Ah Wunnerful Ah Wunnerful

A recent Saturday Night Live sketch sparked a memory for me that I'm sure many people my age or perhaps a bit older might have experienced.

As a child my parents would load my brother and I into the car almost every weekend and we'd make the short 40 minute trip to my Grandparents house. It was a great place for a kid to have fun getting into mischief. Today they are both gone but the house is still there with new owners and it has been turned into a Bed and Breakfast.

My memories are quite vivid though. It was a rather large house on several acres of land. There was an old barn, a large vegetable garden, an old chicken coup with only the foundation remaining. There was a makeshift swing hanging from a pear tree in the middle of the circular gravel driveway that we used to swing on. The property was littered with large trees and I think some were walnut.

The house sat along Highway 2 and across the road was a small stream where my brother and I would catch speckled trout. My grandfather used to sell dew worms by the dozen to fisherman and he had an old Coca-Cola cooler he'd keep them in. In the evenings we'd place orange paper over the ends of our flashlights and after dark we'd walk around the yard picking worms to be sold.

With such a big garden, the whole family would work in it by planting and harvesting the vegetables. I used to enjoy using the rototiller to chew up the ground. Digging up the potatoes was fun but I can remember getting in trouble when I got a little too close with the pitchfork and speared the odd spud.

Any way, back to what got me to thinking about all of this. On Saturday nights, I believe, after supper my Grandfather had to watch his favourite show. We'd all gather in front of the T.V. and before long we'd hear the unmistakable sounds of The Lawrence Welk Show.

There he'd be with his conductors baton in his hand; wearing an ugly blue 70's suit with an audience full of seniors ready to enjoy some of "their" champagne music. Myron Floren would perform on his accordion, Bobby and Cissy would dance a number or two, the Lennon Sisters would harmonize together, Dick Dale would swing on his saxophone or sing a song and Norma Zimmer's soprano voice never failed.

I'm not going to lie, it wasn't my favourite music or entertainment but it brought the whole family together and certainly left its mark on me.

So what got me to thinking about all of this? Have a look at the video below. Perhaps I have a strange sense of humour but I laughed out loud watching it.

SNL Season Opening Sketch

I have been a fan of Saturday Night Live for a long time. I suppose it goes all the way back to the Not Ready For Prime Time Players, although I was just a young lad then.

Any way, another season of the late night comedy sketch show kicked off on Saturday night with Michael Phelps as the guest host. Although the show on the whole wasn't as humourous as it could have been, the opening sketch was pretty funny.

Here's that sketch.

Clip of the Week - May 19/08

Since 1975 one show has given people a reason to stay up late on Saturday night and of course I'm speaking of Saturday Night Live (SNL).

SNL has had its ups and downs over the last 30+ years but it has survived and has spawned the careers of some of the best funny people past and present.

The list reads like a who's who with the likes of Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Martin Short to name only a few. Many of those are Canadians as well and the show was created by and is still run by Canadian Lorne Michaels.

Over the years there have been hundreds of musical guests, my all-time favourite was on December 9, 2000 when U2 performed and it was one of the greatest performances in the history of the show. I used to have a copy on my computer but it is long gone so I can't let you share the experience.

However, I can share with you one of my favourite sketches ever on the show. The date was April 8, 2000 and it was about the recording of the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. The sketch featured guest host Christopher Walken as music producer Bruce Dickinson and Will Ferrell as fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle. In the television special Saturday Night Live: 101 Most Unforgettable Moments, this sketch is moment number five.

SNL - Still Funny?

Long gone are the days when Saturday Night Live featured the Not Ready For Prime Time Players including Canadian Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Bill Murray and Gilda Radner. Their comedy from 1975 to 1979 was cutting edge and quite controversial. Even today some of their sketches shock some of the less open-minded viewers.

The show has made stars of many of its cast members including Chevy Chase, Phil Hartman, Will Ferrell, Billy Crystal, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy and Dana Carvey. Many have gone on to have careers in movies and on other television shows.

However, the SNL that I used to love watching in the 80's and early 90's isn't what it used to be. I miss characters and sketches like The Coneheads, Mr. Robinson's Neighbourhood, Mr. Bill, Fernando's Hideaway, Hans and Franz and The Church Lady.

There have been a few gems to come out of the show from the mid 90's to today like Wayne's World, Motivational Speaker Matt Foley, Opera Man and The Spartan Cheerleaders.

If you're reading this and you don't have even the slightest clue of what I'm talking about, then I would guess you've never been interested in SNL or you've been going to bed before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night for the last 31 years.

So rare is it lately that I watch the show and get a laugh, I had to share with you the funniest thing (to me) to come out of SNL in quite some time. You may or may not find it humourous and if you're easily offended then this might not be for you and you'd be advised to not press play. However, if you share a similar taste in comedy to me, you might get a kick out of this little song from this past Christmas on Saturday Night Live.

A Special Christmas Box (Viewer Discretion advised)