Greatest Song Evah 4/18/25

When I Was Young

This week’s selection is beautifully ominous. Right from that opening note through to guitar/violin interplay and Eric Burdon’s vocals, this song has true menace to it. There is an inherently strange feel to hearing a 25 year old singer waxing nostalgic (although I suppose it’s the flip side to having an adult man singing a song about a 16 year old girl) but then again Burdon always seemed like an old soul. Even in those early Animals records when Burdon still had teenage acne, he sounded like someone who has lived through a lot of s***.

This song was officially credited to Eric Burdon & the Animals; the other members of the classic lineup had all left by this point and some sources classify this version of The Animals as an entirely different band. That’s reasonable in one sense. The British Invasion era Animals were a pure blues band, whereas this later incarnation leaned more towards psychedelia. I still treat this as the same band, later period Byrds were still legitimately The Byrds even though Roger McGuinn was the only remaining original member and they no longer sounded much like the Mr. Tambourine Man band. Bands evolve over time, no matter how many or how few of the original members remain.

As for this song, Eric Burdon has confirmed that there are a lot of autobiographical elements to the lyrics, from his father having been a soldier all the way to his meeting his first love at thirteen. And it ends with prototypical disillusionment symbolic of the era; his faith was so much stronger then. The Animals were a fantastic band; I fear that as time rolls on they are starting to slip through the cracks. No, as far as British Invasion bands go they were not at the Beatles/Stones/Who/Kinks level, but they were right up there with the very best British bands ranked in the next step below. Look no further than this song for a great example of why that is.

SNL Report Card

SNL is off for the next two weeks before the show returns in May with the first of the 3 shows that will wrap up season #50. So far Quinta Brunson is the only announced host. I know it’s a longshot but I wish to lobby one more time for Jennifer Coolidge to serve as one of the other two hosts. Rumor is that she was set to host one of the shows that wound up being cancelled once the WGA strike began. She would kill it; the universe owes me this one. As for my other wish? Meryl Streep’s appearance on the 50th anniversary show made me want to see more of her. Sometimes a star reaches a point in their career where they have likely gotten too big for the show. If, for example, Denzel Washington hasn’t hosted by now it’s not gonna happen. I had placed Streep in that category as well, but now I’m not so sure, especially since Only Murders In the Building has peripherally placed her in the SNL family.

The end of the season also means that it’s time for America’s favorite game, Who’s Coming Back Next Year? There are many reasons to suspect that there could be a larger number of veterans than usual departing this year. For one, the desire to be with the show in such a historic season has been a tempting carrot on that stick. Now that the anniversary is over, it could be time for some to plot exit strategies. Secondly, with the state of the economy it’s reasonable to believe that NBC will want to make budget cuts. The longer someone has been in the cast the larger their salary is. It’s not necessarily the case that NBC would instruct Lorne to encourage more expensive talent to move on, if not flat out order him to fire people, but it’s not entirely out of the question either.

The Kenan Question always looms large. Whenever he does in fact leave, it will lead to a period of national mourning. Will this be the year? This has been his 22nd year on SNL. Is he shooting for 25 years to make it a nice round number? He has indicated in recent interviews that he has no intention of leaving any time soon. My prediction is that he will return next year.

I have repeatedly said ever since I started this newsletter that Update needs new blood. Jost and Che have a great rapport, but they also have an overly lived in vibe. At times they seem to be on autopilot, as if they are in the cast of Phantom doing the show for the thousandth time. It’s half wishcasting, half logical thinking, but I think this will be it for them - and they are a package deal; they will either both leave or both stay.

The veterans I am most torn on are Mikey, Heidi, and Ego. They have all been around long enough to establish deep roots, and also long enough to start thinking it might be time to see what else is out there for them. It’s no longer unusual for people to remain with the show for a long time, but do you realize this is Mikey’s 9th season? That doesn’t seem possible. My guess is that Mikey & Heidi leave, Ego stays.

The easiest choices are Marcello, Sarah, and Bowen. They are clearly the 3 centerpiece stars in the current cast. All 3 of them are certainties to return. It’s also safe to say that Andrew and Chloe will be back. Both have carved out solid niches for themselves. I could potentially see Chloe as being in jeopardy if NBC is particularly ruthless in demanding budget cuts, but that would surprise me. JAJ is probably also likely to safe, and not just because he portrays the current occupant of the White House. He is exactly the type of utility player, equally adept as an impressionist and as a character actor, who has traditionally been a valuable asset to the success of SNL.

Which leaves the newbies and relative newbies. The last set of episodes in a season can almost be thought of as the final week of MLB spring training. There’s always a chance that someone could close with a great final stretch and force the front office to take notice, but it’s more likely that the major decisions have already been made. Michael is still trying to find his voice on the show; his laidback persona doesn’t always translate well to sketches. I could see that working as an Update anchor if Jost & Che leave, and it’s instructive that he is often cast as the host in game show sketches. He doesn’t quite have Bill Hader’s malevolence in that role, but he’s not far off. I think he’s in good shape. I can’t say the same for Devon. He has had too many recent episodes in which he is barely seen; that’s rarely a good omen. I hate to say it, but I think he’s in deep trouble.

Of this year’s rookies, Ashley has been the standout. The show has featured her in sketches, and she has a clear Heidi vibe about her. Emil’s position wavers from week to week; when he is given a showcase he shows real promise, but his role is often confined to that of most younger players - the 4th or 5th most important person in a sketch. Jane usually presents an intentionally awkward presence in her sketch work; her larger spotlight has been in her Update pieces. A lot of it is probably a generational thing, but I just don’t feel it when she brings her Casio keyboard to the desk and sings an odd song. But I’m not her target audience, I wasn’t Pete Davidson’s target audience either and he did well for himself. My guess is that all 3 are back; especially if there is a huge exodus among the veterans, but if there is anyone who might not be asked back it would be Jane.

So, here are my predictions for the season 51 cast:

Returning: Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Emil Wakim, Jane Wickline, Bowen Yang

Leaving: Michael Che, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Colin Jost, Devon Walker

Timeline Cleanse

This video went viral yesterday. Jamaican track legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce attended Parent’s Day at her son’s school and took part in a race. The result speaks for itself. It’s sometimes easy to forget exactly how much better champion athletes are than mere mortals. Think of this the next time you hear someone give one of those delusional answers when asked “can you get a hit off of a major league pitcher?”

Not So Fast, My Friend

Big broadcasting news came with yesterday’s announcement from ESPN that Lee Corso will make his final appearance on College GameDay August 30. Like Hubie Brown before him, Corso has been a television institution for decades. Similarly it is a nice gesture on for ESPN to afford him the opportunity to take a final bow. Expect his finale to be an extended love fest, and even more so in Corso’s case than it was with Brown’s. Hubie still had a game to broadcast amidst all of the tributes, as opposed to Corso, who will be co-hosting a pregame show. The world won’t stop rotating if there is an imbalance in content for one show only.

Corso is going to turn 90 later this year, and he has dealt with a series of health issues in recent years that have sharply reduced the number of appearances that he has made. I am not a fan of college football, so I never watch GameDay, but I am certainly aware that the general consensus is that it trails only Inside the NBA as the gold standard for pregame shows. Corso has been a large reason for that, the moment in which he dons a mascot head to reveal his game pick has been his trademark for years. It’s not just shtick either; his success rate is quite high.

For fear of sounding too much like a “back in my day” grouch, Corso’s retirement is another sign that a particular era of ESPN is continuing to vanish. I find too much of their studio programming unwatchable, lots of hot takes and yelling about the topic du jour. There’s not enough of the unabashed enthusiasm for a sport exemplified by a Lee Corso type. Bon voyage, and happy retirement.

The Oscar Mulligan - 2008

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

Other Nominees - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader

The 2008 Best Picture race was the last of its kind; beginning with the following ceremony the Academy increased the number of nominees from 5 to 10. (For a few years the policy was amended so that anywhere between 5-10 movies could be nominated. That has since been changed once again and now it is an official rule that there are to be 10 nominees.) I’ll dig into the ramifications of that change next time, but for now I will say that I wish it had happened a year earlier. A Best Picture race that would have included The Dark Knight and WALL-E would have been much more thrilling than the actual race was.

That year’s crop of nominees was relatively uninspiring. To be sure, all 5 were good movies, but I can’t say that I am eager to rewatch any of them anytime soon. All of the 2008 nominees have the feeling of a movie that would be the 5th nominated film in any normal year. Furthermore, one of the nominated movies demonstrated a classic pet peeve of mine. The ad campaign for Frost/Nixon centered on the moment in which Nixon stated that it’s not against the law if the President does it - AKA the single most crucial development and most dramatic moment in the movie! While it’s true that anyone who knows history is well aware of that statement, it aggravates me when studios act so spoilerly when producing trailers or TV ads.

I am a big fan of Danny Boyle; he has a reliable track record and he is versatile enough that his movies cannot be narrowed down to one genre or one signature running theme. So, I am pleased that he was rewarded with Best Director and that his movie won the big prize. Having said that there are several movies of his that I like much better than Slumdog Millionaire. I admire the ambition, and I appreciate the unusual storytelling approach used in the movie. That’s as far as I will go, in my eyes it does not cross the threshold into greatness.

I wouldn’t say that my pick for the 2008 Oscar crosses that imaginary threshold either, but Benjamin Button is the most deserving of these 5 options. It flirts on the edge of feeling gimmicky, but it doesn’t go all the way there. It also has just enough sadness and poignancy to it without going too far into rank sentimentality. It’s the same deal with the CGI. There are a couple of times where I thought it was starting to look creepy, but those moments were fleeting.

What ultimately decided it for me is that Benjamin Button has left the largest cultural imprint by far of any of these 5 movies. Benjamin Button references are often heard in TV shows and movies, and there is enough of a specificity to those references that the audience would know exactly what it means. There has always been speculation that the decision to increase the number of Best Picture nominees was in response to disappointment over The Dark Knight’s failure to grab a nomination. I’ll channel my inner comic book fan and say that on Earth 2 The Dark Knight would be a no-brainer choice for Best Picture. In our timeline it is The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

Closing Laughs

If I was a Top 40 DJ, I would blow the 5 O’Clock whistle right about now, which would be really strange if you’re not actually reading this at 5:00, so it’s probably a good thing that I’m not. Have a great weekend everyone, & I will see you all on Monday.