Why do I still care so much about 'SNL'?
Also: Allee Willis and the beautiful Miss Yvonne
Happy Saturday! It’s mid-winter recess in NYC (I hear they call it “Ski Week” on the West Coast), so apologies for the 24-hour delay. This afternoon I’ll be taking my kid to a matinee of Drag: The Musical, where I’m hoping for souvenir wigs.
24-7 ‘snl’
I’ve ingested so much Saturday Night Live content in the last week that oops, I just sprouted a baby arm. The SNL50 concert was long but rewarding, particularly thanks to Cher’s otherworldly performance, the B-52’s bang-bangin’, Robyn + David Byrne, Post/Nirvana and DEVO.
Highlights of Sunday’s super-sized special depend on the age of the person you ask; for my money, they included Jack Nicholson and the joke that asked, “Is it a tin of Danish butter cookies, or is it a sewing kit??”
On Thursday I guess I still craved more of this scene, so I went to the launch event for Lorne, where biographer Susan Morrison tantalized a sold-out crowd with tales of SNL king gnome Lorne Michaels. She interviewed everyone for this book (including LM himself), with the exception of Andy Samberg, whose publicist was apparently on a boat and ignored her call.
The 656-page bio is now available in hardcover and as an audiobook, and I’m sure I’ll ingest it one way or another.
All of this time investment does make me wonder why I still care so much about this institution. I suppose it’s because SNL entered my life around age 13 or 14, when anything I found that I loved — R.E.M., Twin Peaks, black eyeliner — stuck with me forever. I still have VHS tapes of episodes I recorded off the TV in 1991, and I still watch the show today with my own child, who laughs at all the sketches I don’t find funny. Like pizza and chocolate and Keanu Reeves’ filmography, even when SNL isn’t five-star fantastic, it’s still pretty damn good.
‘the world according to allee willis’
I loved this documentary about Allee Willis, the songwriter whose insane body of work includes “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance” and the “Friends” theme song. Above all else, Willis was a true artist — with cool friends including Paul Reubens, Mark Mothersbaugh, Lesley Ann Warren and Pamela Adlon — who lived in a real-life playhouse and stayed true to herself.
It’s available on Amazon and will rock your world. Ba-dee-ya!
link parade
R.I.P. to the vivacious Lynne Stewart, whose long career included playing Miss Yvonne on Pee-wee’s Playhouse. What a gorgeous human in every way.
Parker Posey’s character on the new season of White Lotus feels like a distant relative. “It was so fun to play,” she tells Variety. “It’s the theatricality of Southerners. I’m from the South so I was so happy to bring that Tennessee Williams kind of drama, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It’s just that lady.”
Alamo Drafthouse workers in New York and Colorado are still on strike after dozens of employees were fired without notice.
A new authorized biography of the Bangles is called (you’ll guess correctly) … Eternal Flame!
I’m eager to see Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse, which is now playing in New York.
CBS renewed Ghosts for two more seasons, so we’ll be seeing a lot more of the ‘80s guy who wears no pants.
Interview talks to filmmaker Eva Aridjis Fuentes about her documentary Goodbye Horses, which explores the fascinating and tragic life of musician Q Lazzarus.
Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie is a mix of documentary/animated comedy:
And a remastered version of Cameron Crowe’s first film, the Tom Petty doc Heartbreakers Beach Party, is coming to Paramount+ on March 11:
book club: david lynch’s ‘catching the big fish’
RSVP now to join us (via Zoom) on Sunday, March 2 from 2-3 p.m. EST to discuss David Lynch’s inspiring book about creativity and meditation. (Note: I had to change the time because my kid now has a playoff basketball game that day. Hope you can still make it!)
Enjoy the weekend, and I’ll see ya soon. We’re thinking of you, Chris!
talk amongst yourselves,
the del rubio triplets
I too am a SNL long time fan/watcher but I'm curious if you were also a fan of the ABC show Fridays. In a lot of ways I thought it was more biting and as original--Larry David's priceless takedown of Bella Abzug for example, Michael Richards mock battles and the Drugs R Us bits among many others plus great musical guests.