The Other Great Depression

At the age of 44—at the height of his success—Richard Lewis found himself on a gurney in an emergency room, suffering from a lethal mix of alcohol and drugs. The same dysfunctions that had been the basis for his successful stage persona and had generated so much wonderful material for comedy had turned on him. In this blistering memoir, Lewis tells how he got to that point, how he got on the road to recovery, and how he copes with being Richard Lewis, sober, on a daily basis, in this very funny, profoundly honest, inspiring but unsentimental book. He shares candid and revealing anecdotes about love, sex, fame, family, drinking therapy, eating disorders, and the serious business of comedy."A gossipy, gutsy, spill-all that's both hilarious and horrifying."—US Weekly

"Behind the Music meets Portnoy's Complaint...Lewis's standard of total honesty has allowed him to unearth neuroses he's never even touch onstage—or on the couch."—New York

“Searing, confessional riffs on the comic's angst, acute alcoholism and relentless sexual conquests.”—Publishers Weekly 

Richard Lewis is known to millions through his television shows, personal appearances, and comedy specials. Feature film and TV roles include star turns in the independent film Drunks, Anything But Love, with Jamie Lee Curtis, and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. He appears on GQ's list of the twentieth century's most influential humorists.