SNL without music?? (1 Viewer)

[TimTV]

Chances are low that we'll ever see season sets of uncut SNL.

But if the musical appearances were cut, a DVD release may be more feasable.

The question is, would you still buy it??

 

[MattPeriolat]

I think I could live without the musical acts. I mean, if the rights are that expensive, we may not have a choice.

Besides, not like we'll EVER see the footage of Sinade O'Conner ripping up the picture of the Pope anyway.

 

[Jay Pennington]

It's rare that I care enough about a musical guest to pay attention to their segments (I've watched SNL live since the first season). Every once in a while there's a real gem, but on the whole I can live without them.

That said, when I want an episode of something, I want the whole thing, even including portions I don't care for. So the completist in me doesn't want cuts.

But if they gotta, they gotta.

 

[Eric F]

How about the musical parody stuff and The Blues Bros? Covers mostly, but how expensive would it be to get the rights to Slim Harpo's "King Bee"?

 

[Gordon St Pierre]

Well if they got it worked out for This DVD set ,I don't see why they couldn't get a lot of it for other releases ,season sets etc

 

[Matt Birchall]

That performance, in it's entirety, is included on the "25 Years of Music" set (link provided above).

(Sinead O'Connor)

 

[TonyD]

:rolleyes

anyway, i would buy it without the music.
i watched for the funny.
occasionally a music act was good and too bad if it couldnt be on the dvd.

 

[Jeff#]

I don't know about that in this case, because (1) After several years, the NBC network continues to rerun classic SNL shows from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s every Sunday morning at 1 AM to 2:30 in their entirety following the current season's airings, and
(2) As was mentioned above, one of the numerous SNL specials that Lorne Michaels produced features many of the great musical performances by well-known groups and solo artists from the first 25 years of the show. It was a multi-part event that still plays on the VH-1 channel sometimes.

I have a DVD recorder, so I'm going to start buying DVD-R discs and saving selected SNL shows that NBC reruns while I still have the chance!

 

[RyanAn]

To backup what Matt said, I have seen the famous Sinead O'Connor apperance on Comedy Central and E! a few different times. While some groups I could live without, I would prefer anything over nothing.

Ryan

 

[Jeff#]

What you might have missed this time around:

 

[Keith Paynter]

You'll have to live without Frank Zappa's October 1978 appearance - Zappa screwed up his lines and mugged for the camera incessantly and pissed Lorne Michaels off in the process, and he vowed never to re-air the episode. It's too bad, I remember seeing the episode when it originally aired, and was impressed with his performance of "Dancing Fool"

FZ in "The Coneheads At Home"

 

[Colin Jacobson]

How about Madonna tearing up the photo of Joey Buttafucco? Even Madonna-haters have to admit that was funny...

 

[Jeff#]

Yeah, I think Frank Zappa was also the host as well as the musical guest. I didn't see that one because I didn't start watching SNL in first-run until 1981.

That's OK though, because there are more important entire episodes that won't air again, such as the April 1979 show with Milton Berle (which as I mentioned in another topic, I once received on VHS copied from a master tape) and a 1976 show with Louise Lasser.

The first show of the 6th season in November 1980 with the first all-new cast (from the Jean Doumanian era) featured Eliot Gould, and that's the only one I never got to see rerun on Comedy Central. Of course the finest from that season which has aired numerous times on cable was former regular Bill Murray as the host in February 1981. In the beginning of the show he talked to Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, and the rest of the cast in a pep talk to tell them that in spite of the bad reviews and low ratings "It just doesn't matter!"

 

[WillG]

Even if you removed the musical performances, you still have the problem of many, many sketches that have licensed music.

And then on top of that, other people have mentioned performance rights for actors and guest hosts. This is something that personally I don't get because wouldn't all the performances of the actors and guest hosts be owned by NBC?

It does not seem to be any reasonable chance that SNL can be released in season sets even if the musical performances were cut.

I also do wonder how many people really would even be interested (besides people like us of course) Alot of the humor is pretty dated and much of the material you kind of had to have "been there" to have gotten it. How many young people today have any idea that Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd were once funny?.. "Lauraine and Garret who?......"

I'd still like to see it happen but there is probably no chance.

 

[Jeff#]

I wasn't there in first-run for the 70s episodes and I got it when I first saw them, and I'm only 36! It just helps to have an appreciation for classic TV and some knowledge of the period you're watching.

You'd be surprised how many people in generations younger than me have seen all of the National Lampoon Vacation movies (the first 3 of which had Chevy Chase) so they know he used to be funny. In Dan Aykroyd's case, there are the Ghostbusters films.

Some of SNL humor is dated because some of the bits are topical (particularly Weekend Update), but who cares? Many older shows continue to thrive on DVD. As an SNL contemporary, SCTV Network 90 is a prime example.

When it comes to classic comedy, is Shakespeare's "As You Like It" dated enough for you? They still teach it in English class in schools most everywhere.

 

[Matt Birchall]

Anyone see the ratings for the "First 5 Years" special which aired the other night on NBC? I'm asking--I haven't seen them yet. But the ratings might be a good indicator of what the interest for the old show is like.

 

[john mcfadden]

I want the first 4 years simply because i love John Belushi's work . Having seen his film work numerous times growing up , I was always amazed by his work . I was born in 1974 so obviously i didnt watch this from the beginning . I would definetly buy season sets , volume sets ...Whatever !! To see these ! The only exception i want to see is when belushi got the punk band Fear booked on the show and all hell broke loose, other than that omit the musical guests and ill buy up to the end of the murphy and piscopo years .

Ladies and gentleman ,we have just heard..... Buckwheat has been shot .

 

[Jeff#]

After Belushi left SNL along with Aykroyd for movie stardom, he first came back for the 100th show during the 5th season in March 1980, in which he was in drag in a period sketch.

John was instrumental in getting his old friend Tim Kazurinsky hired for the show in 1981. It was also in that 7th season when Fear performed on SNL.

John's last actual appearance on the show was in October of that year in which Donald Pleasance hosted. In the cold opening Eddie Murphy and Donald can't believe the stench coming out of the men's room stall. They leave and the stall door opens.....it's John Belushi! He doesn't say a word and gives his famous raised eyebrow look, and the show starts. His drug overdose / murder the following spring was tragic indeed.

 

[MattPeriolat]

Well, I really think what will be the make or break for SNL releases at ALL will be how well the first 5 special did and how well sales of that DVD are.

In other words, we want it all? We have to take a little. I'm more than willing to do that.

Oh and thanks to Gordon for the link. I'd get that set just for the U2 apperance!

 

[Jeff#]

There have been so many SNL specials over the years, I seriously doubt The First 5 Years special -- as good as it was, would encourage the release of a season set release. Even the 20th and 25th anniversary prime time specials were unable to accomplish that.