OK Saturday Night Live, let’s talk about this sketch that aired Saturday night, October 2nd…
First off, I’m not angry at your writers. I understand that they are in a unique position. They have to turn out over an hour of material every week. As a comedian, I write topically and pretty quickly but I could never claim to be able to turn out an hour of new material in one week. It is an achievement that in 35 years of SNL that there has never been just seven minutes of a blank screen. Plus, not only have I known people who have written on the show; I’ve also read several books and many articles about how challenging it is to work on the show. I understand that the writers do not ultimately determine what makes it on air. So again, I’m not blaming the writers.
I’m also not blaming the actors. As someone who is trying to “make it” in show business myself, I understand that it is hard enough to get a job in show business, and when you get one, you are not necessarily in a position to approve the scripts. And I’m not encouraging any diva-like walkouts from the actors. Good on ya for getting a job. So I don’t blame the star of this sketch, Kenan… or Kel… or whichever one he is.
SNL, I guess I’m blaming you — the institution — which means I blame Lorne Michaels. He is the keeper of the SNL flame, so therefore he is the one who determines what hits the screen. That flame has burned very bright on many occasions over those 35 years. Lorne Michaels is man who invented SNL and who assembled the murderer’s row of funny that was SNL’s first season. Each member of that cast is a first ballot Comedy Hall of Famer. In 1975 SNL was edgy, on point, and most important relevant. That last quality is in my opinion one of the best things that great comedy can be.
But besides all of those other adjectives I listed, there is one more thing that comedy is supposed to be… and that is funny. And this sketch is not funny. Not at all. Not in the least. And in the process of not being funny, it also highlights something that has been a serious problem for you, Saturday Night Live, for most of your existence: Black people. Saturday Night Live has never known exactly what to do with it’s black people. Either we play the extreme background of sketches — which Tim Meadows (minus The Ladies Man) made a career out of for his ten years on Saturday Night Live — OR the sketches featuring black performers exist in some ghettoized place that suddenly makes it seem like we, the viewing audience, collectively and accidentally sat on our remotes and changed the channel. The “What’s Up with That” sketch is an example of that. I have no idea what this sketch is supposed to be. Is it a parody? Of what? Is it satire? How? Is it a comment on BET? I hope not, because I would be really sad, Saturday Night Live, if you couldn’t find an effective way to make fun of BET. Is this sketch just supposed to be strangely unsatisfying and weirdly sad? Mission Accomplished. And what the hell are the white actors doing in the background??? SNL, I think you actually managed to re-invent a long forgotten genre of performing, White Minstrelsy. The look on Morgan Freeman’s face says it all. I don’t think he’s acting.
Morgan Freeman regrets every choice he's ever made in life.
It’s clear SNL, that you still don’t know what to do with your black performers. It has been a recurring joke nearly since the beginning that the show doesn’t have things for the black performers to do. When Barack Obama was elected there were articles everywhere about how SNL was going to have to hire an new actor in order to have someone to effectively imitate Barack Obama. In the end you went with your own cast member Fred Armisen, who other than being approximately the same hue as the prez does about as good of an impression of Barack as Barack does an impression of Malcolm X. Other than Eddie Murphy and the woefully unheralded Garrett Morris, SNL has done a great disservice to black comedy. And Saturday Night Live, before you bring up the names Chris Rock or Tracy Morgan let me stop you; both of them only revealed themselves as comic powerhouses AFTER their tenures on SNL. Not that SNL didn’t help them, but SNL, you are to black comedy what Bob Knight’s tenor at Indiana University was to NBA All-Star teams. All this makes me nervous for the new black comic they hired, Jay Pharoah.
Now if you laughed when you watched “What’s Up with That,” that’s fine. Really it is. It’s not your fault. Just because you enjoy Taco Bell, that doesn’t make it good food. And just because you laugh, that doesn’t make it funny.
Now, some will (and do) argue that, SNL, you just suck in general, but I’m not one of those people. That Andy Samberg kid has had some moments. And just so you know that I’m not an SNL hater, I leave you on this. One of the greatest moments in the history of comedy — black or otherwise — and it comes from… Ahem… Saturday Night Live.
P. S. This sketch was actually written by Paul Mooney who was Richard Pryor’s writer, not SNL’s.
P. P. S. And also Lorne Michaels gets no credit for Eddie Murphy. Mr. Murphy was an SNL member during the 4 seasons that Lorne Michaels had left the show.
P. P. P. S. Lorne, I’m available if you ever need me. And good luck, Jay Pharoah. Seriously.
Tags: black people acting like white people never gets less funny apparently, dead honkie, jay pharoah, kenan, morgan freeman, saturday night live, snl
Filed under: Uncategorized
I think you might be reading too much into this Kamau. And I especially think you’re reading too much into Morgan Freeman’s looks. His character in this skit is supposed to be frustrated and befuddled by the idiocy going on around him and he (by the way, Morgan Freeman’s an actor. A consummate actor.) does it right.
So, what IS it? How is it humorous? While I don’t find it especially funny… here’s what they’re working with:
In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a country which is on the verge of being taken over by idiots. Black idiots, white idiots, latino idiots, asian idiots… you name it, we’re equal opportunity idiotizing people at a rate faster than any country in the world. Every now and then smart people end up stuck in a crowd of idiots… as Morgan Freeman has in this case. That moment that you realize you’re not going to fix the overwhelming power of the idiots before you is a sad, sad moment. Morgan Freeman plays that part exquisitely.
The only thing that bothers me about this skit is that evidently ALL white people are more than happy to knee slap along with the idiots… even if it takes just a little bit of prodding. Hell, Ernest Borgnine is knee slapping at the end of the show… and “Lindsay Buckingham” can even be drawn to shake off the momentary “wtf” to go along with the idiots. And, if you get the ghetto characterization off of SNL, maybe you could help me get the stupid unhip characterization off (ala those hotel bar singers that Ana Gaspar did and the cheerleaders skit that Will Farrell did). (Notice how you just thought to yourself, “but that IS how white folk act!”
)
P.S. Nice dive into the nostalgia trap btw… **They knew how to use a black comic “back in the day”** … as if Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood wasn’t the original ghettoized SNL skit.
P.P.S. You wanna be pissed off about something? Be pissed off at the tenor sax solos coming out of an alto sax stage prop.
P.P.P.S. Or you could be pissed off about them messing with George and Bootsy… no one funks with them.
P.P.P.P.S. Nothing to say here except I love you and I wanted to go one P longer than you
Real Brother here.
I didn’t have a problem with the skit and yes I did laugh. My take on it is that instead of depth and substance Black shows are more about dancin’ and singin’ and partying which was indeed funny. One of the reason SNL doesn’t work for me and never has is because its a White show, its meant to be funny to and impress a White audience that in and of itself is a turn off to Blacks just as “In Living Color”[best sketch comedy show ever has White cast members but was written for Blacks] was a turn off to Whites.
True brilliance would be if the Black characters could come up with skits that were funny to Blacks without the White folks knowing its funny to Blacks. Other then that yes, they need to hire some Black writers but not to write Blacks to be funny only for Whites.
TKCAL
I am actually having a hard time garnering up any support or sympathy for how Morgan Freeman looks or his work, based on him sleeping with his 20 yr. something granddaughter… like REALLY!!? ugghhhh… just nasty.
oh and you wanna be mad.. Kanye spazzing out again …. what is he singing about nowadays.. . my lord!
did you know BET gave a Hip Hop award to the flaming antoine dodson? (sister almost got raped fame) sad.
I read every word of this post – mostly to see if I was mentioned in it – and I couldn’t agree more. Except for the part about Tracey Morgan being funny. But, I guess you didn’t say he was funny – you said he “revealed himself as a comic powerhouse.” And, for the record, it is always funnier when we stereotype white guys. Thanks to white privilege we are so numb to white idiosyncrasies and white ridiculousness. We see it as isolated individualism. When we tease white guys we are picking on one dude. When we tease black guys, we are taking on a community.
(ex: Lindsay Buckingham vs. generic Black minister-like, talk show host)
wow.snl hasnt been funny in years, and i agree it never has used black actors or performers well. i grew up loving snl, but it seems to need some new leadership. perhaps the audience is ignorant and borderline racist whites(ie, most americans) my white family and i sat together and watched every episode of in living color for its entire run, and was not turned off by its humor at all, in fact it was a highlight of the week for us. is it that hard to come up with good bits featuring black performers or subjects like race in america? i think i could write some and im not black or a writer.i cried laughing at paul mooneys hour specials and enjoy humor from guys like w. kamau who speak about these obvious issues.its 2010!!!!yet we still have dr laura types in this country.
i loved your commentary on comedy and everything else on that topic. i first heard you on wtf address the issue of what is a “black comic”. i think you are relevant and funny, and would think that regardless of your race. i really enjoy your new podcast and am looking foward to future episodes. i think you and vernon are doing something that transcends the genre of podcasting, which is devoid of any conversation about black culture(look at the top 10 podcasts on itunes-it looks like the mid 1840’s). i think you guys are breaking the mold with the show, which will hopefully bring more of these subjects into the genre
Thank you for your kind words about the podcast. We are working to make it more regular. There should be a new episode soon. I’m gonna tell Vernon what you said. He’ll be happy to hear it. Take care.
ive found that the format of podcasts is so intimate, really just voices in your head, that its perfect for comedy, but also perfect for longer, more intelligent discussions than you can get on tv.(good luck on the field negro guide pilot for comedy central/nbc) i cant imagine trying to produce a free show on a regular basis that isnt jokes or bits but a discussion that goes to interesting places that are funny. eddie long…&strong killed me on the title alone, and tips for the abused had me on the floor of an atlanta subway station. nobody here wants to touch this issue at all. diy podcasting is the future, as radio and networks are dinosaurs, and you guys jumped in at the right time with the right voice, and i think youll find your legs after a few episodes are in the can.btw love the site too. most comics dont have updated content or threads
you can say that morgan freeman is one of the most versatile actors that we have today .
Either this sketch is the single most brilliant comedy sketch known to mankind – or it is the single worst disaster in human history, easily surpassing the Black Plague, the Holocaust, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a single bound.
I’m thinking this is supposed to be read as an attempt to mock black entertainment (and BET). That said, if it is an attempt to mock black entertainment and BET then it is utterly inept and out of touch. (1) Does SNL have black writers? (2) Does SNL have black writers that actually watch BET? I’m going to wager that if the answer to (1) is yes, the answer to (2) is probably no. If the answer to (1) and (2) is yes, then these black writers should be promptly fired. I can’t imagine an easier target to mock than BET, yet this sketch absolutely fails to do so. Hell, if not BET, just go after Tyler Perry. I’m sure KenanKel is competent enough to dress up like Madea and absolutely clown on Tyler.
Beyond the ineptness of this sketch, however, is the fact that it is absolute coonery. Sure Morgan Freeman is looking on in disbelief at the coonery (which I believe is intentional), but, it is coonery nonetheless. If I’m going to watch a modern-day coon show on national television I would certainly hope it would be funnier, more effective, and more relevant than this abortive sketch. There are tons of issues affecting black people today and if SNL wants to be ‘funny’ for black people too every blue moon, they’re going to have to get out of Manhattan-based Starbucks locations and put down their gingerbread lattes and actually do some damn field work. I wish SNL would stop with their affirmative blacktion program and decide to either (1) Just be a white show (black people probably aren’t watching anyways) or (2) Be a show for ‘everyone’ and actually recruit talented (emphasis on talented) comedians of various backgrounds and commit to their vision for some sketches.
PREACH!!!
there are very few talented actors that is as versatile as morgan freeman *:~
You seem like just another pissed-off-at-snl-for-being-racist guy. SNL has had bad sketches since it began, I mean, they hired Jimmy freaking Fallen for Christs sake. Morgan Freeman was probably privy to the contents of the sketch he was about to be a part of, and he designed his reactions based on it. If you really want to sit here and say this was the worst thing to happen to Freemans career, I guess you’ve never seen “Electric Company”.
i agree with everything you said, except “The Electric Company” RULES!