Rating: 
Summary: Divulging and Detailed
Review: I'm a stand-up comic (http://www.JasonComedy.com) and I enjoyed this book not only for the subject matter but also because Jay appeared to be very candid and open everything. I loved the technical details about how SNL worked and the behind the scenes stories. Overall, the tone was sad. Jay had, as he admitted, a great opportunity and it just didn't work out the way he wanted it to. My brother was recently on the hit show Survivor Pearl Islands and unfortunately he was voted off early and I felt some parallels between both of their experiences.
I breezed through the book - it was pretty interesting and easy reading. I found myself wanting even more stories about the show and the interpersonal dynamics between cast members and staff. Perhaps he could have scaled back on some of the more detailed personal pain in favor of more universally appealing topics. But, it's definitely a good book for anyone a fan of comedy, SNL, Jay Mohr, or just the plight of reaching your dreams.
Rating:
Summary: WaldenBooks Reader
Review: Jay Mohr - One of the funniest comics of the early 90's and today. That's right! Jay Mohr is the guy that hosts Last Comic Standing. He was on Saturday Night Live! Yes, Jay was a great talent along with those other great comics: Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, David Spade, Tim Medows, Ellen Cleghorn and Rob Snider just to name a few. Gasping for Air time is his journey through the halls of the prestigious 30 Rockefeller Plaza. This book is one hilarious ride through the mind of Jay Mohr during his best and worst times as a comedian in the 90's. I've been a long time fan of the show since I saw Eddie Murphy play Mr. Robinson and this book was a must read for me. Plus I loved Jay Mohr on the show. That's right I actually remember him on the show. I have never seen a better Christopher Walken (an actor who I love) or Dick Vitale (I admit I didn't know who Dick was but loved the character. Then when I actually saw him on a sports news cast - I laughed out loud and thought that Jay had him down! He was a genius). And I will never forget Rock and Roll Real Estate the answer to that bugging question - Whatever happened to those Rockers of the 80's with the big Aqua Net Hair? During the time he was on the show, I never understood why he was used so infrequently. I found out why in the book. And let's just say that it is true what they say in life - it is who you know, or who knows you. Insightful, funny, laugh out loud - this book is a must for Jay Mohr fans (he is hard not to love), SNL fans and humorist the world over. It's a book of history and a comedic look into one of the funniest men in the business.
Rating:
Summary: Good read...
Review: Jay Mohr is a funny guy. When Opie and Anthony were on the radio and Jay would be a frequent guest, he was hilarious. I was hoping for a laugh out loud book. This is not what you get.....although not a bad book, it has many interesting tid bits, but dont buy this if you expect to laugh.
This book shines when he talks about Saturday Night Live. How the writers struggle to have their scetches make it to the air, and the actors struggles to make it on T.V. I didnt realize how much went into making the show. When Jay talks about Rosanne Barr, Marisa Tomei and other guest host it is a very fun read. Where the book dissapoints is when Jay talks about his personal life, his panic attacks, his family. This is where I thought he would be much more funnier, but he wasn't. Although he doesnt talk personal a whole lot, I found myself waiting for him to get back to talking about SNL.
Please dont think I am bashing this book, cause I'm not. I thought it was very insightful, and talks about behind the scenes stuff that "LIVE FROM NEW YORK", the only other SNL book out there worth reading, dosent. So if you are a fan of SNL, you should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mohr Succeeds Without Sucking Up
Review: Saturday Night Live is easily one of the most interesting experiments in TV history. And it's had ups and downs. Author Jay Mohr was hired as a featured player and writer for SNL during the decline of the great early 90's show and worked teh 1994-1995 season, which is easily the worst since the '81-'82 season. And his book gives a pretty good picture about why the show goes through a cycle of great to awful so often.Mohr doesn't waste much time in his book. He starts out by recalling a return visit to SNL to watch from backstage after he left. He's brutally honest about his feelings and about the peple he worked for, and you get the feel for how the book is gonna go right off the bat, as he describes a cordial but somewhat tense conversation he had with Lorne Michaels after Mohr became big in "Jerry Maguire". Mohr doesn't kiss Lorne's ass in the retelling, except to say that without him the show would never work, and that is enough to destiguish him from the sycophantic treatment Michaels recieved in Tom Shales "SNL: An Oral History". Mohr has an axe to grind, with cast members, writers, hosts, and often himself. This honesty keeps his book from being a generic tell all. Mohr's caustic personality comes through the writing, but he does a terrific job of quickly setting up how SNL comes together each week. It seems like an emmensely frustrating process, and Mohr's descent into Panic-attack hell because of his own misgivings and the backstabbing nature of the process seems like a natural progression. Mohr dishes about everyone-Al Franken is an arogant blowhard, Rob Schneider can be a jerk or your best friend, the Harvard writers are snobs. He also describes how he would steal bits just to get on TV, and when the disasterous 1994-1995 season comes around, he pulls no punches. I won't reveal too much of the fun, because it's great reading about how the wheels fell off. I never really cared much for Jay Mohr on the show, but his honesty keept me intriguied in his struggle. How many SNL folk are willing to say they didn't think the early, classic years weren't funny? I disagree with him on this, especially considering his rational for it(The skits were repetitive. Yeah, unlike now. Right, Jay), but he SAYS it, right up front, which really solidifies his credentials as an honest broker. In the end, any true SNL fan would love to read this book, because it's a first in it's portrail of how the show REALLY comes together. And you can find out what goes wrong when so many egos come crashing together. If Shales' book kissed Lorne's butt and beat up on Chevy Chase a lot, Mohr's kisses no one's backside and slams everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Enough Meat
Review: The first time I noticed Jay Mohr was in Jerry McGwire. He played a back-stabbing agent who double crosses the hero in the movie. I thought he played that rather well. Based on his book, it's because he is that guy.
I didn't find Jay Mohr to be a "warm fella". His writing is matter-of-fact and well...cool. There is no emotion to his writing nor does he remember anyone fondly with the exception of Farley, but only highlights his "manic" stages.
On one hand, I can't blame the guy. He was at a rough period (a decade or so) where the show had lost its steam. Mohr was coming in the SNL train as young guys like him: Sandler, Farley and Spade were getting noticed with the best sketches and that must have been tough.
But he wussed out. He was in the same school as newcomers Molly Shannon, Norm Macdonald (who Jay discloses too much detail on his bout with food poisoning), Rob Scheidner (who Jay hates), and didn't graduate from the SNL Academy with honors.
His revenge: this book.
Rating:
Summary: A fast read but very light on gosippy details
Review: This book has two sides to it. First, the side about Jay Mohr and the stuff that happened to him on SNL. This was interesting, and makes me watch SNL with a new perspective on how the show comes together. The second side is his dish about guests and other cast members. All the good stories are short--three paragraphs or so. As such, the pace of the book is brisk. But I kept hoping for a little more.
At any rate, this is a good, light read for the beach, a flight, or anywhere that you want to get entertained without a lot of thought on your part.
Rating:
Summary: Panic on the streets of New York
Review: This book makes me think I wouldn't like Jay Mohr very much if I knew him. He comes off as a vain, desperately whining and immature crybaby who finds disgusting things funny. Though he is at least refreshingly honest about his own shortcomings,and does have some telling observations about the SNL schedule.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that this book was born because Mohr heard about the Live From New York project and rather than cooperating with its authors decided to try to cash in on his own.
Rating:
Summary: Good for it's nitch
Review: With elements of "Dry" (Augusten Burroughs) and "My Fractured Life" (Rikki Travolta), "Gasping for Airtime" is a quirky disection of a small fraction of the lesser known years of a now known entertainer. If you like this nitch type writing, it's a good one.
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