And The Nominees Are…
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ballot just dropped, so I haven’t had a chance to look at it too closely yet. Needless to say I’ll have much to discuss on Friday, but for now this is what we have:
Bad Company
The Black Crowes
Mariah Carey
Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Billy Idol
Joy Division/New Order
Cyndi Lauper
Mana
Oasis
Outkast
Phish
Soundgarden
The White Stripes
My initial impressions: STILL only 1 hip-hop artist on the ballot? STILL trying to find classic rock artists from the 70’s (or even the 60’?) Where are the B-52’s?!?!?!
Classic SNL Recap - Season 16 Finale
The finale of season 16 was the second and final time that George Wendt hosted. I think people who were watching the show back then would be surprised to hear that he only hosted twice, but in actuality he grabbed the reins in one of the classic recurring sketches and made frequent guest appearances without serving as show host. That would be Bill Swerski’s Super Fans, better known as the “Da Bears!” sketch. Originally introduced in the Joe Mantegna hosted episode, Wendt was Bill’s brother Bob, filling in as Bill recovered from his most recent heart attack. (All that Polish sausage!) This episode from May 1991 was timely. After lamenting the Bears loss to the Giants in the NFL playoffs a few months prior - which they chalked up to Ditka’s distraction over his concern for the troops in the Middle East - the super fans turned their attention to Da Bulls! 1991 turned out to be the first championship run of the Bulls dynasty. Furthermore they offered their predictions for the upcoming Indy 500. 3 of the 4 picked Da Bears, with Ditka driving a team bus to victory. One went with Rick Mears, because he could pronounce the name “Mears” with the same cadence used to say Bears or Bulls. Lo and behold, Mears not only won Indy in 1991, but in doing so he became only the third man to win the race 4 times. Them super fans sometimes know what they were talking about.
The end of a season also means it’s the final episode for certain cast members and this was the farewell for 2 stalwarts. One of the departing stars was Jan Hooks, who was a terribly underappreciated performer. The first 20 years of the show were so male dominated that even the most talented female cast members often struggled to show their stuff. Look no further than the fact that when Nora Dunn left she was not immediately replaced. Julia Sweeney joined the cast halfway through this season, but it began with Hooks and Victoria Jackson as the sole female cast members. Women were given so little to do that the show could make do with only 2. I can compare Hooks to Jane Curtin; both were always great when given a chance, but it wasn’t until years later that Lorne realized he didn’t fully appreciate what he had. It’s also unfortunate that her most famous recurring bit was The Sweeney Sisters; the issue with music licensing fees means that you can’t find any of those sketches on The Internets.
It was also Dennis Miller’s last episode. I don’t often discuss Update on these recaps; the nature of Update means that the references are often dated. But beyond that I just never liked Dennis Miller. Lest you think my feelings about him are due to the political pivot that he took, I can assure you that even back them I didn’t care for him. As proof I can tell you that I found SNL-era Rob Schneider to be a funny guy. And I soured on Schneider well before he became an obnoxious anti-woke crusader. It was when he started starring in some of the hackiest, most painfully unfunny movies of the era that I dismissed him.
As for Miller, I could never stand his standard tics. The snark, the way he was so clearly impressed with his own intellect, the impulse to prove he’s the smartest guy in the room by dropping in all sorts of obscure references, the tortured way in which he would construct a joke. I hated all of that. Unlike Hooks, who quietly stepped away in the summer, Miller announced his departure ahead of time, so he had a chance to say his goodbyes on the Update desk. I was not sad to see him leave.
My favorite sketch of the week was probably Mr. No Depth Perception. Kevin Nealon starred as a man with, you guessed it, no depth perception. It was essentially a series of variations of the same joke, but it only lasted a few minutes and didn’t wear out its welcome.
This was also the episode that included the Carsenio Hall Show. It was Johnny Carson’s attempt to capitalize on Arsenio Hall’s success, so Dana Carvey did his standard Carson impression while sporting a fade hairdo and wearing an Arsenio style suit. It was weird, wild stuff and Phil Hartman as Ed McMahon was always a treat.
Because comedy is intended to push the envelope, it doesn’t always age well. Arguably the recurring character from the first 50 years who has aged the worst is Pat. This was Sweeney’s big showcase, an androgynous character whose gender would puzzle the other people in the sketch. In this week’s edition Pat visited Wendt’s barbershop to get a haircut and the barber spent the entire sketch trying to figure out if Pat is male or female. It is so painful to watch nowadays and the entire premise has been heavily criticized in the succeeding years. To Sweeney’s credit, unlike many other comedians she has not acted defensive and has not pushed back on the criticism. She has publicly apologized to the transgender community and has vocally disavowed her most famous character. Good for her.
In next Wednesday’s newsletter I’ll have my complete wrap up of the 50th anniversary special. The week after that I will recap the first episode of season 17. That one was hosted by future Space Jam star and future minor league outfielder Michael Jordan.
Funky But Chic
Terribly sad news from the music world, with the news that David Johansen has been privately battling cancer for years, which has advanced to a stage 4 tumor in his brain. Compounding that is that he suffered a fall at Thanksgiving which fractured two vertebrae and has left him bedridden. The only reason that the story has come out now is that medical expenses have grown so exorbitant that his daughter has set up a fundraiser through the Sweet Relief fund to help alleviate the costs. His situation certainly sounds dire; here is hoping for the best for him and his family.
Updates - Hubie/All-Star Replacement/The Caps
Following up on a few items that I had previously discussed: Hubie Brown’s farewell broadcast was handled quite well. Your mileage may vary, but I believe ABC struck the correct balance between honoring Hubie and paying attention to the actual game that was being played. Reteamed with Mike Breen one last time, several of Brown’s former play by partners such as Mike Tirico and Mark Jones remotely popped into the broadcast to offer their best wishes. After the conclusion of the game there was a touching montage of his career - gotta love his old perm - culminating with Breen fighting back tears as he thanked Hubie for his long service to the game. In a nice touch the officials presented Brown with the game ball. Hubie had fun with that, pointing out that in his coaching days he was regularly among the leaders in technical fouls. Oh, you referees claim to like me now, but you hated me then. Let’s not forget that even as a nonagenarian, his mind is still sharp and his analysis is still keen. He is only retiring because travel at his age is too difficult. Fare thee well, Hubie, you have been an honor to the sport you love so much.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver needed to name 2 substitutes to the All-Star Game, with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis needing to pull out due to injury. When the reserves were initially named, I thought that the 2 biggest omissions were Trae Young and Domantas Sabonis. Silver went 1 for 2 in regards to listening to my suggestions; Young is the replacement for Giannis but he chose Kyrie Irving to fill the AD slot.
The Baseball Hall of Fame officially announced the cap assignments for the plaques of the Class of 2025. No surprises; as expected they will be: Dick Allen/Phillies, Dave Parker/Pirates, CC Sabathia/Yankees, Ichiro Suzuki/Mariners, and Billy Wagner/Astros. As part of my ongoing HOF cap project, I had already placed Allen and Parker with those teams. I have yet to reveal my selections for the AL East or AL West, but SPOILER ALERT I agree with the other 3 choices as well. I really went out on a limb there in regards to Ichiro.
50 Years Ago - Bob Marley & The Wailers Live!
Bob Marley’s journey to major popularity with mainstream (aka white) audiences was a long process, which didn’t fully take fold until after his death. In his lifetime reggae music had a very select audience; there was an occasional hit which would break through but Marley himself never scored an American top 40 hit, nor were any of his albums big sellers at the time. He was building an audience, however, and his 1975 live album was a big reason why.
This album was recorded during a pair of live shows at the Lyceum Theatre in London in 1975 and it showed the full power of the Wailers band. To be clear, there are 2 separate bands called The Wailers. The first was the vocal trio consisting of Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer. When the three went their separate ways the name Wailers would be used for the band which backed Marley on his records and tours for the remainder of his career. This was a fantastic ensemble, and I remain steadfast in my belief that The Wailers - including the I Threes backing vocalists - deserve induction in the Hall Of Fame in the Musical Excellence category. They are just as important to Marley as the E Street Band are to Bruce Springsteen.
The 7 songs on the original release (there have been multiple expanded editions released since) provide a strong sampling of Marley’s catalog at the time. It runs the gamut from pure party songs to politically charged anthems to songs of great spirituality. The band was in top form the nights these shows were recorded. Take No Woman, No Cry as an example. It is one of the highlights of the Bob Marley discography, and the studio version of the song is a thing of beauty. The live version contained here is transcendent; it feels like it was heaven sent and Marley sings as if he has been transported to an entirely different plane of reality.
I don’t recall hearing Bob Marley’s music on the radio very often in the old days, and in fact when I saw the news reports of his death from cancer it was only a passing mention. That would quickly change, and he has become a canonical artist on classic rock radio. Of the dozens of live albums that major artists released in the 1970’s this one ranks among the very best.
Closing Laughs
As a famous cartoon pig would say, that’s all folks! Well, for today at least. Thanks as always for the clicks. Have a wonderful day and we will talk again on Friday.
