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This isn't my usual fare, but we gotta mix it up a bit from time to time to keep this place fresh and not always so serious.
Added bonus: a ten minute video of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese with legendary comedian Don Rickles. In it, Rickles reminisces about his heyday in the Vegas of the 50s and 60s, and how the mafiosos treated him and other talent wonderfully.
Rickles owed much of his career to the incredible amount of support that he received from Frank Sinatra. The first time that he ever saw Sinatra was when the singer was in the audience at one of his early shows. Rickles went for it on stage and said "Hi Frank. Make yourself at home and hit somebody". The audience loved it, and so did Frank.. An lifelong friendship was born that night.
There's a story of Sinatra and Rickles at a table with a group of people in Vegas. An angry Sinatra picks up the ketchup bottle and throws it against the wall, shattering it. Rickles takes a half-second then says, "Frank can you please pass the ketchup?"
Piscopo is a New Jersey nationalist, and I think he represents the median Tri-State Area Italian-American very well in that he is an ex-Dem who is now a Trump diehard. Staten Island is where Trump won by the biggest margin in the USA, IIRC.
I don't have any family in NJ, but there is one family from my village who live in Clifton. We visited them back in 1993.
I know very well and am close friends with plenty of NJ Italian-Americans (and some SI I-A too). They are pretty much in lockstep in this shift. Thankfully, I no longer live in NJ.
SNL of the 1970s was virtually an American version of Monty Python. Though I can't speak authoritatively of something I never actually saw, I gather post-1980 SNL never had the same edge.
There was a pretty funny sketch this week about Instagram comments that I watched online Sunday. The guest hostess, who apparently was famous for bashing the episode's musical guest Jennifer Lopez in an Instagram comment some years ago, had a good comedic sense but very cold eyes
Fun fact: back in the day, Phil was a graphic artist, and designed the album cover for Poco (formed by ex-members of Buffalo Springfield, sans Neil Young).
SNL was terrible from the drop. There aren’t any golden years or many cast members who got out untainted (hot, hot hot take: Bill Murray and Phil Hartman. Fin.)
Fond memories of Joe Piscopo though. Always seemed like a nice enough guy.
I remember staying up late to watch SCTV on a crappy little black and white television when it was first aired. I wasn’t quite old enough to get all the jokes but I loved every moment of it.
Joe Piscopo not being able to call Sinatra by his first name even after all the adulation reminds me of when Taleb was asked about Skallas and said to ignore half of what he says
Nick Land is way more dismissive of his peers than he is of fans of anime. When he was still a professional philosopher Land wrote that academic prose inspired dreams of cities burnt to ash. Insight like that makes Land worth reading in the first place.
I am disappointed that he turned down your request for an interview, Niccolo, but also reassured that Land did so.
An interview would not do him justice. While alive he deserves a cameo appearance in a film by David Lynch. When he dies Land deserves a viking funeral with academics chained to the deck of the ship burning alongside him so that they can serve him in the afterlife.
A friend of mine who worked in the entertainment industry once met Sinatra briefly when the singer toured Australia. He said Sinatra was a genuine gentleman, always considerate towards the support staff in the industry and a pleasure to meet.
He was very, very organized in how he arranged people in his life. Towards the end, he needed a new drummer as his previous one had passed away. The drummer was touring with him for over a year before Sinatra finally asked him to join him and the rest of the band for a post-concert drink.
"The reason I waited so long was because I needed a new drummer, not a new drinking buddy."
Late 80s - early 90s SNL is my vintage too. Sprockets, Lothar of the Hill People, John Malkovich as Johnny Canal (https://youtu.be/F42qmFHNM-M?si=yg9X_njjbzSD7cxg), Weekend Update with Dennis Miller, Church Lady...and anything with Phil Hartman. Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer...
Yeah. He's had a lot of bad luck in his life. First came the heart operation that the surgeon fucked up and that almost killed him. Recently, one of his sons died of a drug OD.
My parents (who to this day curse Hartman’s wife, the one who killed him) owned a vhs tape of Hartman’s greatest hits on SNL that I watched A LOT. I was a young child at the time so I didn’t get a lot of it, but Hartman was so good I still laughed (especially the anal-retentive chef and cave man attorney skits).
Are you a fan of the movie he did with Sinbad, “Houseguest”?
For me, Hartman is the greatest. Even when he was just in a supporting role in a sketch, he still gave it his all, making it better than it should have ever been.
Hit the like button at the top or bottom of this page to like this entry. Use the share and/or re-stack buttons to share this across social media. Leave a comment if the mood strikes you to do so. And don't forget to subscribe if you haven't done so already.
This isn't my usual fare, but we gotta mix it up a bit from time to time to keep this place fresh and not always so serious.
Added bonus: a ten minute video of Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese with legendary comedian Don Rickles. In it, Rickles reminisces about his heyday in the Vegas of the 50s and 60s, and how the mafiosos treated him and other talent wonderfully.
Rickles owed much of his career to the incredible amount of support that he received from Frank Sinatra. The first time that he ever saw Sinatra was when the singer was in the audience at one of his early shows. Rickles went for it on stage and said "Hi Frank. Make yourself at home and hit somebody". The audience loved it, and so did Frank.. An lifelong friendship was born that night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebCgfiUI7Vo
There's a story of Sinatra and Rickles at a table with a group of people in Vegas. An angry Sinatra picks up the ketchup bottle and throws it against the wall, shattering it. Rickles takes a half-second then says, "Frank can you please pass the ketchup?"
Ha!
Absolutely fantastic, thanks for posting that
Glad you enjoyed it. I had a fun time putting it together. Please share it with others who you think would enjoy it.
Definitely up there with best all-time sketches.
Sinatra: "Steve, kick his ass."
Steve (Mike Myers): (Momentarily confused, but immediately regains composure) "Okay!"
"Milli Vanilli, what is this faggot crap" is an all-time line
Thanks, Nic. As a NJ guy who grew up in the 70s/80s. this is gold!
Piscopo is a New Jersey nationalist, and I think he represents the median Tri-State Area Italian-American very well in that he is an ex-Dem who is now a Trump diehard. Staten Island is where Trump won by the biggest margin in the USA, IIRC.
I don't have any family in NJ, but there is one family from my village who live in Clifton. We visited them back in 1993.
I know very well and am close friends with plenty of NJ Italian-Americans (and some SI I-A too). They are pretty much in lockstep in this shift. Thankfully, I no longer live in NJ.
Thank you for the entertaining essay. I'm afraid I never saw a minute of SNL after 1980 because WHY WOULD I?
I gave up by the time Will Ferrell showed up. I like him, but the show wasn't enjoyable for me by that point.
SNL of the 1970s was virtually an American version of Monty Python. Though I can't speak authoritatively of something I never actually saw, I gather post-1980 SNL never had the same edge.
A lot from the 70s hasn't held up well. They had sketches with Muppets very early on, for example.
There was a pretty funny sketch this week about Instagram comments that I watched online Sunday. The guest hostess, who apparently was famous for bashing the episode's musical guest Jennifer Lopez in an Instagram comment some years ago, had a good comedic sense but very cold eyes
Phil Hartman was a genius...
Fun fact: back in the day, Phil was a graphic artist, and designed the album cover for Poco (formed by ex-members of Buffalo Springfield, sans Neil Young).
He also came up with the Pee Wee Herman character, later popularized by Paul Reubens.
Hartman wasn't just the glue on SNL. The Simpsons have been not-good since he died.
I had heard that, but never looked it up to confirm.
The album art I refer to is the cover for "Legend".
Speaking of organized crime and Phil Hartman, his one-scene appearance in So I Married an Axe Murderer is hilarious https://youtu.be/QOYeW864w3Q?si=K-i2YTili12JzfBk
One of my favorite movies and scenes of all time. "Vicki." The 'look'...😂😂😂
“i got chunks of guys like you in my stool” phil hartman as sinatra to sting’s billy idol. ☠️
One of my favorite SNL lines, and one that I manage to work in my conversations from time-to-time…
phil hartman. i still miss him.
Hot take:
SNL was terrible from the drop. There aren’t any golden years or many cast members who got out untainted (hot, hot hot take: Bill Murray and Phil Hartman. Fin.)
Fond memories of Joe Piscopo though. Always seemed like a nice enough guy.
It's not a fair comparison on my part, but SCTV > SNL
100%
I remember staying up late to watch SCTV on a crappy little black and white television when it was first aired. I wasn’t quite old enough to get all the jokes but I loved every moment of it.
If you grew up in Canada in the 80s or 90s, you got to see all the seasons with the episodes edited into excellent 30 minute sets.
Joe Piscopo not being able to call Sinatra by his first name even after all the adulation reminds me of when Taleb was asked about Skallas and said to ignore half of what he says
"Never knew you had a book"
Nick Land is way more dismissive of his peers than he is of fans of anime. When he was still a professional philosopher Land wrote that academic prose inspired dreams of cities burnt to ash. Insight like that makes Land worth reading in the first place.
I am disappointed that he turned down your request for an interview, Niccolo, but also reassured that Land did so.
An interview would not do him justice. While alive he deserves a cameo appearance in a film by David Lynch. When he dies Land deserves a viking funeral with academics chained to the deck of the ship burning alongside him so that they can serve him in the afterlife.
A friend of mine who worked in the entertainment industry once met Sinatra briefly when the singer toured Australia. He said Sinatra was a genuine gentleman, always considerate towards the support staff in the industry and a pleasure to meet.
People have no idea how much that means
He was very, very organized in how he arranged people in his life. Towards the end, he needed a new drummer as his previous one had passed away. The drummer was touring with him for over a year before Sinatra finally asked him to join him and the rest of the band for a post-concert drink.
"The reason I waited so long was because I needed a new drummer, not a new drinking buddy."
Late 80s - early 90s SNL is my vintage too. Sprockets, Lothar of the Hill People, John Malkovich as Johnny Canal (https://youtu.be/F42qmFHNM-M?si=yg9X_njjbzSD7cxg), Weekend Update with Dennis Miller, Church Lady...and anything with Phil Hartman. Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer...
After Norm, Dennis Miller was the best news guy. Even Lovitz was great during that era, especially his very hammy "Master Thespian".
Dana Carvey deserved a better career. Just an unreal talent.
Yeah. He's had a lot of bad luck in his life. First came the heart operation that the surgeon fucked up and that almost killed him. Recently, one of his sons died of a drug OD.
I always thought he should play a zany high school teacher in some popular teen movie to show himself to the younger generations.
Is Land on substack ?
Yes, but he hasn't posted anything in a while. You can find his link on my main page at bottom right.
The best part of Black and White is 345-350 “I am black and you are white...’
(Frank/Joe)’ You are blind as a bat and I have sight.”
🤣
My parents (who to this day curse Hartman’s wife, the one who killed him) owned a vhs tape of Hartman’s greatest hits on SNL that I watched A LOT. I was a young child at the time so I didn’t get a lot of it, but Hartman was so good I still laughed (especially the anal-retentive chef and cave man attorney skits).
Are you a fan of the movie he did with Sinbad, “Houseguest”?
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Never saw Houseguest.
For me, Hartman is the greatest. Even when he was just in a supporting role in a sketch, he still gave it his all, making it better than it should have ever been.