A hilarious look at what life was really like inside Saturday Night Live.A dishy and often surprising memoir of Saturday Night Live by former cast member Jay Mohr. When 21-year-old Jay Mohr moved from New Jersey to New York City to pursue his dream of stand-up stardom, he never thought the first real job he'd land would be on Saturday Night Live. But, surprisingly, that's just what he did. What followed were two unbelievable, grueling, and exciting years of feverishly keeping pace with his talented cohorts, outmaneuvering the notorious vices that claimed the lives of other cast members, and struggling at all costs for the holy grail of late-night show business: airtime. In Gasping for Airtime, Jay offers an intimate account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live. He also dishes on the guest hosts (John Travolta, Shannen Doherty, Charles Barkley), the musical guests (Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, Eric Clapton), and of course his SNL castmates (Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and David Spade). Refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny, this book will appeal both to fans of Jay Mohr and to devotees of Saturday Night Live. In a truly inside story of this counterculture institution, you get the scoop on: Makeup --Jeff Daniels has part of his face ripped off when his prosthetic is superglued to his cheeks. Working with Roseanne Barr --Roseanne Barr refuses to stop burping during a writers' meeting. Humoring the Hosts --John Travolta pitches the cast a few of his ideas for sketches -- such as playing a private detective who is a Hasidic Jew. Shootin' the Bull --Adam Sandler tells the story of when Mr. Belvedere sat on his balls. Panic --Jay has a panic attack and runs 40 blocks home -- in the middle of a show. Rock Star Vanity --Steven Tyler carries a woman's makeup mirror in his belt to check his look after each song, while TLC arrives with an entourage of 40 people, including one person whose job is to constantly adjust the knots on the sweatshirts tied around their waists. Food for Thought --Rob Schneider uses a jeweler's loupe to examine his sushi for worms; Norm MacDonald relates his bout with food poisoning from a suspicious avocado; and Jay and Michael McKean projectile vomit corn chowder that doubles as fake puke. Jay Mohr was a featured performer and writer on Saturday Night Live from 1993 to 1995. He had his breakthrough role in Jerry Maguire. Other film credits include Picture Perfect, Go, Pay It Forward, and S1MONE. He often guest hosts Premiere Radio's Jim Rome Show. He recently produced and hosted a weekly comedy/music/sports talk show for ESPN, and he is the creator, executive producer, and host of NBC's hit series Last Comic Standing. He lives in Los Angeles.
Description:
A hilarious look at what life was really like inside Saturday Night Live.A dishy and often surprising memoir of Saturday Night Live by former cast member Jay Mohr. When 21-year-old Jay Mohr moved from New Jersey to New York City to pursue his dream of stand-up stardom, he never thought the first real job he'd land would be on Saturday Night Live. But, surprisingly, that's just what he did. What followed were two unbelievable, grueling, and exciting years of feverishly keeping pace with his talented cohorts, outmaneuvering the notorious vices that claimed the lives of other cast members, and struggling at all costs for the holy grail of late-night show business: airtime. In Gasping for Airtime, Jay offers an intimate account of the inner workings of Saturday Night Live. He also dishes on the guest hosts (John Travolta, Shannen Doherty, Charles Barkley), the musical guests (Kurt Cobain, Steven Tyler, Eric Clapton), and of course his SNL castmates (Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and David Spade). Refreshingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny, this book will appeal both to fans of Jay Mohr and to devotees of Saturday Night Live. In a truly inside story of this counterculture institution, you get the scoop on: Makeup --Jeff Daniels has part of his face ripped off when his prosthetic is superglued to his cheeks. Working with Roseanne Barr --Roseanne Barr refuses to stop burping during a writers' meeting. Humoring the Hosts --John Travolta pitches the cast a few of his ideas for sketches -- such as playing a private detective who is a Hasidic Jew. Shootin' the Bull --Adam Sandler tells the story of when Mr. Belvedere sat on his balls. Panic --Jay has a panic attack and runs 40 blocks home -- in the middle of a show. Rock Star Vanity --Steven Tyler carries a woman's makeup mirror in his belt to check his look after each song, while TLC arrives with an entourage of 40 people, including one person whose job is to constantly adjust the knots on the sweatshirts tied around their waists. Food for Thought --Rob Schneider uses a jeweler's loupe to examine his sushi for worms; Norm MacDonald relates his bout with food poisoning from a suspicious avocado; and Jay and Michael McKean projectile vomit corn chowder that doubles as fake puke. Jay Mohr was a featured performer and writer on Saturday Night Live from 1993 to 1995. He had his breakthrough role in Jerry Maguire. Other film credits include Picture Perfect, Go, Pay It Forward, and S1MONE. He often guest hosts Premiere Radio's Jim Rome Show. He recently produced and hosted a weekly comedy/music/sports talk show for ESPN, and he is the creator, executive producer, and host of NBC's hit series Last Comic Standing. He lives in Los Angeles.