10 Things We Learned at the Richard Lewis #BNAuthorEvent
Richard Lewis visited the Union Square Barnes & Noble on Wednesday, May 20, to sign copies of his book Reflections From Hell, a collaboration with artist Carl Titolo. Lewis and Titolo took the stage to tell jokes, talk about their working relationship, and answer questions from fans. One of the fans in the audience was very, very famous.
Artie Lang (The Howard Stern Show, Mad TV) is a huge fan. The comedian was in the audience and asked Lewis, “Do you realize you are the best joke writer that’s ever lived?” Lewis responded, “If I said yes, everyone here would burn the store down.”
Lewis and Titolo are a match made in heaven. “He’s as complicated as I am,” Lewis said. “Neither of us care too much about reaching an audience until we reach ourselves first. I’ve always wanted to collaborate with a guy who understands me.”
Lewis’s career summed up: “I was broke for a long time, I worked hard, I got lucky.”
Comedy came to Lewis in college. “Talking about my feelings was it for me from 22 on. I had to figure out how to be authentic somehow, and that became comedy.”
Lewis owes a lot to David Letterman. “He has great passion for artists.”
The book probably could have been a lot longer. “There are only two images up here (on stage) so it looks like we’re mental patients, like the book only has two images in it. But there are more images in the book,” Lewis said. Titolo: “I could have done 10,000 images. It would have killed me, but I was addicted to doing them. They made my head spin.”
Titolo wanted the book to reflect Lewis’s life. “The book had to be similar to driving around in your car switching the radio station every few seconds, because that is what Richard’s life is like. This book will make you smile and it will also upset you. It’s dark.”
Titolo probably won’t work with anyone else like this ever again. “I feared working with anyone, but this has been wonderful. If there were more Richards around I guess I’d do it again.”
Lewis has been sober since 1994. “I’m grateful for every day I’m alive.”
Advice from Lewis: “You have to be yourself and have the balls not to take the easy way out.”