Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests
by James A. Miller, Tom Shales

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Book Reviews of Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests

Book Review: History, Schmistory. It's Gossip!
Summary: 4 Stars

Perhaps it's my own personal trashy streak that makes me love it so. I love dirt. I love behind-the-scenes action. I love knowing the story that few people ever get to see. There's a lot of that sort of thing here. Dirt on guest hosts, dirt on the cast. Who were the favorite guests? Who were the worst? Which cast members messed up onstage and had to be fired? It's all here.

The beauty of this book, as compared to a straight history, is the fact that the editors (calling Tom Shales, and James Andrew Miller "authors" is being way too generous) do not strive for truth. Alternate versions of each story are told by concerned parties and observers alike, so the book resembles a huge comedy-themed "Rashomon". We may never know the truth, but it's enormous fun sifting through other people's memories.

One flaw I noticed was the fact that the book is fairly bottom-heavy; the early years are covered in minutes depth and detail, while the most interesting years on the show (the "lost years" of Charles Rocket, Randy Quaid, Julia Louise Dreyfuss, Anthony Michael and Janeane Garafalo) are barely touched upon. And the current cast is noticeably silent, perhaps because the fear repercussion or reprisal.

If you like gossip and Saturday Night Live, this book mixes them together beautifully.

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