Running the Light

By: Sam Tallent, Kyle Kinane - foreword

Narrated by: Greg Chaille, Tracy Chaille, Trae Crowder, Tim Dillon, David Gborie, Chris Gethard, Adam Cayton Holland, Jackie Kashian, Rick Kerns, Kyle Kinane, Bert Kreischer, Kristine Levine, Nathan Lund, Nora Lynch, full cast

Debauched, divorced, and courting death, Billy Ray Schafer is a comedian who has forgotten how to laugh. Over the course of seven spun-out days across the American Southwest, he travels from from hell gig to hell gig in search of a reason to keep living in this bleak and violent glimpse into the psyche of a thoroughly ruined man. Ex-inmate, ex-husband, ex-father - comedian is the only title Schafer has left. Trapped in the wreckage of his wasted career, Billy Ray knows the answer to the question: What happens when the opportunity doesn't come - or worse - it comes and goes?

©2018, 2019, 2020 Sam Tallent (P)2021 Tantor

Great story and realistic look at life as a standup

This is a well written story by someone who both knows the world of standup and is a talented author. The audio and editing is often shoddy but it’s read by some of the greatest comics in the business, which was fun enough to give a pass (except Tim Dillon’s chapter, which sounds like he had to take a piss so bad he needed to speed read and the last chapter, which sounds like it was read into a vintage cassette recorder). Great story, expertly told and it pulls no punches.

Read It

Loved the book and was extremely impressed and moved by the story and the vivid settings. The idea of comedians reading it sounds cool and I wouldn’t have found this without Soder — he and Maron were easily the best —and you’ve got a killer cast but half of them can’t read or sound like they recorded on a cell phone.
The book itself was perfect and I hope to read more from this author and will def catch his stand up.

B.R.S.

you fucking nailed it little nephew! I didn't know you knew all those cool words. You make an Uncle proud!!

Sam Tallent has...

...a way wit de werds. He captures a horrifying society of trash people in the prose of a poet F@c#ing dark, unapologetically crass and too real for some.
I also gave the hardcover version to my Dad whom may or may not be suffering the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's. He said " Good writer....yeah I don't like that stuff, too depressing" lol.
I'd have liked to think a Vietnam war vet could hang. *shrugs*

Fantastic book and odd ball voice acting

The book is a new favorite reminiscent of a Neo-beat. The voice acting was hit or miss. hearing Bert Kreischer struggle to pronounce words like Texas, which came out as Tesex, was endearing because you could always hear the reading disability in his voice and you finally get to hear it in action. Tim Dillon on the other hand barrelled through his chapter seldom even taking time to breathe, just how he would have eaten the summer reading personal pan pizza he probably thought promised to him after vomiting Sam Tallents beautiful prose.