The Union of the State Lets You Be a Fly on the Wall
Reading The Union of the State feels like you’re sitting in a room listening to a tight-knit group of people you don’t know share nostalgia stories. Only in this case, their stories are really interesting.
In The Union of the State, you read about the comedy troupe’s rise to success in chronological order of important events. You learn how they met, how they formed their group, and the ups and downs throughout the years. You’re with them through each turning point and significant event. There are also memories of things outside of their comedy career. They describe one vacation a few of them went on and actually make a story about a road trip compelling to read because they keep it interesting. Oh, and also because they almost died on that road trip:
The van kept pulling itself back to get up to seventy. Every time one small tree went down, there was another small tree in front of it. It’s not slowing the car down. You couldn’t see the next thing in front of you. We were bumping and moving so much that I flew forward, and Mike grabbed me as I flew back-first into the CD charger.
The book is structured in individual quotes and reads like a podcast. There are only small blurbs by the author in each chapter, so it makes it an incredibly easy read. You skip the formalities and the filler. Everyone has their say about a certain memory or event, and you get every perspective.
In the book, you get to hear detailed accounts of where certain jokes and ideas came from. The comedy nerd in me loved this. For example, you get to hear how they came up with the great “I wanna dip my balls in it” sketch that mocked hacky catch-phrase characters. Ken Marino describes the process:
“Somebody had a thing of peanut butter on their desk, and David [Wain] picked it up and took his hand out of his pants, and he opened the jar of peanut butter, stuck his fingers in the peanut butter, and ate the peanut butter off his fingers. I got very upset because that type of thing frustrated me. I was like, ‘Dave, why don’t you dip your balls in it?’”
The group went through difficulties like being broke and having to using old equipment. Some struggles are remembered fondly while others are not. Michael Patrick Jann paints a picture of one of the more uncomfortable moments during their early days:
“That was the most physically miserable I’ve ever been. I was crazy under-dressed, and the heat didn’t work. I was sleeping curled up on the floor clutching my hands around my balls because it was the only part of me that was still generating heat. And then we got up and shot a TV show. Glamorous.”
At one point, the group shared what it was like having to deal with negative reviews for the first time. Instead of the modern acclimation of a slowly growing trickle of mean internet comments, they experienced a blow of nasty reviews upon their first hint of fame. Kerri Kenney-Silver said:
“I think it was devastating. You hear laughter for four years of college, and you become a minor celebrity in your small circle and get a TV show. “Oh, my God, this is really happening.” Then when the real world gets a taste of it and they don’t like it, it was devastating.”
The Union of the State feels very personal because you’re reading words directly from each individual. For example, when they discussed having to kick out members of the group from time to time, I felt the awkwardness. They had high standards for who was in and who was out. What an experience it must have been to be immersed in a world of having fun and goofing around with also a constantly fearing the chopping block. Kevin Allison writes:
“There was a plus side and a negative side to everything. On one hand, in our college years, we got rid of some of the folks who weren’t gelling so well. On the other hand, everyone in the group was left with a slightly paranoid feeling of, ‘When I’m out of the room, are they talking about having an eleven o’clock meeting about me?’”
I found it intriguing to listen to each person’s memory of an event individually, especially if that event had a larger emotional impact. For example, when the group talks about how they felt leaving MTV, each person shares the turmoil they experienced. If it were written more traditionally, you wouldn’t have been able to read exactly how each person felt about it.
It’s hard not to feel jealous of their group and the St. Elmo’s Fire camaraderie they’ve had since the beginning. What they had/have is really special and it’s pleasant, sometimes straight-up lovely, to read about. It was so fun learning the origin story about The State as these people are comedy superheroes to me. If you’re a fan, don’t miss the chance to be a fly on the wall.
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Sarah Jacobs
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