It Never Ends: A Memoir with Nice Memories!

A national bestseller from Tom Scharpling--the comedian, television writer, and host of The Best Show--It Never Ends is a revealing and powerful memoir exploring a life of struggle and reinvention.

"This book is unflinchingly honest, deeply affecting and just relentlessly funny. If you read it and don't like it, it's 100% your fault." --John Oliver, Emmy Award-winning creator and host of HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

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. 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.

Scharpling 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.

ISBN-13: 9781419762222

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Abrams Press

Publication Date: 07-26-2022

Pages: 304

Product Dimensions: 5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

Tom Scharpling is a comedian, television writer, producer, music video director, and radio host. For 18 years, he has hosted the weekly radio call-in comedy program The Best Show with Tom Scharpling. He is also known as the voice of Greg Universe on the hit Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe. Previously he was a writer-executive producer for the Emmy Award–winning show Monk.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 It Never Ends: The Beginning 1

Chapter 2 So who is this Tom Scharpling Anyway? 13

Chapter 3 An Evening with the Piano Man 19

Chapter 4 High School 31

Chapter 5 It all falls apart 45

Chapter 6 A Story of Unqualified Triumph #1 67

Chapter 7 I Auditioned for the New Monkees 75

Chapter 8 Higher Education 87

Chapter 9 The Birth of Scharpling 103

Chapter 10 A Boy and his Microphone 113

Chapter 11 An Afternoon with Papa Roach 125

Chapter 12 Monk and the Best Show 145

Chapter 13 Best Show Confidential 165

Chapter 14 A Story of Unqualified Triumph #2 193

Chapter 15 My Life as a Player 199

Chapter 16 The Fine Art of Pitching 223

Chapter 17 Revenge of the Show and Death of My Father 237

Chapter 18 A Story of Unqualified Triumph #3 249

Chapter 19 The Death of America and the almost Death of Tom 255

Chapter 20 It Never Ends: The End 267

Bonus Chapter: How to Cheat at Secret Santa 277

Bonus Comic 291

Acknowledgments 296

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