First published 2017
Saturday Night Live began in 1975 when young writer Lorne Michaels convinced NBC executives to gamble on a weekend late-night comedy show. Nobody predicted what would follow. The program launched careers for performers like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray while breaking television taboos that had stood for decades. Its influence reached into American politics and culture so deeply that presidents took notice. Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller assembled an oral history spanning from the show's conception in 1974 through 2002. They interviewed dozens of cast members, writers, guest hosts, and behind-the-scenes staff who share previously untold stories about feuds, struggles, personal scandals, and creative breakthroughs. The book features accounts from Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Dan Aykroyd, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, and many others, plus writers including Al Franken, Conan O'Brien, Larry David, and Jack Handey who launched their careers at SNL.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, non-fiction, biography-memoir, comedy, 21st-century, oral-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: oral-history, true-story
Setting: New York
Period: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
Audio CD · HighBridge Audio