Book ~ "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" (2025) Paul Myers

From Goodreads ~ From his humble beginnings in sketch comedy with the Toronto branch of Second City, to his rise to fame in "SCTV" and Hollywood film classics like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", "The Great Outdoors" and "Uncle Buck", John Candy captivated audiences with his self-deprecating humour, emotional warmth and gift for improvisation. Now for the first time since Candy’s tragic death, biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.

Drawing on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues including Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, Ron Howard, Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and many more, "John Candy: A Life in Comedy" celebrates the comedian’s unparalleled talent, infectious charm and generosity of spirit. Through ups and downs, successes and failures, and struggles with anxiety and self-doubt, Candy faced the world with a big smile and a warm demeanour that earned him the love and adoration of fans around the world.

This book is a behind-the-scenes look at the life and career of John Candy (1950 - 1994). It dives into Candy’s rise from local sketch comedy in Toronto to Hollywood fame, while also showing the kind, generous and sometimes troubled man behind all the laughs.

Candy grew up in Toronto and got his comedy start at Second City. Thanks to Dan Aykroyd, he landed a spot on SCTV and became a breakout star with his big heart and even bigger characters. From Stripes to The Blues Brothers to Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles to Cool Runnings, Candy built a career on playing lovable funny underdogs. This book takes you through those roles and others (there are whole chapters on most of his movies).

The author spoke with a lot of Candy’s friends and co-stars (including Steve Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Tom Hanks, Martin Short and Dan Aykroyd) to show the deep affection and admiration so many had for him. Off-camera Candy was generous and thoughtful ... for example, buying Thanksgiving dinner for entire film crews, comforting homesick extras and always making time for people. The book also looks at Candy’s struggles with anxiety, his weight and the pressure of being “the funny guy.”

I was (and still am) a fan of John Candy. He passed away just over 30 years ago and I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to write such a book about him. I enjoyed it and it was interesting to learn more about Candy. It's obvious that it's well-researched and honest ... though he knew better (his father had passed away young of a heart attack), Candy liked his smokes, rum & Cokes and food. It would have been nice, though, to have some photographs included as it's just all text.

Book ~ "The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy" (2018) Paul Myers

From Goodreads ~ It’s finally here -  the definitive, authorized story of legendary sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Meticulously researched and written with the full cooperation and participation of the Kids by Paul Myers, "The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy" features exclusive interviews with Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson, as well as key players from their inner circle, including producer Lorne Michaels, the “man in the towel” Paul Bellini and head writer Norm Hiscock. 

Marvel as the Kids share their intimate memories and behind-the-scenes stories of how they created their greatest sketches and most beloved characters, from the Chicken Lady and Buddy Cole to Cabbage Head and Sir Simon & Hecubus.

"The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy" spans the entirety of the Kids’ storied career, from their early club shows in Toronto to their recent live reunion tours across North America - and everything in between. Along for the ride are a plethora of fans, peers and luminaries to celebrate the career and legacy of Canada’s most subversively hilarious comedy troupe. 

You’ll read tributes from Seth Meyers, Judd Apatow, Garry Shandling, Paul Feig, Mike Myers, David Cross, Michael Ian Black, Brent Butt, Jonah Ray, Dana Gould, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Richter, and Canada’s newest comedy sensation, Baroness Von Sketch. 

Perfect for diehard fans and new initiates alike, The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy will make you laugh and make you cry ... and it may even crush your head. 

The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy group that formed in 1984.  I was a fan and watched their show in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  As such, I thought it would be interesting to read about them.

The book starts with the childhoods of the Kids and ends with what they are doing today (as of 2018).  In the 1980s, Mark McKinney and Bruce McCulloch were known as "The Audience" in Western Canada and Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley were known as "The Kids in the Hall" in Toronto.  When McKinney and McCulloch moved to Toronto, they connected with McDonald and Foley and the four become the Kids in the Hall.  Scott Thompson soon joined the group.

The Kids in the Hall performed regularly here in Toronto in the mid-1980s and eventually caught the eye of Lorne Michaels who helped them get their own show, which ran from 1989 to 1994.  When that ended, they made the movie Brain Candy and then went their separate ways and did various things.  They got back together years later and have done a short TV miniseries and some tours (Gord and I saw them on their 2015 tour).

I liked the writing style.  There were many interviews with the Kids, plus others including Seth Meyers, Judd Apatow, Garry Shandling, Paul Feig, Mike Myers, Brent Butt, Bob Odenkirk and Andy Richter.  The Kids were honest and didn't try to hide when there were issues when they were working (or not working) together.  It's nice that despite the hostilities over the years that they are back to being close friends again.

It was an interesting book which The Kids in the Hall fans will enjoy.