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Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live | Susan Morrison
3 posts | 4 read | 2 reading | 2 to read
The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America's most beloved comedy showOver the fifty years that Lorne Michaels has been at the helm of Saturday Night Live, he has become a revered and inimitable presence in the entertainment world. He's a tastemaker, a mogul, a withholding father figure, a genius spotter of talent, a shrewd businessman, a name-dropper, a raconteur, the inspiration for Dr. Evil, the winner of more than a hundred Emmys--and, essentially, a mystery. Generations of writers and performers have spent their lives trying to figure him out, by turns demonizing and lionizing him. He's "Obi-Wan Kenobi" (Tracy Morgan), the "great and powerful Oz" (Kate McKinnon), "some kind of very distant, strange comedy god" (Bob Odenkirk). Lorne will introduce you to him, in full, for the first time. With unprecedented access to Michaels and the entire SNL apparatus, Susan Morrison takes readers behind the curtain for the lively, up-and-down, definitive story of how Michaels created and maintained the institution that changed comedy forever. Drawn from hundreds of interviews--with Michaels, his friends, and SNL's iconic stars and writers, from Will Ferrell to Tina Fey to John Mulaney to Chris Rock to Dan Aykroyd--Lorne is a deeply reported, wildly entertaining account of a man singularly obsessed with the show that would define his life and have a profound impact on American culture.
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MemoirsForMe
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I could never score tix to see SNL Live, but I‘m still a groupie. Adored the original cast and the hilarious comics who followed. Finally, the man as powerful & mysterious as Oz, opened his office & backstage to this meticulous author. It‘s everything you ever wanted to know about Lorne, the ups & downs of creating a live late-night sketch comedy show, all the talented writers & comedians he discovered & the impact SNL still has on our culture.

MemoirsForMe @TheKidUpstairs Thanks for the rec! I‘m reading Hello Molly now. Will add this one to my list! 2w
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RamsFan1963
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78/100 I know this is a biography of Lorne Michaels, not a book solely about SNL, but I found the book slow going until we got to the part dealing with the show. The behind the scenes glimpse of how a show comes together, what decisions go into keeping or dumping sketches (don't call them skits!) was endlessly fascinating. Creating SNL, Michaels is obviously a comic genius, but also a very reserved, private person. I recommend this ⬇️

RamsFan1963 for anyone who's interested in the interworking of the entertainment industry, especially television. 4/5 ⭐ 1mo
Octoberwoman I read a really good book about SNL years, I think it was called Live From New York. It was an oral history so interviews/reminiscences from cast members and crew members. It was pretty fascinating. 1mo
RamsFan1963 @Octoberwoman I read that book a few years ago, it's a definite history of SNL, warts and all. 1mo
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fredthemoose
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m a casual SNL fan and really enjoyed this. It‘s a biography of Lorne Michaels and also a history of Saturday Night Live. It‘s long but moved quickly, interweaving a close look at the creation of one full modern episode with the longer history of the show overall. The description of the last few hours leading up to the taping was fascinating. Strong pick.

Suet624 Looking forward to reading this. 5mo
RamsFan1963 I have this on hold with Libby, I think its 4 weeks, but audiobooks always seem to come faster than that. 5mo
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