Michael Showalter Comes to BU

You know that what you are about to read is awesome when the author describes it as “a book about writing a book…and it’s also about poop and stuff.” You also know a book will probably be awesome just by virtue of the fact that it’s written by Michael Showalter.

Showalter came to BU yesterday for a reading and signing of his new book, Mr. Funny Pants. In his new book, Showalter (or Sho, as his fans affectionately refer to him) takes the reader through a series of free-association fueled rants on writing a book. Initially, Showalter says, he wanted to write a profound and life-changing memoir for the ages, but once he really looked at his life, he didn’t feel it was worthy of a memoir. Instead, he deconstructs memoir writing and writing a book in general. The result is a mind-blowing, hilarious amalgam of free-association, lists, and digressions from one of America’s funniest people.

You might know Michael Showalter from his turn in Wet Hot American Summer, a cult classic movie, which he co-wrote and starred in. Sho is equally recognizable as one of the founding members of MTV’s mid 90’s groundbreaking sketch show The State. Last but not least, he is known for his performances alongside long-time collaborators Michael Ian Black and David Wain in the comedy group Stella, which had one wonderful and woefully underappreciated season on Comedy Central and still performs and produces shorts.

Showalter and the rest of Stella have a rabid cult following. My biggest concern about this book is that it would pander to Sho’s already dedicated fan-base and wouldn’t show new readers his comedic prowess. Having finished the book within hours of buying it, I can definitively say that it is the funniest work I have ever seen in print, and readers of all demographics can and should appreciate Showalter’s humor.

For fans of Wet Hot American Summer, during the Q&A portion of the evening, an audience member asked Showalter if there was going to be a sequel. Sho responded with a cryptic, “it’s being discussed.” Let’s cross our fingers that this sequel happens and that all the characters meet in the morning so they can make a day of it.