9/20/2023 0 Comments Dont fear the reaper![]() They found Ferrell's acting, along with Walken's stone-faced performance, so funny that they were all on the verge of corpsing and ruining the sketch several times. The actors who appeared in the sketch had trouble keeping straight faces. Ferrell re-wrote the sketch when Christopher Walken was scheduled to host to fit the actor's rhythm. ![]() According to Seth Meyers, who served as head writer several seasons later, the sketch was submitted over seven times before making the show. SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels was unsure about the premise, though the sketch played well among crew at the table read. Ferrell first submitted it for the episode with Norm Macdonald as host, which aired on October 23, 1999. Will Ferrell's idea for the sketch came from hearing "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" over the years: "Every time I heard, I would hear the faint cowbell in the background and wonder, 'What is that guy's life like? '" He co-wrote the sketch with friend and playwright Donnell Campbell. Production Will Ferrell, seen here in 2010, wrote the sketch. Christopher Walken as music producer " The Bruce Dickinson".Horatio Sanz as Joe Bouchard on bass guitar.Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom on lead vocals and guitar.Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle on cowbell.Jimmy Fallon as Albert Bouchard (incorrectly referred to as Bobby) on drums.The sketch ends with a freeze frame on Frenkle with the superimposed message: "In Memoriam: Gene Frenkle: 1950–2000." In the end, the band agrees to let Frenkle play the cowbell part his way. Frenkle makes an impromptu speech to the rest of the band, declaring that Dickinson's stature lends a great deal of weight to his opinion about the cowbell part and that the last time he (Frenkle) checked, they didn't have "a whole lot of songs that feature the cowbell" and therefore he would be "doing himself a disservice, and every member of the band" if he "didn't perform the hell out of this". The rest of the band expresses frustration with Frenkle, but Dickinson remains focused only on getting more cowbell onto the track. He passive-aggressively plays the cowbell very close to Eric Bloom ( Chris Parnell)'s ear and fails to keep time with the rest of the band. Frenkle's exuberance in following this advice causes him to bump into his bandmates as he dances around the cramped studio, thrusting his pelvis wildly in all directions, and the band aborts another take.Īfter the other members voice their frustrations with the instrument, Frenkle sheepishly agrees to tone down his performance in the spirit of cooperation. Dickinson, to the surprise of most of the band, asks for "a little more cowbell" and suggests that the cowbell player, Gene Frenkle ( Will Ferrell), "really explore the studio space this time". The first take seems to go well but the band stops playing because the cowbell part is rather loud and distracting. The producer (played by Christopher Walken) introduces himself as " The Bruce Dickinson" and tells the band they have "what appears to be a dynamite sound". Synopsis Īn episode of VH1's Behind the Music documenting the band Blue Öyster Cult showcases footage of the group from a 1976 recording session that produced the band's biggest hit, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper". As a result of its popularity, "more cowbell" became an American pop culture catchphrase, and has even entered the dictionary. The sketch is considered one of the greatest SNL sketches ever made in many "best of" lists of SNL sketches, it is often placed in the top ten (ranked number nine by Rolling Stone, for example). The sketch also features Chris Parnell as Eric Bloom, Jimmy Fallon as Bobby Rondinelli, Chris Kattan as Buck Dharma and Horatio Sanz as Joe Bouchard. The sketch stars guest host Christopher Walken as music producer " The Bruce Dickinson", and Ferrell as fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle, whose overzealous playing annoys his bandmates but pleases producer Dickinson. The sketch was written by regular cast member Will Ferrell and playwright Donnell Campbell and depicts the recording of the song " (Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult. " More Cowbell" is a comedy sketch that aired on Saturday Night Live on April 8, 2000. " The Bruce Dickinson" ( Christopher Walken) demands "more cowbell"
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |