Wednesday Newsletter

Classic SNL Recap - Season 4 Premiere

By the time season 4 premiered, SNL was a certifiable big deal. The players might not have been ready for prime time, but their fame was increasing exponentially, and the show was the place to be - whether it be serving as the show host or simply showing up to the afterparty. Which is how they actually got The Rolling Stones to host the first episode of season #4.

Was it technically a hosting gig? The band did not perform many of the traditional host duties. Members of the group only appeared in 2 sketches; Mick had a memorable showcase which I’ll get to shortly, and Charlie and Ronnie sat at the counter in an Olympia Diner sketch. Ronnie had a couple of lines, but Charlie just sat there with his patented “what did I get myself into?” facial expression.

Nor did the Stones give the monologue or the “it was a great show” proclamation during the closing goodbyes. Both of those duties fell to Ed Koch. In an upset the first words out of his mouth were “how am I doing?” The premise of the monologue was that he was presenting an official proclamation from NYC to John Belushi in honor of the success of Animal House. Belushi went on to rant over the fact that he was only receiving an unframed piece of paper and not a key to the city, as well as the fact that he was grossly underpaid. It was presented as a joke, but it’s safe to say that there was some truth behind his rage.

There was also a break in the standard SNL format. Rather than the Stones performing one song just after midnight and coming back for a second during the show’s final half hour, this time their performance did not come until after Update. The wait was worth it; they performed an uninterrupted 3 song set - Beast Of Burden, Respectable, and Shattered. (Not sure how Mayor Koch felt about that last selection.) This week’s cold open was a sincere replication of the old time NBC feel; Garrett Morris singing an NBC jingle with the SNL band set up as an orchestra and Gilda/Jane/Laraine singing backup while clad in vintage ball gowns. In a nice touch the audio mix was set so that it had the fidelity of a 1940’s one-reeler. Sadly, this was Morris’s one highlight of the week as the show just never knew what to do with him so everyone seemed to think it was hilarious to have him portray a waitress at the Olympia Diner.

The best remembered sketch from this episode - which is unfortunately not on YouTube - was Mick Jagger appearing on the Tomorrow Show. Dan Aykroyd’s impression of Tom Snyder was among his very best and his attempt as Snyder to mimic Jagger’s signature dance moves was pure comedy gold. This episode also included what was arguably the very best Nerds sketch; the one which featured Aykroyd as a refrigerator repairman with a pair of poorly fit pants.

Dan Aykroyd is on the shortlist of all-time greatest sketch comedians, but one element of the show that he never mastered was the role of Update anchor. He was no longer in that seat when season 4 began; the explanation was that he was promoted to station manager and going forward Bill Murray served as Jane Curtin’s co-anchor. The running joke was that as the former entertainment reporter he had little knowledge about hard news. This week included a Point/Counterpoint, but rather than rebut Jane’s half of the argument, Murray said that her point was persuasive and he now changed his mind. If memory serves correctly, this was the one & only time that Murray did the Point/Counterpoint segment. In future editions Aykroyd would return in his role as station manager in order to continue to call Jane an ignorant slut.

Wrapping up the episode there were 2 commercial parodies - one for a deodorizer for car exhausts that included the visual of Gilda lying next to a tail pipe so that she could sniff the emissions, and a promo for The Battle Of the Network T & A’s, a version of Battle Of the Network Stars in which the cameras only focused on the female competitor’s cleavage and posteriors. Also, Gary Weis was replaced as the resident filmmaker by Tom Schiller. Schiller’s Reel would vary wildly in quality. This week was an odd one which starred Desi Arnaz Jr. as a guest at a pool party at Hal Holbrook’s house which was interrupted by an earthquake. Carrie Fisher was one of the other party guests.

Next week I’ll look at the midseason episode from Season 4. That one was hosted by Michael Palin, and it is an episode which holds deep personal meaning for me.

More On Bill Walton

The tributes to Bill Walton continue to pour in, each one more touching than the last. I especially liked this piece from Richard Deitsch in The Athletic (behind a paywall) in which he collected remembrances from various people in broadcasting who had worked with him over the years. A great way to judge someone is to see what their coworkers think of them. It’s crystal clear just how much the people whom he knew best loved him dearly.

Baseball Must Be Missing An Angel

It’s said that the ideal MLB umpire is one that retains his anonymity; if you notice an ump that means he’s probably doing a poor job. Angel Hernandez, who announced his retirement this week, could never be accused of fading into the background. He has long been used as the avatar for shoddy officiating and as an example of an appalling lack of accountability.

Remember that old George Carlin routine about how by definition there has to be a worst doctor in the world? (The punchline was that he’s seeing a patient right now.) So it is with umpires. Now matter how well trained they may be, there is always going to be one that is the worst. Was Hernandez the worst ump in the game? Players and fans alike seemed to think so, but most of the eval tools show that although his percentage of ball/strike calls have been consistently below average, they are not quite as bad as his reputation would suggest.

I think the bigger reason why fans disliked him so is twofold. First, when he would miss a call he would miss badly. It’s understandable to make an occasional incorrect call on a pitch near the corner, but too many of Hernandez’s whiffs were on pitches that were clearly several inches outside the strike zone, yet he would still call them strikes. Second, he was unnecessarily combative when questioned. He had a penchant for escalating situations. He made it about himself too often.

It was precisely that stubborn refusal to make himself accountable that turned off so many people. Think back to when Jim Joyce made his glaringly incorrect safe call at first base which cost Armando Galarraga a bid for a perfect game back in 2010. Joyce immediately owned his mistake and showed tremendous regret for ruining Galarraga’s chance at making history. I don’t recall Hernandez ever admitting to making a mistake. We’re all human; none of us are perfect. I’m sure that Hernandez would not have been so disliked if he had simply ever said “you know what, my bad. I screwed up this one.”

It’s been obvious for some time that MLB has wanted to do something about Hernandez but have been unable to do so. A few years ago Hernandez had filed a lawsuit against the league, claiming that his lack of postseason assignments and inability to be named a crew chief was due to racial discrimination. The lawsuit was unsuccessful; MLB had the receipts which showed that the quality of his work was lacking. Yet they were unable to fire him, despite the evidence which showed that he was not an MLB-quality umpire.

Hernandez missed a big chunk of last season due to a back injury, which started to crack open the door just a bit for MLB to take action. His health issues could allow the league to gently persuade him to take the retirement option. Not sure what type of back channel negotiations took place, and the recent article about Hernandez in The Athletic looks oddly timed in retrospect. But now Hernandez has retired, effective immediately, and everyone will need to find a new candidate for the sport’s worst official. I wouldn’t want to be Laz Diaz right now; his ears are about to start ringing much more loudly.

50 Years Ago - Fullfillingness’ First Finale

Depending on whether one wishes to include Music Of My Mind, Fullfillingness’ First Finale was either the third or fourth entry in Stevie Wonder’s magical 1970’s run. FFF earned Wonder his second consecutive Album Of the Year Grammy - which is what inspired Paul Simon to say “I want to thank Stevie Wonder for not making an album this year” when he won his own Grammy for Best Album the following year.

Despite that honor, FFF is almost a red-headed stepchild when compared to Talking Book and Innervisions, not to mention Songs In the Key Of Life. Sure, the hit singles from the album - You Haven’t Done Nothin’ and Boogie On Reggae Woman - are two absolute bangers, but unlike his other classic albums, few of the filler tracks on the record really stand out. It Ain’t No Use is a very pretty song, but there’s little else that stands up with the other high points of the Stevie Wonder catalog.

Not to dismiss the record; those 2 singles are exceptional. Boogie On Reggae Woman establishes a perfect groove from the very first note. Those keyboards and bass lines make it impossible not to sway in your seat. While it’s not exactly a reggae song, it has the same vibe. You almost want to reflexively whip up a blender full of pina coladas and sit back to soak in the atmosphere.

And You Haven’t Done Nothin’ kicks, and kicks hard. Written about his disdain for Richard Nixon, the lyrics aren’t specifically directed towards him. As a result, it is timeless. The song can just as easily apply to any politician for whom the listener feels disgust. There will always be politicians who haven’t done nothin’ for their constituents. And there are few moments in all of Motown’s history which are better than Wonder’s order to his overqualified backup singers “Jackson 5 join along with me!”

As Paul Simon alluded to, Stevie Wonder did not release a new album in 1975. A hiatus that long between albums was quite unusual at the time. He more than made up for it in 1976. For Stevie Wonder, the best was still yet to come.

Closing Laughs

The night watchman is standing next to me jingling his keys, which is a subtle sign that it’s time to close up shop for the day. See everyone again on Friday. Have a powerful day.