A VERY PUNCHABLE FACE (A Memoir) by Colin Jost (Crown Publishing Group, July 2020) Hardcover, 312 pages. ISBN #1101906324 / 978110906323
Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .
If there’s one trait that makes someone well suited to comedy, it’s being able to take a punch—metaphorically and, occasionally, physically.
From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school and “seeing the sights” (like watching a Russian woman throw a stroller off the back of a ferry), to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.
You’ll also discover things about Jost that will surprise and confuse you, like how Jimmy Buffett saved his life, how Czech teenagers attacked him with potato salad, how an insect laid eggs inside his legs, and how he competed in a twenty-five-man match at WrestleMania (and almost won). You’ll go behind the scenes at SNL and Weekend Update (where he’s written some of the most memorable sketches and jokes of the past fifteen years). And you’ll experience the life of a touring stand-up comedian—from performing in rural college cafeterias at noon to opening for Dave Chappelle at Radio City Music Hall.
For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11).
Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy—with a face you can’t help but want to punch.
My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . .
This was an engaging and entertaining memoir, with plenty of wit and wisdom (often obtained the hard way).
I've more respect for Colin Jost after reading this. Watching Saturday Night Live, I've always assumed that success came easy for him, a good-looking sharp young man and engaged to one of the most attractive women in Hollywood. (I was surprised to learn that he's the older of the two - - he looks so young I thought that Scarlett was robbing the cradle). Jost isn't afraid to bare his soul, warts and all. He's certainly had his share of embarrassing moments as well as dangerous accidents and scars and tells this in confessional but still comedic fashion. I respect anyone who includes both ups and downs in their memoir.
There is enough behind-the-scenes moments of working as head writer for Saturday Night Live to learn that all is not glamorous about the job, and it involves a lot of hard work and long late-night hours. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave the show but now I understand much better why it happens.
My favorite chapter and the one that stays with me is "Why I Love My Mom". Not meant to be funny, it's a serious account of the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11 and the role that Jost's mother, the head medical doctor/consultant for the New York Fire Department, played that day in rescuing firefighters and risking her own life several times.
It's always interesting to see what parts of their life that a writer will include in a memoir. Jost seems to pick the key moments that reveal his character, from early childhood to college to the job hunt, stand-up comedy, all those accidents, and landing his dream job at Saturday Night Live. I was surprised that there wasn't more of his relationship with Scarlett Johansson here, but I respect his privacy.
I don't want to punch Colin Jost in the face. I'd like to shake his hand and thank him.
No comments:
Post a Comment