Book Review: Most Talkative – Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture {Andy Cohen}

When we were packing up for our recent Spring Break trip, I made sure to load up my Kindle so I could catch up on a bit of reading. I added 7 new titles, and managed to finish three. Not as much as I had hoped, but certainly more than I usually read in a week, so I’m considering that a win.

Andy Cohen is the Vice President of Programming for Bravo TV. In addition to that already responsibility-laden job, he also hosts Watch What Happens Now at 11 pm every night. And now, he has a new book out, Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture. I have long since thought he has the most fun job ever, even though his bravolebrity cocktail parties are just one piece of his job, but I’m wondering if the man ever sleeps.

Bravo TV is a channel that is in heavy rotation here, and I have no problem admitting I watch reality tv. It’s a little bit of escapism to unwind at the end of a long day, and since Andy Cohen’s new book was a peek behind-the-scenes of his job, I figured it was right up my alley.

And I was mostly right.

A quick breezy read, it’s the perfect thing to throw into your tote bag as you head off to the beach this summer. It definitely reads like he talks, with no airs or verbiage that you couldn’t picture him saying, which I like. The book requires no heavy lifting and is filled with funny little stories and anecdotes that you’ll appreciate if you’re into pop culture. For example, did you know that Leah Black (from The Real Housewives of Miami) was a juror on the OJ Simpson trial?

The book begins when he lands an interview with his longtime idol soap star Susan Lucci when he was a sophomore writing for his college newspaper. His first foray into television was as the youngest intern at CBS, and each position has put him closer and closer to where he is now.

I originally bought the book because I wanted to read behind-the-scenes gossip on The Real Housewives franchise. While it does have bits and pieces of that, it is really more about Cohen’s childhood, coming out to his parents, and his career trajectory. Because of that, it wasn’t completely what I was expecting, but still made for a good read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. It is completely like Andy just called you one evening to fill you in on his day. Real frank talk, including times when he has admitted some real big mistakes he’s made, and funny stories throughout. While it is a lot about his life, it’s not the boring, monotonous play-by-play that you might be expecting from something that is autobiographical in nature. Rather, it’s a fun, light-hearted romp with a lot of TV and pop culture references that you’ll love.

*This is the 5th book I’ve read in my quest to read 52 books this year.
1. Believe It, Be It
2. Touch and Go
3. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
4. Here I Go Again

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