Reflection on SNL 40

Last week I promised a review on the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and I have been struggling on what to write. I'm just not a great critic. I mean, check my letterboxd. I can tell you if I liked something or not and I can give you reasons why I feel that way, but I can't write coherent reviews. 

Long story short, I adored the special and if you're a fan of the show, I really encourage you to find two and a half hours to sit down and watch it.

The special really made me reflect on how much Saturday Night Live has effected my life. I haven’t really written a great “About Me” page for this blog, but it should be noted that comedy is one of my biggest passions. I might be a prep, but I am a total comedy nerd. And like many comedy nerds before me, I credit Saturday Night Live as my gateway to comedy. 

Dave Chappelle stated, "I've never lived in a world without Saturday Night Live.”

I know this to be true. I remember watching the show when I was younger. I would stay up late and in between commercial breaks I would change the channel to MADtv. I remember doing this at my grandma’s house in 2000, but I have several memories of staying up with my Dad and doing the same at our house. My first memories of using YouTube was my Dad showing me classic SNL sketches such as James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub, Land Shark, and Steve Martin’s King Tut.

I was always one of those kids who would memorize SNL bits from Saturday’s episode and retell them Monday at school. Even in high school and middle school, I got my current events for history class from Weekend Update.

Another show that had a huge impact on me was 30 Rock. I watched the show as it aired, so watching 30 Rock in my formative pre-teen and teenage years made a huge impression on me. 30 Rock really encouraged me to be myself. I admired how Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon, was always true to herself and didn't care what anybody thought. The quirky humor of 30 Rock influenced the alternative sense of humor I have today. 30 Rock encouraged to try improv which was probably one of the most important moments of my life. I remember realizing what a joy it was to make people laugh and that’s when I knew what I wanted to do in life.

I feel like I owe a huge thank you to Lorne Michaels for creating such an amazing institution for American comedy. He's a mad genius who has changed so many lives. 

I could probably write pages and pages expressing my love for Saturday Night Live and all the amazing people who have been a part of it. My childhood dream was always to share the stage that my heroes from Gilda Radner to Tina Fey graced. Maybe someday that dream will come true. Until then, I will keep staying up on Saturday nights to watch the show that has shaped my life.