"SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night" Written By: A Week Inside the SNL Writers Room

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 2 00:00:14,914 --> 00:00:18,151 On the eighth day of April in the year 2000, 3 00:00:18,251 --> 00:00:20,987 a message was delivered that would change the world. 4 00:00:21,087 --> 00:00:22,922 A message of strength and conviction. 5 00:00:23,423 --> 00:00:26,292 Words of wisdom that shaped the lives 6 00:00:26,393 --> 00:00:28,661 of generations to come. 7 00:00:30,063 --> 00:00:32,232 I could have used a little more cowbell. 8 00:01:09,569 --> 00:01:11,671 After a series of staggering defeats, 9 00:01:11,771 --> 00:01:14,007 Blue Öyster Cult assembled in the recording studio 10 00:01:14,107 --> 00:01:15,408 in late 1976... 11 00:01:15,508 --> 00:01:18,545 "After a series of staggering defeats." 12 00:01:19,012 --> 00:01:20,313 What does that even mean? 13 00:01:20,413 --> 00:01:22,115 ...the cameras were rolling. 14 00:01:22,215 --> 00:01:23,783 This is beyond my wildest dreams 15 00:01:23,883 --> 00:01:25,218 that you're making a documentary 16 00:01:25,318 --> 00:01:27,053 about the cowbell sketch. 17 00:01:27,153 --> 00:01:29,556 This sketch, it's a great example 18 00:01:29,656 --> 00:01:32,025 of the freedom 19 00:01:32,125 --> 00:01:34,661 to kind of create something that crazy. 20 00:01:34,761 --> 00:01:37,564 I could have used a little more cowbell. 21 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,436 Isn't that rated as the most popular sketch of all time? 22 00:01:43,536 --> 00:01:46,406 Once my pants are on, I make gold records. 23 00:01:47,173 --> 00:01:50,010 Smart and silly to the nth degree. 24 00:01:51,011 --> 00:01:53,880 Everybody knows it, even people who weren't born yet 25 00:01:53,980 --> 00:01:55,348 when this sketch was popular. 26 00:01:55,448 --> 00:01:57,751 It's definitely stood the test of time. 27 00:01:59,152 --> 00:02:01,254 It became ubiquitous. More cowbell. 28 00:02:01,354 --> 00:02:02,622 It's absolutely bonkers 29 00:02:02,722 --> 00:02:04,524 that you're doing a documentary on one sketch, 30 00:02:04,624 --> 00:02:07,861 but if you're gonna pick one, definitely it's "Cowbell." 31 00:02:08,428 --> 00:02:10,764 It's the biggest sketch I've ever been part of. 32 00:02:10,864 --> 00:02:14,067 It's definitely a testament to trusting your gut 33 00:02:14,167 --> 00:02:15,702 where you're like, "Yeah, let's just try it." 34 00:02:15,802 --> 00:02:18,405 You know what? It's fine. Let's just do the thing. 35 00:02:21,675 --> 00:02:23,009 Oh, that's funny. 36 00:02:23,109 --> 00:02:24,611 - Is that pathetic, though? - What? 37 00:02:24,711 --> 00:02:26,980 - If I laugh at my own sketch? - No. 38 00:02:29,582 --> 00:02:32,352 The cowbell, rock and roll's unsung hero, 39 00:02:32,452 --> 00:02:34,754 an instrument whose contribution in music 40 00:02:34,854 --> 00:02:36,056 may be colossal to some, 41 00:02:36,156 --> 00:02:38,058 but questionable to others. 42 00:02:38,158 --> 00:02:40,160 The origin story of "Cowbell" 43 00:02:40,260 --> 00:02:42,529 is just a tad bit annoying from the outset. 44 00:02:42,629 --> 00:02:45,331 That's what it's such a dangerous percussion instrument. 45 00:02:45,432 --> 00:02:49,336 The cowbell is not something to be with. 46 00:02:49,436 --> 00:02:51,538 First emerging thousands of years ago, 47 00:02:51,638 --> 00:02:54,507 percussion's drunk uncle became the heartbeat of the farm 48 00:02:54,607 --> 00:02:56,476 with its less-than-rhythmic clang. 49 00:02:56,576 --> 00:02:59,012 Isn't that why the cows wore the bells? 50 00:02:59,112 --> 00:03:00,513 So people knew they were coming? 51 00:03:00,613 --> 00:03:02,716 That's exactly why they wore the bells. 52 00:03:04,384 --> 00:03:06,386 It was this unmeasured melody that allowed farmers 53 00:03:06,486 --> 00:03:08,321 to keep track of wandering herds. 54 00:03:08,421 --> 00:03:10,590 But because of its tiresome tune, 55 00:03:10,690 --> 00:03:14,294 the born rebel had been at the center of beefs for centuries. 56 00:03:14,394 --> 00:03:16,563 I can't believe you've done this much research 57 00:03:16,663 --> 00:03:17,364 into cowbells. 58 00:03:17,464 --> 00:03:18,865 Oh, you have no idea. 59 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,102 Somebody actually said, 60 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:24,337 "Will you take the bell off Bessie 61 00:03:24,437 --> 00:03:26,106 and bring it into the rehearsal space?" 62 00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:28,608 And another person said back, 63 00:03:28,708 --> 00:03:29,776 "Yeah." 64 00:03:29,876 --> 00:03:32,979 There's something about that version of rock and roll 65 00:03:33,079 --> 00:03:36,182 that's like you're driving a van on the highway, 66 00:03:36,282 --> 00:03:37,717 and it just works. 67 00:03:37,817 --> 00:03:41,554 There are certain cowbell songs which hold the throne, 68 00:03:41,654 --> 00:03:43,923 you know, in the pantheon of cowbell songs. 69 00:03:45,759 --> 00:03:47,994 "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain... 70 00:03:48,094 --> 00:03:50,063 * Mississippi queen * 71 00:03:50,163 --> 00:03:52,465 ...is an iconic cowbell song. 72 00:03:52,565 --> 00:03:56,369 And then there's the famous Sabbath cowbell song. 73 00:03:56,469 --> 00:03:59,205 Also, the Knack had a great cowbell song. 74 00:03:59,305 --> 00:04:02,308 Oh, but, listen, we're here talking about Blue Öyster Cult 75 00:04:02,409 --> 00:04:03,777 and " the Reaper" 76 00:04:03,877 --> 00:04:07,781 because it was basically immortalized in this sketch. 77 00:04:09,315 --> 00:04:11,618 I've had like a corkboard in my office 78 00:04:11,718 --> 00:04:14,854 where I would put little cards as potential ideas. 79 00:04:14,954 --> 00:04:18,358 And " the Reaper" must have come on somewhere. 80 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,196 I remember listening to that song as a kid 81 00:04:23,296 --> 00:04:24,731 on the radio in the car. 82 00:04:24,831 --> 00:04:27,067 This is Blue Öyster Cult 83 00:04:27,167 --> 00:04:28,868 with " the Reaper." 84 00:04:28,968 --> 00:04:30,136 It's a great song. 85 00:04:30,236 --> 00:04:32,138 And I loved the song first. 86 00:04:32,572 --> 00:04:34,541 And then I heard the cowbell second. 87 00:04:35,975 --> 00:04:39,179 It's the perfect calibration 88 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:41,448 of loud enough but not too loud. 89 00:04:41,548 --> 00:04:44,551 It's really kind of impotent in the background. 90 00:04:44,651 --> 00:04:48,888 It's just, "Don't listen to me, but I'm playing the cowbell." 91 00:04:49,589 --> 00:04:52,659 And I had the thought, even as a kid, 92 00:04:52,759 --> 00:04:57,230 "Huh, what is the life of the guy playing the cowbell?" 93 00:04:57,697 --> 00:05:01,768 I guess it was germinating for decades in the back of my head. 94 00:05:01,868 --> 00:05:05,238 That must have just unlodged in my brain, and I thought, 95 00:05:05,338 --> 00:05:09,109 "That could be a funny leaping-off point." 96 00:05:10,910 --> 00:05:13,913 So who is the cowbell genius that inspired 97 00:05:14,014 --> 00:05:14,881 Will's leap of faith? 98 00:05:16,082 --> 00:05:17,784 This guy! 99 00:05:20,620 --> 00:05:22,989 Seventies rock legend Gene Frenkle. 100 00:05:23,089 --> 00:05:24,190 I'm Gene Frenkle. 101 00:05:24,290 --> 00:05:26,426 Cowbell, that's it. 102 00:05:26,926 --> 00:05:28,361 What else is there? 103 00:05:31,765 --> 00:05:34,768 Anyway, Gene Frenkle's totally made up. 104 00:05:39,439 --> 00:05:40,840 Oh, Gene is fictional? 105 00:05:40,940 --> 00:05:43,176 What are you talking about? Are you lying to me? 106 00:05:43,276 --> 00:05:45,812 I should have done my homework. 107 00:05:48,782 --> 00:05:50,483 The cowbell sketch's story starts 108 00:05:50,583 --> 00:05:52,519 all the way back in 1995, 109 00:05:52,619 --> 00:05:54,087 when, after a massive shake-up, 110 00:05:54,187 --> 00:05:58,458 a young Will Ferrell was asked to join SNL's newest cast. 111 00:05:58,558 --> 00:06:00,560 I'm the first person 112 00:06:00,660 --> 00:06:04,230 that's going to be on camera for that season 113 00:06:04,330 --> 00:06:05,965 for this brand-new cast. 114 00:06:06,599 --> 00:06:09,002 Lorne walks by, in an effort to be funny, and says, 115 00:06:09,102 --> 00:06:11,571 "No pressure, but the whole show's riding on you." 116 00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:13,973 And just walks away. And it cracked me up. 117 00:06:14,074 --> 00:06:15,008 It really made me laugh. 118 00:06:15,108 --> 00:06:16,309 But I'm sitting there, 119 00:06:16,409 --> 00:06:18,311 and they're counting the show down. 120 00:06:21,414 --> 00:06:24,217 And all of a sudden, I felt the enormity 121 00:06:24,317 --> 00:06:26,119 of this moment, 122 00:06:26,219 --> 00:06:27,754 being on live television. 123 00:06:27,854 --> 00:06:31,291 And I'm like, "Oh no. This is crazy." 124 00:06:31,391 --> 00:06:34,627 And so I totally garbled the lines. 125 00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:36,930 Good afternoon, it's been a busy day in court. 126 00:06:37,030 --> 00:06:40,266 The trial which ended yesterday with the repro-- Prosecutions-- 127 00:06:40,367 --> 00:06:42,569 Repro-- Prosecutions... 128 00:06:42,669 --> 00:06:44,704 So my first moment on Saturday Night Live, 129 00:06:44,804 --> 00:06:46,840 I mess up right out of the gate. 130 00:06:49,542 --> 00:06:52,746 Entertainment section wrote a review, and it said, 131 00:06:52,846 --> 00:06:56,049 "Most annoying newcomer: Will Ferrell." 132 00:06:56,149 --> 00:06:57,484 I kind of had a choice. 133 00:06:57,584 --> 00:06:59,252 I was either gonna take that to heart, 134 00:06:59,919 --> 00:07:02,622 or I was gonna just use it as bulletin board material. 135 00:07:02,722 --> 00:07:05,291 So, sure enough, I had a placard made. 136 00:07:05,392 --> 00:07:06,760 "Most annoying newcomer." 137 00:07:06,860 --> 00:07:09,129 And I put it on the door of my office. 138 00:07:09,229 --> 00:07:10,663 And I was like, 139 00:07:10,764 --> 00:07:13,299 "Okay, if you think I'm annoying now, just wait. 140 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:14,968 I'm gonna be so annoying." 141 00:07:16,603 --> 00:07:19,239 -The weatherman is dead! -Oh! 142 00:07:19,339 --> 00:07:21,207 I eat the weatherman! 143 00:07:21,307 --> 00:07:22,842 * Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh * 144 00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:25,278 Oh! Man! 145 00:07:25,378 --> 00:07:27,013 Hold on. 146 00:07:30,617 --> 00:07:33,019 I love it! I'm actually gonna murder you! 147 00:07:33,119 --> 00:07:34,554 Ah! Ah! 148 00:07:37,023 --> 00:07:38,024 My-- My back. 149 00:07:38,124 --> 00:07:40,527 But I thought you said the exercise is what helped-- 150 00:07:40,627 --> 00:07:42,062 Well, they're not! Get the hell off me! 151 00:07:42,162 --> 00:07:45,432 He would come with the most original ideas, like "Cowbell." 152 00:07:45,532 --> 00:07:47,000 He would go off and write by himself and just, 153 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:49,469 "Well, here's something I think is funny, this is weird." 154 00:07:49,569 --> 00:07:51,738 He was inspiring because to think, like-- 155 00:07:51,838 --> 00:07:54,240 Okay, like, whatever you're thinking, you can go weirder. 156 00:07:56,643 --> 00:07:59,412 I never was governed internally by, like, 157 00:07:59,512 --> 00:08:01,548 what do I think people want to see? 158 00:08:01,648 --> 00:08:03,650 It was just like, what makes me laugh? 159 00:08:03,750 --> 00:08:06,152 Ladies and gentlemen, 160 00:08:06,252 --> 00:08:08,888 Norm Macdonald. 161 00:08:08,988 --> 00:08:12,258 Norm Macdonald had come back to host. 162 00:08:12,359 --> 00:08:13,727 I don't know if you remember this, 163 00:08:13,827 --> 00:08:17,130 but, uh, I used to actually be on this show, you know? 164 00:08:17,764 --> 00:08:19,666 That's when I wrote the sketch initially, 165 00:08:19,766 --> 00:08:21,935 and Norm was playing the producer character. 166 00:08:23,236 --> 00:08:26,539 One of my favorite moments in table reads 167 00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:28,508 would be every once in a while, 168 00:08:28,608 --> 00:08:30,010 Will would write a sketch by himself. 169 00:08:30,110 --> 00:08:32,612 When you'd take it to the table on Wednesday, 170 00:08:32,712 --> 00:08:34,914 you know, hopefully it gets a great response. 171 00:08:35,015 --> 00:08:36,683 The way the table read works 172 00:08:36,783 --> 00:08:38,418 is it's like a long, huge table, 173 00:08:38,518 --> 00:08:39,819 and everyone's got scripts, 174 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:42,288 and you just read it, and it's really fun. 175 00:08:42,389 --> 00:08:43,423 It's kind of like a radio play. 176 00:08:43,523 --> 00:08:45,759 We would read 35 to 40 sketches, 177 00:08:45,859 --> 00:08:49,396 and anywhere from 8 to 12 would get picked. 178 00:08:49,496 --> 00:08:52,565 So the name of the sketch, which I didn't know, was called "Recording Session." 179 00:08:52,665 --> 00:08:54,167 He didn't want to lead the joke, 180 00:08:54,267 --> 00:08:56,569 so I'm sure he wasn't gonna put "Cowbell Sketch" 181 00:08:56,670 --> 00:08:58,171 so you knew a cowbell was coming. 182 00:08:58,271 --> 00:09:01,274 Lorne Michaels reads the stage directions 183 00:09:01,374 --> 00:09:03,043 the only way Lorne could. 184 00:09:03,143 --> 00:09:05,712 "Uh, cut to interior, studio. 185 00:09:05,812 --> 00:09:08,448 Jimmy at the drums, Horatio at bass, 186 00:09:08,548 --> 00:09:10,750 Parnell as lead singer with guitar. 187 00:09:10,850 --> 00:09:14,120 Kattan with guitar, Will with wood block." 188 00:09:14,220 --> 00:09:15,488 Huh, interesting. 189 00:09:15,588 --> 00:09:17,524 I had no idea it was written as "wood block." 190 00:09:17,624 --> 00:09:19,659 -What? -It was? 191 00:09:19,759 --> 00:09:23,296 -When did it change? -I gotta have more wood block. 192 00:09:23,396 --> 00:09:24,631 Wood block? 193 00:09:24,731 --> 00:09:26,399 I don't think it rolls off the tongue. 194 00:09:26,499 --> 00:09:28,201 Yeah, it just wouldn't work. 195 00:09:29,035 --> 00:09:31,237 We would not be talking about the sketch today 196 00:09:31,338 --> 00:09:34,140 if it was Christopher Walken saying, "I need more wood block." 197 00:09:37,711 --> 00:09:39,746 No, I don't think so. 198 00:09:39,846 --> 00:09:41,748 Clearly, the cowbell was the right choice. 199 00:09:41,848 --> 00:09:45,118 It could have been wood block. You'd have to change the name of the documentary. 200 00:09:47,454 --> 00:09:48,922 The Woodblock Doc. 201 00:09:49,022 --> 00:09:51,791 Actually a pretty good title. Rolls off the tongue. 202 00:09:51,891 --> 00:09:53,893 And Norm was funny and everything like that, 203 00:09:53,993 --> 00:09:56,596 but just as it goes, that week there was-- 204 00:09:56,696 --> 00:09:57,997 It just wasn't picked. 205 00:09:59,766 --> 00:10:02,836 So it was shelved for two or three months. 206 00:10:03,570 --> 00:10:04,771 I remember thinking, 207 00:10:04,871 --> 00:10:06,873 "Oh, it's a little too weird for the room. 208 00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:11,411 I'll just hold onto it. Maybe there'll be a better fit." 209 00:10:11,511 --> 00:10:13,313 When Christopher Walken came back... 210 00:10:13,413 --> 00:10:15,482 I miss this place, you know... 211 00:10:15,582 --> 00:10:17,150 ...I rewrote it 212 00:10:17,250 --> 00:10:18,818 with Walken in mind. 213 00:10:18,918 --> 00:10:20,920 Known for his dramatic roles, 214 00:10:21,021 --> 00:10:23,656 Walken proved to be a welcome guest at Studio 8H. 215 00:10:23,757 --> 00:10:25,258 This night would be the fourth time 216 00:10:25,358 --> 00:10:28,094 he showed he could play satire as well as serious. 217 00:10:28,194 --> 00:10:30,263 SNL had been having Walken host 218 00:10:30,363 --> 00:10:31,564 since, I believe, 1990. 219 00:10:31,664 --> 00:10:33,800 Hello, I'm Christopher Walken, 220 00:10:33,900 --> 00:10:36,002 and this is Saturday Night Live. 221 00:10:36,102 --> 00:10:36,703 Good to see you. 222 00:10:36,803 --> 00:10:38,672 It's good to be back. 223 00:10:38,772 --> 00:10:40,807 He'd already been in "The Deer Hunter." 224 00:10:40,907 --> 00:10:42,208 Don't do it. 225 00:10:44,210 --> 00:10:47,280 Won his Academy Award in '78. 226 00:10:47,380 --> 00:10:49,849 I'm very happy to have this... 227 00:10:49,949 --> 00:10:52,852 He had this kind of cult status. 228 00:10:52,952 --> 00:10:55,488 I was just like, what's some weird stuff 229 00:10:55,588 --> 00:10:56,790 Walken could say? 230 00:10:56,890 --> 00:10:59,359 These freaks, they're all player haters. 231 00:10:59,459 --> 00:11:03,096 He fits in almost anything in the weirdest way. 232 00:11:03,196 --> 00:11:04,831 I have become you. 233 00:11:06,199 --> 00:11:07,367 And you, me. 234 00:11:07,467 --> 00:11:09,669 He was like the John Mulaney 235 00:11:09,769 --> 00:11:11,304 or the Dave Chappelle of that era, 236 00:11:11,404 --> 00:11:13,907 that when he showed up, it was gonna be a fun night. 237 00:11:14,007 --> 00:11:17,210 I think it's best suited in Walken's hands 238 00:11:17,310 --> 00:11:19,879 because of his diction. 239 00:11:19,979 --> 00:11:22,315 Look at me, I'm so drab and boring 240 00:11:22,415 --> 00:11:24,217 that Mango will never love me. 241 00:11:24,317 --> 00:11:27,554 He could read the ingredients to toothpaste, I'd wanna brush. 242 00:11:27,654 --> 00:11:29,923 If I were to watch centaur porn, 243 00:11:30,023 --> 00:11:32,726 but with the bottom of the screen blocked out 244 00:11:32,826 --> 00:11:34,728 with a piece of cardboard, 245 00:11:34,828 --> 00:11:36,596 would I find the human halves 246 00:11:36,696 --> 00:11:38,732 of the female actresses appealing? 247 00:11:38,832 --> 00:11:41,234 Well, maybe, but you gotta remember 248 00:11:41,334 --> 00:11:43,870 that at some point, there's gonna be a horse penis in there. 249 00:11:44,437 --> 00:11:45,739 Fair enough. 250 00:11:48,208 --> 00:11:50,710 We got to meet him for the first time at Saturday Night Live. 251 00:11:50,810 --> 00:11:54,414 Musical guest, Foo Fighters. 252 00:11:54,981 --> 00:11:57,050 Before introducing the band, 253 00:11:57,150 --> 00:12:01,321 he asked me if the accent was on "Foo" or "Fighters." 254 00:12:01,421 --> 00:12:02,989 What's the emphasis? 255 00:12:03,089 --> 00:12:05,525 "Foo Fighters," or "Foo Fighters"? 256 00:12:05,625 --> 00:12:07,027 I said... 257 00:12:07,127 --> 00:12:09,095 I think "Foo Fighters" is the best. 258 00:12:09,195 --> 00:12:11,531 And so we were standing there on the stage 259 00:12:11,631 --> 00:12:14,501 as we were about to go to air, 260 00:12:14,601 --> 00:12:16,603 and I'm like, "He's gonna do it! 261 00:12:16,703 --> 00:12:18,338 He's gonna do it." 262 00:12:19,773 --> 00:12:21,775 Pin-drop silence, and he says, 263 00:12:21,875 --> 00:12:24,310 -"Ladies and gentlemen..." -Ladies and gentlemen... 264 00:12:24,411 --> 00:12:25,311 "...Foo Fighters." 265 00:12:27,681 --> 00:12:29,049 With Walken on board, 266 00:12:29,149 --> 00:12:31,384 the sketch had another shot at the table read. 267 00:12:31,484 --> 00:12:34,020 I will never forget that table read 268 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,389 because that sketch was so funny. 269 00:12:36,489 --> 00:12:39,426 He wrote it perfectly for Chris Walken's voice. 270 00:12:39,526 --> 00:12:43,496 If you're gonna think of a word for Christopher Walken, 271 00:12:43,596 --> 00:12:45,699 "wood block" is good, but... 272 00:12:45,799 --> 00:12:47,967 ...cowbell. 273 00:12:48,068 --> 00:12:49,836 That's perfect for Walken. 274 00:12:49,936 --> 00:12:52,105 Anything that was a physical sketch... 275 00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:56,476 I made sure that we all stood up in the room. 276 00:12:57,110 --> 00:13:00,046 I got someone from the music department to get me a cowbell. 277 00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:03,183 So I got the physicality across of what was gonna happen. 278 00:13:03,283 --> 00:13:05,685 Will stood up, and he sold that sketch. 279 00:13:05,785 --> 00:13:07,587 He sold it real hard. 280 00:13:08,154 --> 00:13:10,123 Passing the first phase of SNL's gauntlet 281 00:13:10,223 --> 00:13:12,492 meant the cowbell would take the next step 282 00:13:12,592 --> 00:13:13,993 in coming to life. 283 00:13:17,464 --> 00:13:20,400 After the read-through on Wednesday, 284 00:13:20,500 --> 00:13:22,202 you go into this big room, 285 00:13:22,302 --> 00:13:24,904 and there would be Eugene and his team 286 00:13:25,005 --> 00:13:26,906 standing behind draft boards, 287 00:13:27,007 --> 00:13:30,310 already drawing up how the sets are gonna look. 288 00:13:30,410 --> 00:13:32,846 You kind of describe your vision to all the designers, 289 00:13:32,946 --> 00:13:35,248 whether it's costumes, props. 290 00:13:35,348 --> 00:13:37,484 Any special makeup needs, hair needs? 291 00:13:37,584 --> 00:13:40,153 Then I went in and I picked the camera shots. 292 00:13:40,253 --> 00:13:42,455 I mean, these are like the best people in the business. 293 00:13:42,555 --> 00:13:44,758 Whatever idea you give, they're gonna elevate it. 294 00:13:44,858 --> 00:13:46,693 No dream is too big. 295 00:13:46,793 --> 00:13:49,229 Nobody in the staff ever says no. 296 00:13:49,329 --> 00:13:51,998 They understand the joke and have a serious approach. 297 00:13:52,098 --> 00:13:54,367 Our job is comedy, and we do take comedy seriously. 298 00:13:54,467 --> 00:13:57,170 It is the most terrifying 299 00:13:57,270 --> 00:13:58,872 and one of the hardest jobs I've ever had. 300 00:13:58,972 --> 00:14:01,941 It's a show divided up into departments, 301 00:14:02,042 --> 00:14:06,046 all of whom are trying to get to that 11:30 deadline. 302 00:14:06,146 --> 00:14:08,915 Trying to make those turnarounds, that clock. 303 00:14:09,015 --> 00:14:10,717 Saturday, you're still working on stuff. 304 00:14:10,817 --> 00:14:12,118 All the way up to live. 305 00:14:12,218 --> 00:14:14,354 We'd be rewriting until all hours of the night. 306 00:14:14,754 --> 00:14:16,189 Whenever I walked in the studio, 307 00:14:16,289 --> 00:14:18,158 they're out there still painting the sets. 308 00:14:18,258 --> 00:14:19,959 It's a machine, you know, 309 00:14:20,060 --> 00:14:23,063 and Lorne's built this amazingly well-oiled machine. 310 00:14:23,163 --> 00:14:25,298 There's hundreds of people coming together 311 00:14:25,398 --> 00:14:28,401 to make this show. There's nothing else like it. 312 00:14:29,736 --> 00:14:31,071 After table read, 313 00:14:31,171 --> 00:14:34,107 the SNL army knew they had more work to do. 314 00:14:34,207 --> 00:14:36,142 What they didn't know is how closely the sketch 315 00:14:36,242 --> 00:14:38,244 mirrored the real story of Blue Öyster Cult, 316 00:14:38,345 --> 00:14:40,880 who was desperately trying to record a hit 317 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:42,382 25 years earlier. 318 00:14:43,817 --> 00:14:45,385 I'm Buck Dharma. 319 00:14:45,485 --> 00:14:48,321 I'm a founding member of Blue Öyster Cult. 320 00:14:48,421 --> 00:14:49,289 I'm Eric Bloom. 321 00:14:49,389 --> 00:14:52,425 Buck and I have been partners for 50-plus years 322 00:14:52,525 --> 00:14:54,794 as founding members of Blue Öyster Cult. 323 00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:57,297 * Gets hazy, now, baby * 324 00:14:57,397 --> 00:14:59,666 * Well, I know how you like it, child * 325 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:00,934 * Sweet and tight * 326 00:15:01,034 --> 00:15:02,502 * The girls can't stand it * 327 00:15:02,602 --> 00:15:03,703 * When you do it right * 328 00:15:03,803 --> 00:15:05,005 When I signed the group, 329 00:15:05,105 --> 00:15:07,374 they were, to me, the real musical iteration 330 00:15:07,474 --> 00:15:11,711 of the tone that Spinal Tap was striving for. 331 00:15:12,479 --> 00:15:15,882 We had the whole mysterious image. 332 00:15:15,982 --> 00:15:17,417 The black leather, and all of that stuff. 333 00:15:17,517 --> 00:15:19,986 And here we are, these band geeks, you know. 334 00:15:20,086 --> 00:15:22,689 Hi, we're the BOC, 335 00:15:22,789 --> 00:15:25,191 and we'll be burnin' for you 336 00:15:25,291 --> 00:15:30,230 in concert this weekend on MTV. 337 00:15:32,232 --> 00:15:34,067 "Burnin' for You" was a hit 338 00:15:34,167 --> 00:15:35,669 and "Godzilla" was a hit. 339 00:15:35,769 --> 00:15:38,705 But " The Reaper," that's our most famous song. 340 00:15:38,805 --> 00:15:42,409 * All our times have come * 341 00:15:43,243 --> 00:15:45,278 I was just playing guitar, 342 00:15:45,378 --> 00:15:49,049 and the iconic riff just sort of happened. 343 00:15:49,149 --> 00:15:51,685 And I immediately turned the recorder on and captured it. 344 00:15:51,785 --> 00:15:55,021 -* Don't fear the reaper * -* We'll be able to fly * 345 00:15:55,121 --> 00:15:57,724 It was our second gold record, 346 00:15:57,824 --> 00:15:59,626 and it eventually went platinum. 347 00:15:59,726 --> 00:16:02,929 We started like, "Oh, we're getting a lot of fans now." 348 00:16:03,029 --> 00:16:05,065 It broke us open, really. 349 00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:07,300 -It sort of lifted us up. -Yeah. 350 00:16:08,134 --> 00:16:10,770 I have memories of, like, 351 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:13,206 throwing up cold keg beer 352 00:16:13,306 --> 00:16:18,578 where " The Reaper" is playing in the background. 353 00:16:24,150 --> 00:16:26,152 In rehearsal all day on a Saturday, 354 00:16:26,252 --> 00:16:29,689 and at 8:00, you begin a two-hour dress rehearsal. 355 00:16:29,789 --> 00:16:32,492 It's do or die for the writers and the cast members, 356 00:16:32,592 --> 00:16:35,829 because if the sketch doesn't go well in dress, 357 00:16:35,929 --> 00:16:37,063 you're screwed, it gets cut. 358 00:16:37,163 --> 00:16:38,665 I was the drummer in that sketch. 359 00:16:38,765 --> 00:16:41,201 And I go, I'm gonna do something no one's ever done. 360 00:16:41,301 --> 00:16:44,337 I'm gonna hit the sticks like a real drummer. 361 00:16:44,437 --> 00:16:45,105 So, like... 362 00:16:45,205 --> 00:16:47,073 And then I'll lip sync, you know? 363 00:16:47,173 --> 00:16:48,608 That's what I'm gonna be known for. 364 00:16:48,708 --> 00:16:50,677 Everyone's gonna be like, "That Jimmy Fallon, 365 00:16:50,777 --> 00:16:54,180 that's the guy that played the fake drumsticks the best." 366 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:56,016 All right, let's do this. 367 00:16:56,116 --> 00:16:57,951 One, two, three, four. 368 00:17:04,391 --> 00:17:07,193 And so I remembered that was all I was thinking about. 369 00:17:07,293 --> 00:17:09,929 All right, guys, I think we're ready 370 00:17:10,030 --> 00:17:11,431 to lay this first track down. 371 00:17:11,531 --> 00:17:14,167 By the way, my name is Bruce Dickinson. 372 00:17:14,267 --> 00:17:16,069 Yes, the Bruce Dickinson. 373 00:17:16,169 --> 00:17:17,570 And I gotta tell you, fellas, 374 00:17:17,671 --> 00:17:20,507 you've got what appears to be a dynamite sound. 375 00:17:20,607 --> 00:17:22,809 Everything wasn't as heightened 376 00:17:22,909 --> 00:17:24,077 as it was on the air show. 377 00:17:24,177 --> 00:17:26,279 I think it was kind of... fine. 378 00:17:26,379 --> 00:17:29,149 Babies, before we're done here, 379 00:17:29,249 --> 00:17:31,451 y'all are gonna be wearing gold-plated diapers. 380 00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:34,988 I was surprised how low-key he was playing it. 381 00:17:35,088 --> 00:17:36,690 He wasn't bringing the full Walken to it. 382 00:17:36,790 --> 00:17:39,759 I'm sure at that point he was saving energy 383 00:17:39,859 --> 00:17:41,227 for the air show, 384 00:17:41,327 --> 00:17:43,897 because he knew what a long night he was up for. 385 00:17:43,997 --> 00:17:45,165 He doesn't do full Walken, 386 00:17:45,265 --> 00:17:48,501 and I don't think I'm as physical. 387 00:17:49,169 --> 00:17:51,171 At the time, I don't think anyone 388 00:17:51,271 --> 00:17:53,840 had any faith that that sketch would air. 389 00:17:53,940 --> 00:17:55,308 Not to mention, the sketch played 390 00:17:55,408 --> 00:17:57,577 in the corner of the studio 391 00:17:57,677 --> 00:17:59,879 that we would affectionately call "Shitcan Alley." 392 00:18:00,947 --> 00:18:05,318 It was actually doomed from where they put it on the floor. 393 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:08,154 Oh, God, my scene's over in Shitcan Alley. 394 00:18:08,254 --> 00:18:10,357 Because you're really far from the audience. 395 00:18:10,457 --> 00:18:13,159 It's in a place only the cameras are gonna see it. 396 00:18:13,259 --> 00:18:14,928 We call it Stage One. 397 00:18:18,498 --> 00:18:20,433 I think they call it the death corner. 398 00:18:20,533 --> 00:18:23,470 It was also known as Coffin Corner 399 00:18:23,570 --> 00:18:27,240 because a lot of sketches that played there died. 400 00:18:30,577 --> 00:18:33,213 I did a sketch in that lonely corner 401 00:18:33,313 --> 00:18:35,715 called "The Tarmac Talk Show." It was a disaster. 402 00:18:35,815 --> 00:18:38,084 I did an Italian waiter sketch, 403 00:18:38,184 --> 00:18:39,753 and that was off to the side. 404 00:18:39,853 --> 00:18:42,622 When you're stuck under there, there is a tacit sort of thing. 405 00:18:42,722 --> 00:18:45,191 Probably not going to make it to air. 406 00:18:45,291 --> 00:18:47,227 I swear, it didn't have anything to do 407 00:18:47,327 --> 00:18:49,129 with whether we liked a piece or not. 408 00:18:49,229 --> 00:18:51,431 It was just a scale thing. 409 00:18:51,531 --> 00:18:55,001 In fact, the original "Wayne's World" was there. 410 00:18:55,101 --> 00:18:56,970 * It's Wayne's World * 411 00:18:58,672 --> 00:18:59,472 Excellent! 412 00:18:59,572 --> 00:19:01,107 We did eventually get Wayne's World 413 00:19:01,207 --> 00:19:02,308 at home base. 414 00:19:02,409 --> 00:19:04,210 There's a method to that show. 415 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,379 I hope all the cast watches this documentary. 416 00:19:06,479 --> 00:19:10,650 There's a lot of Game of Thrones trickery to it, you know. 417 00:19:10,750 --> 00:19:12,786 I remember doing the sketch in that corner and we go, 418 00:19:12,886 --> 00:19:15,755 "Maybe the sketch is not gonna make it." It was weird. 419 00:19:18,191 --> 00:19:20,360 You have this moment at 10:00 420 00:19:20,460 --> 00:19:22,662 where we have to go into Lorne's office. 421 00:19:22,762 --> 00:19:25,098 And you look on the board. Everyone cranes their neck. 422 00:19:25,198 --> 00:19:26,833 And you're like, "Did my sketch make it?" 423 00:19:26,933 --> 00:19:28,935 It was old school, like the high school audition. 424 00:19:29,035 --> 00:19:30,203 Like, "Did I make it this week?" 425 00:19:30,303 --> 00:19:31,738 It's butterflies. It's nerves. 426 00:19:31,838 --> 00:19:32,739 There's panic 427 00:19:32,839 --> 00:19:35,475 because everyone's fighting for time on the air. 428 00:19:35,575 --> 00:19:38,578 They're praying they are gonna get that sketch in, 429 00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:41,281 or otherwise, they don't get on the show at all that week, 430 00:19:41,381 --> 00:19:44,017 and then they have to go stand in their street clothes 431 00:19:44,117 --> 00:19:45,585 for good night, just waving. 432 00:19:45,685 --> 00:19:49,089 We'd go into dress rehearsal with some really good sketches, 433 00:19:49,189 --> 00:19:51,891 but certain things get cut for time. 434 00:19:51,991 --> 00:19:53,360 It's heartbreaking every week. 435 00:19:53,460 --> 00:19:55,762 It's an emotional roller coaster. 436 00:19:58,031 --> 00:20:00,066 -So this is it? -Yeah. 437 00:20:00,166 --> 00:20:01,935 And so I walk in, I'm like, 438 00:20:02,035 --> 00:20:03,670 "Oh, okay, 'Cowbell's' in. 439 00:20:03,770 --> 00:20:05,071 All right." 440 00:20:05,171 --> 00:20:06,573 After so many moments 441 00:20:06,673 --> 00:20:08,208 where it could have been shelved forever 442 00:20:08,308 --> 00:20:09,542 the sketch that wouldn't die 443 00:20:09,642 --> 00:20:11,678 was going to see the light of day. 444 00:20:11,778 --> 00:20:14,681 11:30 on Saturday night was minutes away, 445 00:20:14,781 --> 00:20:18,451 and the "Cowbell" was about to be live. 446 00:20:21,955 --> 00:20:25,125 The show was April 8th, 2000. 447 00:20:25,425 --> 00:20:26,726 I'm getting goose bumps now 448 00:20:26,826 --> 00:20:29,963 just thinking about walking down that hall 449 00:20:30,063 --> 00:20:32,932 and seeing all the cast members, and the pictures, and the music. 450 00:20:33,033 --> 00:20:36,469 Come hell or high water, whether we're prepared or not, 451 00:20:36,569 --> 00:20:39,839 11:30 comes and we had to produce some sort of product. 452 00:20:39,939 --> 00:20:41,441 It's pressure. 453 00:20:41,541 --> 00:20:43,610 The band's playing. Everyone's ready to go. 454 00:20:43,710 --> 00:20:45,779 You feel the energy of the set, the cast, 455 00:20:45,879 --> 00:20:48,415 and then the audience when you got a live audience. 456 00:20:48,515 --> 00:20:50,283 You go into the show, it is live. 457 00:20:50,383 --> 00:20:52,986 So you can make mistakes. Things can go wrong. 458 00:20:53,086 --> 00:20:55,588 There's people running around, the sets move. 459 00:20:55,689 --> 00:20:57,757 It's a war zone. It's a comedic war zone. 460 00:20:57,857 --> 00:21:00,293 It just gives you this adrenaline rush. 461 00:21:00,393 --> 00:21:01,761 And you're like, oh, my God, 462 00:21:01,861 --> 00:21:05,765 everyone here did their job to get to this moment. 463 00:21:07,467 --> 00:21:09,502 We used to have these old stage managers 464 00:21:09,602 --> 00:21:12,105 that had been there since day one, 1975. 465 00:21:12,472 --> 00:21:14,341 And they had this funny banter, 466 00:21:14,441 --> 00:21:16,743 and they would scream this thing, 467 00:21:16,843 --> 00:21:18,211 "Five seconds!" 468 00:21:18,311 --> 00:21:20,313 And that would get the audience laughing. 469 00:21:20,413 --> 00:21:22,849 Five seconds! 470 00:21:24,484 --> 00:21:26,186 That's why you always hear a little bit of a laugh 471 00:21:26,286 --> 00:21:27,253 when the show first starts. 472 00:21:29,489 --> 00:21:31,191 Ah! Man, it's cool. I'm gonna be president. 473 00:21:31,291 --> 00:21:33,059 That's wicked. 474 00:21:33,526 --> 00:21:35,228 Dana Carvey was there that night. 475 00:21:35,328 --> 00:21:37,297 I was nervous because he's my idol. 476 00:21:41,634 --> 00:21:44,304 Dana came in and did a cold open. 477 00:21:44,404 --> 00:21:47,440 Will was killing it as Bush. 478 00:21:47,540 --> 00:21:48,908 It was an exciting night. 479 00:21:49,009 --> 00:21:50,343 I love you, son. 480 00:21:50,443 --> 00:21:51,945 Rest your head here for a minute. 481 00:21:52,045 --> 00:21:53,446 Let me tell you a secret. 482 00:21:53,546 --> 00:21:56,383 Live from New York, it's Saturday night! 483 00:22:05,492 --> 00:22:08,161 It's Saturday Night Live. 484 00:22:08,962 --> 00:22:11,264 You got Christopher Walken, one of the best hosts ever. 485 00:22:11,364 --> 00:22:13,366 You know, he has that energy. 486 00:22:13,466 --> 00:22:15,068 He just had kind of like a magic. 487 00:22:15,168 --> 00:22:16,536 * Saturday night * 488 00:22:16,636 --> 00:22:19,039 * Loveliest night of the week * 489 00:22:25,445 --> 00:22:28,448 In that commercial break, all the cameras had to move 490 00:22:28,548 --> 00:22:30,517 from home base, through the audience, 491 00:22:30,617 --> 00:22:32,686 over to the corner of Stage One. 492 00:22:32,786 --> 00:22:35,755 This was the first sketch after Christopher Walken's monologue. 493 00:22:35,855 --> 00:22:37,590 There's not that much time 494 00:22:37,691 --> 00:22:39,426 between the cold open and the sketch. 495 00:22:39,526 --> 00:22:41,695 So there was two of us just slapping on glue, 496 00:22:41,795 --> 00:22:43,697 trying to get that beard to go on. 497 00:22:43,797 --> 00:22:45,465 You're about to go out to do battle. 498 00:22:45,565 --> 00:22:47,334 It was a flurry of activity, 499 00:22:47,434 --> 00:22:49,302 and in front of me was a wall of monitors. 500 00:22:49,402 --> 00:22:50,570 Cast for "Recording Session," 501 00:22:50,670 --> 00:22:51,905 please come to the floor. 502 00:22:52,005 --> 00:22:54,174 Christopher, Jimmy, Horatio, Will, and Chris. 503 00:22:54,274 --> 00:22:57,210 I was so nervous. It was one of my first shows. 504 00:22:57,310 --> 00:22:58,678 I was new. 505 00:22:58,778 --> 00:23:00,747 Horatio and Chris Parnell were new. 506 00:23:00,847 --> 00:23:04,150 I was extra nervous that I have a speaking line. 507 00:23:04,250 --> 00:23:05,518 After dress rehearsal, 508 00:23:05,618 --> 00:23:07,287 I went and changed my shirt 509 00:23:07,387 --> 00:23:08,888 and got into tighter clothes. 510 00:23:09,856 --> 00:23:11,591 I was like, "Give me the tightest-- 511 00:23:11,691 --> 00:23:14,661 Do we have a size smaller of that shirt?" 512 00:23:14,761 --> 00:23:17,497 Soon as I went to the opening shot, I was like, 513 00:23:17,597 --> 00:23:20,834 "That is not the shirt he wore at dress rehearsal." 514 00:23:20,934 --> 00:23:23,403 And I think with the newfound confidence 515 00:23:23,503 --> 00:23:24,704 of my tight '70s shirt, 516 00:23:24,804 --> 00:23:26,706 I was like, "I'm really gonna go for it." 517 00:23:27,374 --> 00:23:31,044 We're playing the VH1 Behind the Music opening, 518 00:23:31,144 --> 00:23:32,579 and we're off and running. 519 00:23:32,679 --> 00:23:34,647 After a series of staggering defeats, 520 00:23:34,748 --> 00:23:37,017 Blue Öyster Cult assembled in the recording studio 521 00:23:37,117 --> 00:23:38,618 in late 1976... 522 00:23:38,718 --> 00:23:41,121 And this, we put a film scratch on top 523 00:23:41,221 --> 00:23:42,822 to give it like the "aged" look. 524 00:23:42,922 --> 00:23:45,959 ...for a session with famed producer Bruce Dickinson. 525 00:23:46,059 --> 00:23:47,293 And luckily for us, 526 00:23:47,394 --> 00:23:49,162 the cameras were rolling. 527 00:23:49,896 --> 00:23:52,832 And this is the original drawing of "Cowbell." 528 00:23:52,932 --> 00:23:55,869 It's such a simple, almost silly little sketch. 529 00:23:55,969 --> 00:23:59,072 I think it's really funny, actually, when I look at it now. 530 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:03,376 Soundproofing, wood paneling, 531 00:24:03,476 --> 00:24:05,812 with the control room being upstage 532 00:24:05,912 --> 00:24:09,049 so that we could see Chris coming in and out 533 00:24:09,149 --> 00:24:10,617 of that door. 534 00:24:10,717 --> 00:24:13,153 And inside that recording booth 535 00:24:13,253 --> 00:24:15,388 was one of our audio people, 536 00:24:15,488 --> 00:24:17,891 because he had the absolute perfect look 537 00:24:17,991 --> 00:24:21,394 to be a recording engineer at a rock studio. 538 00:24:21,494 --> 00:24:22,896 I think that's Speedy. 539 00:24:26,766 --> 00:24:29,836 We kind of tried to replicate reality. 540 00:24:29,936 --> 00:24:32,872 The light, the cone usually points down straight. 541 00:24:32,972 --> 00:24:35,508 That's not something that bothers me 542 00:24:35,608 --> 00:24:37,744 because those kinds of accidents 543 00:24:37,844 --> 00:24:40,180 actually allow you to think, 544 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:41,381 "Well, it's live." 545 00:24:43,550 --> 00:24:45,018 All right, guys, 546 00:24:45,118 --> 00:24:48,021 I think we're ready to lay this first track down. 547 00:24:48,121 --> 00:24:51,758 There is a lot of establishing that needs to happen 548 00:24:51,858 --> 00:24:55,028 before you even get to see Will play the cowbell 549 00:24:55,128 --> 00:24:56,129 for the first time. 550 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,169 By the way, my name is Bruce Dickinson. 551 00:25:03,269 --> 00:25:05,538 Yes, the Bruce Dickinson. 552 00:25:05,638 --> 00:25:07,741 And I gotta tell you, fellas, 553 00:25:07,841 --> 00:25:10,977 you have got what appears to be a dynamite sound. 554 00:25:11,077 --> 00:25:13,680 Coming from you, Bruce, that means a lot. 555 00:25:15,081 --> 00:25:18,251 Yeah, I mean, you're Bruce Dickinson. 556 00:25:18,351 --> 00:25:19,753 This is incredible. 557 00:25:19,853 --> 00:25:21,788 I can't believe Bruce Dickinson digs our sound. 558 00:25:21,888 --> 00:25:24,891 Bruce Dickinson did not produce "The Reaper." 559 00:25:25,558 --> 00:25:28,695 The producer was Sandy Pearlman, 560 00:25:28,795 --> 00:25:30,697 Murray Krugman, and David Lucas. 561 00:25:31,631 --> 00:25:35,235 I was the producer of Blue Öyster Cult's "The Reaper." 562 00:25:35,335 --> 00:25:36,870 I'm a believer in credits. 563 00:25:36,970 --> 00:25:39,606 You know, I think credits are important. 564 00:25:39,706 --> 00:25:42,375 And I'm listed as the lead producer. 565 00:25:44,010 --> 00:25:48,682 Murray. Murray read the paper and drank coffee. 566 00:25:48,782 --> 00:25:50,917 I produced their first seven albums. 567 00:25:51,017 --> 00:25:53,753 -Get out of here. -He's a jingles producer. 568 00:25:53,853 --> 00:25:55,755 I was the king of the jingles. 569 00:25:55,855 --> 00:25:58,792 * Reach out, reach out and touch someone * 570 00:25:58,892 --> 00:26:01,461 * Catch that Pepsi spirit * 571 00:26:01,561 --> 00:26:04,330 * The seven-minute cigarette * 572 00:26:04,431 --> 00:26:06,666 I'm doing jingles like crazy, 573 00:26:06,766 --> 00:26:09,402 all day long, and doing rock and roll at night. 574 00:26:09,502 --> 00:26:11,237 Which is why my wife left me. 575 00:26:11,338 --> 00:26:12,472 * GE * 576 00:26:12,572 --> 00:26:14,708 * We bring good things to life * 577 00:26:14,808 --> 00:26:16,209 Excuse me. Cut that. 578 00:26:16,309 --> 00:26:18,278 My former wife. 579 00:26:22,148 --> 00:26:23,149 Me. 580 00:26:23,650 --> 00:26:25,185 Well, I was the producer. 581 00:26:25,285 --> 00:26:27,454 Christopher Walken, in real life, 582 00:26:27,554 --> 00:26:28,922 that would be David Lucas. 583 00:26:29,022 --> 00:26:31,358 I think Christopher Walken is an amalgam 584 00:26:31,458 --> 00:26:32,592 of Sandy and I. 585 00:26:33,159 --> 00:26:35,161 Bruce Dickinson, another work of fiction 586 00:26:35,261 --> 00:26:38,531 who was in no shape or form a real human being. 587 00:26:38,631 --> 00:26:40,000 Wait, so who's this guy? 588 00:26:40,100 --> 00:26:41,634 My name is Bruce Dickinson. 589 00:26:44,304 --> 00:26:47,807 If it makes you happy, I'll cop to the Bruce Dickinson. 590 00:26:47,907 --> 00:26:49,709 So he is a real guy. 591 00:26:49,809 --> 00:26:52,712 Yeah, he was a staff Sony compilation producer. 592 00:26:52,812 --> 00:26:55,515 And he's enjoying his fame. 593 00:26:55,615 --> 00:26:57,183 I do remember them playing a CD, 594 00:26:57,283 --> 00:27:00,020 we had CDs at the time, of Blue Öyster Cult. 595 00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:03,690 There was this name, Bruce Dickinson, producer. 596 00:27:03,790 --> 00:27:05,859 It's kind of a funny-sounding name. 597 00:27:05,959 --> 00:27:08,695 The extent of my research, the back of a CD cover. 598 00:27:08,795 --> 00:27:10,697 I kind of thought it was hilarious, 599 00:27:10,797 --> 00:27:13,700 But it was like, why are they using my name? 600 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,536 I had never worked on the original record. 601 00:27:16,636 --> 00:27:18,171 But there are more errors. 602 00:27:18,271 --> 00:27:21,975 The costumers looked at that compilation record, 603 00:27:22,075 --> 00:27:26,212 and what we were wearing, they all mimicked that outfit. 604 00:27:26,312 --> 00:27:27,914 This is the band. 605 00:27:28,014 --> 00:27:30,850 So, you know, we homaged this as closely as we can. 606 00:27:30,950 --> 00:27:32,952 They mixed everybody up. 607 00:27:33,053 --> 00:27:35,855 Like, the guy that looked like me was playing lead guitar. 608 00:27:36,289 --> 00:27:38,525 Chris Kattan was playing Buck, 609 00:27:38,625 --> 00:27:40,560 but he's Allen or Albert. 610 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:42,729 The guy with the mustache, 611 00:27:42,829 --> 00:27:43,997 I don't know what to say about him. 612 00:27:44,097 --> 00:27:47,334 I think we got the lead singer of it wrong. 613 00:27:47,434 --> 00:27:51,004 They called him Eric, but it was supposed to be Buck. 614 00:27:51,104 --> 00:27:53,707 Jimmy Fallon was dressed to look like Allen, 615 00:27:53,807 --> 00:27:55,175 but he was playing the drums. 616 00:27:55,275 --> 00:27:58,445 And the fictional Gene Frenkle, obviously... 617 00:27:58,545 --> 00:28:00,313 It was supposed to be me. 618 00:28:00,413 --> 00:28:01,781 They had the curly wig, 619 00:28:01,881 --> 00:28:04,417 based on my look at the time. 620 00:28:04,517 --> 00:28:06,986 So Will mixed up a few beards and mustaches. 621 00:28:07,087 --> 00:28:09,122 Let's get back to the sketch. 622 00:28:09,222 --> 00:28:10,290 Easy, guys. 623 00:28:10,390 --> 00:28:13,560 I put my pants on just like the rest of you, 624 00:28:13,660 --> 00:28:15,095 one leg at a time. 625 00:28:15,195 --> 00:28:19,132 Except once my pants are on, I make gold records. 626 00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:22,602 I was truly surprised 627 00:28:22,702 --> 00:28:24,671 Christopher Walken found this new 628 00:28:24,771 --> 00:28:26,039 kind of intensity 629 00:28:26,139 --> 00:28:28,241 I was like, "What is he doing? Oh, my God." 630 00:28:28,341 --> 00:28:30,110 I've really got to keep it together here. 631 00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:32,145 He brought his perfect thing to it. 632 00:28:32,245 --> 00:28:35,715 Christopher Walken, for air, upped his game. 633 00:28:35,815 --> 00:28:37,617 He was almost doing an impersonation 634 00:28:37,717 --> 00:28:38,918 of Christopher Walken. 635 00:28:39,019 --> 00:28:40,954 He was talking 636 00:28:41,054 --> 00:28:44,391 like no other human being would talk, ever. 637 00:28:44,491 --> 00:28:46,059 All right, here we go. 638 00:28:46,159 --> 00:28:48,628 "The Reaper," take one. 639 00:28:48,728 --> 00:28:49,863 Roll it. 640 00:28:49,963 --> 00:28:52,365 All right. One, two, three, four... 641 00:29:05,745 --> 00:29:09,416 * All our times have come * 642 00:29:10,550 --> 00:29:13,186 It actually sounds like Will has pretty good time. 643 00:29:13,286 --> 00:29:14,921 He's kind of holding it together. 644 00:29:15,021 --> 00:29:17,057 That's good. Not a lot of people can do that. 645 00:29:17,157 --> 00:29:19,025 Wait, wait! Stop. 646 00:29:19,626 --> 00:29:22,729 Um, Bruce, could you come in here for a second, please? 647 00:29:22,829 --> 00:29:25,365 That was gonna be a great track. 648 00:29:25,465 --> 00:29:26,766 Guys, what's the deal? 649 00:29:26,866 --> 00:29:28,735 Are you sure that was sounding okay? 650 00:29:28,835 --> 00:29:31,204 When I saw the skit, I said, 651 00:29:31,304 --> 00:29:33,707 "How did they even hear the cowbell? 652 00:29:33,807 --> 00:29:35,375 How did they even know it was there?" 653 00:29:35,475 --> 00:29:37,711 And then to come up with this thing about, 654 00:29:37,811 --> 00:29:39,546 should it be in there or should it not? 655 00:29:39,646 --> 00:29:41,214 That's exactly what happened. 656 00:29:41,781 --> 00:29:44,017 We actually had that debate. 657 00:29:44,117 --> 00:29:46,453 -at the time. -I don't remember any debating. 658 00:29:46,553 --> 00:29:47,821 There's no voting. 659 00:29:47,921 --> 00:29:49,789 They generally do what I say. 660 00:29:49,889 --> 00:29:51,758 There was two other producers, 661 00:29:51,858 --> 00:29:53,993 but they were not in favor of the cowbell. 662 00:29:54,094 --> 00:29:56,796 I knew a cowbell was, you know, a dumb idea. 663 00:29:56,896 --> 00:29:59,432 I'm like, "Cowbell? Why?" 664 00:29:59,532 --> 00:30:02,836 I knew it needed something. It needed momentum. 665 00:30:02,936 --> 00:30:04,904 And the fact of the matter was, 666 00:30:05,005 --> 00:30:07,807 this is a song about death, oncoming death. 667 00:30:07,907 --> 00:30:09,943 It needed a heartbeat. 668 00:30:10,677 --> 00:30:11,945 Cowbell. 669 00:30:14,781 --> 00:30:16,716 I go get the cowbell and I come back. 670 00:30:16,816 --> 00:30:18,718 Flop, flop, flop, flop. 671 00:30:18,818 --> 00:30:20,687 Nobody said anything for 20 years. 672 00:30:20,787 --> 00:30:22,889 But suddenly, after Will's sketch, 673 00:30:22,989 --> 00:30:25,525 everybody remembered doing it. I did it. 674 00:30:25,625 --> 00:30:27,560 A lot of different people think they played it. 675 00:30:27,660 --> 00:30:28,828 I played it on the record. 676 00:30:28,928 --> 00:30:30,463 I played the cowbell. 677 00:30:30,563 --> 00:30:31,731 I don't even remember 678 00:30:31,831 --> 00:30:33,299 whether Lucas or Albert played it, 679 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,536 but the irony here, the headline here, 680 00:30:36,636 --> 00:30:37,804 I don't think it's a cowbell. 681 00:30:37,904 --> 00:30:39,172 Oh, my gosh. 682 00:30:39,272 --> 00:30:41,908 It had that hollow sound of a wood block, 683 00:30:42,008 --> 00:30:44,711 whereas a cowbell has a really shrill 684 00:30:44,811 --> 00:30:46,179 metal top end sound. 685 00:30:46,279 --> 00:30:48,415 And there's the sound. 686 00:30:48,515 --> 00:30:49,449 Listen to it. 687 00:30:50,984 --> 00:30:52,552 Have you isolated that track? 688 00:30:52,652 --> 00:30:54,020 Have you heard-- 689 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,856 Is it, in fact, a cowbell on the two-inch tape? 690 00:30:57,524 --> 00:30:59,993 I'll play it, and you'll hear. Listen to it. 691 00:31:06,599 --> 00:31:08,201 To who? 692 00:31:09,135 --> 00:31:11,438 - I can't. - There you have it. 693 00:31:11,538 --> 00:31:12,238 Moving on. 694 00:31:12,339 --> 00:31:14,307 Are you sure that was sounding okay? 695 00:31:14,407 --> 00:31:16,076 I'll be honest, fellas, it was sounding great. 696 00:31:16,176 --> 00:31:19,546 But I could have used a little more cowbell. 697 00:31:22,382 --> 00:31:24,217 As soon as he delivers that first line, 698 00:31:24,317 --> 00:31:26,152 "I could use a little more cowbell," 699 00:31:26,252 --> 00:31:28,154 and that gets a huge laugh, 700 00:31:28,254 --> 00:31:30,056 I'm like, "Oh, they're in. They're in. 701 00:31:30,156 --> 00:31:32,325 Oh, goody, there's more coming." 702 00:31:33,393 --> 00:31:35,762 I was walking around backstage, 703 00:31:35,862 --> 00:31:37,964 and I started hearing roars. 704 00:31:38,064 --> 00:31:40,133 Whenever I heard that sound in that studio, 705 00:31:40,233 --> 00:31:41,801 I would try to watch the sketch. 706 00:31:41,901 --> 00:31:44,170 So I snuck in through the cables 707 00:31:44,270 --> 00:31:46,740 and got behind the camera 708 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:48,575 to watch this 709 00:31:48,675 --> 00:31:50,243 and hear the sound 710 00:31:50,343 --> 00:31:53,313 coming from the balcony above my head. 711 00:31:53,413 --> 00:31:56,182 It was like 300 mason jars exploding. 712 00:31:56,282 --> 00:31:58,385 Let's take it again. And Gene... 713 00:31:58,485 --> 00:31:59,352 Yeah? 714 00:31:59,452 --> 00:32:01,788 Really explore the studio space this time. 715 00:32:01,888 --> 00:32:03,857 -You got it, Bruce. -I mean, really. 716 00:32:03,957 --> 00:32:06,159 Explore the space. 717 00:32:06,259 --> 00:32:09,696 Bruce Dickinson is the perfect producer 718 00:32:09,796 --> 00:32:11,097 because musicians would, like, 719 00:32:11,197 --> 00:32:13,133 usually get in the way of themselves and say, 720 00:32:13,233 --> 00:32:14,934 "I'm not sure. People might like that. 721 00:32:15,035 --> 00:32:16,503 We shouldn't do it." 722 00:32:16,603 --> 00:32:19,272 This mother was like, "More cowbell." 723 00:32:22,409 --> 00:32:24,711 I like what I'm hearing. Roll it. 724 00:32:25,178 --> 00:32:26,980 One, two, three, four. 725 00:32:36,256 --> 00:32:38,224 Will was playing Gene Frenkle 726 00:32:38,324 --> 00:32:40,493 and his shirt was hiking up. 727 00:32:40,860 --> 00:32:42,162 It's like front twerking. 728 00:32:42,262 --> 00:32:45,331 Just sort of dry-humping the air. 729 00:32:46,032 --> 00:32:48,702 Will doing Will. 730 00:32:48,802 --> 00:32:49,936 Hysterical. 731 00:32:51,237 --> 00:32:53,573 His belly button was deep 732 00:32:53,673 --> 00:32:55,041 and rich with sweat. 733 00:32:55,141 --> 00:32:58,144 It looked like an ancient wellspring. 734 00:32:58,244 --> 00:33:00,714 I didn't do it like that in dress. 735 00:33:01,715 --> 00:33:03,583 That much thrusting. 736 00:33:04,584 --> 00:33:06,586 I just looked at Will, and he was sweating. 737 00:33:06,686 --> 00:33:08,788 And his shirt was up to here, and his gut was hanging out. 738 00:33:08,888 --> 00:33:11,424 It's hard to be serious when you see that stomach. 739 00:33:11,524 --> 00:33:13,893 It's different than most stomachs. 740 00:33:13,993 --> 00:33:15,495 You know, it's got a lot of fun hair. 741 00:33:15,595 --> 00:33:18,164 You could see Walken's enjoying this. 742 00:33:18,264 --> 00:33:19,799 He's laughing in the background. 743 00:33:19,899 --> 00:33:22,602 It's wonderful that somebody caught that moment, 744 00:33:22,702 --> 00:33:26,573 It was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. 745 00:33:26,673 --> 00:33:29,476 You know what he's doing? He's exploring the space. 746 00:33:29,576 --> 00:33:32,779 It was so surreal and bizarre. 747 00:33:32,879 --> 00:33:36,182 But you could feel in the air that it was working. 748 00:33:36,282 --> 00:33:38,184 And the room kind of got hot. 749 00:33:38,284 --> 00:33:40,153 It felt like the audience liked it. 750 00:33:40,253 --> 00:33:41,388 There was a lot of laughs. 751 00:33:41,488 --> 00:33:43,490 When the sketch is going and it's cooking, 752 00:33:43,590 --> 00:33:45,792 the room almost shakes a little bit. 753 00:33:45,892 --> 00:33:48,294 And it was shaking that night. 754 00:33:49,295 --> 00:33:50,497 And I can remember 755 00:33:50,597 --> 00:33:53,233 looking at the crowd above my head... 756 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:57,070 going, "Holy moly, 757 00:33:57,170 --> 00:33:59,773 this is what we do this for." 758 00:34:01,207 --> 00:34:02,709 Okay, wait! Stop! 759 00:34:02,809 --> 00:34:05,979 Stop. Bruce, I'm sorry, could you come back in, please? 760 00:34:06,079 --> 00:34:07,447 Fellas... 761 00:34:07,547 --> 00:34:10,717 now, we just wasted two good tracks. 762 00:34:10,817 --> 00:34:13,787 By the way, the premise that you could waste a track... 763 00:34:14,788 --> 00:34:16,189 just makes me laugh. 764 00:34:16,289 --> 00:34:18,591 This last one was even better than the first. 765 00:34:18,692 --> 00:34:21,628 It's just that I find Gene's cowbell playing distracting. 766 00:34:21,728 --> 00:34:24,264 I don't know, if I'm the only one I'll shut up. 767 00:34:24,364 --> 00:34:25,832 No, it's pretty rough. 768 00:34:25,932 --> 00:34:28,702 You know, I can pull it back a little, if you like. 769 00:34:28,802 --> 00:34:31,271 Not too much, though. I'm telling you, fellas... 770 00:34:31,371 --> 00:34:32,972 The way he was saying it. 771 00:34:33,073 --> 00:34:34,341 "I want that cowbell." 772 00:34:34,441 --> 00:34:36,443 "Cowbell." 773 00:34:36,543 --> 00:34:38,812 Like, he was dropping them in. 774 00:34:38,912 --> 00:34:40,313 Three-pointers. 775 00:34:40,413 --> 00:34:42,349 You know what? It's fine. Let's just do the thing. 776 00:34:42,449 --> 00:34:45,652 Will has that capacity to lower his IQ with just-- 777 00:34:45,752 --> 00:34:48,421 In a second, like, his eyes just go a little-- 778 00:34:48,521 --> 00:34:50,190 Like, he loses, literally, intelligence. 779 00:34:50,290 --> 00:34:51,725 Okay, roll it. 780 00:34:52,258 --> 00:34:54,260 One, two, three, four. 781 00:35:05,271 --> 00:35:07,173 Will was right on top of me 782 00:35:07,273 --> 00:35:08,708 and banging the cowbell in my face. 783 00:35:08,808 --> 00:35:11,044 I had this sense he wanted to make me break. 784 00:35:11,144 --> 00:35:12,612 It was intense. 785 00:35:12,712 --> 00:35:14,814 You also had the instinct that this is only gonna work 786 00:35:14,914 --> 00:35:16,416 if I do not break. 787 00:35:16,516 --> 00:35:18,685 You know, it's gotta be this intensity between us. 788 00:35:18,785 --> 00:35:23,023 I hoped if we could catch lightning in a bottle, 789 00:35:23,123 --> 00:35:24,557 I could get those guys to laugh. 790 00:35:24,657 --> 00:35:27,660 Chris Parnell was a machine and would never break. 791 00:35:27,761 --> 00:35:30,597 I knew I could get right up in his face with the cowbell, 792 00:35:30,697 --> 00:35:32,766 and he would play it with such disdain. 793 00:35:32,866 --> 00:35:35,769 They used to call Parnell the ice man 794 00:35:35,869 --> 00:35:38,204 because he was the guy you couldn't break. 795 00:35:38,304 --> 00:35:40,273 But, you know, I mean, I'm a human being 796 00:35:40,373 --> 00:35:41,675 so, you know, it was hard. 797 00:35:41,775 --> 00:35:45,845 I mean, it helped, obviously, that Walken is as solid as he is 798 00:35:45,945 --> 00:35:47,080 and didn't break. 799 00:35:47,180 --> 00:35:48,314 There's one moment 800 00:35:48,415 --> 00:35:50,350 where the camera was not on me, 801 00:35:50,450 --> 00:35:52,318 and I looked down at my guitar, 802 00:35:52,419 --> 00:35:54,421 and I cracked a hint of a smile. 803 00:35:55,055 --> 00:35:57,457 But, uh, thankfully the cameras didn't catch it, so... 804 00:36:01,661 --> 00:36:03,863 -Come on, Gene! -No, you come on! 805 00:36:05,031 --> 00:36:07,300 Guys, you know, that-- that-- 806 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:09,035 It doesn't work for me. 807 00:36:09,135 --> 00:36:10,870 I gotta have more cowbell. 808 00:36:11,771 --> 00:36:15,108 And then Chris Kattan at one point gets really mad. 809 00:36:15,208 --> 00:36:16,409 Kattan was so funny too. 810 00:36:16,509 --> 00:36:18,678 He had his mustache and his weird look. 811 00:36:18,778 --> 00:36:21,114 Will said, "When you say your line, 812 00:36:21,214 --> 00:36:23,116 whatever you got in that little body, 813 00:36:23,216 --> 00:36:25,318 just push me as hard as you can." 814 00:36:25,418 --> 00:36:27,354 And I was like, "Okay." 815 00:36:27,454 --> 00:36:29,856 I really was like, "Don't blow this for us, Gene!" 816 00:36:29,956 --> 00:36:34,160 I think he was startled that I pushed him so hard. 817 00:36:34,260 --> 00:36:36,196 And then, yeah, his stomach came out. 818 00:36:36,296 --> 00:36:38,732 And then that's when Jimmy broke. 819 00:36:39,399 --> 00:36:41,468 I was out of my league, you know? 820 00:36:41,568 --> 00:36:44,571 I had one line, and Will turns, and I have my line. 821 00:36:44,671 --> 00:36:47,374 And I looked into the eyes of a lunatic. 822 00:36:47,474 --> 00:36:49,275 And I'm laughing too, 823 00:36:49,376 --> 00:36:51,277 but I have the benefit of wearing a beard. 824 00:36:51,378 --> 00:36:53,279 And so you can't quite tell 825 00:36:53,380 --> 00:36:55,081 that I'm breaking as hard as they are. 826 00:36:55,181 --> 00:36:56,483 Quit being... 827 00:36:56,583 --> 00:36:58,251 Quit being so selfish, Gene. 828 00:36:58,351 --> 00:36:59,652 Then flubbed my line, 829 00:36:59,753 --> 00:37:01,354 and then I couldn't stop laughing. 830 00:37:01,454 --> 00:37:02,655 I had to look away. 831 00:37:02,756 --> 00:37:04,524 I think I did start biting my stick. 832 00:37:04,624 --> 00:37:06,493 I didn't know what else to do. I was like, 833 00:37:06,593 --> 00:37:08,361 this is the funniest-- 834 00:37:08,461 --> 00:37:09,729 It's giggles in church. 835 00:37:09,829 --> 00:37:13,033 It's giggles in classroom times a million. 836 00:37:13,133 --> 00:37:16,369 I know that Jimmy would get flack for breaking all the time, 837 00:37:16,469 --> 00:37:17,904 but I loved it every single time. 838 00:37:18,004 --> 00:37:20,774 It just showed how much fun he was having. 839 00:37:20,874 --> 00:37:23,677 I wish I didn't laugh in it, but of course I became known 840 00:37:23,777 --> 00:37:25,578 for the guy who laughs in sketches 841 00:37:25,679 --> 00:37:27,914 instead of the guy that plays the drums. 842 00:37:28,415 --> 00:37:30,116 Can I just say one thing? 843 00:37:30,216 --> 00:37:31,951 Say it, baby. Just say it. 844 00:37:32,686 --> 00:37:35,422 I'm standing here staring at rock legend Bruce Dickinson. 845 00:37:35,522 --> 00:37:37,323 I'm the cock of the walk, baby. 846 00:37:37,424 --> 00:37:39,459 And if Bruce Dickinson wants more cowbell, 847 00:37:39,559 --> 00:37:41,227 we should probably give him more cowbell. 848 00:37:41,327 --> 00:37:42,295 Say it, baby. 849 00:37:42,395 --> 00:37:43,997 And, Bobby, you are right. 850 00:37:44,097 --> 00:37:45,265 I am being selfish. 851 00:37:45,365 --> 00:37:46,933 But the last time I checked, 852 00:37:47,033 --> 00:37:50,103 we don't have a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell. 853 00:37:50,203 --> 00:37:52,339 I gotta have more cowbell, baby. 854 00:37:52,872 --> 00:37:55,475 Christopher Walken added this whole thing 855 00:37:55,575 --> 00:37:58,044 where he gets all fired up, and... 856 00:37:59,412 --> 00:38:02,148 ...leans into it on such a level 857 00:38:02,248 --> 00:38:03,750 that I didn't even expect. 858 00:38:03,850 --> 00:38:06,519 And I'd be doing myself a disservice, 859 00:38:06,619 --> 00:38:08,455 and every member of this band, 860 00:38:08,555 --> 00:38:10,657 if I didn't perform the hell out of this! 861 00:38:10,757 --> 00:38:13,626 And with that, like so many times before, 862 00:38:13,727 --> 00:38:16,763 a simple series of words would enter the lexicon. 863 00:38:16,863 --> 00:38:20,033 On this night, a catchphrase was born. 864 00:38:21,034 --> 00:38:22,268 Guess what? 865 00:38:22,369 --> 00:38:24,104 I got a fever. 866 00:38:24,471 --> 00:38:26,873 And the only prescription 867 00:38:26,973 --> 00:38:28,074 is more cowbell. 868 00:38:28,174 --> 00:38:30,777 That's it. That's the mic drop. 869 00:38:32,312 --> 00:38:34,080 You hope for one of these things. 870 00:38:34,180 --> 00:38:36,182 It's lightning in a bottle. 871 00:38:36,282 --> 00:38:37,851 I mean, it rarely happens 872 00:38:37,951 --> 00:38:40,387 when you have a catchphrase or something that takes off. 873 00:38:40,487 --> 00:38:44,424 We are two wild and crazy guys! 874 00:38:46,026 --> 00:38:48,962 ...and I live in a van down by the river. 875 00:38:49,062 --> 00:38:50,997 Superstar! Whoo! 876 00:38:51,364 --> 00:38:54,367 And we want to pump you up. 877 00:38:54,467 --> 00:38:57,003 And I can see Russia from my house. 878 00:38:59,039 --> 00:39:01,841 So if you do something on TV in sketch form 879 00:39:01,941 --> 00:39:04,644 and people are quoting it, and like it, 880 00:39:04,744 --> 00:39:07,414 and are applauding when you do it the second or tenth time, 881 00:39:07,514 --> 00:39:09,215 that's just a thrill, that's everything. 882 00:39:09,315 --> 00:39:11,685 Well, isn't that special. 883 00:39:15,155 --> 00:39:16,356 But I think if... 884 00:39:16,456 --> 00:39:17,724 I think if I just leave, 885 00:39:17,824 --> 00:39:19,492 and maybe I'll come back later 886 00:39:19,592 --> 00:39:21,294 and we can lay down the cowbell. 887 00:39:21,394 --> 00:39:22,896 -Come on, baby. -Gene, wait. 888 00:39:25,098 --> 00:39:28,301 Why don't you lay down that cowbell right now. 889 00:39:28,401 --> 00:39:29,869 With us. 890 00:39:29,969 --> 00:39:31,104 Together. 891 00:39:32,605 --> 00:39:34,641 This is a lovely moment. 892 00:39:39,379 --> 00:39:41,448 -Do you mean that, Eric? -Oh, yeah. 893 00:39:41,548 --> 00:39:43,116 He speaks for all of us. 894 00:39:43,216 --> 00:39:46,619 Eventually, they all come around to the idea that, actually, 895 00:39:46,720 --> 00:39:48,755 the song needs the cowbell. 896 00:39:48,855 --> 00:39:52,225 And that's-- There's nobody who's being mocked. 897 00:39:52,325 --> 00:39:53,460 Thank you. 898 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,296 Babies, before we're done here... 899 00:39:56,863 --> 00:39:59,366 y'all will be wearing gold-plated diapers. 900 00:40:00,066 --> 00:40:04,037 -What does that mean? -Never question Bruce Dickinson. 901 00:40:04,137 --> 00:40:05,005 Roll it. 902 00:40:07,374 --> 00:40:08,341 Thanks, man. 903 00:40:08,775 --> 00:40:11,378 You didn't want anything whacky at the end of "Cowbell." 904 00:40:11,478 --> 00:40:14,247 It had feasted on every single metric of comedy, 905 00:40:14,347 --> 00:40:16,483 and it's just full of joy. 906 00:40:16,583 --> 00:40:18,485 One, two, three, four. 907 00:40:31,698 --> 00:40:35,902 * All our times have come * 908 00:40:37,537 --> 00:40:39,105 I remember coming off of that 909 00:40:39,205 --> 00:40:41,241 and it almost felt like you went to camp together. 910 00:40:41,341 --> 00:40:43,777 Like, we grew up together. We just had an experience. 911 00:40:43,877 --> 00:40:47,113 We were really unified by the fact that... 912 00:40:47,614 --> 00:40:49,215 we had to kind of pull this off. 913 00:40:49,315 --> 00:40:53,053 But there was no way of telling that it would be a thing 914 00:40:53,153 --> 00:40:57,223 that would in any way be remembered from that point on. 915 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:01,928 Saturday Night Live 916 00:41:02,028 --> 00:41:04,497 It came out, it was good, and people liked it. 917 00:41:04,597 --> 00:41:07,534 But then Will's "best of" came out. 918 00:41:07,634 --> 00:41:10,103 All of a sudden, people started coming up 919 00:41:10,203 --> 00:41:13,106 and talking to me about it like it just had aired. 920 00:41:13,206 --> 00:41:15,141 And it's a whole new generation of people going, 921 00:41:15,241 --> 00:41:17,577 "That's the best sketch that's ever been made." 922 00:41:17,677 --> 00:41:20,280 And it got passed around at, like, colleges. 923 00:41:20,380 --> 00:41:21,448 People talked about it. 924 00:41:21,548 --> 00:41:23,583 It sort of took off culturally. 925 00:41:23,683 --> 00:41:24,984 Teams at sporting events 926 00:41:25,085 --> 00:41:27,654 were now playing clips on, like, the jumbotron 927 00:41:27,754 --> 00:41:29,689 to get a crowd going. 928 00:41:29,789 --> 00:41:31,624 Guess what? 929 00:41:31,725 --> 00:41:33,393 I got a fever. 930 00:41:33,493 --> 00:41:35,362 And the only prescription 931 00:41:35,462 --> 00:41:36,496 is more cowbell. 932 00:41:40,467 --> 00:41:43,136 After years of incubation as an inside joke, 933 00:41:43,236 --> 00:41:45,538 the "Cowbell" sketch's slow-rolling train 934 00:41:45,638 --> 00:41:47,540 was starting to pick up steam. 935 00:41:48,008 --> 00:41:49,976 You have got to give me more cowbell. 936 00:41:50,076 --> 00:41:52,679 More cowbell was becoming 937 00:41:52,779 --> 00:41:53,947 more than a catchphrase. 938 00:41:54,047 --> 00:41:56,416 Soon enough, it would be a mantra. 939 00:41:56,516 --> 00:41:57,550 I got a fever... 940 00:41:57,650 --> 00:41:59,252 ...and the only prescription... 941 00:41:59,352 --> 00:42:00,687 ...is more cowbell. 942 00:42:00,787 --> 00:42:02,455 It just became a thing. 943 00:42:02,555 --> 00:42:04,624 People yelling on the street to me. 944 00:42:04,724 --> 00:42:07,193 "Jimmy, yo, gotta have more cowbell, man!" 945 00:42:07,293 --> 00:42:08,428 People were like, 946 00:42:08,528 --> 00:42:10,096 bringing cowbells for you to sign, 947 00:42:10,196 --> 00:42:13,366 and shirts that say, "I gotta have more cowbell." 948 00:42:18,271 --> 00:42:20,573 To have things that you've created 949 00:42:20,674 --> 00:42:23,276 that have this other life, 950 00:42:23,376 --> 00:42:24,477 it's completely surreal. 951 00:42:24,577 --> 00:42:26,012 Guess what? I got a fever-- 952 00:42:26,112 --> 00:42:28,982 -What is cowbell? -Yes. More cowbell. 953 00:42:29,082 --> 00:42:31,451 People started bringing cowbells to shows. 954 00:42:31,551 --> 00:42:33,153 -Much to our chagrin. -Yeah. 955 00:42:33,720 --> 00:42:35,855 Most people cannot play a cowbell. 956 00:42:35,955 --> 00:42:37,957 -They think they can. -Yeah. 957 00:42:38,058 --> 00:42:40,927 Everybody thinks they can. Then it all falls apart. 958 00:42:41,027 --> 00:42:44,197 I mean, it's turned into this whole sociological thing. 959 00:42:44,297 --> 00:42:47,334 -You had no idea. -It's in the dictionary now. 960 00:42:47,434 --> 00:42:50,103 You had no idea that you were starting that. 961 00:42:50,203 --> 00:42:52,939 No, I did not. I had no idea why I was there in the first place. 962 00:42:53,039 --> 00:42:55,241 I had jingles to do. 963 00:42:56,476 --> 00:42:57,911 Since this skit, 964 00:42:58,011 --> 00:43:00,347 I've seen Will playing the cowbell 965 00:43:00,447 --> 00:43:01,915 with more than a few people. 966 00:43:02,015 --> 00:43:04,184 Will's cowbell became so popular, 967 00:43:04,284 --> 00:43:06,653 he went on to play it with people like Chris Martin, 968 00:43:06,753 --> 00:43:08,688 Marc Anthony, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, 969 00:43:08,788 --> 00:43:10,490 and the Queens of the Stone Age. 970 00:43:10,590 --> 00:43:12,392 * Find another way * 971 00:43:13,860 --> 00:43:15,662 My management came to me 972 00:43:15,762 --> 00:43:17,731 in a very serious tone 973 00:43:17,831 --> 00:43:18,965 and was like, 974 00:43:19,065 --> 00:43:21,701 "Will wants to play cowbell." 975 00:43:21,801 --> 00:43:24,804 My response was, "Are you kidding me? Of course." 976 00:43:30,877 --> 00:43:33,980 * Whisper secrets in my ear * 977 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:35,682 I remember watching 978 00:43:35,782 --> 00:43:37,650 that Queens of the Stone Age performance. 979 00:43:37,751 --> 00:43:38,952 When it happened, I was like... 980 00:43:39,052 --> 00:43:41,421 There he is. 981 00:43:41,521 --> 00:43:44,157 Everyone wants to be part of something classic. 982 00:43:44,257 --> 00:43:46,659 This addendum to that classic sketch 983 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:48,862 became classic in its own right. 984 00:43:48,962 --> 00:43:52,632 The skit brought the cowbell to society, 985 00:43:52,732 --> 00:43:54,167 because before that, 986 00:43:54,267 --> 00:43:56,636 cowbells were known by musicians. 987 00:43:56,736 --> 00:43:58,772 But when that skit aired, 988 00:43:58,872 --> 00:44:01,041 boom, everybody knew about cowbells. 989 00:44:01,141 --> 00:44:04,344 And it was our cowbell that was used in that skit. 990 00:44:04,444 --> 00:44:05,311 If you look at it, 991 00:44:05,412 --> 00:44:09,349 there's a Latin Percussion label on that bell 992 00:44:09,449 --> 00:44:12,886 that Will Ferrell is holding as he's pounding away. 993 00:44:12,986 --> 00:44:15,588 And to be a manufacturer of cowbells at that time, 994 00:44:15,689 --> 00:44:19,025 wow, we were-- you know, we were superstars. 995 00:44:19,125 --> 00:44:21,027 The cowbell industry was riding high. 996 00:44:21,127 --> 00:44:23,863 But others did not share the same enthusiasm. 997 00:44:23,963 --> 00:44:26,566 Among your best-known performances would be 998 00:44:26,666 --> 00:44:28,702 in the Saturday Night Live sketch "Cowbell." 999 00:44:28,802 --> 00:44:30,370 Have you found that to be true? 1000 00:44:30,470 --> 00:44:31,204 I don't understand 1001 00:44:31,304 --> 00:44:33,940 why it follows me around like it does. 1002 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:37,177 It's, uh, kind of run its course. 1003 00:44:37,744 --> 00:44:39,346 No, it hasn't. 1004 00:44:40,580 --> 00:44:42,015 It's gonna keep going. 1005 00:44:42,115 --> 00:44:43,883 I went to see Christopher Walken 1006 00:44:43,983 --> 00:44:45,719 years later in a play he was doing. 1007 00:44:45,819 --> 00:44:47,487 And I talked to him backstage, 1008 00:44:47,587 --> 00:44:51,925 and he was like, "You know, you've ruined my life." 1009 00:44:52,926 --> 00:44:54,928 And I go, "I have?" 1010 00:44:55,028 --> 00:44:58,898 He's like, "Every show, people bring cowbells 1011 00:44:58,998 --> 00:45:00,834 for the curtain call 1012 00:45:00,934 --> 00:45:02,535 and bang them... 1013 00:45:03,103 --> 00:45:07,140 and it's quite disconcerting." 1014 00:45:10,977 --> 00:45:13,380 Not really. 1015 00:45:14,080 --> 00:45:15,949 So have you reached out to Chris? 1016 00:45:16,049 --> 00:45:18,184 And is he gonna talk about it? 1017 00:45:18,284 --> 00:45:19,019 Nope. 1018 00:45:19,119 --> 00:45:20,987 That keeps his cool factor here, 1019 00:45:21,087 --> 00:45:23,123 yeah, that he's not gonna... 1020 00:45:23,223 --> 00:45:26,626 Not gonna go down memory lane. 1021 00:45:26,726 --> 00:45:28,928 Let the work speak for itself. 1022 00:45:29,029 --> 00:45:31,331 Wow. Wow, that really-- 1023 00:45:31,431 --> 00:45:32,499 Yeah. 1024 00:45:32,599 --> 00:45:34,367 Is that his "Teen Spirit"? 1025 00:45:36,503 --> 00:45:39,005 After seven years on the show and having solidified 1026 00:45:39,105 --> 00:45:42,108 his place on SNL's Mount Rushmore of great performers, 1027 00:45:42,208 --> 00:45:44,544 Will Ferrell's star had never shined brighter. 1028 00:45:44,644 --> 00:45:46,913 I loved Saturday Night Live. 1029 00:45:47,013 --> 00:45:49,349 I loved the camaraderie, I loved the atmosphere, 1030 00:45:49,449 --> 00:45:50,316 I love all of it. 1031 00:45:50,417 --> 00:45:53,186 But at seven years, it also just felt like, 1032 00:45:53,286 --> 00:45:56,623 this is a really good time to leave. 1033 00:45:57,123 --> 00:45:59,092 Will was our rock, you know? 1034 00:45:59,192 --> 00:46:01,394 I mean, we lived together in those offices. 1035 00:46:01,494 --> 00:46:04,431 Like, sleeping there. We knew each other so well. 1036 00:46:04,531 --> 00:46:06,399 I've been with him here since he first started. 1037 00:46:06,499 --> 00:46:09,102 Whenever they move on and go do something else, 1038 00:46:09,202 --> 00:46:11,171 it's like somebody's gone from your family. 1039 00:46:11,271 --> 00:46:15,175 Like the last read-through of his tenure here 1040 00:46:15,275 --> 00:46:18,311 was just like, I think, every single person was crying. 1041 00:46:18,411 --> 00:46:20,580 It was heartbreaking when he left. 1042 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:25,051 They were an incredibly talented, hardworking cast, 1043 00:46:25,151 --> 00:46:27,687 and Will was definitely the glue. 1044 00:46:28,188 --> 00:46:30,223 Will's time on SNL was proof 1045 00:46:30,323 --> 00:46:33,126 that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, 1046 00:46:33,226 --> 00:46:35,962 a lesson Gene Frenkle taught his band and the whole world 1047 00:46:36,062 --> 00:46:38,031 on that fateful Saturday so long ago. 1048 00:46:38,131 --> 00:46:40,900 Saturday Night Live, kind of a show 1049 00:46:41,001 --> 00:46:44,170 where everyone gets to take their whack. 1050 00:46:44,270 --> 00:46:48,341 It can be really powerful to see a group of people 1051 00:46:48,441 --> 00:46:50,377 all pull on the same oar. 1052 00:46:50,777 --> 00:46:52,278 It's brilliant, you know. 1053 00:46:52,379 --> 00:46:54,347 There's no better feeling in the world 1054 00:46:54,447 --> 00:46:57,150 to see your buddies make everyone happy together. 1055 00:46:57,250 --> 00:46:58,718 That is the point of that sketch. 1056 00:46:58,818 --> 00:47:00,153 There's a certain 1057 00:47:00,253 --> 00:47:02,555 heartwarming element to that skit. 1058 00:47:02,655 --> 00:47:06,192 In the end, they come together and make beautiful music. 1059 00:47:06,292 --> 00:47:07,961 When you're in a band, that's what you're doing. 1060 00:47:08,061 --> 00:47:09,796 You're agreeing to stick together 1061 00:47:09,896 --> 00:47:11,264 and look out for each other 1062 00:47:11,364 --> 00:47:13,299 in the service of something better. 1063 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:16,403 Albert played it his way, I played it my way, 1064 00:47:16,503 --> 00:47:18,038 and who cares? 1065 00:47:18,138 --> 00:47:20,473 Yeah. It's fantastic that I get to see you. 1066 00:47:20,573 --> 00:47:22,842 I've always loved you, and I will always love you. 1067 00:47:22,942 --> 00:47:24,844 I don't care if you or I played it. 1068 00:47:24,944 --> 00:47:26,279 That's what's important. 1069 00:47:28,481 --> 00:47:31,918 There are hundreds of people who work on the show. 1070 00:47:32,018 --> 00:47:34,254 At times, you get to be the centerpiece. 1071 00:47:34,354 --> 00:47:36,456 At other times, you get to be in support. 1072 00:47:36,556 --> 00:47:40,860 But as long as the body of work is really strong, who cares? 1073 00:47:44,664 --> 00:47:45,832 Then does he die? 1074 00:47:49,636 --> 00:47:51,304 I forgot, he dies. 1075 00:47:53,473 --> 00:47:55,608 Bending over to pick up a penny in New York City, 1076 00:47:55,709 --> 00:47:57,010 was struck by a bus. 1077 00:47:57,110 --> 00:47:58,812 Heads. That's good luck. 1078 00:48:03,983 --> 00:48:05,352 Bizarre gardening accident. 1079 00:48:05,452 --> 00:48:07,721 Walking down the street of New York 1080 00:48:07,821 --> 00:48:09,723 and got crushed by a piano. 1081 00:48:11,825 --> 00:48:13,526 Nice. 1082 00:48:16,596 --> 00:48:19,532 I'm guessing an accidental drug overdose. 1083 00:48:19,632 --> 00:48:21,234 I'm gonna say natural causes. 1084 00:48:21,901 --> 00:48:25,171 It's just like one of those things where he had enough life in him. 1085 00:48:25,839 --> 00:48:27,874 And then the body was like, 1086 00:48:27,974 --> 00:48:29,109 "Yeah, we're good. We did it." 1087 00:48:31,878 --> 00:48:33,413 Gene Frenkle, 1088 00:48:33,513 --> 00:48:36,983 he was Jeff Bezos's favorite cowbell artist. 1089 00:48:37,083 --> 00:48:39,219 Became friends, he's still alive. 1090 00:48:39,319 --> 00:48:40,653 And he lives in Newport Beach. 1091 00:48:45,558 --> 00:48:47,927 Whatever really happened to the fake Gene Frenkle, 1092 00:48:48,028 --> 00:48:49,729 the world will never know. 1093 00:48:49,829 --> 00:48:51,464 But one thing's for sure. 1094 00:48:51,564 --> 00:48:54,601 There's probably a little bit of Gene Frenkle in everybody. 1095 00:48:54,701 --> 00:48:56,636 I am Gene Frenkle. 1096 00:48:56,736 --> 00:48:57,871 I'm Gene Frenkle. 1097 00:48:57,971 --> 00:48:59,139 I'm Gene Frenkle. 1098 00:48:59,239 --> 00:49:01,574 I am Gene Frenkle. 1099 00:49:01,675 --> 00:49:04,177 -I am Gene Frenkle. -I am Gene Frenkle. 1100 00:49:04,277 --> 00:49:06,012 -I'm Gene Frenkle. -I'm Gene Frenkle. 1101 00:49:06,112 --> 00:49:07,347 -I'm Gene Frenkle. -I'm Gene Frenkle. 1102 00:49:07,447 --> 00:49:09,549 -I am Gene Frenkle. -I am Gene Frenkle. 1103 00:49:09,649 --> 00:49:11,818 -I am Gene Frenkle. -I'm Gene Frenkle. 1104 00:49:11,918 --> 00:49:12,952 I am Gene Frenkle. 1105 00:49:13,053 --> 00:49:14,020 Rest assured, 1106 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:15,055 I'm not Gene Frenkle. 1107 00:49:15,155 --> 00:49:16,823 I'm the real Gene Frenkle. 1107 00:49:17,305 --> 00:50:17,826 Do you want subtitles for any video? -=[ ai.OpenSubtitles.com ]=-