The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy is a nonfiction book authored by American actor Rainn Wilson.

The actor goes into many details about his early life, describing eccentricities such as having a pet sloth growing up and spending time in weekend-long Dungeons & Dragons marathons.

Details about muggings and robberies coupled with his going through drug and alcohol related problems fill his depictions of the 1980s in New York City; he ultimately fails to really break into theatre acting despite his best efforts making it on Broadway.

[2] Publishers Weekly responded favorably to the book, with the publication's review commenting that "Wilson’s story is engaging" and that readers "will relish his experiences".

The review also cited Wilson's "digressions on favorite albums, unremarkable jobs, and his various acting teachers" coupled with the author's "description of gritty, raucous Manhattan".