When comedian Dave Hill performs standup, he’s acutely aware of the audience’s reactions. “The energy of it, you can really feel it,’’ he said. “There’s kind of regular laughter,’’ Hill said, “and then there’s some polite laughter, and then there’s belly laughs — which you really want — and then there’s sort of rolling laughter, someone just kind of convulsing in the corner, which is great.’’

Writing for the stage, Hill said, allows a comedian to edit on the fly, taking cues from which jokes land and which ones don’t. “The nice thing about performing live is that you get to do it over and over again until you get it right,’’ he said.

Writing for the page, says Hill, whose second book, “Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,’’ was published this month, “you don’t have the benefit of facial expressions or physical things; you just have the words.’’ But there are advantages, too: “Writing is kind of nice because you don’t leave the house.’’

Neither writing books nor performing comedy was in Hill’s plans as a kid. Growing up on classic rock radio stations in his native Cleveland, Hill said he was “just hellbent on rocking’’ once adolescence hit. His taste spans half a century of guitar-driven music. “Led Zeppelin’s like my favorite. But then the Smiths are also my favorite,’’ Hill said. “I have like 10 absolute favorite bands.’’

The theme song for John Oliver’s HBO show is performed by Hill’s band, and music plays a role in his stand-up as well. He won’t be playing the guitar on book tour, he said, but added, “I pretty much always have a guitar with me in the hotel. To just kind of mess around with, anywhere I am.’’

Hill will read from the new book and be interviewed onstage by the Globe’s Meredith Goldstein Thursday at 7 p.m. at UForge Gallery, 767 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. Tickets for the event, sponsored by Papercuts J.P., are $7 for the performance or $30 (which also includes a book) and are available online.

Kate Tuttle, a writer and editor, can be reached at kate.tuttle@gmail.com.