Marc Shaiman talks about his memoir, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner

Here’s some career advice from composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman: "Meeting Billy Crystal when you’re in your 20s is a must."

Shaiman met the Long Beach-raised Crystal in the '80s while working as an arranger-writer on "Saturday Night Live," and stories of his longtime collaboration with the actor come up frequently in Shaiman’s just-released memoir, "Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories From a Sore Winner" (Regalo, $30). "One of the relationships formed at SNL that changed my life was my friendship with Billy Crystal," writes the 66-year-old Shaiman, who created the music for two of Crystal’s biggest hit films — "When Harry Met Sally..." and "City Slickers."

Dedicated to Bette Midler, a constant in Shaiman’s life starting in his teens, the memoir covers highlights of Shaiman’s 50-year career, from his early days playing the piano in the West Village to his work on movies on hit films ("Sleepless in Seattle," "Beaches") and to composing Broadway hits like "Hairspray" and "Some Like It Hot." With seven Oscar nominations, along with Tony, Emmy and Grammy Awards to his name, Shaiman felt it was time to put it all on paper in order to "take pride in what I’ve accomplished and not beat myself up too badly for what I did not."

In a recent phone interview Shaiman talked about why he decided to write the book and some of the people who helped shape his career.

The book’s title comes from something your mother said. What message do you believe she was trying to convey?

When my sister said, "Ma, I want to wish you a happy and healthy New Year," my mother said, "Never mind the happy." ... She was at the point in her life where you have to really be just concentrating on good health ... but I would love for my mom to understand that you can still find reasons to be happy as you are watching your health. They're not mutually exclusive.

Talk about your relationship with Bette Midler. Clearly she means so much to you.

To start at the beginning, it's her immense talent to communicate through music and lyrics and performance. That is what drew me to her when I was 13 years old ... I was lucky enough to have this fairy tale existence where I got to meet and work with her before I even turned 18. ... I just get what it is that she likes to put across. It all came full circle when she sang our song [“The Place Where Lost Things Go" co-written with Scott Wittman] from "Mary Poppins Returns" at the Oscars. ... I mean, what a moment.

You played at farewells for many late-night hosts, writing that "when a talk-show host sees me in the wings, I must appear to them like the "Specter of Death." Which one hit you the hardest?

Johnny Carson, I'll never forget it. That was literally one of the high points of my life and career, I was so honored to be part of that. ... Bette Midler singing to Johnny Carson, "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road"). I can really say, wow, that was perfect.

Thoughts on working with Long Island’s own Patti LuPone, who is famously temperamental.

I love her, she’s a great friend of mine. ... She's wild to be friends with, and just so full of talent, it's bursting out of her. ... And that voice, you know, that voice of steel. And, yeah, she speaks her mind, and you know, when she spoke her mind recently, said things she regretted, she apologized.

You write about being brought to tears after a screening of "The American President," directed by Rob Reiner. Talk about that now after the recent tragic events.

I haven't properly grieved, I haven't even begun. As is noted in the book, I'm a big crier ... introducing Rob after watching "The American President," I got up there ready with a bunch of funny jokes, and I was just so full of gratitude, the second I opened my mouth, I just started sobbing. I couldn't stop myself. ... I can't believe this has happened, but I’m overjoyed to talk about 40 some years of the most beautiful friendship and collaboration. I mean, he was a mensch among men.

You wrote that you want to get all this down and "then find a comfortable position in which to rest on my big, fat laurels." I’m not buying that, what’s next for you?

Well, I'm actually working on a project with Patti LuPone and Bridget Everett, a great performer who's made a name for herself in the New York cabaret scene, and then also had a beautiful HBO series ("Somebody Somewhere"). ... Although their style of performing and music is very different, they just adore each other, and we thought about how can we create a show for these two? We're just kind of dipping our toes into the water now of what it might be, but it's not a Broadway show.