Bruce Ferber (author, I Buried Paul; writer / producer Duet, Home Improvement)

Bruce Ferber and I discuss reading sports books as a kid; Thomas Wolffe; attending a summer writing session at Andover while in high school; Phillip Roth; Woody Allen; publishers don't like comic novels; the genesis of his novel "I Buried Paul"; meeting struggling musicians without an outlet; session musicians; there are less crappy sitcoms on now; his book "Elevating Oberman" and subsequent tour; "Cascade Falls" and cookie cutter architecture; "The Way We Work" reveals show business from all angles; Billy Van Zandt tells his Lucy story in "The Way We Work"; Steven Van Zandt endorses "I Buried Paul"; going to NYU to be a director; doing six months of film editing and six months writing; writing a spec M*A*S*H* and getting hired to write two Bosom Buddies and a Laverne & Shirley; working on House Calls, Star of the Family, Jennifer Slept Here and Oh, Madeline; writing a Simon & Simon; working on Webster and having Alex Karras be a jerk; Eugene Roche; Facts of Life; bad timing for Gung Ho; Duet; working with Alison LaPlaca, Chris Lemmon, Ellen DeGeneres, Danny Gans; working on Growing Pains but not getting to write an episode; working on Nurses; Coach and Craig T. Nelson; running Home Improvement; the cancer scare episode; Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; his spec Cheers; his film "Praying for Tucson" about Presidential candidate Howard Dean; Dan vs.; his wife's passing; pitching an animated series based on the book "Dazzle" about a misanthropic dog