Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, Bob Odenkirk
Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, Bob Odenkirk
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Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama
A Memoir

Bestseller

Author: Bob Odenkirk

Narrator: Bob Odenkirk, Steve Rudnick, Leo Benvenuti

Unabridged: 7 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2022


Synopsis

In this “essential” (Entertainment Weekly), “hilarious” (AV Club) memoir, the star of Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz, his cult status as a comedy writer, and what it’s like to reinvent himself as an action film ass-kicker at fifty.

“I’ve known Bob Odenkirk for more than thirty years, and yet I had to read this book to believe his stunning career arc.”—Conan O’Brien

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022—Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Parade, The AV Club

Bob Odenkirk’s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a “Homeric” decades-long “odyssey” from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations—with a side-trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him—it’s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one and one is plenty.

Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City’s legendary Del Close. He somehow made his way to a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While surviving that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth, he stashed away the secrets of comedy writing—eventually employing them in the immortal “Motivational Speaker” sketch for Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show with Bob and David.

In Hollywood, Bob demonstrated a bullheadedness that would shame Sisyphus himself, and when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, the phone rang with an offer to appear on Breaking Bad—a show about how boring it is to be a high school chemistry teacher. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, and then, in a twist that will confound you, he re-re-invented himself as a bona fide action star. Why? Read this and do your own psychoanalysis—it’s fun!

Featuring humorous tangents, wild characters, and Bob’s trademark unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot.

About Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk is an actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He got his start in improv comedy in the motley Chicago comedy scene of the mid-eighties and went on to write for Saturday Night Live. He has starred in AMC’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and written and starred in the sketch comedy cult hit Mr. Show. He has written and produced a number of television shows and directed three films.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Darla on February 24, 2022

Having witnessed firsthand, the Saul Goodman phenomenon, I was anticipating learning more about Bob Odenkirk's life and career before "Better Call Saul." This book is chock full of the comedy Odenkirk has created and participated in. His career goes back to the 70's when he was feverishly penning sk......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on February 03, 2025

Bob Odenkirk Though Bob Odenkirk is probably best known for playing the character Saul Goodman on the two TV series 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' Odenkirk is a comic at heart. In this book Bob traces the arc of his career, starting with childhood skits written on his mom's typewriter, to his......more

Goodreads review by Kasa on March 06, 2022

I had the pleasure of attending an in-person event in a San Francisco bookstore in which Bob Odenkirk and David Cross and other members were promoting a book they'd written about Mr. Show. Ashamed to say, this was my introduction to that work, and I'd been looking forward to seeing Saul, and David C......more

Goodreads review by Susan on March 26, 2022

While I'm a huge fan of Odenkirk's acting in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Mr. Nobody, I'm not a fringe comedy fan. To me, this was a long slog. I listened to the audio book and found his reading to be choppy, poorly paced, and he occasionally mispronounced words. I read memoir's to find out m......more

Goodreads review by Emily on May 01, 2022

I feel bad for the two stars already. Odenkirk seems like a nice guy, but I was just bored to death by this memoir. It feels like a cluster of name droppings and not a lot of feelings/emotion. Perhaps it will appeal to others, but it was just not for me.......more


Quotes

“I’ve known Bob [Odenkirk] for over 30 years, and yet I had to read this book to believe his stunning career arc. I can’t think of another entertainer who has improbably morphed so many times, and all through real genius and determination.”—Conan O’Brien

“Written before his heart attack, the actor's memoir was already appointment reading—he regales his audience with stories of his time coming up in Chicago's comedy scene and breaking into Hollywood—but now it feels even more essential.”Entertainment Weekly

“This book would have been welcome news no matter what, but it’s especially sweet following Odenkirk’s recovery from a scary July heart attack that saw the star collapse on the set. We’ll take all the Odenkirk we can get.”USA Today

“One of the greatest comedy minds and comedic actors of his generation . . . Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama offers rare insight into the mind of a next-level genius.”Vulture

“Bob Odenkirk’s elegantly titled Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama takes readers on a hilarious tour of the comedian and actor’s career. . . . Celebrity memoirs are a dime a dozen, but if there were one we’d put our money on as being well worth the time this year, it’s this one.”AV Club

“For laugh-worthy stories from nowhere comedy clubs to red carpets, pick up Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama from Emmy-winning Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul actor Bob Odenkirk.Parade
 
“Bob Odenkirk (sp?) is an exceptionally and uniquely talented man who has had a huge influence on comedy for more than three decades. And now he’s given us his P.O.V. on that journey. This book is filled not only with lessons on ‘making it’ in ‘showbiz’ but also regular old life lessons as well (including his killer recipe for ‘Granny’s Sunday Loaf’). It’s funny, informative, and like the author himself, disarmingly honest. I look forward to meeting him one day.”—David Cross

“Fascinating . . . illuminating . . . [a] fun, thoughtful book.”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“All readers who enjoy truth telling and satire will find Odenkirk’s memoir engaging, as will all his fans who want to know why and how this famous comedian transformed himself into a serious actor.”Booklist

“Oftentimes hilarious . . . gleeful and irreverent . . . Comedy fans will find plenty of laughs and some heartening lessons, too.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Odenkirk recounts fascinating and humorous behind-the-scenes stories from the many sets he’s worked on, plus insights about big names in entertainment. . . . [His] account of triumph, struggle, and his firm belief that comedy is a unifying source of connection will inspire his fans and motivate aspiring entertainers.”Library Journal