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Banging My Head Against the Wall: A Comedy Writer's Guide to Seeing Stars
Seinfeld writer Andy Cowan's 2018 comedy memoir, Banging My Head Against the A Comedy Writer’s Guide to Seeing Stars, foreword by Jay Leno, was recently acquired by The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, a 2019 USA Today Best New Attraction.
“The Opposite” wasn’t just the classic Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza followed the opposite of his instincts to land success. The method behind the madness has been championed in industries worldwide and even likened to the rise of Trump. The award-winning writer who helped Costanza win, and first pondered “the opposite” in his own life, identifies traces of it in the legends he mined for anecdotes before the cameras rolled at his first high-profile Hollywood job on which he also became a recurring performer, and in numerous stops along his unique road of comedy writing and performing twists and turns, as the only scribe associated with Cheers, Seinfeld and 3rd Rock From the Sun. (Multiple episodes and staff)
For a Tinseltown backstage pass, lessons from film and television icons, in-the-trenches comedy writing and performing strategies, Seinfeld episodes that could have been, talk show, sitcom and single panel cartoon development, and pitching the decision makers (or doing the opposite of playing their game), you’ll want to keep… Banging My Head Against the Wall!
“The Opposite” wasn’t just the classic Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza followed the opposite of his instincts to land success. The method behind the madness has been championed in industries worldwide and even likened to the rise of Trump. The award-winning writer who helped Costanza win, and first pondered “the opposite” in his own life, identifies traces of it in the legends he mined for anecdotes before the cameras rolled at his first high-profile Hollywood job on which he also became a recurring performer, and in numerous stops along his unique road of comedy writing and performing twists and turns, as the only scribe associated with Cheers, Seinfeld and 3rd Rock From the Sun. (Multiple episodes and staff)
For a Tinseltown backstage pass, lessons from film and television icons, in-the-trenches comedy writing and performing strategies, Seinfeld episodes that could have been, talk show, sitcom and single panel cartoon development, and pitching the decision makers (or doing the opposite of playing their game), you’ll want to keep… Banging My Head Against the Wall!
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2018
332 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 19, 2021
I did not enjoy this book, there was no real structure to it, we didn"t learn anything about the author's life and how he came to be a writer and I was sick of hearing about "The Opposite".
November 5, 2023
Unorganized, unreadable mess. A guy most of us have never heard of wrote small parts of a few sitcom scripts in the 1990s, as well as doing the pre-interviews for Merv Griffin in the 1980s. He scrambles all that up and adds every other little thing he has ever done (including cartoons and links to audio/video you won't want to check out), jamming it into a 432-page rambling scrapbook that jumps timelines, has long paragraphs and bad punctuation, and none of it is funny. It really sucks.
Stuff is so jumbled and out-of-order, with his own comedic ideas inserted in the middle of some other topic, that you'll be constantly confused and tire of this quickly. You'd think a guy who was on the Seinfeld staff would be able to write; he can't. He insists on printing what seems like every possible Seinfeld idea pitch he ever came up with--and even that is boring! Coming from a show where everything was ironic, this aptly titled memoir just begs the following review: I was banging my head against the wall while reading this unfunny book.
Stuff is so jumbled and out-of-order, with his own comedic ideas inserted in the middle of some other topic, that you'll be constantly confused and tire of this quickly. You'd think a guy who was on the Seinfeld staff would be able to write; he can't. He insists on printing what seems like every possible Seinfeld idea pitch he ever came up with--and even that is boring! Coming from a show where everything was ironic, this aptly titled memoir just begs the following review: I was banging my head against the wall while reading this unfunny book.
May 25, 2020
Andy’s Cowan’s long journey as a TV comedy writer for shows like Seinfeld, Cheers and 3rd Rock is perfectly chronicled in this entertaining book. I know absolutely nothing about Hollywood’s wild world of story pitching and scriptwriting, yet I thought this book explained it in a way a novice could understand and appreciate. Cowan’s tale is one of perseverance and optimism for his craft and his insightful vignettes about working with people like Merv Griffin and other TV legends are at the heart of this book.
April 7, 2021
"Banging My Head" is both a keyhole book into Hollywood/TV comedy and the story of the little guy who, as the title suggests, bangs his way to success in a dog-eat-dog world. Mr. Cowan is a creative writer, and legitimately, funny guy, and even more important, a guy who climbed the comedy tree while getting knocked down but never out. He also seems. to be a very decent person as he's managed to make--and keep--a lot of funny friends along the way. I'm very happy and laughy I read it, both for the funny stories and the insights.
April 7, 2021
A truly entertaining book that I couldn't put down.
I looked forward to each pathway during Andy's detailed trek through the twists and turns of the maze - they call Hollywood. From mingling and working with some of the most famous names in entertainment to the rigors of disappointment that abound in the quest for success. Andy gives you, in detail, the true behind-the-scenes vantage point of the myriad of frustrations as well as the apex of successes during his career journey as a comic writer.
If you enjoy reality intermixed with a lot of comedy - this is a must read book!
I looked forward to each pathway during Andy's detailed trek through the twists and turns of the maze - they call Hollywood. From mingling and working with some of the most famous names in entertainment to the rigors of disappointment that abound in the quest for success. Andy gives you, in detail, the true behind-the-scenes vantage point of the myriad of frustrations as well as the apex of successes during his career journey as a comic writer.
If you enjoy reality intermixed with a lot of comedy - this is a must read book!
April 3, 2025
Pity this poor monster, the freelance writer, whose life is cold calls. Mercy upon the poor freelance writer, whose contacts are lukewarm. Peace be with the poor freelance writer, whose best creative efforts often bring no reward at all except the satisfaction of a job well executed—if they even find an outlet.
But then consider Andy Cowan, who has found a way to work out these frustrations with his book “Banging My Head Against the Wall: A Comedy Writer’s Guide to Seeing Stars.”
Cowan has worked as a producer, performer, consultant—but mostly as a TV writer–for decades. After long years in other media and now finally in print, Cowan takes us on a funny tour of his participation in America’s giant entertainment machine. He marks the highs, he marks the lows. Perhaps most remarkable: he maintains his good humor through all the rejection, at least in print.
Maybe this is because he has many victories to boast about. For television, Cowan has written multiple episodes of Cheers, Seinfeld, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. Now the author brings the entire freelance boondoggle to the attention of readers, in a way to make you see the frustrations at the same time you wish for more of it.
Project by project, step by step, Cowan takes us on a tour of some of his biggest pitches, his biggest bids for fame, to network executives and big shots in the entertainment world. He has pitched ideas all his professional life as a consultant, stand-up comic, and TV writer.
With most freelance careers, rejections usually disappear down the memory hole of life and are never seen again. But Cowan has found a way to make even the rejections vivid and worthy. His proposals were sometimes accepted, sometimes rejected, sometimes respectfully, sometimes disdainfully—but, in Cowan’s telling, are always described with the dark humor of the sadder but wiser outside contractor.
Along the way, there are anecdotes without number concerning the stars and star-adjacent who occupied his world when he was a pre-show interviewer for the Merv Griffin Show.
The result is an interesting farrago of a book, intent on capturing the full breadth of one talented man’s wayfaring career. Alternately heartbreaking and hilarious, Cowan’s memoir ought to serve as a primer for young talent entering “the business,” if only to show what bright use even frequent disappointment can be put.
But then consider Andy Cowan, who has found a way to work out these frustrations with his book “Banging My Head Against the Wall: A Comedy Writer’s Guide to Seeing Stars.”
Cowan has worked as a producer, performer, consultant—but mostly as a TV writer–for decades. After long years in other media and now finally in print, Cowan takes us on a funny tour of his participation in America’s giant entertainment machine. He marks the highs, he marks the lows. Perhaps most remarkable: he maintains his good humor through all the rejection, at least in print.
Maybe this is because he has many victories to boast about. For television, Cowan has written multiple episodes of Cheers, Seinfeld, and 3rd Rock From the Sun. Now the author brings the entire freelance boondoggle to the attention of readers, in a way to make you see the frustrations at the same time you wish for more of it.
Project by project, step by step, Cowan takes us on a tour of some of his biggest pitches, his biggest bids for fame, to network executives and big shots in the entertainment world. He has pitched ideas all his professional life as a consultant, stand-up comic, and TV writer.
With most freelance careers, rejections usually disappear down the memory hole of life and are never seen again. But Cowan has found a way to make even the rejections vivid and worthy. His proposals were sometimes accepted, sometimes rejected, sometimes respectfully, sometimes disdainfully—but, in Cowan’s telling, are always described with the dark humor of the sadder but wiser outside contractor.
Along the way, there are anecdotes without number concerning the stars and star-adjacent who occupied his world when he was a pre-show interviewer for the Merv Griffin Show.
The result is an interesting farrago of a book, intent on capturing the full breadth of one talented man’s wayfaring career. Alternately heartbreaking and hilarious, Cowan’s memoir ought to serve as a primer for young talent entering “the business,” if only to show what bright use even frequent disappointment can be put.
March 13, 2021
Goodreads says a 2 star means ok and only a 1 star is negative. If this was a 10 star rating, it would be a 4. There were good parts, even some parts as good as 7, but partway through I had had enough and wouldn't read any more.
It sounded promising, reflections by an actual comedy writer, with experience on major sitcoms.
It opens with lots of positive reviews of the book by stars but the writing struck me as a meadering mashup of anecdotes, like a rambling Abe Simpson.
He quotes his own dialog for standup comedy. I hope his delivery fixed it. It didn't play as text.
He makes 2 pretty big accusations of plagiarism against SNL (”Jane you ignorant slut!” and the Subliminal Guy.
Talks about lengthy process of sucking up to Larry David to finally get a writing credit on Seinfeld, and on the season finalé yet, and on one of the great episodes, where George turns his life around by doing the opposite of everything he thinks he should do. He eventually gets hired by them for the next season.
He wrote for Merv Griffin, doing pre-interviews for many stars. He wrote for Cheers a bit.
After a while, he just starts sharing quotes from the stars he pre-interviewed, with a little intro about the star. Quite a readable segment.
It has lots of links to internet content. But I wasn’t blown away by it. In one, he slowly reads his comedy routine about a lady who compliments his cologne, when it really belonged to the guy ahead of him in line. And I mean he read it. It was a video, and he had the paper in front of him.
The links are a great idea, but the author must recognize they are like footnotes, the reader may or may not bother.
There was a session about jokes he pitched for Third Rock from the Sun. Are rejected jokes really worth writing about? And is a described joke still funny? No to both.
There was another long session about how close he had nearly gotten to having a series based on his comic strip “Howie”, telling about intended setups, and getting led on by various people. My full-bin light went on. I wasn’t prepared to read another word of this whining/bragging. I threw it away, unfinished.
In fairness, I was enduring a bout of diarrhea when the full-bin light went on. So I wasn't in the most receptive mood.
It sounded promising, reflections by an actual comedy writer, with experience on major sitcoms.
It opens with lots of positive reviews of the book by stars but the writing struck me as a meadering mashup of anecdotes, like a rambling Abe Simpson.
He quotes his own dialog for standup comedy. I hope his delivery fixed it. It didn't play as text.
He makes 2 pretty big accusations of plagiarism against SNL (”Jane you ignorant slut!” and the Subliminal Guy.
Talks about lengthy process of sucking up to Larry David to finally get a writing credit on Seinfeld, and on the season finalé yet, and on one of the great episodes, where George turns his life around by doing the opposite of everything he thinks he should do. He eventually gets hired by them for the next season.
He wrote for Merv Griffin, doing pre-interviews for many stars. He wrote for Cheers a bit.
After a while, he just starts sharing quotes from the stars he pre-interviewed, with a little intro about the star. Quite a readable segment.
It has lots of links to internet content. But I wasn’t blown away by it. In one, he slowly reads his comedy routine about a lady who compliments his cologne, when it really belonged to the guy ahead of him in line. And I mean he read it. It was a video, and he had the paper in front of him.
The links are a great idea, but the author must recognize they are like footnotes, the reader may or may not bother.
There was a session about jokes he pitched for Third Rock from the Sun. Are rejected jokes really worth writing about? And is a described joke still funny? No to both.
There was another long session about how close he had nearly gotten to having a series based on his comic strip “Howie”, telling about intended setups, and getting led on by various people. My full-bin light went on. I wasn’t prepared to read another word of this whining/bragging. I threw it away, unfinished.
In fairness, I was enduring a bout of diarrhea when the full-bin light went on. So I wasn't in the most receptive mood.
April 8, 2021
I picked up this book because I’m a huge fan of Seinfeld, comedy, and the history of comedy. I also loved Cheers, part of this author’s legacy, and appreciated 3rd Rock from the Sun, another stint of his. I really enjoyed the look behind the scenes at Seinfeld and the serious business of comedy in general, which Cowan has seen from every angle. He was also a talent coordinator and performer on The Merv Griffin Show and offers many candid profiles on the stars he met and interviewed on that show.
Aside from being consistently funny, what’s unique is how this book is actually two books in one. For the would-be comedy writer who truly has the talent, drive, and desire for success, this is a detailed look at what it takes to succeed in the comedy business, and it takes a lot. Cowan recounts the immense effort that has gone into his successes, near-misses, and even his failures.
For the truly aspiring comedy writer this is a “how-to (maybe)” told by someone who’s been called “the most persistent guy in showbiz.” However, for someone who merely likes dabbling in comedy who thinks “I can do that,” this is a cautionary tale. Cowan’s book is entertaining, even inspiring and encouraging, but it’s also an implicit warning to pursue another line of work if you don’t have the stomach for what it really takes.
April 9, 2021
I picked up this book because I’m a huge fan of Seinfeld, comedy, and the history of comedy. I also loved Cheers, part of this author’s legacy, and appreciated 3rd Rock from the Sun, another stint of his. I really enjoyed the look behind the scenes at Seinfeld and the serious business of comedy in general, which Cowan has seen from every angle. He was also a talent coordinator and performer on The Merv Griffin Show and offers many candid profiles on the stars he met and interviewed on that show.
Aside from being consistently funny, what’s unique is how this book is actually two books in one. For the would-be comedy writer who truly has the talent, drive, and desire for success, this is a detailed look at what it takes to succeed in the comedy business, and it takes a lot. Cowan recounts the immense effort that has gone into his successes, near-misses, and even his failures.
For the truly aspiring comedy writer this is a “how-to (maybe)” told by someone who’s been called “the most persistent guy in showbiz.” However, for someone who merely likes dabbling in comedy who thinks “I can do that,” this is a cautionary tale. Cowan’s book is entertaining, even inspiring and encouraging, but it’s also an implicit warning to pursue another line of work if you don’t have the stomach for what it really takes.
Aside from being consistently funny, what’s unique is how this book is actually two books in one. For the would-be comedy writer who truly has the talent, drive, and desire for success, this is a detailed look at what it takes to succeed in the comedy business, and it takes a lot. Cowan recounts the immense effort that has gone into his successes, near-misses, and even his failures.
For the truly aspiring comedy writer this is a “how-to (maybe)” told by someone who’s been called “the most persistent guy in showbiz.” However, for someone who merely likes dabbling in comedy who thinks “I can do that,” this is a cautionary tale. Cowan’s book is entertaining, even inspiring and encouraging, but it’s also an implicit warning to pursue another line of work if you don’t have the stomach for what it really takes.
April 21, 2021
I now understand more than ever what it's truly like to craft and pitch a variety of cleverly original projects as shared by this author to the decision-makers. Why less original ones usually land on the air is enough to make ME bang my head! In an era of short attention spans, I'm also wondering if some may be posting reviews after reading just a chapter or two of this memoir. The entirety of this book has so much more to offer.
June 27, 2021
Banging My Head Against the Wall by Andy Cowan. My first mistake was confusing Andy Cowan with Andy Cohan. My second was in not reading the preview provided by Amazon. Cowan has written some funny scripts for some iconic shows, but I did not need to read what his inspiration was, the writing process, or a complete and total summary of those scripts. Frankly, I found this memoir from a funny man to be quite boring.
did-not-finish
January 31, 2025DNF - I've read 835 Kindle books so far. In the end, 142 wound up in the Did Not Finish category. Of all those books in that category, this is the worst. I kept waiting for Funny and it never happened. I just don't understand where all the 4 & 5 stars came from in the Amazon reviews. Either there are a lot of super easily amused people out there, or they were paid for. Considering the character of the author, I'm leaning toward the latter.
February 16, 2021
Why did I purchase this book? I must have misunderstood the title and synopsis on Amazon because I hate memoirs and reading this did nothing to dissuade me from my hatred of the genre. I tried, I really did. However, I found little structure or flow to the recollections and gave up reasonably quickly. I will chalk this up to not being to my taste.
March 8, 2021
The first half of this book was pretty interesting. Cowan wrote for some big-deal sitcoms and he interviewed guests on Merv Griffin's show before the went on the show. But the last half of the book is Cowan describing his ideas for sitcoms or other shows, in excruciating details, along with extended stories about having those rejected. These were just not that interesting.
April 4, 2021
Interesting story about someone I didn't know
I confused the author with Andy Cohen but found that I had seen a lot of his work on different shows. It also made me wonder if there was a market for a weekly show of different pilots with audience impressions of them. TV execs have been known to pass on shows that became major hits.
I confused the author with Andy Cohen but found that I had seen a lot of his work on different shows. It also made me wonder if there was a market for a weekly show of different pilots with audience impressions of them. TV execs have been known to pass on shows that became major hits.
April 7, 2021
Andy Cowan has certainly endured in the world of comedy writing, and luckily for us, the contusions he’s suffered along the way from excessive headbanging were not serious enough to stop this creative force from powering on and giving the world something to laugh about. I think we can all learn from his valuable experiences.
April 7, 2021
Mr. Cowan hits a home run with this memoir about his life in Hollywood and the myriad of stories that encompassed his time. For those that aspire to work in the business or those that want some of the details and behind the scenes action I would high recommend this read. You will not want to put it down, a true page turner that will make you laugh as well as intrigue you every step of the way!
May 22, 2021
Got this as a free read from Amazon and I would not recommend it. I expectd more humor and more memoir instead it felt whiny and looking for pity that Hollywood just isn't fair.
It might be good for other writers to read and understand how hard it is, and I did appreciate the unused Seinfeld ideas that were pitched.
It might be good for other writers to read and understand how hard it is, and I did appreciate the unused Seinfeld ideas that were pitched.
April 7, 2021
Glad I got this book! I love sitcoms and showbiz and it was a great oportunity to learn about it from someone on the inside. It was so cool to relive the comedy world from the '80s and '90s, and his new stuff in here is really funny too. Really recommend it!
November 3, 2023
parts are interesting, but it’s basically about almost nothing
I could not finish this book . It’s like a never ending story in which the outcome doesn’t matter or exist.
I mean like “ holy crap “
I could not finish this book . It’s like a never ending story in which the outcome doesn’t matter or exist.
I mean like “ holy crap “
May 2, 2025
A nostalgic read by Andy Cowan, a comedian and writer who worked on the Merv Griffen show. Andy interviewed all guests before the show to help Merv know what to ask and what not to. Andy also wrote for Seinfeld, Raymond and many other shows.
October 26, 2020
It started out as a 4
Read
March 12, 2021Not a fan
March 21, 2021
Abandoned after about 10% because it wasn't funny.
April 6, 2021
A great insight to the world of comedy and show business . Funny , entertaining and surprising !
April 7, 2021
Great read; wonderful insight into behind the scenes of talk TV shows; funny serious entertaining informative this book has it all Would highly recommend 5 star read.
April 7, 2021
Excellent book! The author gives real life experiences in a world few are able to penetrate. It is funny, entertaining and a learning experience. One of the best books I have read in years!
April 17, 2021
Tedious.
May 26, 2021
Absolutely dreadful book
July 31, 2019
Imagine being within touching distance of major celebrities while trying to become one yourself. So began the Hollywood career of Andy Cowan, author of Banging My Head Against the Wall.
Cowan presents specific, personal examples of his experiences while trying to make it as a comedy/TV writer. There's the difference between writing comedy for stand-up routines and writing for comedic drama, for instance. Or, balancing the desire to come up with something unique and original against the fallback of the safe and familiar. Cowan describes developing contacts along the chain of decision-making, only to see potential projects evaporate despite often high praise early in the chain.
Then, as with any business, entertainment companies are bought and sold, change their management, change programming models - and projects you've been pitching for months or even years get lost in the shuffle. Add to this the age-old business dilemma of trying to sell what you have without being sure what the customer wants to buy, and the odds of commercial success are nothing short of daunting.
Still, Cowan persevered, managing to score some victories along the way. Banging My Head Against the Wall presents an eye-opening look into an area of show business most of us take for granted.
Based on examples he cites of praise for his writing ability, Andy Cowan might wish to consider plying his hand at authoring funny novels or books of short, humorous stories.
Cowan presents specific, personal examples of his experiences while trying to make it as a comedy/TV writer. There's the difference between writing comedy for stand-up routines and writing for comedic drama, for instance. Or, balancing the desire to come up with something unique and original against the fallback of the safe and familiar. Cowan describes developing contacts along the chain of decision-making, only to see potential projects evaporate despite often high praise early in the chain.
Then, as with any business, entertainment companies are bought and sold, change their management, change programming models - and projects you've been pitching for months or even years get lost in the shuffle. Add to this the age-old business dilemma of trying to sell what you have without being sure what the customer wants to buy, and the odds of commercial success are nothing short of daunting.
Still, Cowan persevered, managing to score some victories along the way. Banging My Head Against the Wall presents an eye-opening look into an area of show business most of us take for granted.
Based on examples he cites of praise for his writing ability, Andy Cowan might wish to consider plying his hand at authoring funny novels or books of short, humorous stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews