Saturday Night Soundtrack: The 2000s

“The New Millennium…………..SUCKS!”
Lewis Black—

 

Or at the very least, the first decade of it turned out to be less than average—and I’m not even talking about all the current events that surrounded them; This is more about the aftermath behind those events, especially in the world of Pop Music. Gone were all the bright colors and rhythmic beats, in came a lot of guitars and anger (and the less said about NuMetal, the better). As always, SNL was there as people’s moods shifted at whiplash speeds—thing is, sometimes the speeds go so fast that it’s hard to keep up with what’s hip and current during this time. Think about it; the Decade started with remnants of 90s pop for about 21 months—Then the world lost its mind in a way that caused practically every musician in the world to do things in a solemn/low key way for a little while…And Then, when the country realized it needed to fight back, the music started to become a little more defiant—if not heavy handed…And THEN, after re-electing America’s Cowboy in ’04, the music became less about defiance and more about Anger…AND THEN, the shift goes from Anger to just plain emo burnout/fatigued after being angry for so long…AND THEN once we upgraded our leadership, certain genres tried to regain the spotlight while crossing over into other genres at the same time—which is where the trend pretty much stayed up until the turn of the decade where it all went to hell in a handbasket (though more on That decade come January 2020). Despite the country and the population’s musical tastes having more mood swings than somebody with Post-Partum, SNL was still there to try and keep up with the times—even if some of the people watching eventually started to ignore music altogether and instead focus on the comedy (or, depending on the season, focusing our venom towards whatever anti-comedy wound up happening that week). Anyway, enough preamble, let’s get to some music…

 

 

REMINDERS:

 

*These performances have to come from Actual, Credited Musical Guests (Though for this list, I’m gonna have to make a MAJOR exception).

 

*Only the performances from the calendar decade (2000 to 2009) will count.

 

*Performances will be judged based on:

(1) Song popularity; both in the public’s perception and in my own musical tastes.
(2) How iconic the performer is.
(3) How memorable the performance was on the show

 

HOWEVER, we’re going to make an adjustment in scoring; instead of everything being judged evenly this time; you have to realize that at the turn of the century, People REALLY upped their game when it came to Production Value. So for our remaining 2 lists, the scoring is now going to be 30/30/40 respectively.

 

 

*I should also probably point out that at this point in my life, I had begun working in radio—particularly, at a station that began as Country, but then flipped to classic hits. I say this because first and foremost, I am NOT—repeat, NOT—well versed in the world of “Pop” music, so my apologies in advance if I leave certain performers out either by accident or on purpose.

 

 

*SNL Performances where applicable, otherwise I’ll put up the studio recording/music video of it.

 

…and before you ask, NO, I am NOT gonna bring up Sean Paul/Adrien Brody on this list. First, I already mentioned the incident on one of our “Misplaced Mojo” pieces; and second, even without the incident ever happening, I really hate that song…I’ve got my reasons.

 

 

8. KANYE WEST – HEARTLESS/PINOCCHIO STORY (12/13/2008) – Whether you find him to be a fascinating case study (for something neurological, no doubt), or somebody who’s just downright infuriating, You can’t deny that every time he’s appeared on the show—not just here, but into the next decade—He’s always going to do something that’s going to get people to tune in; whether it be something abstract, jaw dropping or just plain stupid. In the case of this decade, Yeezy got my attention by invoking the image of Elroy Jetson…because who does that? In 2008? On Late Night TV? But that’s 2^nd to the fact that up until this point in show history, MG performances were not exactly known for being High Tech—with RARE exceptions. In fact, I would’ve ranked this higher were it not for the fact that the songs themselves weren’t any of West’s Bests. Truth be told, his performance of “Champion” a year earlier was the better-performed song; and of course, we all know “Gold Digger” in 2005 is untouchable no matter what. But visual mesmerization does weigh a little heavy here—something that West would do in his subsequent appearances, for Better or Worse.

 

 

7. FOO FIGHTERS: TIMES LIKE THESE (2/22/2003) – It breaks my heart that I can’t find the actual show performance where Jim Carrey surprises us by playing alongside the band with his leg…but that would’ve been too easy. Truth be told, that’s why the song is on the list to begin with; wild cards like that are always a nice bonus. Nevertheless, I can still have this song on the list for just how on-point Mr. Grohl & Co. are by this point in their history. No longer are they “The Drummer from Nirvana and some other guys”; instead, they become a modern alt rock staple (as well as the lifelong fan of a certain late night talk show host…more on that in January) who every time they come on rip the roof off the place. Not only that, but Grohl especially becomes more and more powerful with every successive performance; no longer keen to simply “beating drums as though it owed him money” (to quote a random Youtube user), Grohl became a force to be reckoned with slowly but surely.

 

 

6. PRINCE: FURY (2/3/2006) – When the Purple one famously flaked out on the show in 1995, one would think that his royal badness would’ve permanently made the show’s shit list for leaving them twisting in the wind (supposedly…jury’s still out on exactly WHY he bailed out in the first place, it could’ve been legit for all we know). But if we’ve learned anything from the likes of Elvis Costello, Ben Stiller and other people who have been away from the show for a lengthy period of time due to stupid decisions, it’s that nobody should hold a grudge forever; and that is why we thank the merciful music gods that when Prince came back to 8H the same night Steve Martin came back after his own lengthy absence, the stars aligned so that he could give us one hell of a performance–almost literally on the “Hell” part due to how much fiery imagery was involved. As a matter of fact, one could argue that so much effort was put in to this performance that one would wonder if Prince was simply making up for lost time from 11 years earlier when he was still “The Artist” and most people turned on him because of it. “Fury” was proof that Prince didn’t give a fuck what other people thought, and he decided to rock on anyway. It also may have been because of performing on a Live TV venue that he was able to perform one year later at the biggest Live TV venue of them all; and he was able to prove once and for all that he would be a flake no more.

 

 

 

 

5. BECK: CLAP HANDS (10/28/2006) – Coincidentally coming from Another episode that Hugh Laurie happened to have hosted; Whereas Kanye upped the game when it came to being High tech, it may have actually been Mr. Hansen that was the prototype for Special/Practical effects—Going so far as to perform one of his lesser known songs from the Guerro album alongside a simultaneous set of Marrionettes. When I first saw this on TV, my immediate reaction ranged from “The Hell?” to “OK, that’s kinda cool” within the span of 3 minutes; and for good reason too—I gotta give this one the extra point for attention to detail; which, for Live TV is pretty damn hard to do, even if I were to watch it over and over in reruns just to see what I missed. Everything from a mock up of the set design, to what Beck & his bandmates were wearing, even the props that were being delivered to them were being duplicated at (presumably) 1/15^th the scale…most importantly, it was a deviation from the default—anybody can simply “Perform” on the show, but it takes a special kind to turn a performance into performance art.

 

 

4. EMINEM ft. DIDO: STAN (10/7/2000) – Before this song wound up changing the game for Marshall Mathers; a lot of people were ready to write him off as simply being “The Slim Shady Guy”, even though he had already proven himself as a durable performer (though assists from Dre & Snoop Dogg kinda helped a bit). This piece not only went on to prove the naysayers wrong in a big way, but it also altered Em’s chemistry (or should that be “chEMƎstry”?) for the better. It was because of this piece that critics and fans alike began to take him seriously—even if he was still very much a lightning rod of controversy at that point…what, with the homophobic lyrics and whatnot. Still though, this piece showed us a side of Em that we either didn’t know existed, wanted to exist, or even he wanted to expose to us. But it’s a good thing that he did, because were it not for how vulnerable the performance was, Em could never achieve levels of well-roundedness that most performers often lack—dare I say, were it not for “Stan”, Em wouldn’t make the leap toward “8 Mile”; “Lose Yourself” would Never win an Oscar, and Em would probably revert back to Marshall Mathers: Private Citizen. Of course, it also helped a great deal that English Singer/Lilith Fair Staple/”Roswell” theme song performer Dido gave him the A-OK to sample her existing hit “Thank You” in order to pull off one of the most unlikely crossovers of the decade (as well as turning the name “Stan” into an abject term for being an obsessive fan)

 

 

3. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: CRY ME A RIVER (10/11/2003) – I want to save a little time in November to talk about this, and other things that made the maligned 29 less sucky; but as a prologue, I hope you don’t mind my burying the lead a little. It’s easy to see Timberlake NOW as one of the staples of SNL not just in this decade, but the 21^st century in general—but all the way back in 2003, in spite of how much he commanded a young female audience; the general consensus was that thanks to his years in N*SYNC, he was probably (through NO fault of his own, BTW) one of the nation’s most punchable people Just because he was a part of the group. And when it was announced that he, and he alone would be hosting/MG the 2^nd show of Season 29, a lot of us (Myself included) were just about ready to expect/brace for the worst. Then again, simply saying “Boy Bands Suck” back then at a young age was less a declaration and more of a protector towards those who wanted to kick your ass that week…I’m not a betting man, but if I had Millions of Dollars and wagered that this episode would be one of the worst of all time, you’d be talking to somebody living in poverty right now and typing this list from a public library—because not only did Timberlake let our defenses down, but he all but destroyed any chance that he could be a punchable figure with his performance on this show—and I’m not even talking about the sketches, he showed the world that he didn’t need 4 other guys holding him back. In particular on this song; which, out of the 3 he did that night, would later go on to become one of his signature pieces. I know judging a book by its cover is about as cliché as you can get, but JT dispelled the cliché once and for all that night.

 

 

2. U2: ELEVATION (12/9/2000) – This is gonna be one of those times where the Studio or even Live Concert versions of the songs will make it IMPOSSIBLE to give the SNL version any justice; but take it from somebody who saw this performance on Live TV as they were happening, this one threw out the rulebook. Once upon a Time in the year 2000 (sorry, had to), U2 was enjoying probably it most significant comeback in its career so far—Thanks in part to the laughable “Pop” album, Bono & the Boys had to prove to everybody that what happened there was a joke. Nobody was laughing when “All that you can’t leave behind” was released; not only did this feel like a return of sorts to the “Vintage” sound that the band was famous for back in the 80s & non-sell out Early 90s, but it was adjusted enough so that things would continue to sound fresh in the next century…Which brings us to when they appeared for the first time in 2000. Of course, they performed what was the biggest song of the album by that point; “Beautiful Day”. When it came time for Bono & Co. to do “Elevation”, one thought failed to occur to the average SNL fan that Bono chose to raise that night—just exactly how much of the Studio Space in 8H can one be willing to use for a performance? Turns out; just enough to turn an otherwise strong song into a total experience not just for the studio audience, but for the people watching at home. From messing around with the cameras, to straight up mingling with the audience, Bono pretty much had the room in the palm of his hand by that point…so much so, that 4 years later, Bono tried to capture lightning in a bottle a 2^nd time by pretty much doing the same thing (only with more lap dancing to audience members) for a show closing performance of “I Will Follow” (ALSO UNAVAILABLE). Thankfully, Bono & Co. would tone themselves down a little by the time of their 2009 & 2017 performances; but were it not for them, future MG performances wouldn’t have the right to become more freewheeling as time marched on.

 

 

1. PAUL SIMON: THE BOXER (9/29/2001) – Yes, I know, it’s a cheat. And yes, I know, I’m closing out the list with the same guy for a 3^rd time. But As cliché as it may sound, I legitimately had to debate myself over whether or not to include this performance. After all, it broke the rule that Simon wasn’t a credited performer that night; but on the other hand, who The Hell else could possibly fit into this position—and for quite the most noble of reasons? 18 days after the 9/11 attacks occurred, there was the lingering thought of “Returning to Normal” after it happened; For all intents and purposes, all the talk shows came back and addressed it, various scripted shows hastily put together shows that addressed it (though South Park remains the king there thanks to its short Turnaround time), but for SNL to address the attacks would be the true test to see just how “Normal” things would go back to being. We of course begin with Mayor Giuliani (still on his meds and walking free back then) encouraging us to visit New York, as well as introducing the Firefighters and Policemen that worked around the clock to help. After that, we take a sudden swing over to the MG stage, and along comes one of the greatest residents of the borough of Queens performing a song that was less about New York City, but more about overcoming day to day struggles in a seemingly unforgiving environment—and NYC just happened to be that environment. The detailed history of the song itself is a story for another click, but as far as this performance goes, it did exactly what it was supposed to do: It honored a city that just recently experienced the worst of humanity while getting hit from all ends; and while the song itself is somewhat dour by nature, it’s still very much a rallying call of defiance towards those that have ever felt like they were the underdog. The fact that a City that’s always been known for having it all suddenly found itself thrust into that position will probably be the most jarring reminder that nobody in this world is immortal—but it is because of “The Boxer” that no matter how mortal the City can be at times, it can still be resilient. Sidebar: Not even the uncomfortable close-up of Giuliani near the end could ruin the magnitude of the performance; it is THAT profound of a piece. Then, of course, you get the classic ending where Lorne ask the Mayor “Can we be Funny?” To which Rudy replies “Why Start Now?” Marking the last time the Mayor made us laugh intentionally…But I digress.

 

 

 

SPECIAL (DIS) HONORABLE MENTION:

ASHLEE SIMPSON & HER “ACID REFLUX” (10/23/2004) – As a way of counterbalancing the solemnity of the last performance, this would be as good a time as any to not only lighten the mood, but also talk about one of the all-time greatest misfires/career killers ever experienced on Live TV. For those unfamiliar with who Ashlee Simpson was, some of you may remember her as Jessica’s (somehow/arguably) more talented sister. Of course, because big sister Jess had her star on the rise thanks to an inexplicable TV success with her (now) ex-husband, it was only a matter of time until the rest of the family attempted to ride what was left of her coattails. The ironic part, however, is that in spite of the nepotism, Ashlee at least put in some sort of an effort when it came to becoming a solo artist……………Or at least, that’s what we would’ve thought were it not for her doing an impression of Milli Vanilli one fateful night in Season 30. As the night unfolded, Simpson performed what was her biggest hit from her then new album, “Pieces of Me” with no problem (and for the record, the song is perfectly OK, no fault there), but when it came time for her to perform her 2^nd song now lost to the mists of time, that’s where we get to see the above clip in action. Later as the show closed for the night—with host Jude Law comforting her—she first blamed the whole incident on having Acid Reflux;  we later found out that she supposedly had voice problems after the first song, so she wanted to use a backing track for her 2^nd, but her people cued up the wrong one. We may never TRULY know what happened for sure that night; but one thing’s for sure, it was a Welcome distraction from what was already shaping up to be a lousy season that year (more on That one as well in November). In hindsight, Simpson was able to—eventually—look back on the incident with stride, as evident in this interview with Andy Cohen last year…

In short, I think Simpson has gotten a bum rap for Too Long. And yes, as mentioned in that video, she DID get a do-over the following year that people seemingly forgot about…probably because everybody wrote her off by then—Thankfully not with the same song, nor did they make any further jokes about it; because unlike Milli Vanilli, by the 21^st century people knew when to stop beating dead horses. We’re also glad that she’s managed to segue herself into other areas of showbiz now, including a show on the E! network with her current husband Evan Ross…So with that, good for her.

 

 

 

OTHER HONORABLE MENTIONS/SONGS I LIKED (* DENOTES NON-SNL VIDEO):

 

AC/DC – STIFF UPPER LIP (2000)

RADIOHEAD – THE NATIONAL ANTHEM (2000)

*DAVID GRAY – BABYLON (2000)

WEEZER – ISLAND IN THE SUN (2001…worth it for Ferrell’s cameo)

*SHAKIRA – WHENEVER, WHEREVER (2001)

*MICK JAGGER – VISIONS OF PARADISE (2001)

P!NK – GET THE PARTY STARTED (2002…feel free to skip “Don’t Let me Get me”)

*INDIA.ARIE – VIDEO (2002)

WHITE STRIPES – WE ARE GONNA BE FRIENDS (2002)

*BECK – NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MY OWN (2003)

*OUTKAST – HEY YA (2003)

SCISSOR SISTERS – TAKE YOUR MAMA (2004)

EMINEM – MOSH/JUST LOSE IT (2004)

*U2 – I WILL FOLLOW (2004) & *ULTRAVIOLET (2009)

*GREEN DAY – BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS (2005) & *21 GUNS (2009)

*FRANZ FERDINAND – TAKE ME OUT (2005)

*NEIL YOUNG – HE WAS THE KING (2005)

PEARL JAM – WOLRD WIDE SUICIDE (2006)

*RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – GIVE IT AWAY (2006)

CHRISTINA AGULIERA – HURT (2006)

LILY ALLEN – SMILE (2007…sorry for it being out of sync)

ARCADE FIRE – INTERVENTION (2007)

BJORK – WANDERLUST (2007)

KANYE WEST – CHAMPION (2007)

WILCO – HATE IT HERE (2008)

MARIAH CAREY – TOUCH MY BODY (2008)

*ADELE – CHASING PAVEMENTS (2008)

*COLDPLAY – VIVA LA VIDA (2008)

PHOENIX – DON’T (2009)

*TAYLOR SWIFT – YOU BELONG WITH ME (2009)

 

 

Did I miss any? Comment Below.

 

We’ll be back in November with a look at the Silver Linings from a New Breed of Badness, as we take a closer look at seasons 29, 30 & 35. Until then, do me a solid and Catch up on Telehell—it’s gonna be a long wait until the next season, so this would be a good time to catch up on what you missed. Later!

Cast Chronology: Leslie Jones

This story actually begins with somebody else—namely, Kenan Thompson; who in 2013 made a couple choice remarks about the lack of diversity on SNL, particularly among the Female African-American demographic in the cast which failed to exist since Maya Rudolph left. There were a number of takes on the subject—both from Professionals, Critics, and Average joes alike—and the consensus on not just the comments and what backs them up was nearly unanimous; “Duh! Of COURSE SNL has a Diversity Problem! They’ve had it since Day One!” They said. So naturally, after being shamed publicly—as well as an appearance that week by host Kerry Washington who helped telegraph the issue in that show’s opening sketch—the show suddenly felt compelled to put up or shut up when it came to widening the spectrum a little bit. So, during the Holiday break of 2013, the show set up a Special Audition Exclusively for Female Minorities who happen to have comedic talents behind them. Two people wound up getting hired that Christmas; one of them, Sasheer Zamata, was the first one to appear on camera during that season’s mid-season. The other one who made it had the unique distinction of coming in under the radar AND blowing the doors off the place at the same time.

 

 

Leslie Jones (whose birth name is actually Annette), is an industry veteran; doing stand-up all the way back to the late 80s, And as is the case with most comedians, she had to claw her way to stardom—even taking part time jobs just to make ends meet. She had her fair share of ups and downs while performing stand up (including a self-imposed hiatus after a particularly negative experience opening for Jamie Foxx in the 90s), but ultimately, she found her voice when she became “Big Les” in the next century. From there, she appeared regularly on TV and even landed a few small movie roles here and there. But it wouldn’t be until 2013 when Jones (surprisingly, begrudgingly) got the chance of a lifetime to audition and eventually work for SNL for 5 years (Surprised nobody else says more about THAT clip, BTW). When it was announced earlier this summer that Jones would be leaving the show, there was the usual amount of shock, surprise and acceptance from the masses. On the other hand, this looked to be a decision that she made—so more power to her for going out while on top; unlike those who Insist on fulfilling all the years on their notoriously long term contracts. For those 5 years, Jones brought a certain kind of energy that the show has (arguably) never seen before. Jones’ brash, bold, sometimes bombastic style was a sharp contrast in comparison to what was considered the tried and true over at 30 rock; and because she was an “Outside the Box” favorite among the crowd, the show almost felt fun again…almost.

 

 

Welcome to the return of “Cast Chronology”, where we take a look at the road that recently departed cast members took that ultimately led them to points beyond Studio 8H. It’s been a while since we did one of these pieces, so here’s a reminder as to how this works:

 

*This is NOT—I repeat, NOT—a “Best Of” or “Favorites” list by any means. This is really more to show how certain cast members who Recently left the show have evolved over a period of time, and what ultimately brought them to where they are now.

 

*Since Jones doesn’t have a “Best Of” reel (yet), any sketch in her time frame is fair play.

 

*The sketches they appear in are either Lead or Supporting roles; no bit parts.

 

*Normally, we would focus on one sketch per year (not season) that they were on the show—but because of how short Jones’ tenure was in this case, we will allow for a MAXIMUM of 3 per calendar year. At times, this could also mean talking about sketches that nobody likes; so just a heads-up there; it’s all a part of the evolutionary chain.

 

*Finally, I lift the “Non-recurring” rule for these, partly because a cast member’s run would’ve been incomplete/impossible without mentioning At Least a few of them…Though that shouldn’t be a problem considering the show (let alone Jones) hasn’t had any recurring characters outside the Update desk in Years.

 

 

 

 

2014

HER FIRST UPDATE COMMENTARIES (5/3/14 & 9/29/14) – Gonna cheat a little here, because even though she wouldn’t become an Official featured player until a few episodes into Season 40, Jones makes her Unofficial SNL debut in this Update piece which also happened to be the piece she auditioned with. Also of importance, this established one of her signature running gags on the show—the unbridled (albeit one-sided) Sexual Tension between her and Colin Jost. Either way, a lot of us watching realized that the show had something special in their back pocket; and it would only be a matter of time until she would be put to good use… For what it’s worth, it was pretty solid & a welcome deviation from the norm; but not without some controversy being attached to it. As documented in the recent documentary “Live From New York”, we found out later on that Jones’ piece on Slavery caught a lot of bad lightning from various critics—talk about hitting the ground running—to which I say that the criticism, though apt, might’ve been a little unfair; especially for somebody who is making their debut on Network Television. By the time she came back on during Season 40’s premiere, it almost made me wonder why she had yet to be a fully credited featured player by that point. Nevertheless, the commentaries would become her Bred & Butter most of the time—doing a total of 18 Commentaries as Herself.

 

 

OLD COUPLE (11/1/2014) – I’m probably going to be one of the few who can defend this rather quiet, non-humorous sketch between Rock & Ms. Jones; but to me it seemed like a throwback to some of the sketches from the first 5 years of the show (a “Marilyn Suzanne Miller” type sketch, for instance). Ones that doesn’t necessarily HAVE TO be funny in order for it to be compelling in its own way…but then again, there were FAR worse sketches that came on during this episode, so maybe any attempt to be captivating got sucked dry…it also doesn’t help that Ms. Jones got stumped on the cue cards, which they deleted in the online version BTW. As somebody who’s been watching the show for years, I can totally understand why people (especially newcomers to the show) are pretty much going to hate this one. But again, to be completely fair, how long has it been since we’ve seen a “slice of life” sketch of this caliber on the show? Tough call, but since this is still a comedy show (last time I checked), I gotta be neutral here. It wasn’t funny, but then again, it probably wasn’t the sketch’s intention…so, it’s a draw for me; and you know that Jones is trying her best; in fact, this may have been the first time she ever tried to do something half-serious, which isn’t easy for an established comedian to segue to.

 

 

NEW ANNIE (11/22/2014) – Fortunately, her performance improved just a few weeks later. I already mentioned this one in convenient “Episode Review” format, but I wanted to revisit this one because of just how much Jones was able to bounce back after the fact. This is the kind of role that Jones would be the most adept at playing; one where her energy more than makes up for lost ground from an otherwise OK premise—sure, here she still stumbles a bit in her lines (which, unfortunately, is gonna be a running theme here); but once again, she puts in the effort.

 

 

2015

 

THIS IS HOW I TALK (5/16/15) – I was debating to myself whether or not to talk about this one; partly because (1) I already mentioned it elsewhere, (2) one of the people involved in the sketch is still a bit on the Toxic side of public opinion as of press time, (3) Jones doesn’t really appear in this one all that much, even though she’s basically a catalyst for whatever goes on here and (4) the times she DOES appear, she continues to stumble over her lines. Fortunately, right up until the end where we think it gets flipped around, Jonesy still manages to nail the coffin shut and manages to salvage the performance. This was the end of her first year on the show, and while she was still a little rough around the edges, there WAS potential to be seen…it was probably lying dormant…

 

 

KATZ’S DELI (10/5/2015) – Whoa, Jonesy, Take it Easy! I don’t think you realize the padded sticks up in the air are BOOM MICROPHONES! I really wanted to like this BECAUSE of Jones’ energy and I do credit her for at least keeping me awake. But this is exactly the kind of stuff that I (and others) have been cautioning for Ms. Jones NOT to do. She can be funny, but she doesn’t have to be so Loud, she’s Not Chris Farley. As for the actual comedy content, at least Jones’ “Big O” descriptions were graphically humorous—especially all the “Broken Condom” bits and the fact that she seems to enjoy the company of…shall we say…Small packages (Colin? Mooney?). After a performance like that, hopefully Jones didn’t wind up with Laryngitis the following week.

 

 

2016

SHANICE GOODWIN: NINJA (4/9/2016) – I already mentioned this one Long ago on the original S.O.S.N.L. page (which I swear I will do a re-design on some day), but I wanted to put this one in here as an example of just how far Jones would go for a laugh—even if it meant risking life and limb…or in her case, Groin—Though I wish I could find actual proof of this, I Vaguely recall a story about how Jones had to sit on the sideline for a few weeks due to injuries that she got while performing the sketch—proving once again that sometimes you have to suffer for your art. Otherwise, this was just Jonesy being involved in complete and total physical nonsense—and thankfully, she didn’t have to raise her voice at any time to pull off the funny; proof that you can actually do more with less. Incidentally, this sketch attempted to become recurring based on how well the first one was received—but probably because of the decreased physical load, it just wasn’t the same as the first.

 

 

NAKED & AFRAID (4/16/2016) – Yet another one I already mentioned elsewhere; but I wanted to focus on this again because not only did Jones write (or at least co-wrote) the sketch, but it also helps signify just how daring she was willing to be to do this if the above “Ninja” sketch wasn’t already proof of that—if you really get right down to it, this seems to be a part that ONLY Jones would ever do; Kate would never do this, Cecily would Never do this, Aidy……kinda might’ve if her Hulu sitcom is any indication, but that’s besides the point. Point is, Jones made it OK for people to take more chances than the show is used to doing at this point in time—I’m not saying a sketch like this would’ve been at home in the first 5 seasons, but nudity (simulated or otherwise) remains a Network TV taboo, and bless Jonsey for wanting to push the envelope a little.

 

 

STRANGER THINGS (10/8/2016) – I don’t have a lot to say about this one on Jones’ perspective considering there were multiple characters involved here; but Even in relatively smaller roles, she could get the point across. Yes, it’s Kenan who does most of the lifting, but you gotta give Jonsey credit for trying to make sense of what’s happening in the town of Hawkins—Especially when she’s trying to take on Kate’s “Eleven”. This sketch shows that sometimes it’s OK to be part of the ensemble.

 

 

 

2017

LESLIE WANTS TO PLAY TRUMP (2/11/2017) – The nation was still looking for a much need laugh after a laughable election; and thankfully, the show knew how to break the tension several times over (especially that season). It’s also here—and in another set of short films that’s actually brought up here, but we’ll get to later—where we get to see Jones give a more confident performance; then again, most filmed pieces tend to do that no matter who is in front of the camera. While the rest of us are waiting with baited breath for Mr. Baldwin to finally wave the white flag and give up the Trump impression for good; Jones wants to strike while the iron’s hot…with predictable but still laughable results where it looks as though this was meant to be taken seriously, even though we could pretty much see the punchline from miles away. Jones sort of makes a good point while she’s being rejected by Lorne; in that People always casts her in parts where she yells and that she was trying to show a little range. While that Range DOES show on film, she still had a little catching up to do while Live…

 

 

GET WOKE WITH TAMIKA (11/11/2017) – Like I said at the beginning, there was the possibility of talking about sketches that most of us didn’t like—but even though you gotta take the bad with the good, I’ll try to be fair. Unlike “Old Couple”, this sketch is pretty hard to defend, no matter who is at fault for its flaws. While Jones still tries her best, the flubbing and technical malapropos are unmistakable; and it causes an otherwise dull sketch to become less than memorable (Save for her give ‘n Take with Tiffany Haddish at the end). The sad thing is, you KNOW that deep down, this could’ve been a somewhat decent sketch—not even a “Great” one, just reasonably well—but all it takes is just one mistake, and suddenly, it’ll either be memorable for all the wrong reasons or not at all.

 

 

 

 

2018

 

THIRSTY COPS (10/13/2018) – Now THIS Sketch should’ve fit both Jones and (then) Newcomer/Writer of the sketch Ego Nwodim to a T; and for the most part, this was something that both of them managed to pull off. It’s two cops trying to make a move on the people they perpetrate; and while there tends to be a double standard about that stuff, at least here they’re playing up how much of a standard that can be—Truth be told, this sketch was enjoyable, and I thought it had what it took to become the show’s first non-Update recurring characters in Many years………Or at least that was the case until the Baltimore Police Department got involved. If you look closely, the uniforms that Jones, Ego And Kate were wearing in the sketch had Baltimore PD badges on the arms. Well, an eagle eyed viewer—who happened to work for the Baltimore & Maryland Police Union—somehow got the idea that the entire police force of the city was being personally attacked. Thus marking one of the STUPIDEST cases of people getting offended I have seen so far in my life. Granted, the article mentions that Nwodim is a Baltimore native, but who would’ve guessed that the show would have that SPECIFIC Uniform in their Wardrobe department. Like, would the same outcry be made if the uniforms depicted were from Omaha or Columbus or some other mid-sized city? Maybe if the outfits didn’t have patches on them, there wouldn’t be such an outcry? A shame, really, considering that this cloud takes away from what was an otherwise strong performance from all three performers (even Seth Meyers hosting, who notoriously hates acting in sketches). And it is also probably the most confident I’ve seen Jones in a Live sketch in a while up to that point.

 

 

WEEZER (12/15/2018) – Hands Down, this was probably one of my favorite sketches of the past season—and not just because I too was a Weezer fan up until the Green Album (which for the musically impaired out there was 5 years Post-Pinkerton), but also because of just how unlikely and intense the debate between Jones & (Host) Matt Damon would turn out to be. And thanks again to Jones’ seemingly endless angry energy clashing with Damon’s “Ride or Die” mentality; and of course, it escalates to a point where nobody would EVER think that a Discussion of Weezer (of all things) could take place by almost coming to blows over them—Never mind the fact that it’s Jones’ character who happens to be that big a fan of them–which is already a unique detail onto itself—but I think that’s what makes this even more special, the fact that it’s playing with our expectations a little AND that Jones earns major Hipster Cred. No matter what side you’re on, and no matter which album past or present turned you into a fan, I think we can ALL agree that the Red Album Sucked.

 

 

 

2019

THE RAUNCHIEST MS. RITA (1/19/2019) – More proof that Jones excelled greater on Film than while Live, this parody of “Mrs. Maisel” gives me hope that they will someday do an actual show on one of the streamers that talks about the rise of pioneering Urban Comedians (“Dolomite is My Name” is a Great start, but I want to see them dive deeper in history—maybe a Bio-Series about Richard Pryor or something). Jones just lets loose, and thankfully for the fact that it’s filmed, everything gets bleeped without having to blush over it. But what probably makes this neck and neck as one of the best things Jones ever did on the show was the fact that (not counting her Update pieces) this was probably one of the rare times when Jones could actually be “Herself” WHILE she was doing a character. And when one feels that comfortable, the performance winds up shining as a result…but there’ was still a matter of finding that One Great Live Performance—and while “Thirsty Cops” was a questionably strong one that could’ve been a contender, there was one other entry that may have done the job just a little better…

 

 

ETTIQUITE LESSON (5/11/2019) – I’d give this one credit alone just for the surrealistic sight of Jones playing opposite Emma Thompson. But that is second to the fact that in spite of all the Hell Thompson puts her through in the sketch, Jonsey doesn’t crack, doesn’t break, doesn’t flub, and she STILL Manages to be funny even though she is—by all accounts and purposes—the straight person in the piece getting sacked worse than a football player. Were this not the week before that year’s finale, this would’ve been a perfect spot for Jones to take a victory lap, achieving something that took time for her to do when she completed a Live sketch that was not only good, but was also Incident Free…Still though, there was one last item on her agenda before she headed into parts unknown…

 

 

THE LESLIE/MOONEY SAGA (2016 – 2019) You probably would’ve shat yourself if I didn’t include any of These sketches, but I wanted to save them for last (and in particular, the last instalment of them), because I feel this is probably the best indicator of just how much Jones has evolved as a performer during her 5 years—and not unlike the Trump film or the above “Ms. Rita”, just how much she excelled as a performer on film—and seriously, her future SHOULD be in Movies, Not (possibly)  hosting a revival of Supermarket Sweep…I’m NOT Kidding, folks, that looks to be in the cards for her. But more so, she excels by giving us (along with Kyle Mooney) one of THE most unlikeliest romantic pairings in this or any other medium—yes, even more unlikely than Shrek’s Donkey & the Dragon. More than that, it gives us a performance that one can only hope Jones can give us more of in the future; one that’s subtle, quiet and not overbearing to act as the Yin to the loud, brash and in-your-face Yang that she usually gives us 9 times out of 10. Furthermore, the more I saw these sketches and just how much Chemistry Jones & Mooney had, the more I started to let my defenses down in terms of just how much I was willing to buy into the notion that these two could be a viable couple—even though this is CLEARLY being played for laughs. Regardless of that, this was still one of the best Soapless Soap Operas ever Broadcast.

 

 

 

 

FINAL VERDICT: Jones was Exactly what SNL was looking for when controversy reared its head a few years ago; a strong African-American female performer/writer/Swiss-army knife…and while Sasheer at least put in some minor effort, It became more clear that she might’ve only been hired in the first place to act as a smokescreen for Jones to emerge out of in the following season. Whereas Jean Doumanian’s secret weapon was Eddie Murphy, Ms. Jones has become a Secret Weapon for Lorne & Co. to use. So much secret, that it still floors me to think that it’s never too late to catch your big break—even at age 47 when she got on. Age aside, Ms. Jones pretty much did more than her fair share of salvaging a few seasons from oblivion with her material. Whether it be in a quick, scene stealing line, an even meatier part or an Update commentary, Ms. Jones & Her energy has kept us awake most nights (and thankfully NOT in a Scary way). Never mind the fact that she stumbled on her lines here and there, Jones is probably the rarest of the rare in show business; a “Rookie” performer who is also a “Veteran” elsewhere, and when you combine both ends of the spectrum, that’s what made her as strong a performer as she was on the show. Even without the friendly confines of 30 Rock, She’s gonna be around for a LONG Time…just hope that she keeps the Farley-esque yelling to a minimum in whatever it is she does next. Although despite the rave I just gave, her biggest flaw seemed to be her inability to tone it down a little–Loud does not always equal Funny (unless you’re an internet comedian or Steve Carell), but at least her energy kept me invested in what she’s saying.

 

 

NEXT WEEK: The “Saturday Night Soundtrack” series resumes with a look at the showstopping numbers in the New Millennium.