Make Me Laugh

Last night I saw Alex Edelman at City Winery (I’m not boasting), but laughed my ass off. So cathartically healthy. I needed it after another day in our crazy world of surreal politics, the volatility of the market, news of this asshole or that one. I’m trying to ignore the chaos in the wake of Trump’s wrecking ball of a presidency and focus, if not obsess, on other things happening right now—perhaps it is a healthy antidote, perhaps not, but I’m trying. Besides a deep dive into all things work related at City Winery, I have also been blown away by SNL50 over the past few months. Tremendous kudos to Loren Michael’s and the amazing legacy of Saturday Night Live. We all knew it was a great television concept, comedy and music, celebrity, live from New York, but the success of such a positive cultural influence is one for NY to be proud of, not embarrassed like we are of DJT.

This is not a review of the various SNL50 specials that have all aired recently--the star studded live from NY on Sunday night, the Live music at Radio City on Friday night, and the musical special on the 50 years that are all over the media. It also touched home personally, which I forgot how connected we all were to people on the show. Sad to see many friends, especially my pal Hal Willner who was deeply behind the scenes there until his unfortunate death during the early days of the pandemic. I mean the show was littered with musicians gone and many that overlapped with the live music I was presenting at the Knitting Factory and City Winery. Seeing Gil Scott Herron, Joey Aries with David Bowie, Phillip Glass, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Sinead O’Connor, Prince, etc. Lenny Pickett, the great saxophonist and musical director in the SNL band lived in the same building as me on Leonard Street when the Knit was in Tribeca in late 90’s. There was a personal and overlapping connection to the show—deeply embedded in the NY music scene which was such a great reminder of what a great City we live in. Anyone in the “biz” had a connection to the show, sneaking into the afterparties, or knowing someone on the crew.

I dug deep in google to find this, but the many interviews with Fred Armisen during the broadcasts looking back at SNL over the years, reminded me of a crazy skit he did going to Austin’s South by Southwest in 1998 and posing as a German radio host and interviewing me. I foolishly answered the questions for real. Then he took my badge and next day pretended to be me…

Anyway, I love City Winery’s current connection to SNL. As we have opened our stage more to comedy, given what seems to be a post pandemic desire for more laughter as chicken soup for the soul, we have had a plethora of comedians from the show grace our stages. This will come out as really flaunting and name dropping. But that is exactly what I am about to do. Live at City Winery, from Saturday Night Live…. From John Mulaney’s sold-out 37-night run, to our on-going series with Michael Che and many nights with Al Franken, we have had Colin Jost, Tina Fey, Pete Davidson, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Kattan, Kevin Nealon, Alex Mofatt, Seth Meyers, Chloe Troast, Punkie Johnson, Mike Myers, Amy Poehler, Colin Quinn, Chris Rock, Sarah Sherman, and some others I have forgotten. How cool is that!

Yes, I am boasting about the great comedy City Winery is connected to. I can’t help it! It is the promoter in me. But I am also saying to come laugh your ass off at any comedy show, ours or in the great rooms all over NYC. It feels good to laugh. Don’t take it too seriously, its comedy. Alex Edelman or Jon Stewart can take highly troubling subject matter like antisemitism, Israel/Gaza relations, homophobia, you name it, and while there is some truth behind the joke, it is humor, meant to make you feel both uncomfortable, but get to your funny bone. That is the point and we need it more today than ever. Thank-you, SNL for pushing the boundaries for 50 years and making us laugh. Thank you anyone for making me laugh.