Reddit reviews Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

They did an updated version that came out in 2015 for the 40th season. So that explains where I read it.

First, check out the SNL book full of all the information you're looking for! Make sure you get the updated version though that was released a couple years ago.


Then the SNL YouTube does have some behind the scenes stuff up. I think those set of videos are called Creating Saturday Night Live.


Lastly, honestly any time an SNL cast member, current or past, is on either Seth Meyers on Jimmy Fallon, a large portion of the show is the host and guest just reminiscing about SNL or talking about current SNL.

That’s what I was guessing but I was confused because that’s not why he left SNL. Have you read Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live? It’s a pretty good read.

Norm didn’t get along with some people at SNL, Kattan included, but he got along really well with plenty of the other cast members (Sandler, Spade, Nealon, Farley, Rock, Quinn, Ferrell, to name a few).

What it comes down to was the president of the network, Don Ohlmeyer, simply didn’t like or get Norm’s style of doing Weekend Update. He didn’t think the jokes were getting enough laughs. On top of that Ohlmeyer was very close friends with OJ Simpson and he didn’t care for Norm’s constant OJ jokes. The OJ angle has been overhyped though, he mainly just hated the way Norm did Update. He felt it was hurting ratings.

And Norm was actually only “fired” from doing Update, they wanted him to remain on SNL but he hated doing skits. So if they weren’t going to let him do Update he wanted out all together and they released him from his contract.

https://www.amazon.com/Live-New-York-Complete-Uncensored/dp/031629506X

It's a slog if you try reading it beginning to end, but one of those books you can open anywhere and read a few pages of and find something interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Live-New-York-Complete-Uncensored/dp/031629506X

I am a huge fan of the format. a few of my favorites:

Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

The Daily Show (The Book): An Oral History as Told by Jon Stewart, the Correspondents, Staff and Guests

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

The Union of The State

Slimed!: An Oral History of Nickelodeon’s Golden Age

I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution

>I recall reading the oral history of SNL book a few years ago (which desperately needs a new edition -- its a decade out of date now)

They just did release a new edition last October and it's all up to date now!

It's a spectacularly entertaining book, can't recommend it enough to anyone interested in comedy or the entertainment business... And also, I feel like there are a lot of interesting parallels to be found between Lorne and Vince McMahon and how they run their respective empires.

After the MCU as we know it now is over and Feige is retired, I hope someone will make this book but for Marvel Studios. Enough time has to pass that everyone can be honest about what it was like, good and bad. Every behind the scenes thing we get now is just a hagiography.

It was such a heady time for pop music and pop culture in general. I’m waiting for a seven-hundred page Pulitzer-winning exposé book on the history and behind the scenes of the beginnings, rise and sad ending of TRL and the generation of youngsters that grew up watching it and idolizing the artists featured on it. Kind of like I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution, but focusing on TRL specifically, and with lots of interviews with the people in front of and behind the scenes that made it happen like that Live From New York book about SNL. Imagine how cool it would be to read and learn about what actually happened during iconic moments like Mariah’s TRL’s breakdown or Eminem’s takeover of the studio from the point of view of the executives, the crew and especially the artists and celebrities themselves.

There's also the one about Saturday Night Live that's equally as fascinating.

Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests https://www.amazon.com/dp/031629506X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IpVJDbPAM360H

This one

Live from New York

I definitely got that impression reading [Live From New York] (https://www.amazon.com/Live-New-York-Complete-Uncensored/dp/031629506X/ref=pd_sbs_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=031629506X&pd_rd_r=ESE727QDP6ARVG29GKCT&pd_rd_w=hmbhb&pd_rd_wg=8JWgp&psc=1&refRID=ESE727QDP6ARVG29GKCT), the amount of in-fighting and back-biting. Turns out SNL was just the typical work-place.

I also really recommend the book Live From New York, it's made up almost entirely of first hand accounts from the creators, cast members, writers, and hosts of the show over the 40 year run

Lovits has a quote somewhere in this book where he talks about that comment Lorne made.

I'm too lazy to look for the quote but he was really upset about it.