Komedi Komedi Komedi Dram

by Bob Odenkirk, Elif Nihan Akbaş (Translator)

Kariyerine Şikago’nun köhne komedi kulüplerinde doğaçlama tiyatro yaparak, skeçler yazarak başlayan Bob Odenkirk’ün komediden drama uzanan ilham verici bir hayat hikâyesi var. Yoksul bir ailede büyüyen, çocukluğundan itibaren insanları güldürmeyi amaç edinen Bob’un hayatı birden fazla kırılma noktasıyla dolu. Amerika’nın efsanevi komedi kulübü Second City’de Del Close tarafından işe alınması, Saturday Night Live ve Ben Stiller Show gibi yapımlarda yazar olarak çalışması, How I Met Your Mather dizisinde oynaması, Breaking Bad dizisinde Saul Goodman karakterini oynaması için çağırılması. Ve son olarak Steven Spielberg ile tanışması…

Hayatının büyük kısmında yoksulluk çeken, başarıyı hep kıl payı kaçıran, komedi dünyasında hedeflediği şöhrete bir türlü ulaşamayan Bob mücadeleyi bir an bile bırakmıyor. Sisifos’u bile kıskandıracak bir azimle yazıyor, oynuyor, kendini geliştiriyor. Bob Odenkirk bu kitapta, başarıya giden yolda katlanılan zahmetlerin ucu bucağı olmadığını kanıtlıyor. Tabii her şeye gülerek.

2022’nin en çok beklenen kitaplarından biri New York Times Bestseller.

Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul gibi dizilerden tanıdığımız Bob Odenkirk’ün iniş çıkışlarla dolu kariyeri çok esrarengiz. Ama bu komik otobiyografide tüm hayat hikâyesini sizler için canını dişine takarak anlatmaya çalışıyor. Kariyerine Şikago’nun köhne komedi kulüplerinde başlayan Odenkirk, gençlik yıllarında kendini komediye adadı. Çeşitli programlarda yazar ve oyuncu olarak çalıştı. Yıllarca Hollywood’da şansını denedi ve yüzlerce kez reddedildi. Tam da umutlarını yitirmeye başlamışken Breaking Bad’e -lisede kimya öğretmeni olmanın sıkıcılığına dair bir dizi- konuk olmasını teklif eden bir telefon geldi. Odenkirk’ün komediden drama uzanan yolculuğunda şüphesiz ki binlerce ibret var. Bir o kadar da ilham.

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

284 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2022

About the author

Robert John "Bob" Odenkirk (born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for being the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David and for his role as criminal lawyer Saul Goodman on the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad and its spin-off series Better Call Saul.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Odenkirk worked as a writer for such television shows as Saturday Night Live, Get a Life, The Ben Stiller Show and The Dennis Miller Show. In the mid-1990s, Odenkirk and David Cross created the Emmy-nominated sketch comedy program Mr. Show with Bob and David, which ran for four seasons and ultimately became a cult success.

He has directed three films: Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003), Let's Go to Prison (2006) and The Brothers Solomon (2007).

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having witnessed firsthand, the Saul Goodman phenomenon, I was anticipating learning more about Bob Odenkirk's life and career before "Better Call Saul." This book is chock full of the comedy Odenkirk has created and participated in. His career goes back to the 70's when he was feverishly penning sketch comedy as a teenager. His professional trajectory includes Second City, Saturday Night Live, HBO, a plethora of gigs at varied venues, FX and more. One of the most notable things I learned about Odenkirk that I did not know was this: He created the "living in a van down by the river" bit that Chris Farley executed with brilliance on SNL. There were also some interesting facts about working with Jack Black. I am not a fringe comedy fan, so much of the work Bob is most proud of is material I have never seen. Seeing the bits described in a book just isn't the same as seeing it live. I do have plans to view his one and only action movie--Nobody--and I am looking forward to the final season of Better Call Saul. For the record, Kim Wexler is my favorite character. She is much too good for Jimmy McGill and they both know it.

Thank you to Random House and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Till Raether · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is neither funny nor especially thoughtful, and coming from someone who professes his hatred of anything mainstream throughout the book, it's also frustratingly conventional.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Odenkirk

Though Bob Odenkirk is probably best known for playing the character Saul Goodman on the two TV series 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' Odenkirk is a comic at heart. In this book Bob traces the arc of his career, starting with childhood skits written on his mom's typewriter, to his radio show in college, to open mics, to writing for 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL), to writing/producing sketch comedy shows, and more. If you're interested in a show business career, especially as a comedian, this book could put you on the right track. And even if you're not a budding performer, the book is still very entertaining.

In his introduction, Odenkirk writes, "I will attempt to identify the 'big breaks,' wormholes of opportunity that allowed me to move ahead five or ten spaces, or that simply sent me in the right direction." It wasn't all breaks though. Bob admits to numerous projects that didn't succeed: pilots, outlines, presentations, stumbles, misfires, dead ends, etc. Projects that failed, but taught Bob valuable lessons.

Odenkirk grew up in Naperville, Illinois with six siblings, a distant father, and a Catholic mother who was the family's rock. Bob's siblings - gifted with good senses of humor - were his initial audience, his first open mic night, in front of whom he'd act out 'some idiocy from the day, make fun of people he'd met, or just be a clown.'


Young Bob Odenkirk

As a middle schooler Odenkirk was mesmerized by the comedy troupe Monty Python, which took 'a hilarious, undermining, smart-silly swipe at humanity, at false dignity, and rules.' To Bob, this and other offbeat funniness was the best kind of humor. Bob's interest in comedy eventually sparked a compulsion to make it a career, and after honing his skills at comedy clubs - and meeting umpteen talented young comics (a literal laundry list of now famous entertainers) - Odenkirk got hired at SNL. Bob observes, "Everything I would learn about sketch writing and how to do it, everything that would someday help me write and produce the best show I had in me - all of that I learned in my three-and-a-half seasons at SNL.


Bob Odenkirk doing stand-up at a comedy club

In between seasons of SNL, Odenkirk worked at Chicago's 'Second City Theatre.' One fellow comic at Second City was Chris Farley, who was 'undeniably funny, undeniably likable, and undeniably mesmerizing.' When Bob was asked about the best time he ever had doing his job, he said it was "doing a scene with Chris Farley seven times a week at Second City."


Chris Farley


Chris Farley (left) and Bob Odenkirk (center right) in 'Second City' sketch

Sadly Chris was headed for tragedy with his drinking and drug use. Odenkirk notes, "The worst part of watching Chris's downfall....was the inevitability of the whole damn thing. His rise to fame, blazing moments, assured destruction - it played out just as everyone said it would. Said it to his face."

After SNL Odenkirk worked on other offbeat shows, and collaborated with such comedy greats as Ben Stiller, David Cross, Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt, Dana Gould, Judd Apatow, Andy Dick, Kathy Griffin, and others. Odenkirk writes, "Slowly, an audience began to coalesce around all this more personal, idiosyncratic, semi-serious stuff we were all doing....it was shocking to find audiences were willing to show up to these out-of-the-way 'comedy nights' looking to be surprised by our unpredictability and exploration."

Odenkirk credits Janeane Garofalo with this comedy reinvention. He writes, "Off-the-cuff, real, impromptu, personal, disarming, sloppy, meandering, intimate....she did it first. She made it cool."


Janeane Garofalo

Odenkirk's next big break was 'The Ben Stiller Show' - filmed in Los Angeles - which Bob recalls as being great fun. The show was on for a few years in the early 1990s, and Bob notes, "I think we made some good stuff, some very good - but also for a very targeted audience. If Ben hadn't been such a committed actor and great director, it would have been nothing but a strange indulgence."


Ben Stiller


Andy Dick (left), Ben Stiller (center), and Bob Odenkirk (right) on 'The Ben Stiller Show'

Odenkirk's next major partnership was with David Cross, whom he'd known for some time. Bob remembers, "To me, the best thing about David Cross was.....the funny funny funniness of the man." Bob describes some of his early skits with David, which involve things like farting and Bob getting naked in front of the audience (with a sock over his junk). This ultimately led to the 'Mr. Show' program on HBO.


'Mr. Show' skit with Bob Odenkirk (left) and David Cross


'Mr. Show' skit with Bob Odenkirk (left) and David Cross

Odenkirk describes many of the 'Mr. Show' sketches, such as 'Popemobile Chase' - a riff on the O.J. chase - where "the pope has clearly murdered some dude, leaving behind his papal staff, ring, and hat, and then instigated a police chase in the popemobile....and the subsequent trial is an exploration of TV trials and random jokes."

Odenkirk recollects, "Mr. Show was built for cultish love, and it succeeded. We wanted only the 'out-crowd,' the few, the proud, the misanthropes. Our greatest impact was in inspiring young performers and writers to like sketch a little more, and mislead them into following their passions."

'Mr. Show' was on for four seasons, after which - for the next ten years - Odenkirk tried many new ventures with little success. In the meantime Bob married 'great, smart, beautiful' comedy producer Naomi Yomtov and they quickly had two children, Nathan and Erin.


Bob Odenkirk with his wife Naomi


Bob Odenkirk with his wife and children

Odenkirk's next lucky break came when producer Vince Gilligan invited him to play the sleazy but lovable lawyer Saul Goodman (aka Jimmy McGill) on the cable TV drama 'Breaking Bad.' Saul's dialog was filled with 'wisecrackery and louche swagger,' and Saul's costume, 'outrageous, showy suit, loud tie, big cuff links, neon socks, and comb-over hair with highlights in it' told Bob everything he needed to know about the role. And the rest is history. 'Breaking Bad' was followed by the spin-off prequel 'Better Call Saul,' and Odenkirk ended up playing Saul Goodman for thirteen years.


Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman on 'Breaking Bad'

Odenkirk has also had parts in a few movies, including well-received films like 'Nebraska (2013),' 'The Post (2017),' and 'Little Women (2019).' Afterwards, following two home break-ins that left him furious, Bob suggested himself as the lead in an action film called 'Nobody (2021).' In the movie Bob plays a family man who, after his house is robbed, goes on a vengeful rampage. Odenkirk provides a lot of details about the making of 'Nobody', which was quite a departure for the actor.


Bob Odenkirk in the movie 'Nobody'

Odenkirk suffered a serious heart attack on the set of 'Better Call Saul' in July 2021, but the incident isn't covered in the Netgalley manuscript I read. In any case, Bob got an outpouring of well-wishes from his colleagues and fans, and recovered to do more great work.


Aaron Paul (left), Bryan Cranston (center) and Bob Odenkirk (right) won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series for 'Breaking Bad'

I skimmed the surface in this review, but Odenkirk elaborates on many aspects of his oeuvre and the people he worked with, plus a little about his personal life. The narrative is never catty and there's no salacious or mean-spirited gossip....which seems to affirm that Bob is a really nice guy.

The book has photos and an index.

I enjoyed Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama and highly recommend it to fans of Bob Odenkirk as well as aspiring performers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bob Odenkirk, and Random House for a copy of the manuscript.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of attending an in-person event in a San Francisco bookstore in which Bob Odenkirk and David Cross and other members were promoting a book they'd written about Mr. Show. Ashamed to say, this was my introduction to that work, and I'd been looking forward to seeing Saul, and David Cross's Never Nude from Arrested Development, in person. What struck me was how personable and friendly they were, and the event was a sheer delight. As is this book. Odenkirk reveals his love for sketch comedy and lays out his experiences, developments, personal histories, along with that of a very diverse group of friends, always giving credit where it's due (I loved reading about Janeane Garofolo, whose intelligence shines through with every performance). Thusly, the lengthy revelations regarding the years leading up to the "drama" section were informative and fun to read, but I must admit to paying closer attention to the chapters involving Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, two of my favorite shows. As there are several months before publication, I anticipate an update including his on-set heart attack and the effect it had on his co-workers and family, and hope that the audio version will be read in his warm, distinctive rasp.

Just finished the audible format, and loved listening to him read it himself.

[Susan Mathey · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I'm a huge fan of Odenkirk's acting in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Mr. Nobody, I'm not a fringe comedy fan. To me, this was a long slog. I listened to the audio book and found his reading to be choppy, poorly paced, and he occasionally mispronounced words. I read memoir's to find out more about the individual's personal life, and this completely lacked any depth. Bob said that he doesn't like to reveal much himself in his comedy, and apparently he applied that line of thinking to his memoir. It reads like a retelling of of his comedy work, and if I wanted to learn about that I would watch it, not read a memoir. He also gave lots of credit to those he has worked with, but is was as boring to read it as it is to hear names recited on an awards show. Sorry Bob, but this is the worst memoir I've ever read.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad for the two stars already. Odenkirk seems like a nice guy, but I was just bored to death by this memoir. It feels like a cluster of name droppings and not a lot of feelings/emotion. Perhaps it will appeal to others, but it was just not for me.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Bob Odenkirk had just acknowledged that he lives in, and is influenced, by the same racist and sexist world we all live in and avoided his hackneyed justifications for his shortcomings with regard to women and people of color, he’d have come across better. Instead, he has to talk about having ignored the LA riots entirely, then doubles down on including blackface in his Netflix show. Why, dude?? Anyway, two stars because I liked learning about his comedy work, and also because given the chance I think someone could break through this knucklehead. Hank Azaria, come get your boy.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the characters he plays, and both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul took up a lot of my viewing time. Two of the best written, best cast, best directed, best produced TV shows for me. So I was happy to read this book. But it felt less like a memoir and more like a résumé.

[Dee (in the Desert) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down ... have to admit I lost interest in the "Comedy" on the way to the "Drama" that I was interested in... "s'all good, man"

[Read By Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Funny, but not very introspective or substantive. You can tell that Odenkirk's first love is sketch comedy because he goes into exhaustive depth about his sketch comedy days.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look behind the curtain to see how some of the sausage gets made from one of my favorite working actor-comedians. What I appreciated most about this book was how far he leaned into his failures, and how he owned his mistakes in retrospect. What I didn't like as much was how singularly-focused this book was - it was only about his work, with hardly any details about his personal life. The chapters drifted from project to project to project and while it was interesting and funny finding out some good stories, I never felt like I got any closer to finding out who this guy really is. He seems like a real private person that doesn't like to talk about his home life, be it his youth, his current family, interests, or anything outside his office hours. He comes off as a passionate workaholic, but the writing, while interesting, was cold and standoff-ish.

Still, it's a very quick read, and he interacts with all the greats in the alt comedy scene -- starting in Chicago's Second City atmosphere and moving to LA to get weird with creative and edgy. Being a general outlier for most of his life makes for good story fodder, and it's truly impressive how many incredible people he's worked with over the years, from stage improv to HBO to Adult Swim to AMC and now his action films, Quite a remarkable career.

[Andrew Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly universally adored on goodreads it seems. One frequent complaint is that he doesn’t spend enough time on the blockbuster dramas but, you know, there was a clue in the title. Personally I preferred the stories of all those weird comedy years. Not that I didn’t love breaking bad or better call Saul. But how often do you get to hear someone talking about the Ben Stiller show, Get A Life, or the Dana Carvey show?

It’s told in a conversational tone, no mudsliging, doesn’t stray much from the career path. Which seems to have bored some readers. But he’s been pretty uncompromising for 40 years so I feel like this was exactly the book he wanted to write.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So I did what anyone at a low point in their career in the biz has done since time began: cocaine. Lots and lots of cocaine. I rubbed it on my eyelids. I powdered my ass with it every morning. I found that it kills athlete's foot pretty quick, but it works best if you put it in your nose."

When people hear the name, Bob Odenkirk they think Saul Goodman/ Jimmy McGill. When I hear that name I think of the hilarity that is Mr. Show, Ben who was Elaine's "Doctor" boyfriend on Seinfeld, and Porno Gil from Curb Your Enthusiasm. We all associate him with a different character but we can all agree that he is one hell of an actor and comedian.

Like the rest of the world, I didn't know much about Bob and his life. We all remember some of the characters he portrayed in his life but that is as far as it goes. Bob opens up his brain and spills some long-lost memories into this book. Some we remember, lots we never even knew, and some we all like to forget.

Bob's writing style mixed with his comedic genius makes this book so much more entertaining. I could just imagine him saying some of these things out loud and I would bust out laughing... even in the middle of the library.

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama was an entertaining memoir. Not as juicy as I was hoping but Bob is one hilarious mfer. He definitely knows how to keep you entertained.

"Clearly His Taste In Women Is The Same As His Taste In Lawyers: Only The Very Best... With Just A Right Amount Of Dirty!"

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Is Bob Odenkirk the nicest guy in Hollywood? He just might be. This memoir is exactly what it says it's about: a lot of comedy and some drama. If he hadn't narrated it himself, I'm not sure I would have listened to it. He talks about growing up in Illinois, his initial interest in comedy, the years he spent writing for all kinds of live comedy shows (SNL, The Ben Stiller Show and more) and the scripted shows in which be also acted. It becomes very obvious very quickly that his pride and joy is "Mr. Show" which I just started watching; it's really funny. He spends a lot of time talking about many of these skits. If you're reading/ listening to this just to hear about "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul", he does talk about his experience with these shows close to the end, but not in great detail. The man is so humble and credits everyone else for his success. It was a fun journey to take with him.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of basically everything Bob Odenkirk has ever done in his career so it was an absolute no brainer to pick up his autobiography. "Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama" is fantastic. Of course it is fascinating to hear the behind the scenes of his time at SNL, Second City, Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Nobody, Fargo, etc etc. His humor and attention to detail really brought all of those stories to life.

But I especially loved his honesty and lack of ego when it came to his career. He fully admits his shortcomings up front (control freak and can really only operate/enjoy a very particular kind of comedy environment). I've seen a few of these comedian/actor autobiographies that paper over stuff like this and I think the reader is poorer for it.

Should you read this book? Well let me answer that question with a question: Do you know who Bob Odenkirk is? If yes, then absolutely. If no, then I wouldn't recommend it. But come on, if you clicked on this review, I'm willing to bet you're as big a fan of his as I am. Read this book!

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it's a perfectly serviceable showbiz memoir, you probably won't find much of interest in these pages unless you're a Gen X comedy nerd.

For me it was a 2.5 star read.

However, if you love Mr. Show, remember when Janeane Garofalo was a big deal, and lament the untimely demise of the Ben Stiller Show in the 90s, go ahead and bump this rating up an extra star. You'll have a reasonably good time with Bob.

[K Kiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars but ultimately went with the 4 star because I very much enjoyed this. Definitely recommend reading this one in audiobook format simply for Bob’s famously charming delivery!

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

TW: Fat jokes, use of r-word, drug mentions

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Bob Odenkirk's career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explain it here, because that is what memoirs are for. Charting a "Homeric" decades-long "Odyssey" from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago all the way to a dramatic career that is baffling to his friends, it's almost like there are two or three Bob Odenkirks...but there is just one and one is enough, frankly.Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City's legendary Del Close, which eventually led to a job as a writer at SNL. As he weathered the beast that is live comedy, he stashed away the secrets of sketch writing--employing them in the immortal "Motivational Speaker" sketch for his friend Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show With Bob and David, which inspired an entire generation of comedy writers and stars. Then his career met the hope-dashing machine that is Hollywood development. But when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, Bob was more astonished than anyone to find himself on Breaking Bad. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, until finally re-re-inventing himself as a bona-fide worldwide action star for reasons that even he does not fully grasp! Read this and do your own psychoanalysis--it's fun!Throughout Bob's travels, his memoir preserves the voice he cultivated from years of comedy writing. Featuring humorous tangents, joyful interludes, never-before-seen photos, wild characters from his winding career, and his trademark upbeat but unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale--and a moving story about what it's like to risk everything you think you know to make a change
Release Date: 03.01.2022
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• Bob Odenkirk reads the book
• I love the comedy of Bob Odenkirk

What I Didn't Like:
• Sometimes rambled

Overall Thoughts: I thought this was great! Someone commented that this memoir wasn't funny and not to throw shade at that reviewer but since when do comedians even have to be ON in their own memoirs?

I thought there were parts that were funny and there were parts that were serious like any good book that tells about a person's life.

I suppose I just didn't know that it was going to be so Saturday Night Live heavy. I guess I didn't really know he was even a writer on Saturday Night Live so that makes sense that there would be so much of it. I was seriously dying when he was talking about how ridiculous Lorne was to the writers and the actors. I have read other books from comedians who have worked on Saturday Night Live who have all said the same thing. Honestly Lorne should just chill out considering he stole the show from another person.

Chris Farley must have been the best person ever because EVERYONE that wrote a book that worked at SNL during that period writes about him and how nice he

Final Thoughts: I found this book to be funny, entertaining, and charming. Listening to Bob go over bits of his life were fun and I enjoyed learning about how he came to meet up with certain people. Memoirs are always dangerous territory because you never know if you'll come out of the book still a fan. I still am!

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[Michael Legge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shame he dies in the end.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of Mr Show and Bob’s comedy work. Which isn’t to say I’m not a fan of the dramatic stuff, I just haven’t seen Better Call Saul. Regardless, this memoir is disappointing from whatever angle of approach. I would have loved some insider stories, insight into the inner workings of his relationships, commentary on craft, jokes, anything. Instead it’s a breezy run-through of the projects he’s been involved in. There are a few good anecdotes and it’s nice to spend time with someone whose work I enjoy, but this was a letdown for me.

[Aligermaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Saul Goodman and am anticipating the return of a new season. So here I am, totally clueless and surprised at how funny and comedic guy Bob Odenkirk is. Never knew he had such a rich history of being in comedy shows and other nonstop projects.
This is one of the good autobiographical books which will make you laugh. One quote in particular that made me crack up was “It’s like a smooth jazz, a waste of jazz” :)

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Bob Odenkirk since the day I "discovered" him as a college kid, via MR. SHOW WITH BOB AND DAVID. My friends and I had a VHS tape (that's how old I am) of the show's sketches. Wanting to know more about both him and David Cross, I only then realized that he had been a part of an earlier favorite, the BEN STILLER SHOW, as well as SNL, CONAN O'BRIEN, etc. In his memoir, Odenkirk basically runs down his resume...the ups and downs of his career. This is not a "this is who I am" memoir. He shares very little of himself or his personal life, but literally focuses on his career, from early failures, through mid-career mid-success, through more failure, through the modern day successes as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill on BREAKING BAD and BETTER CALL SAUL and his recent film career. There are a few self-effacing anecdotes passed along, as well as a few apologies, and some moments of pure self-actualization. I'm not sure that anyone who isn't a fan (and at least somewhat thoroughly familiar with his career) would enjoy the book, but anyone who is surely will.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my head there's a type of book that only exists on friends' bookshelves (or coffee tables). These include video game tie-in novels, Stephen King novels, true crime books about serial killers, Gladwellian ted talk trash, books with Michelle Obama on the cover, and comedian memoirs. Nothing necessarily wrong with any of these types of books, but if you've read one you've read them all.

Definitely didn't mean to read this.

Picked it up and read the back half and then flipped around and read about the parts of his career I'm interested in/familiar with and before you know it I'd read most of the book. Slightly more insightful and more honest about his flaws than most comedian memoirs, but at the end of the day it still amounts to a lot of name dropping and familiar anecdotes, though Bob makes it readable.

Of course, I remain a huge fan of his work.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much your standard, nearly generic celebrity bio. The beginning, where he tells us of his early penury and struggle to break into the industry, is at times wry, but that's where the funniness ends. I cannot fathom why someone who's primarily known for comedy would write without it; but there it is. I will say that Odenkirk--who was originally a screenwriter--did write his own book, and he narrates the audio version, so it feels authentic. Not a bad book; just not what I'd hoped for.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Bob Odenkirk ever since he showed up as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad. I hoped that Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama would have lots of info regarding Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I should have paid more attention to the title. Odenkirk spent a lot of time working as a comedy writer and sketch artist long before coming to Breaking Bad. I had no idea that he had worked as a writer for Saturday Night Live. But most of the shows he references are unknown to me. I’m not a big fan of sketch comedy, so that’s really no surprise. Only a very small portion of the book is devoted Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It’s still an interesting read and I have to admire Odenkirk for never giving up in a tough business.

[Korey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An obvious recommend for fans of Odenkirk & comedy, and a less obvious recommend for casual fans of SNL or Hollywood & entertainment production in general. If you enjoy fringe movies or shows, that’s where Bob Odenkirk lived for the majority of his career. Bob's insights have actually changed my perspective on what it takes/ what kind of person you have to be in order to "make it big" in showbiz. It's a bit more tame and hopeful than I imagined.

I’m walking away with a long list of things to watch.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book reads as if Bob hadn’t heard about LinkedIn yet and needed someplace to record resume and endorsements of his friends. There’s limited life behind his stories, and just as soon as you think he’s going to get personal, he pivots. Bob is clearly an intensely private person, which makes a memoir a questionable choice. A bummer.

There are a few interesting pieces here and there: primarily his experience with Chris Farley and anticipating his death + never having heard of breaking bad and being very skeptical of it.

[Rich Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE auto biogrpahies which means I'm a bit picky about them too. And this one blew me out of the water. I am an old Mr. Show fan from way back and I've followed Odenkirk's career for years.

The book is a wonderful balance of raw storytelling, fun jokes and good advice for anyone who wants to get in the world of comedy, acting, directing or show running. Loved it!

[Jaze Danelver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished Bob's memoir, yey for me!

Bob Odenkirk has been a surprising favorite actor of mine after watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. His role as the audacious, sketchy, yet charming lawyer/grifter Saul Goodman (It's all good man!)/ Jimmy McGill is one of my favourites in the entire BB universe, and watching the events of this character's life all throughout was a fascinating watch. I then sort of wanted to know more about Bob's body of work in Hollywood and what he is like as Bob; as himself.

It was equal parts surprising and fascinating knowing the man himself based on his memoir. Knowing about his relationship with his father was sad and his slow rise working in Hollywood/New York as a comedy writer, stand-up comedian, writer at SNL, etc. etc. was a bittersweet read. It amazes me how much loss he takes from failed projects, pilots that never took off, etc., and somehow didn't stop him from striving and doing what he loves, which is comedy. His perseverance and positivity is inspiring to read. I can't help but cheer for him when I read he got the role of Saul in BB since I know that it would made him worldwide fame and open up new opportunities for him, career wise, and that's what happened.

I admit, I picked up this book because I wanted to know his process of how he embodied his most famous character and what he really thinks of the guy. I honestly was a bit let-down there weren't much behind the scenes stories about BB and BCS although I think it's super sweet of him to say something wonderful to his castmates in BCS and BB. I also found it sweet how he complimented Steve Carell on his role as Michael Scott in the Office, a role, that Bob almost had. As a HUGE fan of both shows, it's really mindblowing to think how Bob could be Michael and not Steve. Or maybe, Steve could be Saul. If you're a fan of both shows, you'll share my sentiments.

A great read overall, but I recommend this to Odenkirk's fans since he mostly talk about his pre-BB years, such as being a writer in SNL in the 90s and creating and starring in his offbeat series, Mr. Show.

[Michael]

I don't read a lot of celebrity memoirs (in fact, I tend to read more about the lives of musicians than TV/movie stars) but I've long admired Bob Odenkirk and have been curious about his shift from Mr. Show to Saul. This book has it all, detailing his career and its myriad shifts along the way, and dropping some great tips about the lessons he learned along the way. You'd probably have to be a fan to enjoy it; a lot of it is backstory and backstage material, but the lessons are balanced with laugh lines that are >almost< frequent enough to keep things interesting even when you don't recognize the shows and skits he's discussing. Happily, I was familiar with most of them.

I walked away from this book impressed and inspired by Odenkirk's work ethic, and now I just feel like I know the guy when I see him on the screen. So something about this book made him feel like a pal. He's honest about himself and the business, and he's such a mentor to others. I like that.

I highlighted a key lesson I learned reading this: when he's talking about the development of Better Call Saul, the writers asked "What kind of problem does Saul Goodman solve?" and then imagined the plot for the character's backstory leading up to Breaking Bad. This line set off a lightbulb for me about not merely prequel writing, but ALL storytelling. It's the link between characterization and plot; all things always come back to conflict, which is where the unknowable heart of drama AND comedy lies. Good Good Good GREAT read for me.