Last Night's SNL with Steve Martin and Prince

Call me old school. Call me a 'Saturday Night Live' purist. You can also call me delighted when I first heard Steve Martin would be hosting SNL on February 4th with the musical guest Prince. Whoa! A reason to watch SNL! A reason not to watch the 'C.S.I.' reruns or hit the sack early!

Y'see, I'm one of those who had to watch 'Saturday Night Live' before VCRs were about back in the 70s. I remember I was in college in upstate NY when the show had its debut. That area's NBC affiliate refused to carry the premiere as it was so avant garde for the times. Oh, my! Just what would these whacked out Not Ready for Primetime Players say or do on live television at that hour? There was an outrage and the area got its SNL from the second show on. (Remember, we were revolutionaries and all... we knew how to get action!)

In those golden years of SNL, Steve Martin was more than a guest host. He was, although not an official cast member, a huge part of what made SNL so great during those years of Curtain, Ackroyd, Belushi, Chase and more. We got small while watching him, ran out and bought condos made of stone-o, wore mismatched tight pants and shirts while being wild and crazy guys and walked around pointing our index fingers skyward. Oh. And somewhere around I have my banjo and arrow through my head tiara. I think of 'Saturday Night Live' and it's those days, Steve Martin and that cast, which comes immediately to mind. These days I can take or leave the show (mostly leave it). I know I'm not the hip young demographic they want for the audience, whereas I certainly was that demographic for the show's early years.

Ah, but to last night...
An almost classic opening with Steve offing a Baldwin so he could be the guest host with the most appearances. I was snickering before I even heard the words, "It's Saturday Night Live!" For nearly the first hour, Steve was in every skit full of his Steveness and showing he still rocks after all these years. He definitely got in some promo ties for his new 'Pink Panther' movie, but he also shined. From the Viagra Meter opening to the "Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford" skit to "Quick Zoom Theater" to the "Oprah - It's the truth that it's a lie" skit, he had me going. I think my favorite skit of the night was his corporate appearance (hoping to hype 'Pink Panther') which turned out to be for Hamas. "Should I be known as an anti-Semite or should I publicize 'Pink Panther' ? What would the studio want me to do?" He was a hoot in the skit!

Then there's Prince. I like Prince. I've always liked Prince. After all, all the critics in New York love him. His first song was great -- a rocking bluesy song about "Ain't No Fury Like a Woman Scorned." It had me boogeying in my chair a bit. His second song, not so much, but still decent.

Hey, I know Prince has had some rather um... unusual times (like when he wanted to be known as a symbol), but talent? He's got it. He can rock; he can dance; he's theatrical; he can sing the blues; he's innovative and creative and he's always an interesting show. Thumbs up to his appearance last night! The only thing which would have been better is if he had burst into the "Prince Show" skit.

I don't know if it's that I'm living in the past, perhaps that's why last night's 'SNL' really hit home and most of the current stuff -- with the exception of the news update segment with Tina Fey -- misses its mark with me. I just don't know. But I thank 'Saturday Night Live' (and Steve Martin and Prince) for last night's show. It brought back a bit of the magic of the show for me.