First published 2008
Saturday Night Live began as an uncertain gamble when writer Lorne Michaels convinced NBC to greenlight his weekend comedy concept in 1975. The show launched unknown performers like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray into stardom while shattering television's longstanding restrictions. Pulitzer winner Tom Shales and author James Andrew Miller assembled the first comprehensive oral history of SNL, spanning from its 1974 conception through 2002. They interviewed dozens of cast members, writers, hosts, and crew who share unfiltered accounts of backstage drama, creative struggles, personal conflicts, and wild behavior. Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and many others reveal previously untold stories. Writers including Al Franken, Conan O'Brien, and Larry David describe how the show launched their careers. The book captures the creation of iconic characters like the Coneheads, Blues Brothers, Wayne and Garth, and the Church Lady. Each beloved on-screen creation emerged from the chaotic world of unconventional personalities working behind the cameras. The oral format allows participants to tell their stories directly, without editorial interference or sanitization.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, comedy, 21st-century, oral-history
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, oral-history
Setting: New York
Period: 1974, 2002
480 pages · Kindle Edition · Back Bay Books