VOICE-A-VERSA

A famed voice actor reflects on his turbulent life.

West is associated with some of the most memorable comic characters of the past generation, but his early life was anything but funny. He starts off his book with memories of his father, a “a violent psychotic drunk” and American Nazi Party member who once beat West and his brother savagely after he couldn’t find his swastika pin. Things improved for West when his mother left his father and moved with her kids from Detroit to Boston, but the boy was still dealing with undiagnosed ADHD, OCD, depression, and autism. After graduating high school, he worked a series of jobs and played guitar with various bands before landing a job at Boston’s taste-making radio station WBCN. West’s alcohol and cocaine use became a problem, but he kicked his addictions in rehab. He moved to New York to work for WXRK and soon landed on Howard Stern’s show, doing impressions and funny characters, which gained him a wider audience. Soon, he found himself in the cast of the animated comedies Doug and The Ren & Stimpy Show, and then, years later, Futurama, in which he voices several characters, including the series’ protagonist, Philip J. Fry. West writes about his experiences in radio and television with refreshing candor: He calls Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi “the most intense, borderline abusive director I ever worked with.” But he seems happier writing about the kind people he has encountered—the narrative is suffused with the kind of joy that comes from having experienced success after significant drawbacks. The book ends with some advice for aspiring voice actors, which feels tacked on, but it doesn’t take away from the main text of the memoir, which is sweet, winning, and—most important—a lot of fun.

A must for fans of the shows with which West has become synonymous.