Live From My Laptop!
Live From My Laptop!
From left to right: John Mulaney, Bill Hader, and Colin Jost on Weekend Update | Still courtesy of Will Heath/NBC
Long breaks from school always left me disoriented. The launch into a sedentary routine after the utter chaos of deadlines and final exams usually left my body out of balance. I’d even get the silly idea of missing school, which is ridiculous coming from a teenager, but I can’t help it! As stereotypically Gen Z as it sounds, I spent my days watching videos on the internet to try and pass the time. During the Christmas break of 2016, I happened upon a set of videos that would affect me far more than I could ever expect.
Author’s journal entry from 2017
Now I don’t remember the specifics of how Stefon came into my life. All I can recall is my stomach hurting and my eyes watering from laughing so hard at the insane string of words he had prepared for the week’s segment: sentences filled to the brim with niche American pop culture references that it almost felt like I was listening to an alien warble on camera instead of a celebrated impressionist in Ed Hardy garb. And without even realizing it, I’ve consumed so much of this character that I’ve learned all the names of the people responsible for his existence. Bill Hader was the performer, Seth Meyers was his lover, John Mulaney was the writer, Wally held the cue cards, and Lorne Michaels was their boss. Some of these names I was only peripherally familiar with, but that didn’t stop me from delving deeper into this side of YouTube. Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and within the first month of 2017, I had found myself completely enthralled by the American cultural institution of Saturday Night Live.
SNL49 cast on stage for their Mother’s Day monologue | Still courtesy of Will Heath/NBC
I was mostly unfamiliar with Saturday Night Live, having grown up between Qatar and the Philippines. The concept, however, wasn’t a complete mystery since I was young enough to experience the heydays of Bubble Gang and Goin’ Bulilit. So what was it about the show that drew me in? For one, the ridiculously crass music of the Andy Samberg-led boyband (yes, boyband) The Lonely Island was inescapable during my middle school years, which makes him the only familiar face in a sea of 167 comedians. Or so I thought. Once I took the time to acquaint myself with all the people on my screen, I started to notice that I’ve known and laughed with them for longer.
Take Kristen Wiig, for example. Bridesmaids made me weep just as much as it grossed me out (to this day, I cannot stomach the food poisoning scene), and Maya Rudolph, whose voice acting is as prolific as her on-screen character work. And don’t get me started on Fred Armisen, who’s been a notable agent of chaos for as long as I’ve had access to television. I could go on and on about different cast members from other seasons and eras, but all of this to say that the strong connection I was feeling towards the show wasn’t just a fleeting fixation on one Weekend Update character; it was a culmination of all the love I had for film and television leading me to the source. It wasn’t a discovery, it was a homecoming.
I grew up on a steady diet of comedies. Some were less age-appropriate than others, but all equally left a definitive mark on my taste. SNL alums like Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy were pillars in our household, along with Chris Rock, Kevin James, Jim Carrey (the owner of my heart), and Rob Schneider (the bearer of my hatred). They were a much-needed source of levity from the humdrum of work and school. The most remarkable thing about growing up with these comedy giants is how they don’t just remain as a relic of their era, but like any great artist, they grow and evolve with you as time goes on.
I first met Sandler as a child when he played an architect with a magical universal remote in Click and was re-introduced to him as a teenager when he played a love-struck toilet plunger salesman in Punch Drunk Love. Same goes for Carrey. I only ever saw him as the man from The Mask until a Tumblr rabbit hole led me to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Two absolute juggernauts in their field who also happen to be the stars of two of my favorite movies in the entire world. Two movies that I credit with shaping my worldview and relationship with art in general—What luck! Like an elaborate set-up and punchline, the string of fate had spun the perfect set of circumstances for me to connect with these works when I needed them most. They’ve brought pure joy and utter devastation through my screens in ways only comedians of their caliber are capable of doing so. It’s unsurprising how performers like them have completely taken over my life to this very day.
SNL44 cast performing the Sandler Family Reunion sketch | Still courtesy of Will Heath/NBC
It’s crazy to think that without Bill Hader, I wouldn’t have discovered the Criterion Collection. This is a fact. If I hadn’t obsessively consumed every piece of media about him available online, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon Bill Hader’s DVD Picks, and this massive archive of essential films would have been a mystery to me. Without Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, there wouldn’t be female-led raunchy comedies like Mean Girls and all that came after to keep my sisters and I laughing until the wee hours of the night. Without Tim Robinson, I wouldn’t have been introduced to a bizarro genre of comedy that requires Herculean levels of commitment that I can only aspire to practice in my day-to-day life. Without Julio Torres, I wouldn’t have known that there’s an artist out there who possesses the same delicate eccentricity that I’ve been trying to convey through my art in my whole career. Without Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island, the very concept of a YouTube viral video wouldn’t exist now as it permanently altered the state of the internet, which led me down this path in the first place. And without Saturday Night Live, I wouldn’t have been introduced to these incredible people at all.
Chalk it up to a random chain of events that I’m putting way too much meaning into, or maybe it’s some sort of comic kismet. All I know is that this summer is going to feel empty without a fresh set of sketches on my feed every week. I’ve had passing daydreams of working on Saturday Night Live, getting hired as a cast member, being honored with the opportunity to host, and—the most achievable one—having a front row seat during a live taping. But even if I go through life without having experienced any of this, the time I’ve spent with the show and all the people involved won’t go in vain. The immeasurable joy it provides is enough to keep me going through this less-than-humorous line-up of acts that we call life. All that’s certain about this existence and the show is the group of people you love waving goodbye and goodnight as the music swells and the clock ticks, signaling that your time’s up. But I’m not worried though, I know it’s not the last time that I’ll be seeing them.
