2024 the best show tom scharpling review

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(as of Nov 11, 2024 07:20:09 UTC - Details)

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.

Reviewer: Tavie
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: We get it. They don't.
Review: This is the most relatable book I've ever read.I'm not a man. I'm not from New Jersey. I possess virtually no comedic skill. I can't improvise; I certainly can't speak on the radio. I know precious little about most popular music. I can't voice a cartoon character, I've never been a writer for television or otherwise, and I certainly am not a cult broadcasting legend with thousands of loyal fans and listeners. Phone calls make me nervous. I've never owned a dog.As little as it seems I have in common with Tom Scharpling on the surface, I had to put this book down when I reached page 51. I had pre-ordered it, as a fan of The Best Show and a fan of Tom's work, and had feverishly looked forward to reading it. When it finally arrived, I dove in, finding myself laughing out loud by page 2. (I consume a lot of comedy so it takes something really funny to make me actually LOL.)But page 51 got me. Page 51 brought memories of my childhood depression and traumatic hospitalization for severe anxiety hurtling back to me. I read on a few more pages, and my teenaged nights of staying up all night, staring at the bottles of pills in my parents' bathroom cupboard, came blazing back into memory. Tom dropped out of high school due to his depression and feelings of failure; so did I. Tom eventually collected a high school diploma he didn't really "earn" and went on to go to a local college; so did I. Tom knew what it was like to feel incredible guilt and despair over the strain his mental illness was putting on his family; boy, so did I. The incredibly bravery and bluntness of Tom's words triggered me deeply. I sobbed aloud. I "put the book in the freezer" for a few days (metaphorically; sorry for the "Friends" reference.)I sat with my feelings a few days, cried a bit, got out a pencil and picked up the book again. I began to re-read the parts that had so affected me. I underlined them. I noted on the inside cover of the book the pages where these passages were found. Somehow, this helped. I was indexing my feelings, keeping them contained in the front of the book.Then I tore through the rest of this wonderful book over a matter of a few short days, delighting at Tom's masterful comic prose and his delicious showbiz stories, his world-reknowned sarcasm shining through delightfully on each page. When I reached the end, I felt closer to Tom than I ever had.Tom and I don't know each other personally. We've never met. I've never even called in to The Best Show (see above about me and phones.) But Tom has a gift, rare among most people and even rarer among FPs (Famous People, for the uninitiated) and that is to make you feel as though he's talking to you, as though he sees you and feels your struggle; as though you and he are in the same boat. As though he understands you. Because he understands people. He especially understands underdogs.Tom gets it.We get it. They don't.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: great read
Review: Well written, funny, and real. A great read for anyone with a sense of humor and an understanding of mental health.

Reviewer: Brian Rubin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Funny, enlightening, and touching
Review: This book was wonderful, cover-to-cover. It's a well-told, absolutely engaging portrait of a person's journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Whether you're a fan of Scharpling's work or not, there's a truly inspirational story being told in this book that shows how dedication and belief in one's self can help you overcome the obstacles that life puts in your way. Not only that, but this thing is both funny and extraordinarily touching on a human level. I loved this book, and I can't recommend it enough.

Reviewer: Ryan H. Walsh
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Get up here you SOB, ya did it
Review: Twenty years of talking into a microphone for 3 hours a week and yet there was ALL this we did not know about Tom Scharpling. It Never Ends' revealing journey through the past makes anyone who has had some brand of these kind of difficulties feel far less alone. He already achieved that feat with the huge universe of comedy he's built on The Best Show, and now he's done it in another brand new way. Thank you, Tom. Anyone about to read this, you are in for a true treat.

Reviewer: Cynthia Santiglia
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: For more than Friends of Tom
Review: **Ethics disclosure- I am a personal acquaintance of Tom's and think he's a great person. So if I didn't have something nice to say, I'd have kept my maw shut** I thought maybe this book would be mostly for fans of The Best Show/"Friends of Tom"), which I am, but more casually- I am not a hardcore listener. It is definitely for everyone, even if the "in" folks might get a little more out of it. Easy read, fun, relatable, poignant, funny-it really does have all that- and as an editor I know how difficult memoir is to do without murdering every trope. Recommended!!

Reviewer: Clifton R. Dickens
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: You Did It, Tom.
Review: The first time I heard The Best Show, I was in my friend Jon's car. "Man, this guy is a GRUMP," I thought to myself. He hung up on a caller for seemingly no reason, and took another call. This next caller started talking about an SNL skit (sketch?!) and I was amazed that Tom wasn't hanging up on the guy. It was Jon Wurster, my friend (other Jon) told me, and gave me a brief rundown of their partnership and what the show was. I felt tricked and treated at the same time, in awe of these dudes using radio in a way I'd never heard before. That was about 8 years ago, and I remember this day because I've been a listener ever since.Look, I knew I was going to give Tom's book 5 stars before I even read it. To me, he'd already earned that with the hours of Grade A content I've gotten from The Best Show. But here's the thing—this is a 5 star book on its own merit.If you ask me, Tom is truly the funniest guy going. He picks up on things nobody else seems to talk about. And after finishing "It Never Ends", he's also proven to be an incredible writer with a heart of gold. He's gone through more hardship than any person should ever have to endure. What I love about him is the brilliant balancing act he walks between seeming angry/grumpy but never intent to hurt someone's feelings—knowing exactly when, where and how to let off steam in a way that is not ill-intentioned.We all have things that we just DON'T LIKE, and Tom has mastered tapping into his own dislikes (Billy Joel, pizza from Toronto) in a way that I can relate to my own dislikes (Kings of Leon, How I Met Your Mother, people that do/say something 'weird' in hopes of making a stranger uncomfortable in front of their friends [it never works; I'm a chill dude but will go to the Basement of Weirdness if prodded to do so]).This book is very honest, real, and—above all—HOPEFUL. As he says in the book, "there's a huge difference between complaining for sport and actually being negative."Tom is like Charles Bukowski if Charles Bukowski wasn't a piece of garbage. Although his going was tough, the tough got going and wrote this magnificent memoir.That SOB did it. He really did it!

Reviewer: C.I.N.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: That SOB did it. He really did it.
Review: All books promise to make you laugh and cry. ONLY THIS ONE DELIVERS!

Reviewer: suspectX
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I only got into The Best Show earlier this year but honestly the further and deeper I dig, the more it has enriched my life in ways I never thought possible. Needless to say I have a LOT of catching up to do, but was made aware that Tom wrote a book about his life before it was released. I don't think I have ever made a quicker, more deliberate and necessary purchase of literature in my entire life. The book offers a lot of insight into Toms life, the life of his comedic partner Wurster, and the history of The Best Show; both on WFMU and independent. Even if you are oblivious to The Best Show, Scharpling & Wurster or rudey-poo Jersey life: splash some cold water on your face, get a clue, and buy this book ASAP. Well worth it.

Reviewer: Conrad Van Orton
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A nicely written, candid and spirited memoir - perhaps even something like a magical mystery tour - that gives the reader a clear picture of how Scharpling became what he has become.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Tom is very open about his personal issues in a way that is very heartwarming. It is written in his voice, so if you like The Best Show you will love this. There's also a lot of funny parts

Reviewer: kerry v gibbs
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This is an excellent read. I have been listening to the Best Show for over 10 years now and I have never laughed so hard. Now Tom has written a revealing book that offers insights to his character and laugh out loud stories. Highly recommend this book

Reviewer: The other brother Daryl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: If you are a writer, broadcaster, comedian and are savvy, creative, funny, and from New Jersey, you might be Tom Scharpling. If you aren't, buy this book.