Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live

by Jay Mohr

3 Hours (Abridged)

A hilarious look at what life was really like inside Saturday Night Live… When 21-year old Jay Mohr moved from New Jersey to New York City to pursue his dream of stand-up stardom, he never thought the first real job he'd land would be on Saturday Night Live. But, surprisingly, that's just what he did. What followed were two unbelievable, grueling, and exciting years of feverishly keeping pace with his talented cohorts, outmaneuvering the notorious vices that claimed the lives of other cast members, and struggling at all costs for the holy grail of late-night show business: airtime. In Gasping for Airtime, Jay offers an intimate account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live. He dishes on the guest hosts (John Travolta, Shannen Doherty, Charles Barkley), the musical guests (Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, Eric Clapton), and of course his SNL castmates (Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers and David Spade). Refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny, this audio will appeal to both fans of Jay Mohr and to devotees of Saturday Night Live.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Comedy, Biography, Tv, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand-up comedian.

Mohr authored the best selling book Gasping for Airtime: Two Years in the Trenches at Saturday Night Live concerning his time as an actor on Saturday Night Live.

Reviews

[Giddy Girlie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim at a thrift store and was excited to read it because I really like Jay Mohr's standup.

I was severely disappointed in the story, though, because it is neither a "memoir" nor a "tell-all" book. What kept coming back to me over and over throughout was that Mohr is a complainer type of person and his friends/family were sick of hearing him whine about his SNL experience and so he thought he'd write it up as a behind-the-scenes at SNL story and find a new audience of willing listeners.

He paints himself in a very unflattering light, which didn't feel like it was done on purpose. I think you're supposed to commisserate and feel sorry for him, but it's honestly hard to do. He says that he was frustrated with the speed at which he was brought into the folds on the SNL show (he performed in/wrote something like 11 sketches during the 40 shows that were produced in his 2 year stint) and he admits didn't want to "pay dues" or wait any longer - although that is (apparently) the norm for the show. He fesses up that he was not very personable and often stuck his foot in his mouth and then would complain to people's faces about them not liking him.

The only time that I ever found myself having any sympathy - or care at all - for the author was when he talked about his problems with panic attacks, which were (too easily, in my opinion) remedied with pills that he ended up using as a crutch. He tells a story at length about being severly anxious and downright angry about being given a costume with no pockets for him to hold his 'emergency' pills - of course, not realizing that pills don't work in seconds and therefore they wouldn't actually help him at all on stage/live TV. There is a single line in the book where he slips in his alcoholism and never mentions it again, though he talks at length about smoking pot regularly. He never seems to make the connection about his dependence issues and why that might have caused him to be a bit unlikable to the rest of the cast/crew at SNL. Instead he blames everyone but himself for not fitting in, and everyone is a villian except the cleaning lady.

I'm sorry that Jay Mohr didn't have a good time at SNL, but I also wanted to yell at the book several times "It's a JOB!" and no one loves their job every day forever. Being the new guy is always hard. Making friends with established cliques is difficult. Writing on demand with strict deadlines and round-the-clock schedules is hard. BUT it was a job that you chose to do and instead of adapting, you wanted the established routine to change to fit you. So in the end when he left the show, I felt (as I'm sure he did) neither vindicated nor placated.

Due to his bad attitude, his needlessly gossipy stories (none of which are particularly great, if you ask me - plus they're listed on the back cover), his admission of stealing work and generally being a pain in the ass, I'm frankly surprised that he's ever worked again. Which goes to show that maybe the SNL machine isn't as evil as Mohr says it is -- otherwise, shouldn't he be in cement boots somewhere on a crappy WB sitcom?

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gasping for Airtime
By Jay Mohr
This was a very insightful, very personal, and highly entertaining look into the author's life as he strives to make his way to the comedy high life that is SNL. He takes the reader through his highs and lows, the celebrities who meets, how SNL works, and his own private demons. I really enjoyed this honest look into his life.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I did not read this book. I got the book on CD from the public library. By doing so, I think I got a much better product than the written book.

A few friends who read this book said that Mohr comes across as whiny, and the reviews on this site seem to concur with that. Since I always thought Mohr was a hack anyway, I didn’t see the point in reading this, although I am a big fan of Saturday Night Live. Only when faced with a long road trip did I decide to give the CD a chance.

Mohr is a comedian. He makes his money though delivery and timing; these are things that can’t easily be expressed through written words. His timing, along with pretty good impersonations of Chris Farley and Don Pardo, made this book on CD pretty amusing.

My suggestion is to listen to Jay Mohr the comedian, rather than read Jay Mohr the author.

[Randee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I am reminded of the Fran Lebowitz quote, "Spilling your guts is about as charming as it sounds." For the life of me, I can't imagine why Jay Mohr wrote this book. I've seen him do stand up and I think he is a pretty good comic. I could understand if he wanted to write a memoir about his two years on SNL and slant it toward the inner workings of the show and his impressions of people he worked with like Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, David Spade, etc. But most of the book is spent complaining how his sketches didn't make the cut to air on the show and his infrequent appearances. It got to be painful and then irritating as in-"Hey Jay, if you are the last person to be picked time and time again by the captain of the ball team, there is a reason. Get a clue." I'm not saying, mind you, that his sketches were terrible (I would have no idea) or that he wasn't funny enough to appear every week. His relentless bitching about it makes it sound that way. He was there at a time when the above mentioned performers were on the show as well as people like Rob Schneider, Phil Hartmann, Molly Shannon, Sarah Silverman, etc. That is a lot of talent. He makes himself sound like the biggest loser to ever be hired for the show. Then...as if that weren't enough, toward the end, he admits to stealing a comic's act that he saw perform in a club, turn in the material to SNL, have SNL use it on the show and guess what happened? SNL got sued by the comic. Lorne Michael's called Jay into his office and asks if he's ever heard of said comic, shows Jay a VHS of said comic's act with the plagiarized bit and Jay lies straight-faced to him and said he's never heard of the comic. Unbelievable that he would do that, unbelievable that he would admit to it in a book. For what purpose? To make himself look like one of the biggest douche bags in show business? I don't get. I gave it three stars because parts of it were interesting in learning about how SNL gets made each week.

[Mediaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is proof that SNL is an unorganized mess, filled with writers that don't know how to write. Mohr's writing style is a perfect example--he jumps back and forth between stories, episodes, events with such repetition that it's shocking there wasn't a decent editor who told him to rewrite the book completely in chronological order. By the 10th time you hear about him showing up early every Monday or him repeating stories about running through the streets of New York in a panic attack you'll suddenly realize what's wrong with SNL--they hire people like Mohr who have severe mental disabilities.

There are great stories, however, that are worth reading. It's quick to discern why so much of SNL falls flat each week--while Lorne Michaels expects people to show up for two pre-set meetings, everything else is on their own with a crazy mixture of drugs, ego, and schedules that go unenforced. It's a lousy way to run a show. It's the inmates running the asylum while the warden locks his door and doesn't want to hear about problems.

Mohr's main problem is that he thought he was a god at age 15, sneaking out to comedy clubs and refusing to go to college. He thought he was smarter than everyone else--then he got to SNL where he was the low man in the room and everyone made fun of him. His ego was crushed and he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. The result was his sudden "panic attacks" and he got rid of them with drugs. He also admits to being an alcoholic. Then he wonders why he was depressed and suicidal. The guy, like everyone else at SNL, has a gigantic ego that overestimates his talent, a smart mouth, and no objective sense of what makes for good writing.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should be called "Jay Mohr is a crybaby." I like SNL a lot and enjoyed learning some behind the scenes information and gossip, but overall, this book is a joke. Mohr devotes entire chapters to his whiny complaints - my dressing room is too small, the host didn't like my sketch, a group of tourists didn't recognize me in the hallway, they give Chris Farley all the good sketches (gee, wonder why, Jay!). Overall the book came off as bitter and ungrateful.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love him or hate him, the book is interesting and well written.

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Throughout the book Gasping for Airtime, author Jay Mohr projects a self-pitying aura. Over the course of his two-year tenure at SNL, he can't seem to get on air enough to be recognized in public, which bothers him a lot. Generally he seems to consider himself a tragically overlooked comedy genius.

Has he ever considered that maybe he just wasn't that funny?

I get it, SNL tends to underuse their featured players and it sucks. It can take several seasons for a talented cast member to prove themselves. But I never felt that Jay Mohr's complaining was warranted. Out of curiosity, I looked up some of the sketches he wrote- "Good Morning Brooklyn," "Rock and Roll Realtor," "Skittles"- to see if they really were the hidden gems he made them out to be. Well, what can I say... I wasn't too impressed. The first two sketches had a few good moments, but came across as pretty fomulaic (in the first one's case) or too annoying to be funny (in the second one's case), while the third one was misrepresented in the book. The way Mohr tells it, he was supposed to perform the fake ad in under a minute, but the audience kept laughing and stretched it into a minute and 20 seconds. What should have been his moment in the sun ended up being a shameful moment as Lorne Michaels called him out for going overtime. However, watching the sketch, I noticed that it wasn't the audience's (sparse) laughter that put the sketch overtime, it was Mohr's in-character pauses- plus, the sketch was over 2 minutes long, so to think of it being pared down to under a minute is difficult. I realize humor is subjective, and maybe Mohr could have written some truly great sketches if he'd stayed on longer, but he sure didn't make it easy for himself. At every turn, he blamed anyone but himself for his failure on the show, outright sabotaging himself by asking to be taken out of sketches if he didn't have a line in them, and expressing impatience that he wasn't immediately a star like his fellow cast members who already had several seasons under their belt and naturally would be more recognizable to the public. At one point, Mohr confesses to resorting to plagiarism, which at the time he did not own up to. He says he feels remorse for stealing material, yet he relates the story so matter-of-factly that it's hard to buy it. It was hard to feel sympathetic for this guy after reading that.

The book's main flaw, besides the "I'm the victim here!" narrative, is how it's edited- or rather, it feels like it wasn't edited much at all. Facts are repeated several times as if the reader has forgotten in the turning of a page, the narrative is not structured linearly and becomes hard to follow as a result, and overall it feels like Jay Mohr just had a bunch of anecdotes to tell and decided to string them into chapters held together by the barest of threads. That being said, I do like his anecdotes, particularly the ones about Chris Farley and how he admired him. I could have gone with more stories like that, instead of ones that were colored by "this guy was a jerk to ME, Jay Mohr, comedy royalty!"

Maybe I'm being too harsh on this guy. After all, I hadn't heard about him until I found this book in the library (I wanted to read more books about SNL and it didn't matter to me who wrote them), so it's not like I can really judge his character. But this didn't give me a good first impression. When it comes to self-serving autobiographies, maybe less is Mohr.

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read some reviews on here and I think people give Mohr too tough of a time for coming across as whiny and/or defensive. I didn’t think he was being defensive in this book. Sure, there are times when he tells a story about a skit he wrote that did great at read-through, or killed during rehearsal, and then got cut last-minute, but then he also tells about seasons when he couldn’t write or do anything funny. He talks about people like Chris Farley like they are at the top of the list of the all-time greatest comedians ever and how lucky he was to just be in the same room with those kinds of people… that’s not the voice of someone who decided to write a book for the purpose of defending his career and credentials… that’s the voice of someone who is just being honest.

As for him being whiny. I guess that holds to some degree, but not at all to the degree that people are accusing him of on here. (It’s always easy to bash someone in the comments section of some faceless blog or website in a way that one would never do in person… I think there was an SNL skit about that.) I felt like he was just saying how he felt when he was on this crazy show. And, I don’t think it’s fair to say, “Hey, it’s a job… that’s the way jobs work.” It’s not just another “job”. This is Saturday Night Live. This is a live comedy show that can make or break a career for a young comedian in his or her 20’s. This is not your normal, “first job out of college” while working in some cubicle and slowly getting to work you way up the ladder and learn the system and the people. This is national TV and being judged on your ability to do one of the hardest things in acting (make people laugh) within 60 seconds of stepping into the spotlight. I’m not saying he didn’t ask for that, because that’s what it means to join the cast of SNL, but the reality is that it’s not “just another job”, if this was just another job then I never would have read this book.

Regardless of trying to dissect Mohr’s motives for writing this book, the reality is that Jay Mohr got to be on the show at a time when the cast was as absurd as it ever was, and as absurd as it ever will be. Which is why I thought this book was fun to read. He had moments on the show when he was funny. He was obviously never going to be a Mike Myers, a Dana Carvey, a Chris Farley, a Chris Rock, an Adam Sandler, etc., but he was a really solid standup performer that understood how to write tight, intelligent comedy. I thought the behind-the-scenes looks were really fascinating. The majority of the anecdotes are genuinely fun to read. For that matter, every single anecdote of Chris Farley off-stage is amazing. Farley was a genius and I love that Mohr called him the Michael Jordan of comedy and talked about how in awe he was every time he got to be in the presence of Farley’s greatness. I do think Mohr was gossipy at times, which I didn’t like at all. But, all in all, if you love that mid-90’s cast of SNL, if you love dissecting humor and really looking at the anatomy of a joke, and if you enjoy someone trying to be honest by relating the story of a really dramatic season in his or her life, then I think there’s a good chance that you would enjoy reading this book.

[Ensiform · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jay Mohr, a "featured performer" on Saturday Night Live from 1993 to 1995, tells of his time at the show in this honest, yet somehow dull, memoir. One thing Mohr is honest about is his spate of panic attacks and anxiety; another is his stealing material, as when he plagiarized another comic's "Irish Bartender" bit and put it on SNL. However, instead of refreshing, these stories simply make him seem like a talentless hack, resentful and bitter. His backstabbing and name-calling hardly endear him to the reader. The brutal honesty doesn't serve him well there, either: Mohr insults a lot of his fellow performers on the show, and has some less than classy comments for some of the guests as well. In particular, he tells stories about Chris Farley that seem to be meant to impress; at least Mohr seems to think they're daring and fun, like the cool things John Belushi got up to the 1970s. But Farley basically comes off here as disgusting and sad. I wish Mohr had let the ghost of Farley rest in peace instead of passing along these bodily fluid-rich stories, which deserve to stay with close friends. So this is an odd book. Although a minor player and certainly not anywhere near Lorne Michaels' orbit, he nevertheless makes himself out to be the most talented guy in the room and, bizarrely, a close confidant of Michaels. But he's unlikeable and egotistical, and the book isn't funny or introspective.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, quick read which covers Jay Mohr's two seasons spent on Saturday Night Live. His fellow cast members were Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman and Mike Myers, among others, so he has great behind-the-scenes stories. Also interesting are his frank discussions about his panic attacks and his general feeling of unworthiness during his tenure there. A must-read for big SNL fans, but don't go into it thinking it's a humor book....it's definitely a memoir.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jay Mohr seems like kind of a dick who can't help but get in his own way. However, as I recall there are bits where he seems at least a little human.

[miss ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’M FREEEEEEE god finally what an annoying book. like it’s fine. one thing about me is i will read any book connecting to my fixations (present and past), so naturally this short 90s SNL related memoir was on my radar. however through my time reading these pages (it took so long bc i quit reading for a good few months 😭) i came to realize something: i think i actually kind of hate Jay Mohr. this entire book is almost 300 pages of him just whining about his lack of airtime and also his panic attacks (which he wrote about as if he was fishing for sympathy rather than actually raising awareness for panic disorders). the way he wrote about his own beef with certain costars, ESPECIALLY women,,,,,,,,,, like idk it’s leaving a sour taste in my mouth. hey at least i finally got a proper recounting of the Farley shitting out a window story. god bless.

[erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never meet your heroes. Or read them, I suppose. Even if they're not actually your heroes, you're bound to be disappointed. I'd always liked Jay Mohr in a low-level kind of way; he tends to pick projects that don't interest me, but was pleasant enough an actor in them to warrant some notice. Here, though, he comes across - as is the case with most actors and comedians - as desperate for approval and Machiavellian in his tactics to obtain it. He's fired from the show, yet dwells dreamily on post-firing social interactions with Lorne Michaels. He's quick to knock the compulsive behaviour of some of his cast members, while lionising others (e.g. Chris Farley) for what he sees as their hilarity, but which, to anyone reading, is clearly self-destructive or violent behaviour. I'd picked this up as a lark, hoping for revelatory behind-the-scenes anecdotes about working on America's premier comedy showcase*, instead I just find myself avoiding Jay Mohr's work.

*Grain of salt, here - SNL doesn't count for much in my books these days, nor does the realm of American comedy.

[Heather Henke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just was not prepared for how much complaining this book would contain or how negative the tone was throughout. I thought it would be funny and full of an SNL insider's stories. It is very easy to discern who Jay liked working with and who he did not. I kept waiting for a positive spin or outcome near the end. Unfortunately, some of my favorite cast members and celebrities were not always portrayed in a positive light so that also made the read difficult for me. In a nutshell, he struggled with writing sketches that would air as well as obtaining speaking parts in sketches. It baffled me that he states it was the best job ever, but throughout the entire book, complains about the people he worked with, turned down roles in sketches, disliked the writing process for the show, as well as his lack of airtime (hence the title.) I hope he knows there are millions who would give anything for the opportunity he had. I wish I had skipped this read altogether.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only recommended if you can bear to spare 20 minutes to read it in its entirety.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found everything Jay wrote about super interesting. At times, the writing can feel repetitive, which is probably because he had help in organizing the book (see Acknowledgements). Repetitive, however not unnecessary. I also noticed one typo, though if there was one book to put your pride aside for, it would be this one.

The details about SNL were gripping, to put it simply. If you ever wanted to know about the show, this book provides very detailed descriptions of everything from sketches to dressing rooms to people themselves. For sketches, you may even make a list of the ones referenced so you can go back and watch them later online.

Reading about the panic disorder that Mohr suffered was a fascinating part of the book. In the opening paragraphs of Chapter One, I felt a visceral reaction from the account of a panic-ridden twenty-something-year-old making his way to his first day of work. While I do not have a panic disorder, I can relate to the overwhelming anxiety that Mohr describes throughout the book. While I was reading, I realized that it was nice to be on the outside looking in for once, and not as a victim of the illusion of alarm-level urgency. Though, rather than taking the inventory of the author, I saw every facet of his character as providing depth and complexity and felt a lot of empathy. Try that approach as you read it.

This book reads like a movie. The flow is like watching scenes unfold because of how visual the storytelling is; lots of detailed, (but not boring) descriptions of hallways, writing rooms, and of course, dressing rooms. Not to mention it's funny. I laughed out lout at a couple of moments, grinned at others.

[Wade Tubbs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has there been a worse self-representation of a cast member? The entire book is filled with Mohr complaining about how he never got to be on the show.

I’m not being hyperbolic. Every single page is covered with Mohr whining about all of the bad things that happened to him, everyone that was mean to him, and every “great” sketch he wrote that never got on.

He comes off as insolent, cocky, and self-pitying. He’s actively misogynist (An actual quote from Jay Mohr about Aretha Franklin: “Her breasts were unlike anything I had ever seen. You should be able to put a key in her rump and drive them. And her bra was architecture”), self confident in an off-putting way, and much too dismissive of stars that were and are far more talented than him.

At one point near the end of the book, Mohr is crying about how his sketches never made it on the air. In the midst of shaming Janeane Garofolo for speaking out on the use of women on the show, he says (about Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn), “They produced and they were given airtime because they were brilliant.”

Well Jay, you said it right there. I wonder why you rarely got on?

A self-described loner on the show, he didn’t fraternize with the other cast members because he was jealous of their television time. I’ve never been on the show, but that doesn’t quite seem like the right way to get yourself ingrained in the cast.

About the book, Bobby Moynihan said it is a handbook of “What NOT to do at SNL.”

Now that I’ve completed the book, an old saying keeps echoing in my head:
“If you wake up in the morning and encounter one asshole, they’re the asshole. If you go throughout the day and meet nothing but assholes, you’re the asshole.”

[Tara F · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This kept me coming back for the sheer SNL of it all…the book is not well written. Mohr jumps all over the timeline such that the only organizing principle seems to be his increasing disillusionment. Very hard to keep straight when each anecdote is happening since he constantly mentions other times and places without establishing them clearly. He also comes off pretty badly, which in his own memoir is strange- clearly self- centered and self-pitying, he mopes through what most of us imagine is a pretty great gig. But that in itself is pretty fascinating; maybe it’s a little sour grapes or schadenfreude, to go through this experience with him and think oh yeah I wouldn’t want that job anyway!

It’s also a little hard to decide whether the book hasn’t aged well or Mohr himself is pretty uncouth and oblivious… many of the things he describes as hilarious are wildly inappropriate, misogynistic, borderline psychotic workplace behavior, so you’re left wondering how to feel about the show itself. But whether you imagine he’s exaggerating for effect or simply reporting out on a truly unhinged cast of characters, what’s clear is his own sense of humor is pretty rough. The overall effect is of being given a backstage tour of one of the most famous shows of all time- but guided by the least likable person in the building.

[C.G. Twiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent memoir about Mohr's two years trying to navigate the bootcamp and politics of one of TV's toughest and longest-running shows, Saturday Night Live. I think this is still the only live show on TV? Mohr has plenty of insider stories about the fantastic cast he was a part of which included Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and David Spade (his seasons were not particularly known for its women performers though Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo and Molly Shannon were on at the time). Mohr, like Chris Rock, didn't seem to gel too well with SNL and went on to much more success after he left. For him, SNL was essentially one long humiliation - skits that were constantly cut at the last minute, the smallest dressing room in the history of the show, a stolen skit scandal (Mohr's track record of getting his skits on air was so dismal that he took a comedy club comic's bit assuming it would never make it to air - unfortunately for him, it did). The show even triggered a debilitating panic attack syndrome.

Despite a "meh" run on SNL, Mohr isn't bitter about it and has many hysterical as well as touching anecdotes, especially about Chris Farley and Phil Hartman.

[Charles Welde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a life long fan of SNL and I also liked Jay Mohr as a comedian. I didn't remember him being on the show, so when I saw this book I was very interested in it. The book was disappointing. Not because it was poorly written (it wasn't) but because it changed my perspective of Mohr. The book was an extensive complaining session. He went on and on about how he wasn't treated right and never got a fair shot on SNL. He had what I would consider the opportunity of a lifetime, and spent too much energy feeling sorry for himself. Why not take all that negative energy and focus it on your writing and being funny which he is more than capable of doing.

There is some interesting insight into what goes on behind the scenes at SNL. He was on the show with a great cast so there are some stories about guys like Farley, Sandler, Schneider, and Phil Hartman. If you are a fan of SNL there will be a lot of interesting insight for you. If you are a fan of Jay Mohr it will likely leave you with a negative impression of him. He is very open and honest about his mistakes, so you have to respect the guy for that.

[Issy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no idea why this book was written. Jay Mohr wrote himself as a complete asshole and this book is just complaining about the stupidist stuff. He gets upset that in his second season at SNL he has to move into a smaller dressing room and nobody from the NBC tours wanted his autograph despite the fact that in his first season he would ask to be removed from sketches if he wasn't playing a lead character (he wasn't even a cast member he was a featured member meaning that he should not be given a lead role unless he wrote it himself) and then never showed upto goodnights. He gets angry at a female writer for calling SNL a boys club (its the 90s of course its a boys club) becasue it makes him look like a bad guy then proceeds to complain that women would only get their sketchs on the show because they were women (women are only mentioned when he hates them (he wants to strangle marisa tomei becasue she didn't want to play into italian sterotypes)) and that he was worse off than them because he had no airtime. STEALS A SKETCH (bro its literally your job to write sketchs) and also says the n word (twice!).

[Luke Sienko · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I started off really enjoying the behind-the-scenes look at Saturday Night Live, I quickly began to realize I was viewing the show through the tinted lens of an insufferable wannabe. I’m pretty sure Jay wanted us to sympathize with his struggles of being a “misunderstood comedian”, but I ended up hating him by the end. Throughout the book, Jay is a jerk to his fellow cast mates, avoids them while gossiping behind their backs, refuses to be in sketches if he doesn’t have enough lines, refuses to do the goodnights at the end of show, insults hosts, rips off another comedian verbatim for a submitted sketch - and then spends a good deal of the book scratching his head why he wasn’t cast more.
Clearly the guy thought he was hilarious; I just think he need an outlet to vent.

For big SNL fans I would recommend checking it out as there definitely are some interesting tidbits to be found (his meeting with Nirvana was particularly interesting to me) but for everyone else I would skip.

[Craig Adamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audible. And the author read the book. So that was a definite plus. However it’s a fairly depressing story about a Jay Mohr’s battle with anxiety and how that was exacerbated by being a part of Saturday night live.

The accounts of other cast members via personality or behaviors was interesting but certainly not mean-spirited or a concern like some books might be. Definitely not gossipy. It was refreshing to hear some of his insights on people and characters I’m familiar with from the Saturday night live cast.

The story was both interesting and sad as far as what may have been for his career but also the frank admission that not only did he have some mental health and emotional problems but he was also a 20-something guy who was immature and an alcoholic. It takes a lot of guts to write a book talking about all of your problems and how those problems have influence your ability to be more successful in one of the biggest Starlaunching vehicles available for comedians.

I think this is a better listen than a better read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally understand why this book is so infamous now. I'm glad that I read it. Obviously no one can really know if Jay is telling the truth with all of his anecdotes, tidbits, and stories but it feels incredibly real because he tells it all - the good (well there is no good), the bad, and the very, very ugly, and he doesn't try to paint himself in a positive light at all. Also, one of the stories he told (the Jeff Daniels mask one) was corroborated by an entirely different Saturday Night Live author within their own book (I forget if it was Spade or Kattan because I've been reading all of these books in quick succession, but I think that it was Spade.) Jay just really goes for it and tells us everything that happened in those two years that he was on SNL. He just lays it all out there without mercy. Also, Jay discusses his own mental health issues in great, painstaking detail so this might be relatable for anyone interested in reading about stage fright, panic disorders, and anxiety.

[Downward · Rating 3 out of 5]

SNL is much more interesting as an institution than it is funny as a comedy show. So books like this are usually worthwhile because of the insight they provide into a cultural phenomenon that has lasted generations, with this functioning as a hyper focused view of two years through the eyes of a particular performer. I find Mohr sympathetic, and wish that more of this text was focused on the panic attack stuff, as that's the real meat of the story for me. That problem seems solved fairly quickly, however? At which point the main problem is Mohr's unwillingness to take the rejection that comes with being a "rising" star on a major comedy platform, which again is something I'm totally willing to sympathize with. It's just not as interesting. I always liked Mohr as a comedian and this was a fun, quick book.

[Queenmangin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this book; wasn't sure where he was going to take it and of course, had to familiarize myself with his style of writing and sense of humor. Once we got rolling, I really enjoyed how he broke down the behind the scenes. Most people will never have the opportunity to see how a production like this is created and what goes into it. I appreciated the fact that he suffered panic attacks and presented it in a straightforward manner and I think, helped release it from some of the stigma attached. Of course, the little anecdotes were very interesting and I wanted to hear more. And his analogies were spot-on and clever. Not a "tell-all" by any means, I think he sounded pretty down to Earth and fair-minded. Amusing and informative.

[Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure, you could initially think this is just Jay complaining about how he got stiffed during his brief appearance on SNL, but after it was all said and told, he was just telling it as it happened to him. Not everyone is going to experience that powerhouse of a comedy institution positively. The guy couldn't catch a break. Sure, it was most likely because of his kind of humor, but you still feel for the guy. I loved his stories about meeting Kurt Cobain and Chris Farley. Jay's a great impressionist as well - hearing him narrate was a bonus because of that.

[Jennifer M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fish out of liquids story. Part of me wishes this was written by someone else as fiction because it would be genius. He lets you know exactly why people don't like him, but he is still outraged when they seem to treat him badly by accident. You can tell they are doing all this to him on purpose because he is obnoxious and ignorant (clueless about race and gender) but he seems to show the reader how mean they were after his rude/stupidness and ask us to agree with him. But I loved listening, and finished it. I like his impressions so audio was fun.

[Steven Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good short book about a time at the most venerable comedy show of our lifetime. Jay Jay does good to give the perspective of someone who struggled on SNL because so often all we focus on is the success stories. It's not salacious or full of rumors and innuendos or stories about other people to make it more exciting or make Jay seem more involved in things than he was and I appreciate that. Guys like Jay who by all standards are successful but may not be superstars are good to check out for perspective.