Ty Reads "Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir"

Over the holiday I got Bob Odenkirk's memoir "Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama". I have been a fan of his for quite a while now. I find him funny, charming, likable and a comic genius. I loved "Mr Show". I enjoyed "With Bob and David" very much. I like his bit roles in movies like "Nebraska" and "The Spectacular Now". I like when he shows up in shows like "Fargo". Or his bit parts in "The Office" and a ton of Tim and Eric stuff. He is just very good at what he does. Obviously I loved him in "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" is one of the best shows of all time. There is not much that I have seen Odenkirk in, or that he has written for, that has not landed for me. Hell, "Nobody" is an amazing action movie. More people need to see it.

When I got the book I was pretty pumped to read it. I know a lot about him, but this memoir is even more eye opening. From start to finish this book is as fun a read as there is out there right now, especially for comedy fans. The book entails it all. From his start at Southern Illinois University, to filming the final season of "BCS", it is all there. The book is a fast read too. There are about 270 pages, I am a slow reader, and I finished it in less than a week. Every time I picked up the book I would read more than I planned. That is the sign of a good book to me. When I pick it up and do not want to put it down.

The comedy nerd in me was in delight with every page. I love hearing about the early days of "SNL", and there is a good amount of "SNL" talk in the book. It was also eye opening to read the Chris Farley stuff. Everyone has their own take on it, but to hear someone who was close to him, who really knew him, reading Odenkirk's take was surprising, to say the least. I also enjoyed reading about his relationship with Robert Smigel. Smigel is a funny dude, but from what I have read, can be prickly. Odenkirk got along with him from their first meeting, and it was nice to hear a pleasant take on Smigel. The Del Close stuff was interesting to say the least. He seemed like a messed up individual, and Odenkirk touches on that. But he also talked about his influence on improv comedy. I was fascinated hearing about him meeting with people like Andy Dick, Janenne Garofolo and, most importantly, David Cross. The relationship he and Cross had seemed very amicable. They worked real well together. I'm sure they had fights, but nothing ever seemed to get out of hand with the two of them. They were a match made in comedy heaven, and they made some of the best comedy TV in the history of TV. I guess, with what Odenkirk said in the book, they were both similarly curt, so it worked.

I was most fascinated by his work on "BCS" and "BB". These are two of the greatest shows to ever exist. They did some wonderful things on TV and they changed the game as far as dramatic TV goes. I liked hearing how Odenkirk thought about passing on Saul Goodman. That would have been nuts, but luckily he was steered in the right direction. Then someone on the "BB" set talked about a Saul Goodman spinoff and everyone laughed. To hear about that joke, then to see the show come to fruition was pretty remarkable.

What I liked most about the whole book was how real Odenkirk was. He did not pull any punches. He did not censor himself. He told his story, warts and all, and that is nice in a memoir. He could've left some personal stuff out, but he didn't. He kept it in there and it helped me to understand why he went the direction he did. I appreciate that.

I recommend this book. It is great and Odenkirk is incredible. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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