David Spade

DNF. Not for me. Seems like Spade is a little stunted at middle school. We get it, dude, you like women. Maybe expand your vocabulary beyond language that objectifies and demeans them, and women might feel more positively about you as well. Just an idea.

There were a few amusing moments but not enough to justify finishing it. He promises in the intro that it’s not a spectacular book, though, so… at least he’s honest.

I’ve always been intrigued by David Spade. His Hollywood Minute bits on Saturday Night Live were hilarious and so well-written. He’s been a scene-stealing supporting cast member in the TV series Just Shoot Me and Rules of Engagement. In both shows, he played a womanizing jerk. However, in his appearance on talk shows, he is self-deprecating to the point where it seems like he really does have low-self-esteem. Yet at the same time, he’s kind of a womanizer like his characters. But then, show more he dated Heather Locklear?! He’s an enigma. I picked up his book, hoping I could get to the bottom of who the heck is David Spade.

Almost Interesting starts in David’s childhood but the bulk of the book is about his career leading up to and as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. If you want an in-depth look at how an episode of SNL is put together, this is the book for you. I enjoyed learning about how the writer’s room at SNL works. David was there for five years and had imposter syndrome (that’s my diagnosis, not his) basically the whole time. He was always worried that he was going to get fired. I think that the self-deprecating humor he portrays on talk-shows comes from a place of genuine vulnerability that is in this book as well.

There are also some stories about the movies he made with Chris Farley, who was a close friend. He doesn’t go into much detail about Chris’s personal demons but I wouldn’t expect him to. There’s almost nothing about the two TV series he was in. The biggest disappointment is that there is NOTHING about Heather Locklear. I can only hope that he held back some info to include in a second memoir.

Memoirs from comedians can be hit or miss. Often their humor doesn’t translate well to the page. While some of the humor in the book was on the obnoxious, swarmy side, I thought that the sincere parts of the book made up for it. Recommended, especially for SNL fans. show less

If you enjoy Spade's snarky sense of humor, you'll probably enjoy this autobiography.

Spade did not have an easy life and I enjoyed learning about his childhood and family. For me, though, the best parts of this autobiography were easily the parts about when he got to Saturday Night Live.

All the behind the scenes info on how SNL works, how the skits are pitched, written and rehearsed-it's all here. I was hoping for a lot of this info when I listened to both Tina Fey's and Amy Poehler's show more autobiographies, but in both of them, SNL only played a small part. Here it plays a big part, as does, of course, Chris Farley. The Farley parts are both poignant and hilarious. I felt my heart crack a little bit when Spade mentioned talking to Dan Ackroyd about how it was to lose such a close friend/partner to drugs.

There were a few irritating things involving the writing and narration-the need to abbreviate a lot of things into annoying little words-using sitch for situation, for example. I didn't like that and it got on my nerves. Luckily, Spade was entertaining enough that I could overlook it most of the time.

I'm surprising myself by giving this audio 5 stars. I thought Spade's snarky sense of humor would bother me, but it made me laugh more than ever. He's funny, seemingly honest and as the title suggests-Almost Interesting.

My highest recommendation to fans of Spade's humor and for fans of SNL. show less

Almost Interesting

The Characters:

The Story:

This narrative of David Spade’s life is not only actually interesting but freaking hilarious. I love David’s dry wit and listening to him tell the story was even better. I feel like I got bonus material with his tone and asides that I would not have gotten had I read the book. It was beautiful to hear him reminisce about Chris Farley. I too lost a very dear friend in my 20s and his recollections made me cry but gave me comfort. The rest of his show more story, while not “important” or revealing of huge revelations is good entertainment. If you want to hear about a life and laugh while you do it this is the book to listen to.

The Random Thoughts:

4 Stars show less