“It’s twue, it’s twue”
4 Stars
So it’s a little weird that Chevy left two episodes ago but he’s still getting about as much airtime as Laraine. Paul meets him outside Rockefeller Center busking for change but he still thinks it was a good decision to quit. Paul then walks upstairs and sees Lorne talking to George Harrison about the Beatles offer. George learns that he isn’t entitled to the full $3000 but can get an extra $250 for saying “Live from New York…” which he does. Not the most hilarious start but bonus points for a real life Beatle cameo.
Paul Simon Monologue
Also during the cold open we hear Paul voice his disdain for the costume they’re making him wear. Here we get the payoff as he walks out in a turkey outfit to sing “Still Crazy After All These Years”, something the show will reference for years to come. Speaking of references, the line “who do I look like, Jan Michael Vincent?” is a reference completely lost on me. But the meat of the monologue is Paul walking off stage to complain to Lorne which, unless I’m forgetting something, is the first time this trope has been used.
Quarry
Jane feeds her family an all natural breakfast of rocks and pebbles. Loud crunching commences.
Paul Simon
“50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”
Baba Wawa At Large
Baba Wawa interviews Henry Kissinger about his career and questions his silly accent. I have absolutely nothing to say about this.
The Twilite Zone
Dan doing Rod Serling tells a tale of three girls all given the same hotel room. Turns out it was Rod giving the aspiring actresses the room to work an orgy. I dunno, it had a twist I guess.
Weekend Update
Dr. Garrett Morris shows us microscopic footage of penicillin fighting gonorrhea. It’s a cartoon, feels like a joke we’ve done a lot already with Chevy’s artist renderings.
Paul Simon & George Harrison
“Here Comes The Sun / Homeward Bound”
Crackerbox Palace
Speaking of Eric Idle, he directed this music video for George Harrison’s Crackerbox Palace which is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s interesting hearing the audience laughing at the bizarre visuals. Nothing really funny is happening but they’re probably just not used to music videos.
Billy Paul
I know enough to know that this is a parody of Billy Jack but I also don’t know anything about Billy Jack. I feel like I should apologize for not knowing these references but I also don’t know half the references the show makes in present day so maybe apologies aren’t necessary. Comedy should work wether you get the reference or not, otherwise it’s just an inside joke. One things for sure, this intro is the slowest thing I’ve ever seen. Ironic that they distinguish him from the Billy Paul who sang Me And Mrs. Jones because when I saw the title I assumed we were getting a musical guest performance. I probably would have enjoyed it more. Laraine gives a hippie speech, an Indian Gilda sings a song, John goes on a racist tirade, then Paul enters, throws John out a window and orders a multi-colored ice cream cone. I didn’t get any of this.
Paul Simon
“Something So Right”
Tomorrow
Tom Snyder confuses Paul with a trucker, Neil Simon, and John Lennon. Feels like filler and just to show off Dan’s impression. It then adds as an intro to the next film.
This Song
One of my favorite songs from my favorite Beatle. A very fun video where George appears to be on trial for his song but said song turns the courtroom into a rocking jam band. The bailiff getting down was the definitive highlight.
Paul Simon
“Bridge Over Troubled Water”
FINAL ANALYSIS
“No matter where you roam know our love is true”
3.2 Stars
MVP
George Harrison
Backstage, Here Comes The Sun, Crackerbox Palace, This Song
Best Sketch
This Song
Worst Sketch
Billy Paul
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
The opening had me thinking this was gonna be a classic but I shortly had to settle in for another Paul Simon episode. I would cancel Update, trim Billy Paul, and throw on another George Harrison video.
Host Analysis
As a musical guest he was good and he was fine as his himself in the opening but he stunk in the one sketch he was in so can’t say I was impressed.
Final Thoughts
I gotta keep reminding myself that this is still NBC’s Saturday Night. I don’t know if that explains it but I guess that’s the excuse I’ll lay down. This doesn’t feel like SNL. It started off feeling exactly like SNL but then turned into a Paul Simon variety special. I’m a bit surprised that they went that route instead of putting Paul into more sketches but if I think about it for a second, the audience who tuned in for an episode hosted by Paul and featuring George Harrison were probably expecting a lot of music. Speaking of George Harrison, he’s the only thing worth watching this show for. If I take his videos out of the ranking the episode falls to a 2.1 which feels more accurate. I didn’t really care for much of anything he wasn’t part of, with the exception of Quarry which I’m sure is in another better episode. Check out the music videos on YouTube, skip everything else, and put on a George Harrison album instead. Can’t wait for Zappa in a couple shows.
Up Next
Jodie Foster and Brian Wilson. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen this one but I recall my dad once saying it was a trainwreck.
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