Kate F. (kateford) reviewed Gasping for Airtime : Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
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.
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.
Gabrielle L. (gaby23) reviewed Gasping for Airtime : Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live on
Helpful Score: 1
This is a really interesting book written from someone on the inside of SNL. There are a few great stories about Adam Sandler, Lorne Michaels, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Phil Hartman, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley and pretty much all the stars of SNL in the 90's. The story of the bet with Chris Farley and Jay Mohr makes this book worth reading. You get a look on the inside and how the stars of SNL are in real life and what its like to work for the show.
Michael F. (studbiscuitdaddy) reviewed Gasping for Airtime : Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live on + 3 more book reviews
An interesting account of Jay's somewhat short stint as a writer and featured performer on this long-lived American institution. It's filled with interesting anecdotes about some of your all-time favorite cast members, but Jay spends too much time talking about dealing with his panic attacks, how unfairly he was treated, and how much time he spent complaining and doing anything and everything but his job. I can't imagine he got Lorne's blessing in writing this book, as there are many sordid details about the life of an SNL writer included.
