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Saturday Night Live

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Saturday Night Live

Saturday Live Live (aka SNL) is one of the longest-running shows featuring live music on television. The Tonight Show has been on longer, but is several comfy couches away from the cutting edge. After 42 years, the BBC’s Top of The Pops was finally cancelled, but those were mostly lip-synched performances anyway. Ditto the awful but long-running American Bandstand.
 
What SNL birthed has spread through late night television on the other nights of the week, including Late Night with David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daily, and most recently Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Even the merging of comedy with rock n roll has finally migrated to bands making guest appearances on The Simpsons and the Colbert Report.
 
The very first episode featured none other than the 5th Beatle, Billy Preston, along with young singer-songwriter Janis Ian. And although the show would mutate and evolve over the years, they settled into the basic music format fairly quickly — one act, two songs.
 
There have been many Rock Peaks:
 
Besides the show's format including actual live performances, SNL’s most famous and lasting musical legacy was the creation of The Blue Brothers, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi’s authentic, playful and passionate tribute to the blues. First performed as a routine on April 22nd, 1978, an Emmy-nominated episode, with Aykroyd and Belushi as Elwood and Jake Blues, and the SNL band as their backing group — who happened to be a buncha all-star session players. Their first album, Briefcase Full of Blues, went double platinum, and The Blues Brothers movie grossed over 100 million in 1980 dollars.
 
 
The other lasting music invovation coming directly from the show also invloved John Belushi with his impersonation of Joe Cocker. He’d worked up the routine in Second City, and it was also featured in National Lampoon’s Lemmings show. He debuted it for SNL on the third-ever episode, Oct. 25, 1975. Joe Cocker himself thought it was "hilarious," and it was such a hit, Paul McCartney hired him the next summer to be Cocker at his birthday party — for 6-times his weekly salary on SNL.
 
 
Then there was Lorne Michaels’ bold offer to have The Beatles reunite on the show, and holding up a check for $3,000 in payment. “You can divide it any way you want. You want to give Ringo less, that's up to you.” The sad, wild and crazy thing was — Paul McCartney was over at the Dakota visiting John that night and they were actually watching the show live. They talked about jumping in a cab and heading down but decided were too tired. Could you imagine?
 
There was an hilarious coda to the joke the following week — when George Harrison showed up looking rather shabby and hoping to collect on his part of the check.
 
The musician most associated with the show is fellow New Yorker Paul Simon, who was the host of the second-ever episode back on Oct 18th, 1975, when he brought his old pal Art Garfunkle to perfrom together for the first time since 1968. He was also tapped to open the first show after 9/11, doing The Boxer by request of Lorne Michaels. He’s also dueted with George Harrison on Here Comes The Sun, as well as sitting in with James Taylor, Willie Nelson, Edie Brickell and others over his league-leading 13 appearances.
   
Neil Young’s first appearance (Sept. 30th,1989) has become the stuff of legend, with his high-energy punk “(Keep On) Rockin' in The Free World” earning him a whole new audience and the title of Grandfather of Grunge.
 
Elvis Costello was brought in as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who hadn’t thought about getting passports before they came to "conquer” America in December 1977. NBC didn’t want him to sing “Radio Radio” because it slams commercial media. So of course Elvis goes out there, starts “Less Than Zero,” then cuts the band off with, “There’s no reason to do this song,” and breaks into “Radio Radio” earning him a ban from the show for the next decade. As time heals all wounds, he was brought in as a surprise guest on SNL’s 25th Anniversary Special, interrupting the Beastie Boys and breaking into the "Radio Radio" that started the fracas in the first place.
 
"More Cowbell" — the now-popular catchphrase stems from an SNL skit parodying VH1's Behind The Music on April 8th, 2000, featuring Christopher Walken as the fictional producer of Blue Oyster Cult.  The skit was written by and stars Will Ferrell as BOC's out of control cowbell player, and ends with the nutty producer saying what we need is "more cowbell!"
 
 
Doing their first live television appearance in over a decade, the Rolling Stones opened the fourth season (Oct. 7th, 1978) on their Some Girls tour, doing Shattered and Beast of Burden.  
  
And the show's had their share Rock Valleys as well:
 
Lorne Michaels has always maintained a firm policy about not allowing lip-synching, and when teen tart Ashlee Simpson attempted it (Oct 23rd, 2004) it was a fiasco.  The wrong song was put in the tape playback and she became an inadvertently comical satire of all the fake Britneys that were passing as singers in those days. With the wrong music playing, she started doing an Irish jig, then ran off the stage, and that was about it for her miming, er, singing “career.”
 
In 1992, Sinead O’Connor was a rising talent who figured she could teach the Pope a thing or two, and ambushed the show by dramatically tearing up his picture on camera after singing Bob Marley's "War." Her manager had lied to the director, telling the show she would hold up a picture of a child, and did so in the afternoon rehearsal.  Although the stunt was deleted from all repeats, the damage was done, and her career never recovered — she never again had a charting song in the U.S.  In fact, two weeks later when she made a rare appearance at the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Tribute at Madison Sq. Garden she was booed to tears the stage. Turned out she wasn’t bigger than the Pope.
 
Punk band Fear were booked at the insistence of John Belushi on Halloween night 1981. Besides using indecent language and playing offensive songs, the slam-dancers in front of the stage, led by one Bluto Blutarsky, ending up damaging the set — but it was ultimately more damaging to their career as club owners (who didn’t have the budget of NBC) stopped booking the band for fear of damages.  And sadly, Belushi was found dead just four months later.

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SONGS tab

 

Resources

Saturday Night Live on Wikipedia

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol.[1] It premiered on NBC, a terrestrial television network in the United States, on October 11, 1975, under the title NBC's Saturday Night.[2] The show's sketches often parody contemporary American popular culture and politics.[3] Saturday Night Live features a two-tiered cast consisting of veteran repertory members, also called the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" (the name used by the show's original cast), and newer cast members who are known as "Featured Players."[3][4] Each week, the show features a host who delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast. A musical guest is also invited to perform. With the exception of season 7, the show has begun with a cold open sketch that ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"[5]

For all but five seasons[6][7] (six through ten), the show has been overseen by its creator and current executive producer, Lorne Michaels. Broadway Video, SNL Studios, and NBC jointly manage production.[3] Saturday Night Live is one of the longest-running network television programs in the United States with nearly 700 episodes broadcast over the span of 35 seasons as of 2010. A number of the show's sketches have been developed into feature films.

Throughout its three decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a number of awards, including 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. It was ranked tenth on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME."[3][8]

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History

See also: history of SNL by season: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35

In the early 1970s, NBC ran The Best of Carson reruns of The Tonight Show that aired on either Saturday or Sunday night, at an affiliate's discretion, from January 1965 until September 1975 (originally known as The Saturday/Sunday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson). In 1974, Johnny Carson wanted the weekend shows to be pulled and aired during the week. Carson wanted to save them for when he took time off.

NBC approached Dick Ebersol in 1974 and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night timeslot. Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels wanting to create a variety show that would push the boundaries with it's edgy style of humor. Ebersol knew Michaels was capable of creating a show since he had worked on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. The show was set and Michaels searched for people to join the staff. He hired Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue and Gilda Radner to the cast. Originally, the show was called NBC's Saturday Night, as the current title was in use by rival network ABC. NBC purchased the rights to the name in 1976[9] and officially adopted the new title on March 26, 1977.

The show was an instant hit following its debut. It suddenly propelled the cast into fame that they never knew of. Chase left the show during the second season and was replaced by a new and upcoming comic named Bill Murray. Aykroyd and Belushi left the show after season four. The following season, Michaels chose to leave the show and explore other avenues. Michaels' departure led most of the cast and writing staff to leave the show as well.

As SNL was still popular, Michaels thought NBC would cancel the show upon his departure. However, NBC had already planned to replace him with Jean Doumanian. NBC wanted to build up a new cast and continue on with the show, leaving Doumanian with full creative control. After disastrous reviews and behind-the-scenes turmoil, Doumanian was fired after one season. She was replaced by Dick Ebersol, who had originally hired Michaels to create the show.

Ebersol fired most of the people Doumanian hired, save for a few people including unknown comics Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Ebersol, remaining with the show until 1984. In the Fall of 1984, Ebersol departed from tradition by adding several cast members with established comedic careers, including Billy Crystal, Martin Short, and Harry Shearer. After that season, Ebersol wanted a more significant revamp, including departing from the show's established "live" format. Ebersol left the show and Michaels decided to return to the show.

Creator Lorne Michaels in April 2008.

Michaels returned the show for 1985-86 season. The entire cast from the previous season did not return, causing Michaels to rebuild the show. He hired then unknowns Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr. and many others. The season was disastrous and the show was almost cancelled. However, Michaels was given one more chance to save the show. He fired most of the staff and brought in a new set of people he hoped would save the show including Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Kevin Nealon.

After a slow start, the show's ratings increased the the critical reception improved, the show was saved. Michaels's return restored an association with NBC that has lasted nearly 30 years. As head of Broadway Video and SNL Films, Michaels has profited from the talent he's helped introduce, producing the TV series Late Night (during the eras of Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon - both SNL alumni) and 30 Rock (a comedy created by former SNL head writer Tina Fey, and loosely based on her experiences in that role). Michaels also produced the TV movie All You Need Is Cash and a lengthy list of feature films based on SNL sketches; the most commercially and critically successful of these was Wayne's World.

Production

Writers

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers

Cast

Main article: Saturday Night Live cast

The cast, known on-air as "The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players" at the show's beginning (a term which is still often used unofficially, and originally devised as a takeoff of the "Prime Time Players" moniker for the cast of the ABC show), is currently divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players; and newer, unproven cast members known as Featured Players, who may eventually "graduate" to the regular cast.

Repertory players

  • Fred Armisen (2002–present)
  • Will Forte (2002–present)
  • Bill Hader (2005–present)
  • Seth Meyers (2001–present)
  • Andy Samberg (2005–present)
  • Jason Sudeikis (2005–present)
  • Kenan Thompson (2003–present)
  • Kristen Wiig (2005–present)

Featured players

  • Abby Elliott (2008–present)
  • Bobby Moynihan (2008–present)
  • Nasim Pedrad (2009–present)
  • Jenny Slate (2009–present)

Announcer

Don Pardo has served as the announcer for the series since it began. He has performed as the show's announcer ever since, with the exception of season 7, when Mel Brandt and Bill Hanrahan filled that role. Pardo, who was 57 when the show debuted and who retired from NBC in 2004 at age 86, still flies in from his home in Tucson, Arizona, to introduce the show.

The SNL Band

The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band") is the house band for SNL. Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore served as the first musical director, from 1975 to 1980, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band and (backing a U. S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1977, 1977–1980), Lou Marini (1975-1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker, Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter), Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981–1985), and G.E. Smith (musical director from 1985–1995). The band is currently under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett and keyboardists Leon Pendarvis and Katreese Barnes. The number of musicians has varied over the years, but the basic instrumentation has been three saxophones, one trombone, one trumpet, and a rhythm section featuring two keyboards, a guitar, bass, drums, and an extra percussionist, not a permanent part of the band until Valerie Naranjo's arrival in 1995. The 1983–1984 and 1984–1985 seasons featured the smallest band, a six-piece combo. The band plays instrumentals leading in and out of station breaks; affiliates who run no advertising during these interludes hear the band play complete songs behind a "Saturday Night Live" bumper graphic until the program resumes.

Hosts/musical guests

See also: List of Saturday Night Live episodes, List of Saturday Night Live guests who simultaneously hosted and performed, List of Saturday Night Live cast members who have hosted, and Saturday Night Live hosts

A typical episode of SNL will feature a single host, who delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and a single musical guest, who will perform two or occasionally three musical numbers. In some cases, the musical guest will also be the host and fill both duties. George Carlin was first to host the show; Candice Bergen was the first female to host the show a few weeks later and again hosted only six weeks after that. Guests that have hosted five or more times are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Five-Timers Club, a term that originated on a sketch performed on Tom Hanks' fifth episode.

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Further Reading
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