Lorne
The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live
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Lorne
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Narrated by:
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Kristen DiMercurio
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Susan Morrison
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Written by:
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Susan Morrison
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive biography of Lorne Michaels, the man behind America’s most beloved comedy show
“The kind of biographical monument usually consecrated to founding fathers, canonical authors and world-historical scientific geniuses.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)
“Readers are treated to the Holy Grail for any journalist hoping to crack the show: a warts-and-all week in the life of SNL, where Morrison gets to see the real process of putting the thing together.”—Variety
Over the fifty years that Lorne Michaels has been at the helm of Saturday Night Live, he has become a revered and inimitable presence in the entertainment world. He’s a tastemaker, a mogul, a withholding father figure, a genius spotter of talent, a shrewd businessman, a name-dropper, a raconteur, the inspiration for Dr. Evil, the winner of more than a hundred Emmys—and, essentially, a mystery. Generations of writers and performers have spent their lives trying to figure him out, by turns demonizing and lionizing him. He’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi” (Tracy Morgan), the “great and powerful Oz” (Kate McKinnon), “some kind of very distant, strange comedy god” (Bob Odenkirk).
Lorne will introduce you to him, in full, for the first time. With unprecedented access to Michaels and the entire SNL apparatus, Susan Morrison takes listeners behind the curtain for the lively, up-and-down, definitive story of how Michaels created and maintained the institution that changed comedy forever.
Drawn from hundreds of interviews—with Michaels, his friends, and SNL’s iconic stars and writers, from Will Ferrell to Tina Fey to John Mulaney to Chris Rock to Dan Aykroyd—Lorne is a deeply reported, wildly entertaining account of a man singularly obsessed with the show that would define his life and have a profound impact on American culture.
©2025 Susan Morrison (P)2025 Random House AudioWhat the critics say
“Beautifully written—a model of research, narrative structure, concision and observation . . . a dense, entertaining read that marvels at an invisible yet hugely influential career while never stooping to valorize it . . . If you take nothing else from Lorne, it’s that Lorne Michaels is Saturday Night Live.”—The Washington Post
“A towering achievement, the definitive portrait of a cunning and creative genius responsible for cultivating a half-century of comedy’s biggest stars.”—The Toronto Star
“A biography that’s both enlightening and entertaining . . . The detail that unfurls in the book’s 600 pages is a testament to [Morrison’s] commitment to her task and the depth of her research.”—BookReporter
Editorial Review
What listeners say about Lorne
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2025-03-29
great book, comically flat and Siri like narration
I devoured this like it was nothing, and I will definitely re-read "Lorne" again soon, so I can suck out all its marrow. The best biographies for me are the ones where learning about someone else's life/world helps me make sense of my own. Lorne was one of those books.
Susan Morrison's portrait of Lorne works on so many levels--as a celebrity biography, as a business book, as an essential piece of comedy history, and as a behind-the-scenes peak at how an episode of SNL gets made. The biography alternates between a straightforward account of Lorne's life, and an exhilarating piece of "embedded journalism", as Morrison describes the chaotic experience of watching Lorne put an episode of SNL together in real-ish time.
You see how he handles host Jonah Hill (Morrison is able to convey a lot about Hill just by quoting him lol), glimpse some behind the scenes drama with then-cast member Leslie Jones, learn the different stages of production leading up to show night, and are even made privy to the ruthless, rapid fire production notes Michaels provides the writing staff during dress rehearsal. You see Michaels navigate political fallout after Pete Davidson makes a flippant remark about a veteran. You even get to tag along to an SNL post-show party.
I learned a ton about Lorne, and while it wasn't all flattering, it was compelling. Michaels sees himself as a problem solver, and he has an incredible ability to crystallize every moment of his life into wisdom. Surprisingly, many of the lessons Lorne has learned in showbiz has helped me process/understand a few things in my own non-showbiz life! It was kind of an inspiring read in that way.
You don't have to be a diehard SNL fan to relish this book (I'm not), but I imagine it would be a lot to absorb if you didn't know anything about the show going in. Even so, I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone who is even slightly aware of/interested in Lorne Michaels.
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