The Other Great Depression: How I'm Overcoming, on a Daily Basis, at Least a Million Addictions and Dysfunctions and Finding a Spiritual (Sometimes) Life

by Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis is one of the most gifted and successful comedians in America and one of those most respected by his peers. The Chicago Tribune has called him "the most audacious wordsmith since Lenny Bruce". But at the age of 44, at the height of his success, Lewis found himself on a gurney in the ER, toxic with alcohol and hallucinating from excess drug use. The same neuroses and dysfunctions that had been the basis for his successful stage persona and that had generated so much wonderful material for comedy, had, it seemed, turned on him.

How he got to that point, how he got on the road to recovery, and how he copes with being Richard Lewis sober on a daily basis are the subjects of this very funny, deeply honest, inspiring but unsentimental book. With the same fearlessness, wild energy, and coruscating humor that have defined his talent as a comedian, Lewis recreates scenes from his childhood and of his Hollywood escapades; imagines what Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, and Rodney Dangerfield might say on the subject of whether he should commit suicide; shares the gory details of his secret obsessions with food and women; holds forth on the difficulties of being a man and of having satisfying relationships; and talks about what it's like to be a "recovering lunatic" who occasionally, finally, feels like a human being.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Humor, Audiobook, Comedian, Family

288 pages, Hardcover

First published December 14, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Richard Lewis has taken his lifelong therapy fodderand carved it into a commanding, compelling art form. His early career as a stand-up brought him to the top of his ranks. Over time and through a variety of mediums, he broadened his exposure and more and more came on board to appreciate his brilliantly warped world. Comedy Central has recognized Mr. Lewis as one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he was charted on GQ magazine's life of the '20th century's most influential humorists.' In December of 1989, Lewis achieved a very personal goal...he performed at Carnegie Hall to a standing room only audience. Carl Nicholas Titolois a native New Yorker who lives with his wife of 43 years. He has spent the last three decades recording Italy's visual soundtrack through mixed-media imagery. He has held a teaching position in The School of Visual Arts for forty years, and at present is a faculty member of the Visual Essay Graduate Program. His studio is located on the Lower East Side in Manhattan and currently is completing a children's book about a man and his dog who reside in a small mountaintop village in Italy.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow simultaneously interesting and boring, I gave it one extra star for its well-meaning likeability. Light on details, it left me wondering about how exactly it was he found spirituality, or if he just went to it as a new addiction without much reflection. While I can understand why he'd shy away from gory details of his dark days, it almost gave the impression that they weren't as dire as he let on. His ego and sense of martyrdom have been preserved throughout the recovery process. But, hey, whatever works, and he's genuine and sincere even as he misses having any real insight. As an artifact of a mostly decent but deeply flawed human being, it was interesting.

Plus he cited Joseph Heller's "Something Awful" as his favorite novel, and told a kick ass "Jackie Gleason was a bastard" story and that's worth a star in itself.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think if someone was expecting this book to be your normal celebrity memoir with tales of behind-the-scenes secrets with different famous costars, they’d be disappointed. This book is formatted more like various essays going deeper into Richard’s struggles with addiction, self-hatred, eating disorders, loneliness, and intimacy issues. It’s raw and at times depressing, but in the end, it's an incredible act of bravery. I think it is especially bittersweet considering Richard’s passing a few months ago, his journey to become a better person is something that he worked very hard for. I hope in the end he realized that being so honest about it has helped many people and will continue to do so

[Real Housewife Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my God. Richard. I love him. I love his words, his insights and his ability to put words to feelings I have been unable to admit to. I recommend this book to anyone living in or headed towards recovery.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book suckered me in, bored me in the middle and really got me crying at the end. IT is a story I have heard before but he just describes almost to a T what goes on in an addict's mind. His elf-esteem stuff is well written and can be related to many MH situation. The middle dragged but otherwise, an awesome book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really like (love) Richard Lewis, you will enjoy this book.

[Logan Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not come into this memoir with the intention of being a hater; I just wanted to learn more about Richard Lewis. I deeply enjoyed his role in Curb Your Enthusiasm and, due to my abandonment of most news outlets and social media, did not hear about Lewis' death until I hit the counter of my local bookstore with the memoir in hand. When the cashier mentioned the unfortunate news, I was upset, but also even more incensed to start reading.

Oh, boy. What a disappointment.

I will admit first and foremost that I am not intimately familiar with Richard Lewis' standup comedy. I also do not believe his standup would save my opinion of this book, regardless of my thoughts on his humor, because it is made apparent from the start that the book's main aim is not to be funny, but to be enlightening on the subject of Lewis' struggle with addiction. What we get in place of humor or rote seriousness is a strange tone of half-in half-out, where weak jokes are posited in response to Lewis' observations of his own emotional states through the years. This could be genuine to his thought process, but it makes reading feel dull and repetitive, as few actual details are shared about his life, with 85% of the wordcount servicing his abstract mantras on why alcohol is bad and why spirituality is good. Actually, I lied; there's some "women bad, intimacy scary" thrown in there too, which could actually have worked if Lewis cared to detail his specific experiences more often. Instead, he falls back on weird semi-jokes about his terror towards emotional connection, lacking elaboration on the roots other than to continuously say his family was disconnected and distant while raising him. Okay, that could be interesting too, if only we were given information on specific instances that caused Lewis to harbor such deep emotional wounds from his childhood. But the lack of specificity results in what feels like whining from Lewis, since the pain itself is poorly written and repeated (as if repetition can substitute for active description to make something feel important).

The 15% of the book that's dedicated to his specific experiences almost frustrates me more than the abstract majority, if only because I am left desperate for more. The chapter "Reflections After Seeing Mom in Her Rest Home" is genuinely emotionally compelling, showing that Lewis is capable of writing a personal, moving moment from his life. It leaves me wondering why this narrative potency is absent from the rest of the book.

On page 8, Lewis describes what a journal entry from his alcoholic days would look like:
"Monday Morning... 7:45 A.M... 5 glasses of Moet & Chandon with a little orange juice... Alone in house... What was I feeling?... Have no idea... Just mindlessly watching the Weather Channel."
I'm angry at this part, because it so effectively portrays an addicted lifestyle. This effectiveness is not touched again, Lewis instead reveling in diatribes on why he feels judged and ashamed and important and incredible due to his recovery. These complicated emotions DO exist in the recovery process, but they are stated by the writer rather than earned from the reader.

The intermittent discussions of Lewis' preoccupation with masturbation were surprisingly a high point in the book. I would be midway through a segment about an evil seductress ex-girlfriend, then Lewis would start touching himself, and I would think to myself, "Thank God, this part is funny, dark, and weird," the way I hoped the rest of the book would be.

Also, shoutout to Larry David's possibly tongue-in-cheek book jacket quote, which states:
"I now known more about [Lewis] than I do about me. A most unfortunate development."

Lewis' narcissism is an entire discussion of its own that I'm not willing to go into. Just imagine a comedian ranting about their importance to society at large for almost three hundred pages, martyrdom complex included. I'm just thankful the book was published long before "cancel culture" complaints took off, because I can't even fathom the damage such an argument would inflict on an already-struggling narrative like this.

I started the book to learn about Richard Lewis: his life, his struggles, his lessons.
I finished the book to complain on Goodreads.

From page 234:
Jesus Christ was I glad that sentence was over.

[John Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out as one of the most fascinating, and personal, depictions of alcoholism I've ever read. Lewis fearlessly takes us all the way inside his addictions, and it enables us to understand that particular brand of hell as outsiders rarely can. After that, however, the book becomes a series of rambling and far-less-interesting accounts of his love and sex life ... basically far less funnier and interesting versions of his stand-up.

[Mike Medeiros · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's fairly rare that I don't finish even a moderately bad book but I only made it through this self-indulgent, repetitive drag of a book. How many different ways can you say 'I was a drunk now I'm a recovering alcoholic'. And I lost track of how many times the incorrect phrase"could care less" passed by my eyeballs.
I"ve always liked Richard but this book sucks unless perhaps as required reading for AA groups.

[Grizelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who does not appreciate the raw honesty and humility in this story of recovery has never been, or known, a loved one trapped in the hopeless lies of addiction. As an addiction specialist, I am recommending this book to my patients. Richard, you are reaching others and saving lives, telling your story fearlessly and in Lewis-ian style. Thank you.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comedians often have a hard time not being on all the time and this is one of those cases. For me it takes away from the subject matter. Maybe i'd have enjoyed it more as an audio book read by Lewis himself. Altogether not terrible though.

[Jake Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall pretty good with Richard's humor throughout. The neuroticism can be a bit much though. I'm all for hearing people's troubles, but the cynicism is over the top in this book. Nonetheless, RIP to a great man.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad, but open account. Not a lot about curb if that's what people are after. It's early life, and his career generally. Honest account of relationship with alcohol/drugs, but arguably still from the view of a person in a position of certain level of privilege

[Kayleigh Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of spooky that he talked so much about his death in this … and predicted he would die two years before he did… loved the anecdote about Bruce Springsteen and this made me very happy about my decision to be sober

[Carlton Duff · Rating 2 out of 5]

To borrow an AA phrase which Lewis does constantly in this scattershot memoir, I guess he has been “restored to sanity”...

[Anne Muha]

Listened on audiobook, highly recommend that experience over reading it.

[robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audio. Gave up almost immediately. Boring. Extremely tedious listening to the author going on and on about his drug and alcohol problems.

[Susan Battersby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always wonderful to hear about someone overcoming addiction to drugs or alcohol.

[Zach Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

Richard had a similar childhood as me and i’m starting to recognize that most of my favorite comedians have the same story. Rest in peace RL ♥️

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always had a soft spot for Richard Lewis. A short(ish) self-deprecating Jewish comedian with a tortured soul, a compulsion for psychotherapy, intimacy/substance use/mommy issues, and whose father died too early; let's just say there's a lot in there I've had some experience with, though not all at once.

While listening to Lewis read his audiobook, I took a break about halfway through because I needed to focus on something less intense than his neuroses for a short while (not due to his neuroses, but due to stuff in my life and headspace). When I returned, I made it through what I believe is his most comprehensive section about his intimacy, sexual, and commitment issues with women before I knew it was time to throw in the towel. I listened to him describe a therapy session where he proudly convinced his therapist that his current girlfriend was so incredible that he may be able to change his womanizing ways and commit to her, after which, as he was driving home and saw a beautiful woman in another car, proceeded to follow her (!), hoping to get the opportunity to say hello while stopped in traffic and perhaps... I don't know (and neither did he)... walk off into the sunset together (?) and then at a red light, as she rolled down her window, it was of course his actual girlfriend who knew exactly what he was doing. To Lewis, this was an earth-shattering experience. [Insert eye-roll.] He concludes by sharing how a friend of his, a famous aging musician, told him to marry her. (My guess is that it was Ringo Starr, because I know he met his eventual wife at a party for Ringo a couple of years before this memoir was published).

I felt a little irritated about the time he (and I) had spent on those issues, and when he began the next chapter by masticating - humor unintended; if you've read it, that is - the same insights and exclaims of incredulity at his own stupidity, I decided that while I cared about Lewis as a human being and find him charming and magnetic in that way that used to make my friends concerned for my well-being, I had given him enough of my time, and when that epiphany materialized at precisely 67% of the way through the book, our time together in this way had come to an end.

While I consider that last paragraph, I have to wonder if I'm subconsciously parroting his writing style, which is best described as one run-on sentence after another, a desperate attempt to complete what is effectively a diary that should’ve stayed in his night table instead of been published. I don’t say that to be rude; I think Lewis would agree.

As a tip of my hat to a great comedian and authentic human, maybe I'll send this review to my therapist and we can discuss it next week. Humor intended.

[Jennifer Nanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very dull in places..most places. It was full of rambling about why his life sucked.. reasons for drinking, his awful childhood and so on. I kept thinking "what a whiner". I am sure for him writing this might have been cathartic. I can also see how his story could be helpful to others in similar circumstances.

Some good parts.. For quite awhile he complains about his awful parents and childhood.. he realizes at some point that his parents respective childhoods weren't great either. He understands that they were doing the best they could.

As someone struggling with weight loss.. I can identify with his comments concerning food and resisting eating.

I think some of his ramblings were meant to be funny. Some of the stories were..for the most part not. Glad he is doing well though.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a Richard Lewis fan since college in the late-80's, and I wanted so much to like this book ... but I can't get through it. The story is important, but his writing style is making me nuts -- too circuitous and hard to follow. Not that different from his standup, but with standup you have the benefit of verbal and physical delivery. When it's words on a page, much is lost. I will say knowing Lewis' harrowing addiction explains his demeanor when I met him before a show in 1990. Glad he's got himself together.

[Sean Polite]

I have a reluctance to lend stars or ratings (in any reviews). Two words may mark this for anyone like me who is a fan of his stand up (or remember his brief small screen leap in the ABC sitcom "Anything But Love" with Jamie Lee Curtis)---"Unexpected" and "Absorbing" He does repeat himself often as far as his addictions and faith. But for what he's been through (self-imposed hell as he'll say quote often), he's got every right to do so.

[Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

a hard read but worth it, I guess. kind of like a comics equivalent of fulfilling one or two or three of the steps in a 12-step recovery program, admitting lots of faults and apologies and so on. don't read it for laughs, it's about as funny as a Hubert Selby manifesto. and I tried to maybe take it in as an audio book and Lewis sounded like he was tired and almost in a daze.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about a comedian with alcoholism and how he overcame it. I learned more about addiction from this book than I ever knew before. Not an easy read but if you have an addicted friend it might help you in many ways understand them.

[Phobos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Richard Lewis but there's more of a history of his drinking and debauchery here than a book of comedy. This can be pretty bleak at times. It's still pretty interesting but it seems like this was more of a self-help initiative by Lewis than an actual book.

[Christopher Denny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard's book THE OTHER GREAT DEPRESSION reminded me of 3 other books: How to Talk Dirty...by Lenny Bruce (but more confessional); The Catcher in the Rye (just as funny), & surprisingly Oscar Wilde's De Profundis (equally profound).

[Scott Wrobel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good and heartfelt and sometimes funny, but repetitious and has no organizing principle. I learned that Richard Lewis is a recovering alcoholic, though -- about five thousand times!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not the best-written book, but he's got some funny lines, and he's so honest about how he became a wreck of an alcoholic, and how he returned from it, that it's worth a little bit of a slog.

[Joy]

I really like him as a comic (see Curb your Enthusiasm) but I haven't read anything personal about him.

[Darkcircles · Rating 3 out of 5]

It helped me curb my drinking.