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 radio show in college, to open mics, to writing for 'Saturday Night Live' (SNL), to writing/producing sketch comedy shows, and more. If you're interested in a show business career, especially as a comedian, this book could put you on the right track. And even if you're not a budding performer, the book is still very entertaining.
In his introduction, Odenkirk writes, "I will attempt to identify the 'big breaks,' wormholes of opportunity that allowed me to move ahead five or ten spaces, or that simply sent me in the right direction." It wasn't all breaks though. Bob admits to numerous projects that didn't succeed: pilots, outlines, presentations, stumbles, misfires, dead ends, etc. Projects that failed, but taught Bob valuable lessons.
Odenkirk grew up in Naperville, Illinois with six siblings, a distant father, and a Catholic mother who was the family's rock. Bob's siblings - gifted with good senses of humor - were his initial audience, his first open mic night, in front of whom he'd act out 'some idiocy from the day, make fun of people he'd met, or just be a clown.'
Young Bob Odenkirk
As a middle schooler Odenkirk was mesmerized by the comedy troupe Monty Python, which took 'a hilarious, undermining, smart-silly swipe at humanity, at false dignity, and rules.' To Bob, this and other offbeat funniness was the best kind of humor. Bob's interest in comedy eventually sparked a compulsion to make it a career, and after honing his skills at comedy clubs - and meeting umpteen talented young comics (a literal laundry list of now famous entertainers) - Odenkirk got hired at SNL. Bob observes, "Everything I would learn about sketch writing and how to do it, everything that would someday help me write and produce the best show I had in me - all of that I learned in my three-and-a-half seasons at SNL.
Bob Odenkirk doing stand-up at a comedy club
In between seasons of SNL, Odenkirk worked at Chicago's 'Second City Theatre.' One fellow comic at Second City was Chris Farley, who was 'undeniably funny, undeniably likable, and undeniably mesmerizing.' When Bob was asked about the best time he ever had doing his job, he said it was "doing a scene with Chris Farley seven times a week at Second City."
Chris Farley
Chris Farley (left) and Bob Odenkirk (center right) in 'Second City' sketch
Sadly Chris was headed for tragedy with his drinking and drug use. Odenkirk notes, "The worst part of watching Chris's downfall....was the inevitability of the whole damn thing. His rise to fame, blazing moments, assured destruction - it played out just as everyone said it would. Said it to his face."
After SNL Odenkirk worked on other offbeat shows, and collaborated with such comedy greats as Ben Stiller, David Cross, Margaret Cho, Patton Oswalt, Greg Behrendt, Dana Gould, Judd Apatow, Andy Dick, Kathy Griffin, and others. Odenkirk writes, "Slowly, an audience began to coalesce around all this more personal, idiosyncratic, semi-serious stuff we were all doing....it was shocking to find audiences were willing to show up to these out-of-the-way 'comedy nights' looking to be surprised by our unpredictability and exploration."
Odenkirk credits Janeane Garofalo with this comedy reinvention. He writes, "Off-the-cuff, real, impromptu, personal, disarming, sloppy, meandering, intimate....she did it first. She made it cool."
Janeane Garofalo
Odenkirk's next big break was 'The Ben Stiller Show' - filmed in Los Angeles - which Bob recalls as being great fun. The show was on for a few years in the early 1990s, and Bob notes, "I think we made some good stuff, some very good - but also for a very targeted audience. If Ben hadn't been such a committed actor and great director, it would have been nothing but a strange indulgence."
Ben Stiller
Andy Dick (left), Ben Stiller (center), and Bob Odenkirk (right) on 'The Ben Stiller Show'
Odenkirk's next major partnership was with David Cross, whom he'd known for some time. Bob remembers, "To me, the best thing about David Cross was.....the funny funny funniness of the man." Bob describes some of his early skits with David, which involve things like farting and Bob getting naked in front of the audience (with a sock over his junk). This ultimately led to the 'Mr. Show' program on HBO.
'Mr. Show' skit with Bob Odenkirk (left) and David Cross
'Mr. Show' skit with Bob Odenkirk (left) and David Cross
Odenkirk describes many of the 'Mr. Show' sketches, such as 'Popemobile Chase' - a riff on the O.J. chase - where "the pope has clearly murdered some dude, leaving behind his papal staff, ring, and hat, and then instigated a police chase in the popemobile....and the subsequent trial is an exploration of TV trials and random jokes."
Odenkirk recollects, "Mr. Show was built for cultish love, and it succeeded. We wanted only the 'out-crowd,' the few, the proud, the misanthropes. Our greatest impact was in inspiring young performers and writers to like sketch a little more, and mislead them into following their passions."
'Mr. Show' was on for four seasons, after which - for the next ten years - Odenkirk tried many new ventures with little success. In the meantime Bob married 'great, smart, beautiful' comedy producer Naomi Yomtov and they quickly had two children, Nathan and Erin.
Bob Odenkirk with his wife Naomi
Bob Odenkirk with his wife and children
Odenkirk's next lucky break came when producer Vince Gilligan invited him to play the sleazy but lovable lawyer Saul Goodman (aka Jimmy McGill) on the cable TV drama 'Breaking Bad.' Saul's dialog was filled with 'wisecrackery and louche swagger,' and Saul's costume, 'outrageous, showy suit, loud tie, big cuff links, neon socks, and comb-over hair with highlights in it' told Bob everything he needed to know about the role. And the rest is history. 'Breaking Bad' was followed by the spin-off prequel 'Better Call Saul,' and Odenkirk ended up playing Saul Goodman for thirteen years.
Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman on 'Breaking Bad'
Odenkirk has also had parts in a few movies, including well-received films like 'Nebraska (2013),' 'The Post (2017),' and 'Little Women (2019).' Afterwards, following two home break-ins that left him furious, Bob suggested himself as the lead in an action film called 'Nobody (2021).' In the movie Bob plays a family man who, after his house is robbed, goes on a vengeful rampage. Odenkirk provides a lot of details about the making of 'Nobody', which was quite a departure for the actor.
Bob Odenkirk in the movie 'Nobody'
Odenkirk suffered a serious heart attack on the set of 'Better Call Saul' in July 2021, but the incident isn't covered in the Netgalley manuscript I read. In any case, Bob got an outpouring of well-wishes from his colleagues and fans, and recovered to do more great work.
Aaron Paul (left), Bryan Cranston (center) and Bob Odenkirk (right) won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series for 'Breaking Bad'
I skimmed the surface in this review, but Odenkirk elaborates on many aspects of his oeuvre and the people he worked with, plus a little about his personal life. The narrative is never catty and there's no salacious or mean-spirited gossip....which seems to affirm that Bob is a really nice guy.
The book has photos and an index.
I enjoyed Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama and highly recommend it to fans of Bob Odenkirk as well as aspiring performers.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bob Odenkirk, and Random House for a copy of the manuscript.
Rating: 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment