Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Gasping for Airtime by Jay Mohr - Available

Gasping for Airtime

Two Years in the Trenches of Saturday Night Live

by Jay Mohr
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available

When twenty-year-old Jay Mohr moved to New York City, he never thought he would land his first real job on Saturday Night Live. But he did-and what followed were two crazy years of trying to keep up with his talented cast mates and get on the air as often as possible. Jay offers an intimate first-person account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live-the audition, the pitch meetings, and how skits make the final cut of the show. Jay also dishes on the guest hosts (Travolta, Doherty, Baldwin, Barkley), the musical guests (Cobain, Tyler, Clapton), and of course his Saturday Night Live cast mates (Farley, Sandler, Myers). This book is refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 17, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781538470220
      • File size: 193443 KB
      • Duration: 06:43:00

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 26, 2004
      Twenty-three-year-old actor and stand-up comic Mohr was playing college campuses after a brief stint hosting an MTV game show when he landed every comic's dream job: featured performer and writer on Saturday Night Live
      . In this stilted but honest memoir, he chronicles his frustrating two seasons on the show, from 1993 to 1995. Few of his sketches aired, and aside from his impressions of Ricki Lake, Christopher Walken and Dick Vitale, he was rarely on camera. (When he was on air, he admits, he often couldn't keep a straight face.) Mohr treats readers to some affectionate, entertaining tales of the late Chris Farley, but his book is less a juicy inside story of the comedy institution than a tale of an immature young man's struggle with a high-stress, erratic workplace: "The schedule for putting together Saturday Night Live
      was made back in the seventies when everyone was on coke.... Problem was, no one did coke and we were expected to keep the same hours." Floundering in the unstructured work environment, Mohr suffered crippling panic attacks, which he treated with alcohol and pot until he finally found real relief with a prescription for Klonopin. Even panic-free, Mohr still felt like the odd man out and chafes at his less than meteoric rise. He serves up mostly superficial dish (watching Nirvana rehearse, shooting hoops with various celebrities) and offers unflattering self-revelations (desperate competitiveness, jealousy and sulking)—resulting in a memoir that will appeal only to die-hard Mohr fans. (June 9)

      Forecast:
      With a confirmed appearance on the
      Today show, national TV and radio satellite tours, radio book giveaways, national print ads and online marketing and publicity with
      SNL fan sites, Mohr's book will get plenty of exposure.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In a strange combination of vanity and despair, Mohr grimly recounts his two seasons as a featured player on "Saturday Night Live," focusing on his uncertainty and anxiety as a newcomer to the show. He impersonates several of the cast members, but joylessly. He recalls backstage mischief and gives some celebrity host dish, but he rarely warms to the topic, and some of his recollections are vulgar. Mohr confesses to extreme behavior in trying to stay competitive with the other writers. On the whole, however, he doesn't reveal much more than intense levels of fear and stress. R.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      As author and reader, Mohr delivers this blow-by-blow account of his time as a performer and writer on "Saturday Night Live" (1993 to 1995) with a mixture of self-pity, self-importance, and petulance. An example of his humor would be a welcome respite amid the ups and (mostly) downs of a self-absorbed wannabe who is over his head in a pressure cooker of a job and reacting badly to the heat. The closest we get are discussions of a sketch that failed and another he stole (for which SNL was sued). He doesn't even give advice to aspiring comics. The result is unfunny and uninteresting. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading