So he launches into it, and when he gets to the Mr. Cooper punchline, no laugh. In fact, there's a wave of anger. No matter how hard he tries, he can't get the audience back.

Soon after, he finds out a beloved teacher passed away a few days before. His name was Mr. Cooper. He died in a fire.

Pretty soon it gets ugly, and the students are like angry villagers, going after Miller and his friend. They barely escape. He's learning show biz is a tough racket.