Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests

by Tom Shales

We wanted to redefine comedy the way the Beatles redefined what being a pop star was. That required not pandering, and it also required removing neediness, the need to please. It was like, we’re only going to please those people who are like us. The presumption was there were a lot of people like us. And that turned out to be so.

I was startled because I always think of the show as a writer-based show, and you have to be a writer to say what is funny or not funny. To control that many people in comedy without having any credits yourself in comedy is impossible.

I do remember a very valuable Lorne lesson that I still use today. I remember him really clearly in one meeting saying he always hated the funny-name joke, you know, when a character had a funny name, like a punny name. That kind of thing. It’s such an indicator of an amateur.

One of the questions you have to ask yourself is, “All right, kill it, but what’s your plan?” And sometimes faced with “what’s your plan,” you look at it in a different light.

KEVIN NEALON: I got a death-threat letter once from some crazy person, just saying he didn’t like what I did on “Update.” He said, “How you became so unfunny, I’ll never know, but your days are numbered. I’m going to put a bullet in your big fat head.” Well, for about a week after that, I went around asking people if they thought I had a big fat head.

LORNE MICHAELS: Some people, their whole lives, are just injustice collectors. They’re going to find new injustices every day. That’s what they do, and that’s what they are.