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Marc Shaiman has been one of the busiest soundtrack composers over the past few decades. We think of Hans Zimmer, David, Thomas or Randy Newman, and John Williams as the premier film composers, and they are, but don’t overlook the name Marc Shaiman.

Never Mind the Happy, Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner (2026, Regalo Press) by Marc Shaiman.

Shaiman has worked on many films as composer, orchestrator, music producer or supervisor, music adapter or some other music-related job title. Many of his films and TV projects have been for Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Rob Reiner and Disney. He’s an Emmy, Tony and Grammy recipient, and been nominated seven times for an Academy Awards.

Some of his more widely known films are City Slickers, Sleepless in Seattle, The American President, Beaches, When Harry Met Sally, The Addams Family, A Few Good Men, Sister Act, Hicus Practice, Patch Adams, The Cat in the Hat, La La Land, Mary Poppins Returns and many more. He has other credits as songwriter, performer and arranger, but you get the idea.

Shaiman’s book is funny and insightful, in addition to many enjoyable stories. Shaiman was working in nightclubs as a teen, taking a bus into New York City to spend weekends playing piano. He worked on SNL for a few seasons in the 1980s, writing musical sketches for Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn as the Sweeney Sisters. At SNL, Shaiman met Billy Crystal, Martin Short and Robin Williams.

The film music business seems pretty cutthroat as I read Shaiman’s stories. Even experienced film composers can be replaced on a whim, as directors, producers, studio execs all have different opinions and perceive musical styles differently. Music seems one of the most sensitive and often changed pieces of a film before release.

Shaiman helped Bette Midler prepare for Johnny Carson’s final Tonight Show. Shaiman rewrote and arranged the songs, including “One for My Baby”, and played piano for Midler. That story should not be missed.

The stories about the award shows show the callousness and high pressure of the industry and certainly expose the egos and jockeying for position. Awards are gold.

The other Midler story I recommend has to do with choosing the music for the film Beaches. Shaiman relates how after initially loving “Wind Beneath My Wings”, while recording it she had doubts. “What else ya’ got” he remembers her saying. Fortunately, it was a huge success and Bette Midler’s only number one hit.

And of course an Eric Clapton story. With Eric Clapton to help score a Rob Reiner film, Shaiman writes. “Two moments with Clapton stand out in my mind. One was the day he and Rob came over to my home studio to talk through the music. When we finished, I really had to get back to the other job I was on, the South Park movie. But Eric wanted to keep playing his guitar, looking to jam. I was really under the gun to deliver a cue to an orchestrator, and am not a good jammer, so, believe it or not, I politely told them to get lost!” Ouch.

I’m pretty savvy on film production, but Shaiman sharpened the lens as only a veteran and highly successful composer can do. In addition to being a funny and entertaining read, it’s also an educational one.

If you are looking for something fun and a look behind the scenes, this is a great choice.