I've been watching Saturday Night Live since its inception in 1975. In its first season, local NBC affiliate WBAL didn't carry it, in the apparent belief that the show would not be a success, so in those pre-cable days, we played with the rabbit ears on the Philco to get the snowy picture from channel 4 in Washington.
But those were the halcyon days of SNL, and even though the show is still grinding out the laughs now in its 51st season, it's not the same.
Time was, the talk around the water cooler on Monday mornings and church narthices on Sundays was what the Coneheads said on Saturday, or Emily Litella's confusion over sax and violins or "Cheeburger cheeburger" or I don’t know what-all else. The show was a cultural touchstone for decades, but it’s lost a few steps, and most of its relevance.
I still watch, but it's not live for me anymore on a rabbit-eared portable TV. We lived through that and the VCR era, and now the magical DVR records new episodes. The first of the new season aired this past Saturday Night, and it was Live, but barely alive.
Listen, I know I'm not cool anymore, if I ever was, and maybe I don't know Bad Bunny from Bunny Halper
(Sid's wife on "Make Room For Daddy") but doggone it, they had since May to get batteries for that Grand Central Station clock that's a prominent part of their set, so that it would say 11:30 when show time hit.
I guess no one had the time.
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