Gasping for Airtime

Comedian Jay Mohr was exhilarated at being plucked from the obscurity of the college entertainment circuit in 1992 to become a featured performer on the NBC television institution SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. But, after some initial success, show business politics and SNL's rigid hierarchy led to his increasing absence from the spotlight--the comedy equivalent of a benched baseball rookie. Panic attacks, frustration, and disillusionment swiftly set in, with Mohr becoming so desperate for ideas he even resorted to stealing a fellow comic's material. Entertaining and candid, here Mohr delivers the inside scoop on various SNL actors and guest hosts, including Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Michael McKean, Adam Sandler, and John Travolta. GASPING FOR AIRTIME is a riveting backstage look at the relationships, intrigues, pettiness, and frequently arcane rituals of live television performance, as well as the pressure-cooker atmosphere created by people trying to be funny on national TV on a weekly basis.