Book Rec - April 2020
I haven't done a book rec in ages, so this seemed the right moment!
One of my favorite nonfiction genres is the oral history. I love them and have a bunch of them among my piles.
"Top of the Rock" by Warren Littlefield. Littlefield was the head of programming at NBC during the Golden Must See TV years of the 1990s and 2000s. This book is great if you're a fan of "Seinfeld," "Frasier," "E.R.", "Friends," and "Will & Grace." Littlefield interviews the creators, the stars, and the NBC execs, discussing creation, casting, everything you ever wanted to know about what was going on backstage. I love this stuff, so this book is a favorite. I've been rewatching old eps of "Will & Grace" and the way that show made it to air is literally a miracle! Oh, and John Barrowman was up for Will, but they didn't think he was gay enough! LOL!
"Live from New York" by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. The history of "Saturday Night Live." I read the original, but recently read the expanded and updated version, which takes it from 1975 to 2014. All the gossip, feuds, backbiting, and tragedy from multiple viewpoints. One thing is certain - everyone loved Gilda and everyone (still) hates Chevy Chase!!!
There are also oral histories of "The Daily Show," MTV, David Bowie, and a classic on punk rock, "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeill, to name just a few. And the pioneer in the genre, "Edie" by George Plimpton.
So what are you waiting for?
One of my favorite nonfiction genres is the oral history. I love them and have a bunch of them among my piles.
"Top of the Rock" by Warren Littlefield. Littlefield was the head of programming at NBC during the Golden Must See TV years of the 1990s and 2000s. This book is great if you're a fan of "Seinfeld," "Frasier," "E.R.", "Friends," and "Will & Grace." Littlefield interviews the creators, the stars, and the NBC execs, discussing creation, casting, everything you ever wanted to know about what was going on backstage. I love this stuff, so this book is a favorite. I've been rewatching old eps of "Will & Grace" and the way that show made it to air is literally a miracle! Oh, and John Barrowman was up for Will, but they didn't think he was gay enough! LOL!
"Live from New York" by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales. The history of "Saturday Night Live." I read the original, but recently read the expanded and updated version, which takes it from 1975 to 2014. All the gossip, feuds, backbiting, and tragedy from multiple viewpoints. One thing is certain - everyone loved Gilda and everyone (still) hates Chevy Chase!!!
There are also oral histories of "The Daily Show," MTV, David Bowie, and a classic on punk rock, "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeill, to name just a few. And the pioneer in the genre, "Edie" by George Plimpton.
So what are you waiting for?