I'm sorry to say that I was not the greatest follower of 90s alternative comedy, though I may have been too young to understand it, however I passively followed the career of Bob Odenkirk for about as long as I can remember.

I love love love memoirs of comedians, and I could see through its entirety how intentional this one was; it's clear that he relied on more than just his memories, and utilizes interviews to make sue that he's not misrepresenting his own past or showing bias, which I really appreciated. He lays out the trajectory of his career from its inception, while stressing throughout how important the craft is to him, and how his first love is and was sketch comedy. He provides some of the backstage details that, while not confessional, really give a sense that he knows what the reader wants. He has genuine affection for his friends and colleagues and particularly his long-time comedy partner David Cross. He has accepted the lessons life has taught him with grace, and the direction his life has taken him with humility. It really was a pleasure to read.

I didn't know a lot about Bob Odenkirk except for his work on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, so this was an absolute delight! To hear about his very intense and thorough comedy background made me want to go and find every sketch show he has ever worked on, because he's obviously a talented actor. I was already a fan, but now I have a huge amount of respect for him and his entire career.

I would recommend this title to any fan of Mr Show or Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul. This was an interesting read sprinkled with insider stories of the struggle to make it in the comedy world. I would have liked a little more emotional connection as I felt stories about his family, relationships with other writers, and personal friendships could have given this one a little more soul.

This was an easy read by Bod Odenkirk. Besides Braking Bad and Better Called Saul, I did not know to much about his acting career. He was very open in his sucess and fails of the business.

This book is a road map of Bob's career from comedy to drama. It showcases Bob's total love of sketch comedy. I am a huge Better Call Saul fan. I listened to the audio book. It was wonderful to hear Bob's voice. I totally recommend the audio book for any Better Call Saul fan. I finished it in two days. I was totally engaged in Bob's storytelling skills.

COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA :: Bob Odenkirk

I've appreciated Bob Odenkirk for decades, particularly his somewhat dry charm and humor. I've also admired him for presenting, from the outside, as a kind, smart, funny family man. But he really earned my high regard when he took the Bryan Cranston path from jokester to dramatic genius: tighty whitey-wearing comedic foil Hal on Malcolm in the Middle to tighty whitey-wearing drug kingpin Walter White in Breaking Bad.

Although Odenkirk's Saul Goodman was and is something of a comedic foil in Breaking Bad, the part was layered in drama and character, and that has only amplified within the spinoff Better Call Saul, which has provided material for electrifying dramatic performances from the entire cast.

Thus, I did the Kermit-flail when I saw Odenkirk was writing a memoir with the apt title Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama. Whether my expectations were too high or Odenkirk's admittedly stoic, mid-West "critical/skeptical" demeanor didn't translate well to the page, I admit to being somewhat disappointed. I found the tone rather tight and awkward, and at times felt Odenkirk might have been taking a humorous tone that missed the mark. I think his is a tough delivery to translate to the page.

It also may have something to do with Odenkirk's "intention" to "identify the 'big breaks'" that set him on the right path, but also to both point to the less obvious, smaller breaks as well as his "failures." Thus the book takes on something of a toiling in the trenches mode quite often, with the added stress of Odenkirk and his wife struggling to make ends meet while raising their family. I didn't expect to laugh at every turn, or even most turns, but the writing almost felt entrenched in this painful mindset.

Of course, there are also moments of humor and beauty. Often even sad beauty, such as Odenkirk's experiences with Chris Farley. There is a ton of heart in this book and even Odenkirk paints himself as a steadfast toiler, a man who "tried just as hard at the stuff that didn't work as I did at the stuff that worked." I have high appreciation for Odenkirk as a talented sumbitch who toots the horns of others more than his own. He credits Janeane Garofolo with being the spark of the big bang that reinvented comedy and the hell of bankruptcy with softening him up. Where else do you see an award-winner crediting financial woes for some success?

I came away from Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama with an even higher level of esteem for Odenkirk. And perhaps some of the "fault" of my sense of the tone is mine, and the state of the world, and war. I will definitely revisit it, for the tale of a Hollywood great who cares more about being a nice person than fame is a rarity. Bob Odenkirk is a good man and the world needs more of those.

Bob Odenkirk's memoir digs into fascinating elements of process, creativity, and collaboration, and he shares his own missteps, joys, and his unexpected satisfaction in playing dramatic roles after a long career in fringe and mainstream comedy.

You might know Odenkirk from his role as the sleazy lawyer with a heart in the show Breaking Bad, or from his lead role in the spinoff series I love, Better Call Saul. Or you might know him from his older work as a Saturday Night Live writer (he wrote the iconic "Motivational Speaker" skit for Chris Farley), as a writer and star of Mr. Show with his frequent writing partner David Cross, or from his work on The Ben Stiller Show.

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama takes a fascinating deep dive into the craft of comedy writing and performing, and into Odenkirk's particular journey through comedy to his later, unanticipated and significant success in dramatic roles, and I found it fascinating.

This a conversational foray into Odenkirk's zigzagging route to creative success. The memoir shares the gradual unfolding of the author's circuitous path through fringe comedy, his moves to more well-known avenues where he shared and experiment with his ideas, to his more recent projects and the unexpected satisfaction he has discovered through taking on deeper dramatic roles.

Odenkirk shares intriguing details about what he has experienced professionally (with a little personal journey thrown in) and what he's learned along the way about himself, his way of thinking about humor and characters, and his intense love for an ensemble that works dedicatedly together and thrives on collaboration and challenge.

He digs into details about process; many of his own (sometimes hard-won) revelations; his navigation of the pitfalls of--and discovery of the incredible creativity possible through--either dogged teamwork or the following of individual instincts to the exclusion of collaboration; and he doesn't pull punches as he uses hindsight to unpack what he sees as his own fallibility or missteps in certain professional situations.

I was particularly interested in Odenkirk's candid introspection and reflections as related to his particular creative leanings and talents, in how he feels they have variously meshed beautifully with, boosted, or never quite gelled with various situations and opportunities, and the effect on the projects' final results.
The incomplete sentences and lightning-fast topic shifts took some getting used to, but they add to the feel that you're sitting next to Odenkirk and he's filling your ear with gems from his odd and interesting life, sometimes-corny jokes included. The book seems to lend itself to an audiobook format because of Odenkirk's strong voice and manner of speaking.

I received a prepublication digital copy of this recent book courtesy of NetGalley and Random House.

This is so entertaining. Love the stories, the humor Odenkirk is known for is delightfully throughout the book. Enjoyed it so much.

I’m not sure I enjoyed this one. It read like someone just rambling on at a dinner table. There was a lot of bragging and slight badmouthing but for some reason exalting Andy Dick and very little talk of the switch to drama from comedy. I did learn a few things that I didn’t know Bob worked on or wrote, so that was fun. But honestly reading that he took the role of Saul without ever seeing Breaking Bad was strange. Even during filming he reports asking Bryan Cranston weird questions about the show since he’s never actually seen it. I get not seeing it before, but honestly after you take a role why not watch the show you accepted the role on?

This was worlds away from the other Bob autobiography/memoir I read in the last year. Bob Mortimer got it right but Bob Odenkirk seems to have missed the mark.

Subtitle: A Memoir

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Bob Odenkirk is best known for his portrayal of lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad, and the tie-in series, Better Call Saul. What a lot of people may not know is that prior to becoming a dramatic actor, Odenkirk has had a long a successful career in comedy performance and writing, including a 3-year stint as a writer for Saturday Night Live.


I did not know a lot of Bob Odenkirk’s past accomplishments before finding his greatest fame in the cast of Breaking Bad, so Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama provided a lot of that background. Odenkirk has been driven since the beginning of his career to create and perform offbeat comedy. During his time working as part of the Second City comedy group, he teamed with Chris Farley in creating the Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker routine that eventually aired on SNL and became one of the iconic sketches in the long-running show’s history (after Odenkirk was no longer a writer there). From there, he worked on a lot of different projects, some of which ended up never being produced, but some, like HBO’s Mr. Show, built a cult following. The final chapter of the book covered his turn as an action hero in 2021’s Nobody, which I watched last year (and will definitely watch again after having read this book) and thoroughly enjoyed for its subtle humor and creatively violent action sequences.

I gave Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama five stars on Goodreads. I enjoy reading about people who achieve success through perseverance, and Odenkirk’s memoir provides exactly that sort of story. I’ve checked out the first two seasons of Mr. Show from our local library so I can get a feel for it.

Awesome memoir, great job! In all seriousness, its easy to forget what an outsized impact Bob has had on comedy over the past quarter century+. From the icons he’s rubbed shoulders with (Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and all the other SNL greats, David Cross, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, McKean, and the list goes on, lengthily…) to the cultural touchpoints he’s contributed to, reading this memoir became almost a Who’s Who and What’s What of late 20th and early 21st century American comedy. And then there’s the drama.

A relatively smooth and quick read, Odenkirk gives great insight into his early years, his formative influences, and also spends a good portion of space on the fan favorite projects most readers are picking up because of: Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Nobody.

I usually avoid celebrity memoirs, but I am a huge Breaking Bad fanatic and am also from Bob Odenkirk's hometown of Naperville, IL. My favorite parts of this book, naturally, were the parts about Breaking Bad and his childhood growing up in Naperville. If you are a comedy fan, there will be even more to love in this book and Odenkirk is a wealth of knowledge about the history of comedy and lots of tips for those trying to make it in the industry.

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir by Bob Odenkirk who's famous for playing Saul Goodman in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and has been influential in the Comedy Scene for the last 30 years writing for SNL, writing and performing on the Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show with Bob and David. The book really captured his voice I could not help when I was reading it, hearing it told in Odenkirk's unique voice. Bob Odenkirk's book title states that this book is 3/4 comedy and 1/4 drama. So if you only know him from Breaking Bad prepare for a lifetime history in comedy before you get to the drama. I'm a comedy connoisseur and knew Mr. Odenkirk's career way before Saul, (I watched and loved some of the Ben Stiller Show episodes that made it to air) so I enjoyed the musing about comedy writing, improv, and were familiar with almost every sketch that was discussed. This is not a mean autobiography, there is no celebrity he goes after for slighting him years ago, he toughest on himself. He portrays himself has humble and lucky to have the career that he has, he would rather you laugh at his jokes than be able to recognize him and remember his name. I learned a lot about his career and some of the sketches and shows that I never knew he was a part of. Mr Show fans will be pleased as the biggest part of the book is dedicated to this and we get a season by season breakdown. The one thing I was shocked about was it did not discuss his heart attack, which I think would have been a great ender, not to his life but to the book having survived. I am reading an advanced readers copy, so it could have been added for the print version. I read this advanced reader's copy thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House. Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir by Bob Odenkirk is published on March 1 2022.

Things That I Learned: Bob Odenkirk was the original writer of Chris Farley's character Matt Foley and Van Down by the River sketch. Bob started writing a sketch while performing improv with Chris at Second City. Bob was not a writer on SNL when it aired. Bob wrote on the second season of one of my favorite cult classic show Get A Life. He had a small but important part of getting Tim and Eric Awesome Show to the right people to put it on air. He turned down doing the spin off to Better Call Saul 2 times. He told SNL kind of sucks now to Loren Michaels face and still hired him years later. Was roommates with Robert Smigel long time SNL writer and creator of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Was runner up to Steve Carrell for the lead on The Office.

What I Liked: The way he gushes over his co-stars doesn't feel fake but very genuine. The story of Stephen Speildberg unknowingly casting Bob and David and reuniting Mr. Show actors on the screen in his serious movie The Post. The story of when he found out is a good one. The story of Mr. Show staying on the air because a grandchild of an executive was watching it. I loved all the insights and inside stories about the making of Mr. Show, SNL, and The Ben Stiller Show. The Stories and self own about the couple of movies he's directed Let's Go to Prison and The Brother's Soloman and how terrible they are, I had no idea he directed them. I liked how he is a self admitted comedy snob, and most of the confrontations in the book are about comedy. The story about his confrontation with Jeremy Irons that their using as press for this book is a good one.

What I Disliked: Bob uses the phone a friend lifeline a little too much he admits his memory isn't the best maybe due to a drug or two, but he calls friends and has them explain things using their words not his. I would have like more insight about his first sketch that landed and a little bit more of his early beginnings at Second City. He briefly talks about dating Janeane Garofalo which feels like such a tease.

Recommendations: If you care about comedy in the last 30 years then you should read this book. If you're a fan of Mr. Show with Bod and David then this book is for you. If you're a Breaking Bad fan and only reading it for that, then you have to decide if you want to read about mainly comedy to get to the inside stories of Breaking Bad. I'm a huge fan of Odenkirk and his career both comedy and drama so I recommend this book. If he doesn't talk about his heart attack in this one I'll read more about Odenkirk's career to come. I rated Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama: A Memoir by Bob Odenkirk 4 out of 5 stars.

I've loved Bob Odenkirk for a long time, so I was so excited to be granted this ARC on Netgalley. Odenkirk has a very distinct narrative voice that feels very fitting of his public persona, and I loved getting the curtain pulled back, so to speak, on his works thus far. Learning about his perspective of the industry and his projects and his process for acting was really insightful and so much fun to read about. I did wish that the book centered more around Bob's personal experiences and life instead of just his career, but nevertheless I really appreciated the insight.

I think this book is going to be fantastic on audiobook: Odenkirks narrative voice really shines in this book and I think hearing him read the words he wrote will add a layer of depth and understanding tot he piece overall. I will definitely be looking for this audiobook once released!

Thank you for the ARC :) 4.5 stars.

While many may know Bob has the hapless Saul, I first knew him from Mr. Show. I was pumped to read his book and was not disappointed!

This is a book that a reader can clearly "hear' the writers voice through the page. I could hear Bob's silly cadence and speech patterns. His behind the scene and behind the work stories are what I was here for--which, reading some of the other reviews--I see is what some people are upset about. I don't need the personal life. I don't really care. I don't know a childhood story unless it's vital to who they are.

It's a great and wonderful book - it's a true jewel for any comedy fan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was an interesting book about an actor I knew little about.
This gave me a rare insight and was full of anecdotal stories.
I recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Reading a memoir by such a talented and funny individual like Bob Odenkirk left me laughing all the way through COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA. Odenkirk takes the reader back to his beginnings as a comedian trying to find his place in the entertainment world and continues all the way through to his current successes as a dramatic actor and even an action hero. It's remarkable to realize how many people he has worked with and how much comedy gold he has been a part of.
The beginning of Odenkirk's career is fascinating and the reader quickly picks up something the Odenkirk seems to have followed his entire career: early on, even when he felt like he was on the verge of being let go from SNL, Bob was always working and searching to create things that make him happy. He figured if he kept cranking stuff out all the time and was enjoying himself, enough of what he created will be beloved and propel him forward in his career and his life. He acknowledges that the core of his comedic sentiment is not for everyone, but by adding his style to all kind of different kinds of comedy, that collaboration has sometimes produced truly wonderful things. Bob is also self-deprecating and not afraid to acknowledge his limits and his failures, which make him even more relatable and funny.
COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA is a gem and anyone whose has consumed pop culture over the last thirty years (which is basically everyone) will enjoy reading about a man who has created so much fun and entertainment for all that time.

Oh how I wanted more details from Odenkirk on his drama stuff, but that's not what you're going to get. Go figure. It IS called Comedy,Comedy, Comedy, Drama, emphasis on the comedy part, so my bad. My husband would probably like this more since he's familiar with Odenkirk's comedy, especially his Mr. Show stuff.
Be prepared for a lot of summaries of his many sketches. I'll admit I skipped a few pages when this happened.
Overall, if you're a fan of Odenkirk, by all means pick this up. Maybe watch the sketches on YouTube as you're reading along. I should have done that...

"In this "essential" (Entertainment Weekly), "hilarious" (AV Club) memoir, the star of Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul opens up about the highs and lows of showbiz, his cult status as a comedy writer, and what it’s like to reinvent himself as an action film ass-kicker at fifty.

Bob Odenkirk’s career is inexplicable. And yet he will try like hell to explicate it for you. Charting a "Homeric" decades-long "odyssey" from his origins in the seedy comedy clubs of Chicago to a dramatic career full of award nominations - with a side-trip into the action-man world that is baffling to all who know him - it’s almost like there are many Bob Odenkirks! But there is just one and one is plenty.

Bob embraced a life in comedy after a chance meeting with Second City’s legendary Del Close. He somehow made his way to a job as a writer at Saturday Night Live. While surviving that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth, he stashed away the secrets of comedy writing - eventually employing them in the immortal "Motivational Speaker" sketch for Chris Farley, honing them on The Ben Stiller Show, and perfecting them on Mr. Show with Bob and David.

In Hollywood, Bob demonstrated a bullheadedness that would shame Sisyphus himself, and when all hope was lost for the umpteenth time, the phone rang with an offer to appear on Breaking Bad - a show about how boring it is to be a high school chemistry teacher. His embrace of this strange new world of dramatic acting led him to working with Steven Spielberg, Alexander Payne, and Greta Gerwig, and then, in a twist that will confound you, he re-re-invented himself as a bona fide action star. Why? Read this and do your own psychoanalysis - it’s fun!

Featuring humorous tangents, never-before-seen photos, wild characters, and Bob’s trademark unflinching drive, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama is a classic showbiz tale told by a determined idiot."

I totally forgot he was in that horrid Little Women adaptation...

An interesting look behind the curtain to see how some of the sausage gets made from one of my favorite working actor-comedians. What I appreciated most about this book was how far he leaned into his failures, and how he owned his mistakes in retrospect. What I didn't like as much was how singularly-focused this book was - it was only about his work, with hardly any details about his personal life. The chapters drifted from project to project to project and while it was interesting and funny finding out some good stories, I never felt like I got any closer to finding out who this guy really is. He seems like a real private person that doesn't like to talk about his home life, be it his youth, his current family, interests, or anything outside his office hours. He comes off as a passionate workaholic, but the writing, while interesting, was cold and standoff-ish.

Still, it's a very quick read, and he interacts with all the greats in the alt comedy scene -- starting in Chicago's Second City atmosphere and moving to LA to get weird with creative and edgy. Being a general outlier for most of his life makes for good story fodder, and it's truly impressive how many incredible people he's worked with over the years, from stage improv to HBO to Adult Swim to AMC and now his action films, Quite a remarkable career.