Saturday Night’s alright

Saturday Night Live’s history revealed through quotes in the new book

by jori taggart <copy editor>

What It’s All About: It’s the basic story of Saturday Night Live, the complete history that’s been told before and some backstage stories that have been heard time and time again. The book tells the story from back in 1975, with Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner, all the way through current time, with Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey. However, Live From New York is told in an entirely new and different way; the hosts, writers and cast all offer their first-hand thoughts on the show. The stars and creators look back on the early days of the show and also at SNL’s current condition and its future. The interviews presented in this book share thoughts from the stars on specific shows and events, other cast members and everything that was going on behind the scenes. Basically, a complete history of Saturday Night Live completely through the eyes of those who made, and make, it happen.

What’s Good: It provides an interesting look at the complete history of the show, it’s almost 600 pages long, it includes extensive interviews with the stars, writers, hosts, producers and many more contributors to the show and yet it fails to include a dull moment. Each page, each story has the same unique, entertaining quality the show has. The show has experienced its share of highs and lows, and the book tells of them all without the droning effect most production history stories seem to produce. The unseen relationships, the frequent drug use, the personal stories all come together to create a complicated, yet so real, story of the show. Shales and Miller have put the words of dozens of the show’s contributors into a brilliantly flowing oral history of the 25 years of Saturday Night Live. Collectively, there are probably about 10 pages that aren’t told by some star from SNL, and that is, most likely, what grabs and keeps the attention of the reader.

What’s Not So Good: Not much. The fact that it’s a 594-page non-fiction book may keep some readers away, but it shouldn’t. However, those who have never seen the show may not take an interest in the book that is completely devoted to it. Stories of the early shows may be lost on some younger readers, as they are, obviously, based around the stars of the show in the ’70s, and some of those stars aren’t around or well-known anymore. Also, there are parts where it seems like random quotes and stories, and the authors lose the flowing quality that at most points makes the book so captivating. It doesn’t happen much, but there are some parts where there doesn’t seem to be a common point among the stories of the interviewees. These few and subtle faults shouldn’t bother the interested reader, though, as the book moves from one thing to the next and continues on in its fascinating style.

The Bottom Line: A revealing and amusing story of the show that’s entertained its viewers for years, this book is a must-read for die-hard fans and current viewers alike.