It Never Ends

A Memoir with Nice Memories!

By: Tom Scharpling

Narrated by: Tom Scharpling

From the comedian, television writer, and host of The Best Show with Tom Scharpling, a revealing and powerful memoir exploring a life of struggle and reinvention.

Tom Scharpling is good at being funny, which is a miracle, considering what he’s survived. Like hitting a deer and narrowly escaping with his life on the night of the 2016 election. But that’s nothing compared to the struggles he had earlier in his life.

It Never Ends is his memoir of a life writing comedy amidst a lifelong struggle with mental illness, a story he has never told before. It’s the heartbreaking account of his intense coming-of-age, and the lengths he’s undertaken to pull away from the brink of self-destruction. Scharpling brought himself back to life first with punk zines and NBA coverage, then through the world of comedy, writing, and executive producing Monk, and creating one of the most beloved, longest running comedy radio broadcasts/podcasts, The Best Show with Tom Scharpling. Of course, there are also the tangents into auditioning for the New Monkees, why Billy Joel sucks, the siren call of the Sex and the City slot machines, and how he made a fool of himself in an elevator with Patti Smith.

Tom is the quintessential underdog, and he wears that status on his sleeve as a badge of honor. With this memoir, he lifts the curtain to let the light in on the turmoil that still follows him, even as he racks up accolades and achievements. But most importantly, he reminds us that while many of us carry trauma and shame, we are not alone. It Never Ends is about rising above whatever circumstance you find yourself in and getting the most out of your life, while steamrolling the chumps along the way.

©2021 Tom Scharpling. Published in 2021 by Abrams Press, an imprint of ABRAMS, New York. All rights reserved (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Beyond expectations

It took me awhile to understand why that comedy writer guy who was sometimes on my favorite podcast got to write a book about his life. John Hodgman mentioning the Rock, rot, roll sketch made me realize I should give Tom a chance. I started listening to Double Threat, because the name “The Best Show” made me skeptical that a podcast, with the name, was going to be worthwhile. A Pitchfork story about a band playing on The Best Show finally got me to give it a chance and I knew I had to find out how, who I once had thought was just this dopey character on Hollywood Handbook, had become a indie comedy/rock legend without me ever hearing about it. The book definitely delivers the origin story and so much more.

I don't like it — I LOVE IT!

Fans of comedy and coming-of-age stories will appreciate this book. I honestly laughed out loud and got teary as I read this. If you are a Tom Scharpling fan, you'll feel like you know him even better after reading it: if you aren't yet a fan, you'll go find every episode of The Best Show and become obsessed.

Tom is the all time great

The only problem here is that the audio skips around and chops up occasional words. Audible, PLEASE fix this!

Monk

I learned about this book because Tom did two segments on WTF. Marc was helping Tom to advertise its release. Tom’s story is chronologically twenty years after my time so much of the music and cultural references of growing up in New Jersey went over my head.

I was most interested in his time working on the TV show Monk. He gave that subject short shift. Otherwise, I liked the book and stuck with it till the end. His early life is interesting but if you are a male, 50 years of age and grew up in New Jersey you may relate to this book and Tom’s story. Good luck.

Biased by my love of all things Scharpling

Listen, I love Tom, so I was gonna love this book no matter what, but I think even if I didn't know who he was before picking it up, I'd still give it 5 stars. Super candid about mental health, this book was revelatory in all the right ways. Plus, it is nearly constantly funny and heartfelt. If you don't start the book loving Tom, you'll end it loving him.