Author of new book on sketch comedy, 'We're Not Worthy,' weighs in on Detroit's funny icons

Jason Klamm is a writer, actor, comedian and podcaster, but his best credential as a chronicler of sketch comedy is probably his affection for “Wayne’s World,” the 1992 movie spun from the “Saturday Night Live” bit about public-access TV hosts/metalheads Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey).

“I memorized this film as a kid,” writes Klamm. “I can still quote a good chunk of the first twenty minutes or so of the film, because my best friends, Dan Gomiller, Mike Shaver and I would all watch the film on repeat; I wore out my VHS copy.”

Hence the title of Klamm’s new book, “We’re Not Worthy” (1984 Publishing), a phrase that Wayne and Garth made popular. Subtitled “From ‘In Living Color’ to ‘Mr. Show,’ How ‘90s Sketch TV Changed the Face of Comedy,” it is an anecdote-packed history of the most creative series of that era, a list that also includes “Kids in the Hall,” “MADtv,” “The Ben Stiller Show,” “The State,” “The Dana Carvey Show” and more.

Klamm was born in the United Kingdom, grew up in upstate New York and has made the Detroit suburb of Berkley his home for the past few years.  A longtime fan of the practitioners of ‘90s sketch comedy, many of whom went on to become huge television and film stars, he conducted 150 interviews for “We’re Not Worthy” (out Sept. 12) and has described the book as "the longest thank you note I’ve ever written.”

Because the Detroit area is known for producing comedy icons, the Free Press asked Klamm to weigh in on some of the Motor City’s best-known sketch innovators. Here are some thoughts he shared via email.

Lily Tomlin

Born and raised in Detroit, Tomlin got her big break on "Laugh-In," the 1960s rapid-fire hour of sketches and jokes, before segueing to movies. Said Klamm: “I recently included Lily Tomlin in my history of recorded comedy, a sort of mini-museum I put up at the Berkley library. While a lot of us know her as an actress, her work as a comedian is underappreciated; her comedy album 'Modern Scream' is one of the greats, because she was allowed to use her own voice in a fun mix of sketch, stage character work and meta comedy.”

Gilda Radner

A member of the original “Saturday Night Live” cast, Radner had a love of performing as a child in Detroit that paved the way for her becoming one of the most influential, beloved comedians of the 1970s. “Gilda Radner's wild and weird character choices on SNL informed how TV sketch would be acted from there on out,” noted Klamm. She made it clear with characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna that TV sketch comedy could be both broad and grounded at the same time.”

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David Alan Grier

A master of fine arts alum of the Yale School of Drama and a Tony winner for the 2020 revival of "A Soldier's Play," the native Detroiter is equally adept at drama or comedy, but his work on the '90s hit show “In Living Color” put him in the sketch pantheon. “David Alan Grier is one of my favorite modern sketch performers for a similar reason (as Radner) — his training and skill make some of his characters heartbreakingly real, even if he's doing a seemingly over-the-top voice. If you need a 'voice of the audience' to ask what the hell is happening in a sketch, there's no better face to bring everything back to reality for a second,” said Klamm.

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Tim Meadows

Detroit's own Meadows might be best remembered from his “Saturday Night Live” days as Leon Phelps, aka the Ladies Man, a character that earned him a starring role in the 2000 movie of the same name. Post-"SNL," Meadows has stood out for his work in the movie "Mean Girls" and his recurring parts in sitcoms like "The Goldbergs" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." Said Kamm, “I don't feel Tim Meadows was ever used well enough on SNL; he's best not doing a voice or a big character — he deserves the chance to sit in a scene and just make you watch.”

Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson

The longtime friends and Second City Detroit alums (Robinson hails from Oakland County, while Richardson is from the D) are part of the new generation of sketch comedy. After all, what is "Detroiters" but a brilliant sketch that lasts 30 minutes? “Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson are the reason ‘Detroiters’ remains one of my favorite sitcoms of all time (I even have a podcast I'm working on about the show called ‘De2roiters,’ though we're pausing on it for the strikes currently),” said Klamm, referring to the writers and actors strikes. “I write briefly about Tim's show ‘I Think You Should Leave' in the book as an adult-oriented sketch show with dialogue that sounds like a 9-year-old wrote it, and I mean that as a compliment. As a pair, they are perfection - they manage to change who is grounded in a scene and who is not, and can both make me invest in the most absurd situations I've ever seen in sketches or sitcoms.”

Mary Lynn Rajskub

Rajskub, the pride of Trenton, is among those sketch veterans who’ve gone on to juggle both silly and serious roles. In the sketch world, she’s known for her time on cult favorite “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” but it’s her defining role as tech geek Chloe on “24” that made her a pop culture figure. Said Klamm: “Mary Lynn Rajskub's career is a fascinating one to observe, especially if you got to see her in the early alt comedy days in L.A., where she would often do strange character monologues that would get mixed reactions from the crowd. This ability to commit to a character is I'm sure the reason she was involved in ‘Mr. Show,’ and the reason she's had such a successful TV career after."

Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.

'We’re Not Worthy: From In Living Color to Mr. Show, How ‘90s Sketch TV Changed the Face of Comedy'

By Jason Klamm

1984 Publishing, 392 pages, $27.99

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 'We're Not Worthy' author covers sketch comedy (and the Detroit greats)