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  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!

    The greatest sketch of all time

    On this date (4/8) in the year 2000, perhaps the greatest sketch in SNL history aired.



    Who is the MVP of this sketch? Walken? Farrell? Farrell's too-tight sweater?

    And is part of the success the fact that Jimmy Fallon and Chris Kattan are laughing their butts off throughout every second of it?

    So, is "More Cowbell" the greatest ever? What are the other contenders?
    Last edited by JasonEvans; 04-08-2021 at 12:34 PM.
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

  2. #2
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    Sep 2007
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    Farrell apparently did the rehearsals in a regular shirt, and did not tell anyone he planned to switch to that shirt when on the air.

    Other sketches? I’ll nominate The Dead Parrot sketch although a bunch of Python could qualify as a contender.

    Is “Who’s on First” a sketch?

  3. #3
    I need more cowbell...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Chesapeake, VA.
    I came on here expecting to see Leonardo daVinci. Wrong thread, I guess....

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
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    On the Road to Nowhere
    SNL only, and as a one-off, I think I'd have to agree with you. Because all of the others I can think of were recurring characters.

    Church Lady
    Wayne & Garth
    Pat
    The Bees
    The Greek Diner
    etc.

    Though Richard Pryor being interviewed by Chevy Chase for a job comes pretty close. Think about it, this was 1975. NSFW, BTW.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    Outside Philly
    Quote Originally Posted by dudog84 View Post
    SNL only, and as a one-off, I think I'd have to agree with you. Because all of the others I can think of were recurring characters.

    Church Lady
    Wayne & Garth
    Pat
    The Bees
    The Greek Diner
    etc.

    Though Richard Pryor being interviewed by Chevy Chase for a job comes pretty close. Think about it, this was 1975. NSFW, BTW.

    There are some iconic skits or characters before my time like Two Wild and Crazy Guys and Mr Robinsons.

    But...if you surveyed fans of the show my guess is the Farley Chippendale or Matt Foley sketches would edge out things like Cowbell, Wayne’s world, etc.

    Lonely Islands shouldn’t be ignored for making the show relevant to a new era.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by bundabergdevil View Post
    There are some iconic skits or characters before my time like Two Wild and Crazy Guys and Mr Robinsons.

    But...if you surveyed fans of the show my guess is the Farley Chippendale or Matt Foley sketches would edge out things like Cowbell, Wayne’s world, etc.

    Lonely Islands shouldn’t be ignored for making the show relevant to a new era.
    Oh heck yeah on Foley. Same uncontrollable laughter.


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    New Jersey
    Quote Originally Posted by JasonEvans View Post
    On this date (4/8) in the year 2000, perhaps the greatest sketch in SNL history aired.

    Who is the MVP of this sketch? Walken? Farrell? Farrell's too-tight sweater?

    And is part of the success the fact that Jimmy Fallon and Chris Kattan are laughing their butts off throughout every second of it?

    So, is "More Cowbell" the greatest ever? What are the other contenders?
    Blue Öyster Cult's Albert Bouchard Explains the Cowbell that Spawned The "More Cowbell" "SNL" Skit

    Rich
    "Failure is Not a Destination"
    Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington DC
    Schweddy balls, Bad Idea Jeans, Lazy Sunday, D*** in a Box, the skit where Kate McKinnon is abducted by aliens, and John Tesh creating the NBC basketball song are some of my favorite non-recurring sketches. But More Cowbell is the one seed.

  10. #10
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    Feb 2007
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    Chesapeake, VA.
    Quote Originally Posted by fidel View Post
    Oh heck yeah on Foley. Same uncontrollable laughter.

    This one is my all-time favorite. 'Jack SQUAT!!!' Lol

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
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    On the Road to Nowhere
    Quote Originally Posted by mkirsh View Post
    Schweddy balls, Bad Idea Jeans, Lazy Sunday, D*** in a Box, the skit where Kate McKinnon is abducted by aliens, and John Tesh creating the NBC basketball song are some of my favorite non-recurring sketches. But More Cowbell is the one seed.
    Several of those are recurring characters. I'll have to check out the ones I don't recognize, always need a laugh.

  12. #12
    Stuart Smalley and Michael Jordan




    For recurring Point Counterpoint with Jane Curtin and Dan Ackroyd

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    Farrell apparently did the rehearsals in a regular shirt, and did not tell anyone he planned to switch to that shirt when on the air.

    Other sketches? I’ll nominate The Dead Parrot sketch although a bunch of Python could qualify as a contender.

    Is “Who’s on First” a sketch?
    It's interesting (to me) that some sketches are superior at first listen, others after repeat re-viewings and re-tellings. The Dead Parrot is the former, Cowbells the latter. Imo. Both are favorites but I'm partial to the parrot. I think it was because I was listening to Monty Python albums at the time. So much brilliance.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skydog View Post
    It's interesting (to me) that some sketches are superior at first listen, others after repeat re-viewings and re-tellings. The Dead Parrot is the former, Cowbells the latter. Imo. Both are favorites but I'm partial to the parrot. I think it was because I was listening to Monty Python albums at the time. So much brilliance.
    I love The Argument Sketch and the Four Yorkshireman sketch a lot too. Brilliant stuff.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Schweddy Balls, Cowbell, and Down by the River are probably the ones I quote the most.

    A couple of years ago, I was on the phone with a friend in San Fran about how I had to pollinate my tomatillo plants b/c I learned late that they were not self-pollinating. She asked me if dressed like a giant bee like John Belushi. Now an ongoing joke about my neighbors calling the Sheriff on me b/c I am dressed like a bee while pollinating my garden.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    New Orleans, Louisiana
    Humor is subjective, and I'll stick with discussing SNL for now.

    "More Cowbell" appeals to me because it is both obscure and ridiculous. I think that every other occasion Will Ferrell shows his body dilutes the value of this sketch, but it still holds up.

    My all-time favorite is "White Like Me", which aired 37 years ago. It is atypical for SNL in that it is long, pre-taped, and features only one cast member.



    In the modern era, SNL relies too heavily on skits in the game show format, but they have frequently struck gold. I'm sure there are some very good commercial parodies and political sketches, but if I find myself in a YouTube rabbit hole, these are the SNL clips I'm most likely to rewatch.

    Bill Hader Division

    What's That Name?
    Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney?
    Who's On Top?

    Non-Bill Hader Division

    Meet Your Second Wife
    Black Jeopardy! with Chadwick Boseman
    Black Jeopardy! with Tom Hanks

    I like the Celebrity Jeopardy! skits as well, but none of them stand out to me.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
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    Raleigh, NC
    It was my understanding there would be no math.

    Everything else is fighting for second place.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimsumner View Post
    It was my understanding there would be no math.

    Everything else is fighting for second place.
    Political skits are some of my favorites.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by OldPhiKap View Post
    Political skits are some of my favorites.
    Some of the Bill Clinton, GWB, and Palin skits were not only hilarious but also pretty important in defining the perceived personalities of those three.

    Having listened to Monica Lewinsky talk as an adult about her experiences, I do regret laughing at some of those.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by bundabergdevil View Post
    Some of the Bill Clinton, GWB, and Palin skits were not only hilarious but also pretty important in defining the perceived personalities of those three.

    Having listened to Monica Lewinsky talk as an adult about her experiences, I do regret laughing at some of those.
    I also liked the Chevy Chase Gerald Ford (referenced by jimsumner), the Dana Carvey GHWB and the Dan Akroyd Bob Dole.

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