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Top Comments: My SNL Experiences Edition [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-02-18

I had originally planned to write this week’s diary about a new book I am reading about the Felon’s impeachments, but it will be pushed back to next week. In its place, my diary tonight, as in the past, is inspired by brillig’s diary last night on SNL.

I have been lucky to have two experiences involving SNL. The most recent experience was when I won an auction to visit the set of All In with Chris Hayes to watch the broadcast from inside his studio. This was back in the summer of 2019. I know the year because former Senator Claire McCaskill was the first guest and I got to speak with her before we went into the studio. Me to watch and her as the first guest. Prior to watching the broadcast, I received a tour of some of the NBC studios by one of Chris’ assistants. She showed me around the different MSNBC studios including, what was then, Rachel Maddow’s studio which is also used for most of the major event broadcasts. As part of the tour, she asked me if there were any studios I wanted to see. I told the two studios I wanted to see were David Letterman's old studio as I used to watch him on both NBC and CBS and Studio 8H where SNL is taped.

We went up to David Letterman’s old studio which at the time wasn’t really being used as Seth Meyers taped his show in another studio (Yes, I got to see that one also). I would get to actually be in the audience in that studio not too long after as that is the studio Chris Hayes uses when he does his live audience broadcasts. I have been to a few of them but never got to sit on the floor always in the “bleachers.” Because SNL was on its summer hiatus, we were able to see 8H and look around the halls and stuff. I didn’t get to go down on the floor, but it was cool to see the where the regular audience sat upstairs without anyone else there. Actually that was my second time in Studio 8H. Which leads me to story number two.

I have previously written about my experience at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp which was founded by Paul Newman. Every September, the camp holds an annual Gala where some campers are invited to perform with celebrities to raise money for the camp. I was fortunate enough to be invited three times to be a part of the gala. Back then, both Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward were always a part of the cast so I got to meet them. The first year I went some of the people who came up to be a part of the show were Marisa Tomei, James Naughton, Carole King, Phoebe Snow, and Cy Coleman, who always wrote the original songs we performed. Also in attendance was Alec Baldwin. He and I actually became sort of friends where at the end of the show, he asked me to bring my mom down to the stage so he could meet her. I guess I left an impression. Anyway, he gave my mom his contact info, and we kept in touch for a a few years.

Back in 1998, Alec was set to host the Christmas episode of SNL featuring the famous Schweddy Balls sketch. Knowing this, I reached out to him to see if I could get a couple of tickets to see the live broadcast. While he couldn’t give me tickets to the live broadcast, he was able to get me two tickets to the dress rehearsal. Not only is the dress rehearsal a half hour longer than the live broadcast, but you get to see stuff that doesn’t make it to air because jokes are changed and some sketches are cut for time. Our tickets were front row, dead center in the upper audience seats. I had a perfect view of the opening monologue, Weekend Update and any sketch that did not use the sets to left/right of where the opening monologue happens. The musical guests that night were Luciano Pavarotti and Vanessa Williams. Seeing Pavarotti for free? Yes, please!

I had a blast. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done. We took the train back home and I got to see a bit of the live show when I got back. It was really cool to compare what I saw and what made it on the live show.

I hope everyone is still managing the end of America.

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