Lorne

The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live

De: Susan Morrison

Narrado por: Kristen DiMercurio, Susan Morrison

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 Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

It leaves you feeling like you’re in on the secret…

GREAT BOOK!!! Your heart shines through in your writing! I loved it so much! It truly makes you feel like you alone are in on the secret that makes the show keep going after all these years!
I had the pleasure of watching last night’s show (March 7, 2025) after devouring the book…it sure made the show hit different! Thank you!can’t imagine the time you poured into this masterpiece!

Good inter-stitching of 50 years of history with 1 week of current production. I

The narrator trying to do a Lorne impression was a little off putting, but it happened so frequently, it starts to blend.

Reality at its finest

learning about Lorne Michaels' past and how it impacted the evolution of SNL was an amazing ride through history. also facing the realities of TV entertainment was enlightening to a lay person. I knew it was not easy to accomplish this weekly live feat, so it came as no surprise when this was confirmed. overall I enjoyed this biographical story of a very determined man to achieve his goals.

An entertainment legend

a very rich story of the history of snl and how it all came to be and continually survived and thrived..

Hard to listen to the narrator

I was so looking forward to listening to the whole book, but the narration is so distracting that I can't get through it. I skipped ahead to the first five years of SNL and that's all I could do. I thought I might get used to her delivery. But doing "male" voice for all men is so ridiculous. It's like she's reading a bedtime story to a child. I agree with another review that this is a great example of how an excellent book is ruined by a bad audio reading. And the reader’s imitation of Lorne’s voice is so bad it is very distracting. And the quick 'catch breath' she does every single time after she does the bad imitation of Lorne and then "Michaels__said." Normal people don't talk that way. We get that his last name ends in an "s" and the word "said" starts with the same letter. Oy.
On to the next book.

Loved the book almost couldn’t listen to the narrator tho…

Loved the book! Wanted it to go on and on. I always wish the author would narrate their own books! This narrator shouldn’t have attempted to do Lorne’s voice.. it’s really bad and it’s consistent throughout the story so you hear it over and over… I almost returned the book, cause like, so many people do an amazing impersonation of Lorne it’s hard to hear this one! Don’t mean to be mean but it’s my honest opinion ❤️

Well written bio of a modern day impresario

This was a very well-researched and written bio of one of the most important comedy producers of the last half-century. Definitely worth a read

Great biography! A true legend.

Lorne by Susan Morrison is a fascinating deep dive into the life and legacy of Lorne Michaels, the visionary behind Saturday Night Live. Morrison offers an engaging, well-researched portrait of the man who shaped generations of comedy and launched the careers of countless stars. The book is packed with behind-the-scenes stories, sharp insights, and reflections from SNL legends that bring both Michaels and the show’s cultural impact to life. A must-read for any fan of comedy or television history

Great listen!

I really enjoyed the “behind the scenes” experience this book provided. Loren’s life story is the ultimate “rags to riches” tale. The narrator gave a fantastic performance in the way she used vocal variation. Definitely recommend this one!

Don’t listen to the bad audio reviews!

I listen to probably 5-8 books a month. I have been an Audible member since it first started. I am always cautious when I see “bad audio” reviews. I listened to the sample and thought it was fine— I’m so glad I did! This narrator is excellent and in general I think it’s authentic to the work since the author is a woman as well.

It’s very common for female narrators to change their voices for male dialogue, especially in romance novels. Lorne’s voice is very deep and kind of strange anyway so even her impersonation is on point. This was not distracting or even an issue at all for me in my listening experience. Though, i can understand how that is not everyone’s experience.

In any case, I thought it important to point out that the people who likely didn’t like the narrator don’t listen to many books or don’t know the benefits of speeding up a narration to help improve your listening experience. (I listened to this on 1.5)

It’s a great format— the current day mixed with the history— it’s also a long book —696 pages! — so I’m glad I listened to it!