I couldn’t help but seize this book immediately when finding out Spade had written a bio. I am a fan. I own Tommy Boy, not in some Netflix queue or on Blu-ray…I own it on VHS. Plus we just have a lot in common. He is snarky. He was always a smaller guy (as was I growing up). He is an Arizona product. He went to Arizona State. He was in the same fraternity I pledged. His brother is married to someone extremely artistic and creative, as is mine. He manages to snare women who seem way out of his league (okay so I only did that once but I married her, whereas he remains single).

This book is an easy read (guessing you weren’t expecting Crime and Punishment) and my biggest surprises were:

1. He led a bi-coastal lifestyle even when he was nowhere near able to afford it.
2. He often went weeks without getting anything on SNL in his time writing there.
3. Black Sheep was originally a lot funnier and was ruined by a crap director.
4. Other comics were really helpful to him when he was trying to break into the business.
5. He says very little about Just Shoot Me and Rules of Engagement even though the latter was really funny.
6. He apparently keeps huge amounts of cash on hand.
7. He has a whole chapter on relationship advice, some of which is truly insightful. No seriously.
8. He had an interesting relationship with his Dad and obviously turned out okay despite it.

The book obviously talks a lot about Chris Farley but also covers some other folks like his making fun of Eddie Murphy, who is one of those annoying comic geniuses who once was funny but now takes everything way too seriously.

Spade also says “unfortch” a lot. I was unaware of this abbreviation for unfortunately but find it a huge time-saver and have now incorporated it into regular correspondence.
This book is a strong reco* for a fun, sometimes inappropriate, read.

*Reco by the way comes not from this book but from my former VP of Marketing at Cold Stone Creamery, who used it often. I liked that one too.