cover image Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir

Bob Odenkirk. Random House, $28 (304p) ISBN 978-0-399-18051-4

Comedian and actor Odenkirk (A Load of Hooey) spills on the good, the bad, and oftentimes hilarious moments of his life in this gleeful and irreverent memoir. His love of sketch comedy was cemented in middle school when he discovered Monty Python, or as he calls it “the hip-hop that saved my life.” “It was comedy with a kick... that said, ‘We’re in, and whoever doesn’t get it is out.’ It felt great to find my people.” In 1983, following a chance meeting with comedian Del Close, Odenkirk moved to Chicago (where the wind was “cold enough to hurt your face and your feelings”) to become a comedian. Never missing a beat—or a bit—he hits the highlights of his impressive career, including writing for SNL from 1987 to 1991 (“My grades for the SNL experience: a solid C-minus, but with an A for effort... and an F for citizenship”), cocreating the underground hit ’90s comedy series Mr. Show, and portraying crooked attorney Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and its spin-off Better Call Saul. Above all, he frankly demonstrates how hard work, pure dumb luck, and “learning to grab your junk and jump” can pay off in the most gratifying ways. Comedy fans will find plenty of laughs and some heartening lessons, too. Agent: Erin Malone, William Morris Endeavor. (Mar.)