For dedicated fans of Dave Barry\u2019s long career in humor, it almost seems superfluous for him to publish a memoir, considering how many of his columns and books feature his own misadventures.
\nBut there\u2019s still more to be told, and fans will enjoy his new book, \u201cClass Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass.\u201d He spends most of the book recounting the most interesting things that happened to him over his long career, including winning the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, but he starts with his childhood, revealing darker memories, including his father\u2019s alcoholism and his mother\u2019s suicide.<\/p>\n
We talked to Barry recently about his book and his future. And if you\u2019d like to hear him in person, he\u2019ll be in conversation with Paul Levine for a Live Talks Los Angeles event in downtown L.A. on Thursday, May 22. (Learn more here: livetalksla.org\/events\/davebarry\/).
\nThis conversation has been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n
Q: You\u2019re 77 years old, an age when most people are happily retired. Yet you\u2019re publishing a new book and now have a new column on the online platform Substack that already has 31,000 subscribers. What made you decide to do that?
\nDave Barry: I stopped writing a newspaper column 20 years ago, and I just finished a book. What attracted me to Substack is that you don\u2019t have a deadline and no required length. All those years, writing my newspaper column, I had to write 800 words every week that could go into a family newspaper.
\nQ: You clearly made a choice to feature your writing career in your memoir, and omit most of your personal life, although you have written about it in the past. Can you talk about that?
\nA: It was a decision I had to make. And who really cares about my family anyway? People are always asking me where I get my ideas, and I usually say \u201cCostco.\u201d But I got my humor from my mom. And I wanted to talk about where that came from.<\/p>\n
Q: Are there any family issues you wish you had written about?
\nA: I thought about including my (late) sister Kate, who had bipolar disorder. But ultimately decided against it.
\nQ: You\u2019re originally from Armonk, New York, yet you write often about living in Miami. In fact, you wrote an entire humor book about living in Florida, \u201cBest State Ever.\u201d Why do you live there?
\nA: Well, because the Miami Herald offered me a job there, although initially I made it a condition of my working there that I wouldn\u2019t have to live in Miami. But later, we moved there. The weather is great, and it\u2019s the least boring place I\u2019ve ever lived. I\u2019ve written 3 or 4 novels based in Miami. It\u2019s exotic, yet technically still in the United States.
\nHumor columnist Dave Barry. photo by Michelle Kaufman \/ Courtesy of Simon & Schuster)<\/p>\n
Q: Did you have an inspiration growing up for your humor, aside from your mom?
\nA: Robert Benchley. I just loved his stuff when I was a kid. His humor was very much of the culture of the time.
\nQ: You write for the first time in the book about your father\u2019s late-in-life alcoholism and your mother\u2019s suicide. Do you find that comics often have dark sides?
\nA: Yes. There are many people who do humor who are desperately bitter people. But not all. I was happy when I was a child, and that made a difference. I owe my career to my mother.<\/p>\n
Q: You wrote an entire book about your dog, Lucy, and in the past, your earlier dogs \u2013 Earnest and Zippy \u2013 became well-known characters in your stories. Do you have any pets now?
\nA: Lucy died at age 17, so we are currently dogless. We want to get another: a big dog who\u2019s a rescue. I definitely believe in rescue dogs.<\/p>\n
Q: I know your son, Rob Barry, was part of a team that won a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting at the Wall Street Journal; it must be unusual for a father and son to both win the top award in journalism. Is your wife Michelle still working as a journalist, and did your daughter Sophie join the family business?
\nA: Michelle (Kaufman) is a sportswriter for the Miami Herald and works harder than anybody I know. Sophie works in fashion marketing in New York. Rob is a journalist but \u2013 unlike his old man \u2013 he deals in facts.<\/p>\n
Q: Hopefully, this is a topic that won\u2019t need to be addressed for many years to come, but have you ever thought about what your final wishes would be?
\nA: No, not really, except that at my funeral they need to play \u201cTwist and Shout.\u201d The version by the Isley Brothers.<\/p>\n
Dave Barry with Paul Levine In conclusion, Dave Barry’s memoir, "Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass," is a hilarious and heartwarming look at the life of one of America’s most beloved humorists. With his signature wit and humor, Barry recounts his childhood, his career, and his personal life, giving readers a unique glimpse into the mind of a comedic genius.<\/p>\n Q: What is the title of Dave Barry’s new memoir? Introduction to Dave Barry’s Memoir For dedicated fans of Dave Barry\u2019s long career in humor, it almost seems superfluous for him to publish a memoir, considering how many of his columns and books feature his own misadventures. But there\u2019s still more to be told, and fans will enjoy his new book, \u201cClass Clown: The Memoirs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14460","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Class-Clown-cover-16x9-1.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,787&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14462,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14460\/revisions\/14462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhen: 8 p.m., May 22, 2025
\nWhere: Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar, 3200 Motor Avenue, Los Angeles
\nTickets: $50 general admission ticket + signed book ($46 for virtual attendance + signed book); $25 general admission ticket
\nInfo: https:\/\/livetalksla.org\/events\/davebarry\/<\/a><\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
\nA: The title of Dave Barry’s new memoir is "Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass."
\nQ: Where can I buy tickets to see Dave Barry in conversation with Paul Levine?
\nA: Tickets to see Dave Barry in conversation with Paul Levine can be purchased at https:\/\/livetalksla.org\/events\/davebarry\/<\/a>.
\nQ: What is the name of Dave Barry’s online column on Substack?
\nA: The name of Dave Barry’s online column on Substack is not specified in the article.
\nQ: How old is Dave Barry?
\nA: Dave Barry is 77 years old.
\nQ: What is the name of Dave Barry’s wife?
\nA: Dave Barry’s wife is Michelle Kaufman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"