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Editorial Review Product Description
Now in paperback, the revelatory and surprising memoir of life behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live, by former cast member Jay Mohr his insider account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live provides the scoop on quirky guests, pitch meetings, fake pitch meetings, rehearsals, cast members, live broadcasts, and of course, getting airtime. Refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny, this book will appeal to fans of Jay Mohr, devotees of Saturday Night Live, and young comics yearning for stand-up stardom. ... Read more Customer Reviews (51) 
totally forgettable
I picked this up because I had seen Mohr on a Conan and a couple of times and thought the dude was brilliant.I didn't even know he had been on Saturday Night Live, but as soon as I learned about this book I was determined to read it since I figured that his sparkling wit would transfer to the written page.
Not the case.It's basically just Mohr recounting what it was like to work on SNL for his two and only years.He apparently had serious substance abuse problems during this time, only I think his writing about them isn't that interesting.
The book left a bad taste in my mouth because I think Mohr consistently overrated himself.He seemed peeved for pages on end because he felt he wasn't sufficiently appreciated at SNL, but objectively considered, his contributions weren't much.The best thing he did for them was, by his own admission, some other comedian's material.I'm floored that he wasn't fired on the spot for that.
The only thing I'm going to remember about it is a couple of anecdotes about Chris Farley.
A whole new perspective
This book was great!The behind the scenes of SNL gave me an entire new outlook on the show.I even remember many of the skits that Jay references in the book.
A great look into a young, struggling comedian/actor trying to make it big by getting his dream shot as a featured player on Saturday Night Live... then seems to get railroaded everywhere he went.A completely different environment then what you would expect.
Chin up Jay!Your wife is HOT!
Lamar
Exhausting. I'm glad to be finished.
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.
This is a fast read. I expected something a bit light hearted, mostly anecdotes about the back stage antics of the SNL cast members. Instead, this book just made me really sad. It's still a good read, but the reader should be prepared for a look at just how poorly some cast members are treated (even if they may bring it on themselves) in a cut throat business.
Jay Mohr was a SNL "Featured Player" for two years. One thinks the announcer on a show who reads off a list of cast members, and then says the term "And featuring ..." with additional names, including Jay Mohr, suggests some kind of specialty or guest star status, when in fact it's the exact opposite. It means you are NOT in regular rotation are basically a rookie on probation, an intern. It's the lowest player in the bunch.
Jay was brought in by producer Lorne Michaels, personally, and then went through two years of writing and submitting sketch after sketch with little or no mentoring or assistance from other cast members, who each have to elbow others aside to get even a minute of air time. His popular impressions of Christopher Walken saved the day on a few occasions, but being given only modest air time with a few sketches, in two years, makes for a demoralizing experience.
The initial chapters deal with Jay's early internship with the show and what is plainly obvious to the reader, but not to Jay for a year at least, that he was suffering from extreme Panic Attacks. He finally gets the medical help he needs and begins to feel just a little bit normal, which ironically, makes accepting his increasingly intolerable situation at SNL all the more difficult to bear. When you are feeling insane, the insanity surrounds you is almost normal. When you are finally feeling normal, the insanity which surrounds you becomes unbearable.
The interesting anecdotes about various quirks with guests and cast members are contained primarily in the last chapter, and by the time I got to that chapter, I was quite simply, exhausted with the stress he had been under. I wanted some of his medication. I honestly felt sympathy for this guy I once considered to be a "bit player", but felt some cheer that immediately after leaving the show, he went on to FAR greater acclaim in "Jerry Macquire" and other movies.
To be fair to SNL, why he was underutilized in SNL isn't THAT much of a mystery -- he was on the show at the same time as Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Mike Meyers, Michael McKean, and other talent powerhouses. While he was moderately good on the show, he wasn't nearly as good as they were, and that left him with the title of the book -- gasping for airtime. Why Michaels brought him on board in the first place when his show already had significant talent and didn't need his sketches? No clue.
He's in a better place off that show, and I now have a different viewpoint to what I used to think was one of the greatest shows on television. I stopped watching it years ago, when it just seemed not terribly unique anymore. Now that I know what goes on behind the scenes, I'm kind of glad I'm not watching the end product. Basically, never ask how sausage is made. You won't want to eat it after you know.
Need More Mohr
I really like Jay's fresh perspective. Being a life long SNL fan it gives one a great behind the scenes look at the shows zany weekly production schedule. This is the kind of book you can start at any chapter and read through. Fun light fare, an ideal summer read!! By any means, not 'Auspicious';-)
Lacking Mohr's Trademark Snark
Jay Mohr, who blew up the screen during the short run of Fox's "Action" and created "Last Comic Standing," put out this memoir in the spirit of Laura Kightlinger's book "Quick Shots of False Hope" (she also worked on "SNL" and was a stand-up comedian). The tone of Mohr's book is suprisingly saccharine and way too kiss-assy for my tastes, especially since his comedy act is totally snarky and piercing. Lorne Michaels gets off way too easy here, with Mohr's kid gloves barely glancing off the creator and show runner of the late-night institution. The anecdotes about Chris Farley are genuinely touching and a bit raucous, and the panic attacks and overall anxiety Mohr experiences while in New York are very well rendered in the narrative. Overall, a halfway-decent book, but it could have been/should have been so much funnier and scathing. If you're looking for the "truth" about backstage life at "SNL" and a far superior book, check out Tom Shales book, "Live From New York," made up exclusively of interviews by the performers, guest stars, writers and executives who have come through the doors of 30 Rock over the past 30 years. It's a hilarious, depressing, eye-opening expose of the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players and the legacy of one of the longest running shows in television history. As for Mohr's book...ehh.
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This book pretty much nails it!
mom