Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests
Written by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
Narrated by Paul Woodson and Christina Delaine
4/5
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About this audiobook
James Andrew Miller
JAMES ANDREW MILLER is an award-winning journalist and co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN; Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests, which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list; and Running in Place: Inside the Senate, also a bestseller. He has written for The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other publications. He is a graduate of Occidental College, Oxford University, and Harvard Business School, all with honors.
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Reviews for Live From New York
381 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is the second oral history I've read, the first being the Daily Show: An Oral History which came out in 2016, so quite a bit after 'Live From New York'. Different authors, similar format - are these oral history books people are putting out connecting in any way or are people just aping style? I think the Daily Show was put together a bit better, but since it's all interviews they probably just had better material to work with.This book is prime time fluff, a diet soda of interviews and anecdotes. It was great. I do wish they had cut it off at 1995 (published in 2002) because the perspectives of performers (successful after their run or not) differed greatly from the perspective of performers currently on the show during their interview. It would also allow a second book to be published (in 2022?) covering 1995-2015 which would be really neat since that is more of my SNL history. (yes, I know they updated this book in 2015ish to cover new years, but that's not the copy I have and it will still suffer from the 'currently on the show' atmosphere that dulls reflection).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The book is a series of interviews with cast members, writers, producers, hosts and anyone who had anything to do with the show. It’s written chronologically so you get a good idea how the show progresses over time. The interviews are interspersed with commentary from the authors who provide some good hindsight and fill in some blanks. The best part about the book was reading the different perspectives and experiences from everyone interviewed which paint a pretty honest story of SNL.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I like this show, and thought this book could be interesting. Specially to learn more about the phenomenon and people involved in this, with me being non-American.
But the book didn't grab me. It was a messy read, with interviews instead of clear writing and presentation. I tried to read from the very beginning and jump to the era I'm most familiar with but nah. I gave it up. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5So far I'm not all that impressed by this. Their transitions between quotes leaves a lot to be desired, and if they actually had the people reading their quotes it would be much interesting. So far I've learned that the 1st five years was a big stoned, cracked out, drunken slumber party...
UPDATE: I wasn't impressed with this. I found somethings were interesting, there were people who were on the show or who were writers (conan o'brien!) that I didn't know were involved.
I gave up about halfway through the last cd. If you need something to listen to as you are driving, it's not so bad. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very interesting. A history of SNL told from the viewpoint of many involved. Not everyone, as some have passed, and some (Eddie Murphy) must not have wanted to be involved. Neat to peak behind the scenes of an iconic show.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The definitive story of the rise and fall and rise of Saturday Night Live, as told by the people involved. Made up of soundbites from producers, writers, assistants, featured actors and each living member of the cast (except for Eddie Murphy), the book heavily involves Lorne Michaels. Perhaps this is to be expected, given how instrumental Michaels was to the entire show. A fascinating glimpse behind the curtain, this book made me wish I had actually watched the show -- that would have given me context for many of the anecdotes.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/525 + plus seasons of the groundbreaking comedy-variety show are revisited through the words of the cast, hosts, writers, and production crew. This oral history approach has its downside as the authors provide little context to go with the interview quotes. I was also interested in learning more about the creative process of making the show and its most famous sketches and less interested in the tell-all tales of sex, drugs, and backstabbing. At least, on the latter note there is just as much mutual admiration among the participants of the show. Some of the greatest accolades go to performers whose voices are missing from the text due to their early deaths - John Belush, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley and Phil Hartman. It would have been nice if the authors could have culled some passages from old interviews so that these great performers' voices could be heard as well. It was interesting how in their own words that some people came off unpleasantly (Chevy Chase, Nora Dunn, Harry Shearer) and some people were more interesting than I ever imagined (Jane Curtin, Tim Kazurinsky, Victoria Jackson). Despite its bulk this book is a fun and interesting read, although I can't imagine anyone who isn't already a long time fan of the show finding it all too appealing. I watched the show regularly from about 1982-1994 but found the whole story intriguing and makes me want to go back and watch the old shows. Even those dreadful 10-minutes to 1 am sketches.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great inside stories from the earlier years of SNL. This is definitely a book a reader can pick up, read a few pages, and put down for a later time. Some of the best known people from the early years were not terribly nice human beings.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm a huge Saturday Night Live fan, not quite yet a "buff" in the history of the show but I'm well on my way. This book is a good companion to the hardcore fan but maybe not to the casual viewer. I certainly enjoyed it from start to finish. One thing became clear after watching it - everyone hates Chevy Chase.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Best book ever written about the Saturday Night Live phenomenon, composed of interviews with (practically) all involved.Brilliantly orchestrated by Shales.