'Last Comic' host Jay Mohr mines his 'SNL' memories

LOS ANGELES -- Looking ahead and looking back, Jay Mohr is satisfied with both perspectives.

"Last Comic Standing," the NBC talent contest where he is host and executive producer, gives comedians an "American Idol" shot at stardom -- or at least steady nightclub work.

"Gasping for Airtime," Mohr's book about his two years as a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live," candidly details what it's like to be a blip on a pop-culture phenomenon, panic attacks and all.

His new show has been instant gratification, a chance to help struggling comedians. The "Saturday Night Live" experience had to age for about a decade before he could appreciate it.

"It was fascinating and I wasn't enjoying it, even when it was going well," Mohr said. "I watched Nirvana perform, I talked to Kurt Cobain ... . But I was so self-obsessed with survival -- survival on the show and then mental health survival and back to survival on the show -- I certainly didn't take time to smell the roses."

Panic disorderThe stellar guest musicians and colleagues like Chris Farley, Mike Myers and Michael McKean were the roses; the thorns were his inability to make his talents fit a demanding monolith and insecurities that fed a panic disorder.

Mohr, a 23-year-old standup hired as sketch writer and player, found sparkling ideas elusive. He was also confounded by a production style that, as he describes it in his book "Gasping for Air," was haphazard and arbitrary.

Therapy and medication ultimately controlled Mohr's panic attacks, but consistent success on the show still eluded him. Conceivably, Mohr could have targeted Lorne Michaels, creator and acknowledged emperor of "SNL," for the environment. The book, however, treats Michaels only with respect.

Mohr's now in charge of his own small piece of pop culture with "Last Comic Standing," which has enticed enough summertime viewers, particularly younger and affluent ones, to win a place on NBC's fall schedule.

"The show is just too hot to ignore," NBC entertainment chief Kevin Reilly told reporters recently.

As the second season of "Last Comic" draws to an end, six finalists were being cut to three today at 8 p.m., with the winner to be announced on the Aug. 12 finale.

"The genesis of the show was when I'd be on the road, see other comics, and I'd look at my friends and say 'This guy's a TV star, why isn't he on TV?'," Mohr said. "It's a show where you get to be the conduit for these people who deserve it."

Last season, Dat Phan received the first-place prize of a talent deal with NBC and has been headlining at comedy clubs. Others who competed are doing OK too, Mohr said.

"I just talked to Dave Mordal from season one, who's making $10,000 a week and just bought 40 acres in Minnesota. That makes me so happy. It's the greatest phone call I got," Mohr said.

As executive producer, "I'm sort of like quality control to make sure the comedians have it as easy as possible. I'm the one who made sure there's no Simon," he said, a reference to acerbic "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell.

"I think it's a pretty relaxed and great, groovy experience for comedians," Mohr said. He rejects the idea his approach is a response to his "Saturday Night Live" years, but adds it might indicate a subconscious belief in "how you should run an airline."