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Malgré le temps que j'ai mis à finir ce livre, c'est pour moi est un indispensable si, comme moi, vous aimez Saturday Night Live.
J'adore les oral stories et celle-ci contient vraiment beaucoup de détails sur l'émission et toutes les personnes qui les ont approchés de prés ou de loin.
Je ne peux que recommander.
J'adore les oral stories et celle-ci contient vraiment beaucoup de détails sur l'émission et toutes les personnes qui les ont approchés de prés ou de loin.
Je ne peux que recommander.
I want to be James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. In addition to this book about "Saturday Night Live," they have given similar treatment to ESPN in "These Guys Have All the Fun" (which my husband is currently reading, but since he goes at a much slower pace than me, he should be done with in approximately 10 months lol). Anyway, to write something like either one of these books would be a way to combine two of my greatest loves, pop culture and ethnography. Full disclosure: I have been an SNL fanatic since I was in junior high, and in the program bios for the school musical in seventh grade, I listed my entertainment career aspiration as hoping to be a comedienne on SNL one day. Anyway, this book is an SNL-fanatic's dream. It was originally published 10 years ago as the show celebrated its 30-year anniversary, and I was thrilled to see a new edition out for the 40th season, complete with more interviews on the last 10 years. The book is 745 pages of text, but it actually reads very fast. What gives the book (and hence, the history Miller and Shales are trying to tell) narrative fidelity is the last chapter, simply entitled "Lorne," in contrast to all the other chapters, which focused on particular periods from the show's past. In this final chapter, a great number of the people who have been interviewed throughout the book give their take on executive producer Lorne Michaels, which run the gamut from "Lorne is an all-powerful, benevolent god" to "he is the most narcissistic son of a bitch in television today." Ultimately, like most things, the truth probably lays somewhere between those two extremes. I highly recommend this for hardcore fans of the show; if you don't already know something of the history or you've only watched a few episodes here and there, this is probably not the book for you. But if you are a fanatic, this will be a perfect way for you to get your SNL geek on.
I don’t think I’ve read a book in an oral history style (other than Daisy Jones and the Six, but that’s fiction). I really dig it. It really puts me in the mindset of feeling like I was there too.
I’ve watched SNL pretty much every week since I was a teen so it’s really cool to get this insight. Once it gets into the Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler era to the more current times, I knew a lot the stories, but it’s still cool to get this behind the scenes kind of access. The early days were W I L D. And reading about so much death is a downer.
The Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis era was my favorite. I got sad all over again reading about this whole group of people leaving the show.
In regards to hosting, Gwenyth Paltrow wrote, “It’s great fun for me to play a white girl who wants to talk like a ghetto chick. I never get to do stuff like that otherwise.”
Ummmm *side eye*
I’ve watched SNL pretty much every week since I was a teen so it’s really cool to get this insight. Once it gets into the Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler era to the more current times, I knew a lot the stories, but it’s still cool to get this behind the scenes kind of access. The early days were W I L D. And reading about so much death is a downer.
The Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis era was my favorite. I got sad all over again reading about this whole group of people leaving the show.
In regards to hosting, Gwenyth Paltrow wrote, “It’s great fun for me to play a white girl who wants to talk like a ghetto chick. I never get to do stuff like that otherwise.”
Ummmm *side eye*
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
I grew up watching snl with my mom. Every Saturday night we would watch it and even now we watch it on Hulu. We have favorite characters and cast members, we watch all the old and new sketches. This book is great for long time fans of the show. There’s interviews from Lorne, cast members, writes, and celebs who hosted. It’s a quick read and to read how the show was in the beginning was super interesting.
I enjoyed this book because it was the history of SNL told from perspective of as many people from its history as the authors could get. I think the multiple perspectives ended up giving a pretty clear, accurate history. It was funny some times and sad at others. It was interesting to read about how the show works from the viewpoints of hosts, actors, writers, and producers. My only real complaint is the end, especially the last entry for the book. It just didn't make any sense and ends the book very abruptly. I felt the authors should have written another piece to round out the book and talk about the show's future..
"With the arrival of SNL, the TV generation, at least for ninety minutes a week, could see television not just as a window on the past or a display case for the fading fantasy figues of their fathers and mothers, but as a mirror--a warped fun-house mirror perhaps, but a mirror just the same, one reflecting their own sensibilities, values, and philosophies. Television, which had shown them the world, had heretofore neglected to show them themselves" (11)
So is the impact of Saturday Night Live, the sketch-comedy behemoth which satirizes the world around them. "Live From New York" is an oral history about this American phenomenon (there were other versions internationally, but had a smaller impact than the flagship) since its beginning. Getting as many of the repertory players, writers, and executives together as possible, it starts with the show's foundations in 1975 in Rockefeller's derelict Studio 8H partially through Lorne Michaels. Since then, they've had a variety of casts, different sketches, controversies, and the like. It also goes through waves of popularity from its heights in the 1970s to its nadirs in the 1980s and mid-1990s, before resurrecting in the 2000s. While the original version of the book ends in 2002, I read the 40th anniversary edition which ends in 2014.
While I knew some of the figures of modern-day Saturday Night Live, I only started watching with my family during the home stretch of the 2016 election. There, we saw Alec Baldwin's take on Donald Drumpf, which was quite amusing! We also took in how Kate McKinnon took on multiple roles (she appears at the end of the book when it talks about the modern day) and does it so well. As for the quality, I think it definitely goes up and down--sometimes I get out of the program several sketches I keep watching again, other times, I'm not terribly impressed. Sometimes, I would leave just after the Weekend Update (which is actually a point where everyone wants to make it to!), but I have gotten better at watching the whole thing. I like seeing the sketches, but it was mostly a bonding moment for me and my family. Also, it's a time capsule of current events, especially politically.
I struggled with a bit going into the oral history format. There's a wide variety of people who came and went with the show, with Lorne Michaels being (for the most part) the only constant. In the earlier chapters, I didn't remember who had a particular perspective or another; but I grew to learn about even those I did know later one. I was a bit surprised about how Eddie Murphy didn't participate in the oral history, because the book suggested that he was the most successful alumni of the cast. Otherwise, it's pretty solid.
The history of SNL goes in waves, going from one high to a fall once every few years. The original class of 1975 was seen as the height of the show, due to its innovative approach to television and the talent of the cast. Described by Ala Zweibel as a colony, where the "were Guyana on the seventeenth floor...didn't go out....stayed there" (96), it featured late-night rewrites and sex and drugs. Steve Martin notes on "when you're young, you have way fewer taboo topics...rebelliousness really is the province of young people" (126-127), and Studio 8H was a hub for a new way of television. Because of this, however, it shadows throughout the rest to the rest of the cast.
It immediately hits with the 1980-81 season, where the original cast left and Michaels did too. In its place was Jean Doumanian, who was executive supervisor for less than a year, but caused quite a bit of damage to the brand. She argues that the negative reception to her reign was because "if a woman could actually mount a show and get it done in such a short time, it minimized the importance of those who preceded her. So I was attacked viciously." (192). After reading that chapter, I didn't have much opinion on how she operated, but was quite piqued about how Eddie Murphy almost didn't get on SNL. And also how the first rated-R film I've watched was Beverly Hills Cop featuring him, haha.
As time went on, more cast members joined the show; I was surprised they only included featured members from 1989 onwards. This was after Michaels returned to the show, and swapped higher-profile actors for those who had talent. Another thing I noted was the competition in which sketches are written--"you write all Tuesday night and then they pick like three of the forty sketches at read-through, and then they whittle that down to fourteen of them, then six would get cut. Only about eight or nine make it to air" (319), according to Jon Lovitz. I knew it took a lot to make one episode of SNL, but the buzz, combined with the drugs in the early part of the show, highlights what the show would be about.
(Also, one of my favorite sections involved the process that led to Sinead O'Connor ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II after performing a cover of Bob Marley's War. For some reason, that was surprising, but when I found a clip of it, it seemed...powerful in a way. Michaels noted how there's dead silence before the last sketch, however).
One thing which got me into SNL was the political dimension, one in which they poke fun at current events and how the interpret them. I learned that it didn't really take steam until the 1990s, and Bill Clinton didn't appear as himself when he was president! Those things were quite surprising. Most notably, and one thing which I remember from here say, was the famous "I could see Russia through my house!" line from Sarah Palin. It reminds me of "let them eat cake"--as the real Palin didn't say it, but it was written later on. According to Seth Myers, it wasn't in the first draft. And according to Amy Poehler, Tina Fey's portrayal of Palin and her own of Hillary Clinton "was an indication of women taking center stage in politics in a way that I hadn't been able to experience in my time there" (590). The 2000s also brought in more female voice, leading with those two.
But in the end, the book traces its path with Lorne Michaels, the creator. With the exception of a five-year hiatus, he was part of the show and participated in everything. There's sort of a myth about him, from Michaels allegedly not laughing during auditions to being subtle if a cast member got hired. He would become cynical about a cast member praising how much SNL has benefited them, and suggest they should come back in six years if they could say the same. Highly ambitious, Bernie Brillstein claims that he would send Michaels to make a deal with the devil, "because after the conversation was over, they would give him what he wanted. He is the most articulate guy in the world" (708). Based on that, I wonder what would happen the day Lorne Michaels ultimately dies. Should the show go on, or let it die with him?
Live from New York works with the oral history format--you get a whole bunch of characters with their own perspectives on the show. However, it does get quite dense both in content and point of view--I was intrigued by the background of the show, alongside the highlights and controversies. I could do less with the gossip, but there were some nice moments in there, such as Gilda Radner getting carried around in a party before she died and Chris Rock sharing an office with Chris Farley. Saturday Night Live is a colorful show, and the book does it justice...it's nice enough.
That said, I wonder what the 50th anniversary special would look like. :) (6.5/10)
So is the impact of Saturday Night Live, the sketch-comedy behemoth which satirizes the world around them. "Live From New York" is an oral history about this American phenomenon (there were other versions internationally, but had a smaller impact than the flagship) since its beginning. Getting as many of the repertory players, writers, and executives together as possible, it starts with the show's foundations in 1975 in Rockefeller's derelict Studio 8H partially through Lorne Michaels. Since then, they've had a variety of casts, different sketches, controversies, and the like. It also goes through waves of popularity from its heights in the 1970s to its nadirs in the 1980s and mid-1990s, before resurrecting in the 2000s. While the original version of the book ends in 2002, I read the 40th anniversary edition which ends in 2014.
While I knew some of the figures of modern-day Saturday Night Live, I only started watching with my family during the home stretch of the 2016 election. There, we saw Alec Baldwin's take on Donald Drumpf, which was quite amusing! We also took in how Kate McKinnon took on multiple roles (she appears at the end of the book when it talks about the modern day) and does it so well. As for the quality, I think it definitely goes up and down--sometimes I get out of the program several sketches I keep watching again, other times, I'm not terribly impressed. Sometimes, I would leave just after the Weekend Update (which is actually a point where everyone wants to make it to!), but I have gotten better at watching the whole thing. I like seeing the sketches, but it was mostly a bonding moment for me and my family. Also, it's a time capsule of current events, especially politically.
I struggled with a bit going into the oral history format. There's a wide variety of people who came and went with the show, with Lorne Michaels being (for the most part) the only constant. In the earlier chapters, I didn't remember who had a particular perspective or another; but I grew to learn about even those I did know later one. I was a bit surprised about how Eddie Murphy didn't participate in the oral history, because the book suggested that he was the most successful alumni of the cast. Otherwise, it's pretty solid.
The history of SNL goes in waves, going from one high to a fall once every few years. The original class of 1975 was seen as the height of the show, due to its innovative approach to television and the talent of the cast. Described by Ala Zweibel as a colony, where the "were Guyana on the seventeenth floor...didn't go out....stayed there" (96), it featured late-night rewrites and sex and drugs. Steve Martin notes on "when you're young, you have way fewer taboo topics...rebelliousness really is the province of young people" (126-127), and Studio 8H was a hub for a new way of television. Because of this, however, it shadows throughout the rest to the rest of the cast.
It immediately hits with the 1980-81 season, where the original cast left and Michaels did too. In its place was Jean Doumanian, who was executive supervisor for less than a year, but caused quite a bit of damage to the brand. She argues that the negative reception to her reign was because "if a woman could actually mount a show and get it done in such a short time, it minimized the importance of those who preceded her. So I was attacked viciously." (192). After reading that chapter, I didn't have much opinion on how she operated, but was quite piqued about how Eddie Murphy almost didn't get on SNL. And also how the first rated-R film I've watched was Beverly Hills Cop featuring him, haha.
As time went on, more cast members joined the show; I was surprised they only included featured members from 1989 onwards. This was after Michaels returned to the show, and swapped higher-profile actors for those who had talent. Another thing I noted was the competition in which sketches are written--"you write all Tuesday night and then they pick like three of the forty sketches at read-through, and then they whittle that down to fourteen of them, then six would get cut. Only about eight or nine make it to air" (319), according to Jon Lovitz. I knew it took a lot to make one episode of SNL, but the buzz, combined with the drugs in the early part of the show, highlights what the show would be about.
(Also, one of my favorite sections involved the process that led to Sinead O'Connor ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II after performing a cover of Bob Marley's War. For some reason, that was surprising, but when I found a clip of it, it seemed...powerful in a way. Michaels noted how there's dead silence before the last sketch, however).
One thing which got me into SNL was the political dimension, one in which they poke fun at current events and how the interpret them. I learned that it didn't really take steam until the 1990s, and Bill Clinton didn't appear as himself when he was president! Those things were quite surprising. Most notably, and one thing which I remember from here say, was the famous "I could see Russia through my house!" line from Sarah Palin. It reminds me of "let them eat cake"--as the real Palin didn't say it, but it was written later on. According to Seth Myers, it wasn't in the first draft. And according to Amy Poehler, Tina Fey's portrayal of Palin and her own of Hillary Clinton "was an indication of women taking center stage in politics in a way that I hadn't been able to experience in my time there" (590). The 2000s also brought in more female voice, leading with those two.
But in the end, the book traces its path with Lorne Michaels, the creator. With the exception of a five-year hiatus, he was part of the show and participated in everything. There's sort of a myth about him, from Michaels allegedly not laughing during auditions to being subtle if a cast member got hired. He would become cynical about a cast member praising how much SNL has benefited them, and suggest they should come back in six years if they could say the same. Highly ambitious, Bernie Brillstein claims that he would send Michaels to make a deal with the devil, "because after the conversation was over, they would give him what he wanted. He is the most articulate guy in the world" (708). Based on that, I wonder what would happen the day Lorne Michaels ultimately dies. Should the show go on, or let it die with him?
Live from New York works with the oral history format--you get a whole bunch of characters with their own perspectives on the show. However, it does get quite dense both in content and point of view--I was intrigued by the background of the show, alongside the highlights and controversies. I could do less with the gossip, but there were some nice moments in there, such as Gilda Radner getting carried around in a party before she died and Chris Rock sharing an office with Chris Farley. Saturday Night Live is a colorful show, and the book does it justice...it's nice enough.
That said, I wonder what the 50th anniversary special would look like. :) (6.5/10)
Comprehensive for sure, but so obsequiously fawning about the importance and genius of the show that it was over the top.
So good, so inclusive! After reading and then recalling, I still have a few questions about SNL; but they're all following my current generation (and I stopped paying attention to late broadcasts after 1997 when I went to college).
The Gilda Radnor ~era-esque~ portions were exceptional. I read them on vacation and cried. And lamented, and swam in the ocean while I cried and watched for sharks. The rest of the book was also a treasure, if only because I'll read anything that glosses over furtive, humorless sketches that obfuscate reality.
The Gilda Radnor ~era-esque~ portions were exceptional. I read them on vacation and cried. And lamented, and swam in the ocean while I cried and watched for sharks. The rest of the book was also a treasure, if only because I'll read anything that glosses over furtive, humorless sketches that obfuscate reality.
This is the perfect book for anyone who loves SNL!! It was so interesting! I loved it!!