I stopped regularly watching Saturday Night Live so long ago, I only half-recognized Colin Jost on the cover of this book. I only picked it up because a) I enjoy reading memoirs by comedians b) I am intrigued by the origin stories of intelligent people, which he obviously must be since he’s been a head writer for SNL for nearly a decade, and c) it was recommended by another comedian, Jim Gaffigan.
Full disclosure, I listened to the audiobook version, because I have found that listening to memoirs read by the author make for a more authentic and enjoyable experience. And when you’re primarily listening to memoirs of humorists, the enjoyment increases ten-fold. First reaction: despite having "a very punchable" face, he has a very soothing, unpretentious voice. Second reaction: this dude is incredibly clumsy and accident-prone.
For all his successes, he seems to have been cursed by a sea witch somewhere along the way, because his level of bad luck is unlike anything I’ve ever seen happen to one person, outside of myself. He systematically lists the stitches he has received in his lifetime, from accidents while surfing to diving into a desk while wearing a VR headset at Google headquarters to contracting MRSA while vacationing in the jungle. You’re in for a wild ride when it comes to his extracurriculars and bad luck.
The anecdotes he tells are all equally heartening or hilarious, but the most intriguing bit of this book for me was his love of writing, not just humor, but writing in general. He grew up in Staten Island, with his commute to school requiring buses, trains, and a ferry, and he worked hard to get into an Ivy League school where his greatest happiness was writing for a humor paper. Then he went to write for television and eventually became a head writer for Saturday Night Live. Writing is his passion, and it’s evident in this book. Even in the audiobook version, he breaks the fourth wall and mentions the print copy, attempting to convince you to pick it up. But he never comes across as egotistical or arrogant. If anything, he’s highly self-critical about his talent and severely self-conscious about his looks, despite being engaged to actress, Scarlett Johansen.
The standout portion of this memoir, though, is neither humorous, nor lighthearted. It is when he discusses his mother, a doctor for the New York Fire Department, and how she nearly died not once, but twice when the Two Towers collapsed on 9/11. Born and raised in Staten Island, his mother and many generations of his family, were all firefighters or had worked for the fire department in New York City. The level of detail he gives in talking about his mother’s courage and survival honestly gave me chills at times. I could vividly see every moment he described. Being so frightening and real, it was something I least expected in the memoir of a comedian. Bottom line: Colin Jost is a masterful storyteller.
It’s a shame his book tour was cancelled due to COVID. I’m confident it would have been a delight to see him on the road promoting this work. If you enjoy humor, memoirs, or a glimpse into the world of Saturday Night Live, then you’ll enjoy A Very Punchable Face. Beginning to end, the book is honest, genuine, and humbling.
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