Obligatory SNL Post '09
I love pop culture that ages poorly. This is one reason I screen specially selected flickering 80's-mercials and PSA's throughout I.T. Nite. Looking over Wikipedia's list of every SNL episode ever, I enjoy the good episodes but I have much more hilarious memories of the exquisitely bad episodes, the ones hosted by people who are just totally incapable of reading a cue card. De Niro was one of the worst ever, and they even had him back a year later. The Tom Green episode was even worse than you'd expect it to be. I just rented season four, which is mostly great (Uncle Roy, Olympia Cafe, Candy Slice, Scotch Boutique, plus a Todd N' Lisa sketch every other episode) but it was the first time I got to see the notorious Frank Zappa and Milton Berle episodes... pretty painful, both of 'em.
My favorites are the really odd combinations of hosts with musical guests... or at least those that couldn't have existed other than within a very specific zipsealed pop-cultural timeframe. Examples, a few of which actually sound pretty awesome:
April 24, 1976: Raquel Welch / Phoebe Snow
March 25, 1978: Christopher Lee / Meat Loaf
November 11, 1978: Buck Henry / Grateful Dead
March 10, 1979: Gary Busey / Eubie Blake
April 12, 1980: Burt Reynolds / Anne Murray
November 22, 1980: Malcolm McDowell / Captain Beefheart
October 31, 1981: Donald Pleasence / Fear
May 15, 1982: Danny DeVito / Sparks
November 13, 1982: Robert Blake / Kenny Loggins
November 19, 1983: Jerry Lewis / Loverboy
January 28, 1984: Don Rickles / Billy Idol
May 5, 1984: Barry Bostwick / Spinal Tap
March 30, 1985: Mr. T & Hulk Hogan / The Commodores
January 18, 1986: Harry Dean Stanton / The Replacements
November 15, 1986: Sam Kinison / Lou Reed
November 14, 1987: Robert Mitchum / Simply Red
May 13, 1989: Wayne Gretzky / Fine Young Cannibals
October 20, 1990: George Steinbrenner / Morris Day & The Time
April 20, 1991: Steven Seagal / Michael Bolton
November 23, 1991: Macaulay Culkin / Tin Machine
September 25, 1993: Charles Barkley / Nirvana
February 5, 1994: Patrick Stewart / Salt-N-Pepa
December 17, 1994: George Foreman / Hole
April 13, 1996: Steve Forbes / Rage Against the Machine
October 17, 1998: Lucy Lawless / Elliott Smith
May 20, 2000: Jackie Chan / Kid Rock
October 19, 2002: John McCain / White Stripes
December 14, 2002: Al Gore / Phish
January 11, 2003: Jeff Gordon / Avril Lavigne
April 12, 2003: Ray Romano / Zwan
December 6, 2003: Al Sharpton / Pink
November 13, 2004: Liam Neeson / Modest Mouse
February 24, 2007: Rainn Wilson / Arcade Fire
My favorites are the really odd combinations of hosts with musical guests... or at least those that couldn't have existed other than within a very specific zipsealed pop-cultural timeframe. Examples, a few of which actually sound pretty awesome:
April 24, 1976: Raquel Welch / Phoebe Snow
March 25, 1978: Christopher Lee / Meat Loaf
November 11, 1978: Buck Henry / Grateful Dead
March 10, 1979: Gary Busey / Eubie Blake
April 12, 1980: Burt Reynolds / Anne Murray
November 22, 1980: Malcolm McDowell / Captain Beefheart
October 31, 1981: Donald Pleasence / Fear
May 15, 1982: Danny DeVito / Sparks
November 13, 1982: Robert Blake / Kenny Loggins
November 19, 1983: Jerry Lewis / Loverboy
January 28, 1984: Don Rickles / Billy Idol
May 5, 1984: Barry Bostwick / Spinal Tap
March 30, 1985: Mr. T & Hulk Hogan / The Commodores
January 18, 1986: Harry Dean Stanton / The Replacements
November 15, 1986: Sam Kinison / Lou Reed
November 14, 1987: Robert Mitchum / Simply Red
May 13, 1989: Wayne Gretzky / Fine Young Cannibals
October 20, 1990: George Steinbrenner / Morris Day & The Time
April 20, 1991: Steven Seagal / Michael Bolton
November 23, 1991: Macaulay Culkin / Tin Machine
September 25, 1993: Charles Barkley / Nirvana
February 5, 1994: Patrick Stewart / Salt-N-Pepa
December 17, 1994: George Foreman / Hole
April 13, 1996: Steve Forbes / Rage Against the Machine
October 17, 1998: Lucy Lawless / Elliott Smith
May 20, 2000: Jackie Chan / Kid Rock
October 19, 2002: John McCain / White Stripes
December 14, 2002: Al Gore / Phish
January 11, 2003: Jeff Gordon / Avril Lavigne
April 12, 2003: Ray Romano / Zwan
December 6, 2003: Al Sharpton / Pink
November 13, 2004: Liam Neeson / Modest Mouse
February 24, 2007: Rainn Wilson / Arcade Fire