Derek Johnson

Right. But it's because there's a straight line. I'm looking at that shot right now. Exactly. That thing just exists, that giant old fountain. You're in a fountain.

And it's empty. And so there was a straight line on the edge of the fountain. So we just shot it locked off and then we could just draw a line at the top of the fountain. And so it's just a split screen between that stock shot and you. Yeah, it was cool.

The World's Fair stuff just looks cool because that's just real shots with that stuff in the background. It's cool.

Yeah. Yeah, we had not graduated to outside of SNL people, really.

I was surprised when there were people... I didn't think it sucked. I think it's good. But I was surprised when some people were like... It was also two other writers, not from SNL, Pete Huyck and Alex Gregory. But I remember Pete Huyck being like, If that's what your album's like, sign me up. Like as if it was Dick in a Box or I'm on a Boat or something.

So there is a certain type of person that, again, I think it's the anarchy of it. And this may be the slow burn into all the jokes at the end.

Yeah, maybe. But also the homemade feeling Tim Nereke kind of vibe is not bad for it either. No, I think it protects it.

Oh, that's a category. We've got Kim's video, Sci-Fi Olympics. On the YouTube clip, there's a lot of interesting ones. Sam Jones something something says, this is top five. The lack of an audience reaction actually makes it better because they are in shock. I remember watching live with my mouth agape, enjoying every single second. It's just absolute perfection. Thank you, Lonely Island.

I think Andy did okay considering the fact he was one man trying to host an intergalactic sporting event. That's got 1,800 likes. I mean, I tend to agree. There's another one from five years ago. I love that they just kind of let Andy Samberg do whatever he wanted and then aired it. So there is a feeling that's the anarchy I'm getting at. They know there's no oversight.

That's what I mean. Like the fact that you can sense you're getting something that's been unfiltered, I think is part of what makes it good.

All right, here's another. These are all positive ones that have a little bit of negativity built in, but I think it's getting at what I'm getting at. This is from Diana Martins, 31. Literally my favorite digital short ever. Instant classic. I can't wait till they cover this one on the podcast.

I love how it basically says nothing for a whole minute, then jumps right in and you're expected to be on board. That's what they love. Could be just said as an insult. But that is actually exactly what I'm saying, that the slow burn and then twist of it, I think, is satisfying on some level.

I do think the people who like this sketch are maybe good people that I like. Here's one from Ashley here. It says, masterpiece. Either it's Criterion Collection or they're wrong. Oh, wow.

There's timing, shockingly.

Yeah, exactly. We all know Kathy. Yeah. Andy, did the woman who created Kathy at some point write you a nice little note? I feel like I remember that.

Yeah. It's one of actually the sadder parts of print media dying. Yeah.

A little bit of trivia on the woman who created Kathy. Her first name? Kathy. Look at that. And Irving, the husband, was later played by Timberlake on the show with you. That's right. And I have that fresh in my brain because they showed a picture of it during the 50 years in music Questlove and Oz doc that we watched.

But the doc is very, very good for anybody at home that has not watched. It's on Peacock and it's Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, who is a director at SNL who did a bunch of shorts after we left. And it's like a two and a half hour music documentary about the 50 years of music at SNL. And it's truly just a great documentary in general.

Yeah. Those other ones are really good, but they feel a little more like for the super SNL fan, which anybody listening to this probably is, so I would watch all those. But the music one feels almost bigger than the show. It feels like it's putting some other context on everything in a really cool way. And we have a nice little section in it. I'm very excited to watch it.

He's known for enjoying marijuana publicly.

True. But people who are known for marijuana sometimes enter rooms coughing.

So we had had all summer.

Where there had been like primaries and stuff and America and the world had gotten to know Palin. And there was all the talk of like, oh, is this going to be Tina?

Who's going to play her? She clearly had the glasses and the brown hair. It seemed like it was going to happen. And this is the payoff moment where everybody's tuning in to see what the take is going to be. And this is a start of a run for you, Seth.

Because you were the one in charge of those. And this was a huge thing for the show.

Yeah. Pressure was on after that.

Yeah.

You're also desperate to not have him miss a joke. A hundred percent. You're down there like, you're talking about the flags. They're doing the setup for the next joke. You're going to miss the next joke.

Yorm's ripped all of us today.

That sketch is a Kenwood Myers joint.

Bill as Superman presides over a meeting of the Justice League. Uh-huh. So I've got some bad news, gang. We all know that the economy hasn't been so hot lately, and not to bore you with the details, but it looks like we're going to have to let one of you go. That's the premise.

Andy, you have the next line, but it doesn't say who you are. Your next line is, it's me, right? Oh, no flash. You're the fastest man on Earth. You're essential to the team. Then Will says, great, I'll go clean out my locker. No, Hawkman, you're a hawk and a man. That's like two for the price of one. Then Will, who amongst the Justice League is less than essential? Michael enters as Aquaman.

He's wearing an open Hawaiian shirt over his costume. He's carrying a couple of fishing poles. Wow, what's up? Are we having a meeting? It's a full-on surf meeting.

Oh, yeah. Tina, Amy, four flags.

Oh, my God. It's like a reminder, and it's got the camera. It's like, yeah, it's going to be pointed at the podium, and then there's going to be flags behind it.

Seth. Yes. As head writer, though, you would sometimes get those nice moments with Lorne, right? Definitely. I feel like there's so many people whose stories are just never getting that nice moment. And I'll say for me, just personally, for as hard as the show is and as much as sometimes you are mad at it and mad at the bosses and stuff, Lorne did often, after a short, be like, it played.

Nice work.

You know, like he actually would give me a nice handshake or at the after party be like, good one tonight.

Yes.

Yep, for sure. And I think there might be writers, maybe less so now, but people who didn't bother going over to him at the after party because you just don't want to

bother him and he's the boss and they never got that side of it so they just felt the no nonsense time is money you know it's between dress and air there's no time for niceties we just got to get it done side of the bosses yes as opposed to ever getting the like and now I've had a glass of wine and the pressure's off and hey nice piece tonight you know what it could have been a little better like this but I liked it you know just yeah

the nice version of it. And I think we were all lucky that we got to the level or whatever at the show or comfortableness to... Right.

He's dressed like a hot dog.

Yeah. And he knows it's going to be on TV. He's like, that's in. So let's get it right. Right. Exactly.

It's funny. Last I checked, you were a producer. Your name's on it. I had flags all over the place. You didn't have any notes. I put a flag everywhere.

Yeah, but that should count.

Yeah. We should talk about the Thursday things because that was a big thing for you, Seth.

And it was a little bit unprecedented in my mind, even though maybe they'd say, oh, we did it in the 80s or something.

Yes. Yeah, because there were multiple shows in some of those weeks. Doing a Thursday show in the middle of a show week is so crazy.

He didn't remember if it was a birthday or how many people, but he knew Azul. Yeah.

It was an Olympic themed episode. And here's a song about Olympics.

I was shocked by what I would consider almost dead air in the video. I'd attribute it to you were writing the song based on the music, everything you just said, not thinking necessarily about a video at all. No. It was like, oh, wow, we're free of thinking about videos and thinking about the audience. We're finally alone in Encino getting to just make art and make our music.

It's going to be our funny music, but it's for the album experience. And you really feel that when you're watching the short because, boy, oh, boy, there's vamping. There's even moments where you're not. There's no vocal.

Just music playing and shots of you kind of moving around.

No, we knew. We were like, what is going to be on screen during these long gaps between jokes?

Is it twice as funny in the last minute when jokes are coming fast and that it had a slow burn because you kind of... You don't give up on the sketch. I wouldn't say that. No, no, no.

You're kind of lulled into something, and then it ends so strong in the last minute with all the twists and turns and rapid fire of what's canceled and all the logistics that it is, maybe there's some magic to the fact that it's kind of spongy at the beginning, let's say. I don't know.

So you're just trying to understand what you're like.

And then he's just like, you're a winner. And you're like, okay. Then he goes, welcome to the Space Olympics.

I'm not even saying it's bad. I'm saying maybe there's a magic to it.

Exactly. I made slightly uncomfortable in moments where I'm like, we're not fully in control necessarily. What Seth just said, I think, is it. Because when you are just listening on an album experience, you can just vibe out on the cool music and on where's this going. There's something about having to stare you in the eyes while you're waiting for it to happen that is more uncomfortable. Yeah.

And they were like, sir, you clearly have the picture. We were like 22 and broke, and we went out there. And whatever volume, whatever decibel level you're supposed to yell to root on your knight, Azul, your picture double all the time. We're all like, yeah, Azul. And you're like, Azul!

I was there. I don't know if it's a great story.

Yep, that sounds right.

Yeah. I don't dislike it. It's just a little middling to me. I think that that gives it anarchy, and that's why maybe Phil and Chris, maybe what's appealing to them about it is that there's a sense of anarchy to it, I think.

Do you think he's talking about his sins in relation to what he did by creating Olympics in Space or other sins that have been not named in the song?

I mean, we never cleared it or asked. We just did.

I liked remembering that we didn't build a single set. That we made an entire short set in outer space and didn't do anything. We did build one set.

Oh, oh, oh. You're right. All right. Take it back. We built one set. But like all the stuff of like everyone wandering around through the catacombs of the spaceship with all the wires, that's just the floor of 30 Rock that we did nothing to.

It was just a construction. That's all just like the Ethernet and stuff of them trying to figure out how to build a new floor at 30 Rock.

Yeah, it's falling apart in space. And then all the other things, yes, is just in the Bronx at that place where they did the World's Fair. And then we just, did we put blue screen behind Andy when he's standing in the ones where it is stuff? Or did we just put sky behind him and roto out the sky?