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The lifespan of recurringSNLsketches goes like this: It airs once.
ThenSNLdoes the sketch twenty more times until people forget why they liked it in the first place.
It did not go viral.
They didnt even bother to put the sketch on YouTubeuntil two years later.
But the show did itagain.
I do still have a cue card from that day that says This could be my penis …
This could be my penis …
This could be my penis … signed by Dave Grohl.
He was kind enough to draw a penis on it.
He seems like the kind of guy whos up for anything.
But I think hes more self-aware than people give him credit.
Maybe thats why Adam Hawk Attack Levine comes so low in my rankings.
Moynihan:Oh my God!
I wouldve had him so much higher.
Adam Hawk Attack Levine was entirely my creation.
Chip So Yeah, Im Single!
Despite being dressed like late 70s Robin Williams, Chip is not a spoof on Robins improvisationally manic stand-up.
Instead, hes just a guy whose act is about his dating failures.
Moynihan:What was his catchphrase, again?
Not in my bait shop!
That was a recurring thing in the making of these sketches.
Pat Carry the Two Baer
28.
Mike Insert Joke Here Henry
27.
Moynihan:These are all based on comedian friends of ours.
The names, at least.
Thats just George Michael in Spanish.
Fred had free rein.
He would just come in and put a costume on.
We didnt necessarily give him a catchphrase.
He would just come up with one on his own.
Jason Sudeikiss character Chris Who Said That?
Bruss is what happens when that dad becomes a touring comedian.
Moynihan:Zach had a really busy week as host and these pre-tapes take a long time.
So we wanted to come up with something that would be really easy for him to do.
Triangle Sally
Kristen Wiig can make even the simplest premise funny.
Moynihan:Triangle Sally was a recurring character who appeared in lots of sketches over the years.
The Squeefy Brothers
The Sklar Brothers dont get enough credit for their stand-up act.
Moynihan:Yes, this was out of love.
Shania In These Shoes?
Tunt
Some of the best creations in these sketches are comedians who could actually pass as the real deal.
With the always incredible Kristen Wiig channeling heavy Whitney Cummings vibes as Shania In These Shoes?
Moynihan:We had to get props to somehow make a sledgehammer that explodes and a watermelon that didnt.
When you see Andy Samberg say, I cant believe that worked!, thats his actual reaction!
Gavin What If It Had Boobs Speiller
The lovechild of Demetri Martin and a frat boy.
If that lovechild had boobs.
Moynihan:This just came from Jay Pharoah not knowing whatBoston Legalwas.
Bramson
Like Bonnie My Vagina Carolina, Dana What Else?
Branson is simultaneously a tribute to a legend (Janeane Garofalo) and commentary on the comedy scene.
The bad kind of false, not the worked on this segue for 18 months false.
Denny A Bit Weird Innit?
No piece of American culture is safe around Cumberbatch, especially not the way we pronounce schedule.
Moynihan:Mick Jagger was very down.
He gave us his time and really just played around.
He even had a couple jokes that he threw in.
He was the best.
I remember that of all the hosts we had on doing the sketch, he was the most down.
Like, I dont know what Im doing, but Ill do it.
As youll soon see, Dr. Velociraptor wasnt even close to his craziest comedian.
Moynihan:Jay used come into my office at 2:00 a.m. as a velociraptor.
It would always half bother me and half make me laugh a great deal.
So it was conceived right there.
I wouldve had her higher.
Vanessa is the best.
This was based off of Rita Rudner, who would perform comedy in a ball gown.
From incorporating syllables as a punchline to using a heavily-marketed hand salute remember the Su Fi?
as a catchphrase, Day will give you mid-2000s comedy PTSD.
Moynihan:That was straight-up all Charlie Day.
We thought Jack Knife!
was the perfect catchphrase.
But it was all Charlie Day.
However, theres no debate when it comes to the makeup.
Moynihan:Black Stewie Griffin was the #1 most terrifying makeup we did in the sketches.
We used the Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy to get Jays weird impressions on.
It was a little hard for Jay on the show because he was boxed into doing all these impressions.
But hes a really good actor.
Boston Powers
9.
In volume 3 of the sketch, were introduced to his arch nemesis, also played by Seth Meyers.
Hes the reason Im on the show.
So I just thought, Im going to write Seth into this and see if hell do it.
And what does he like… Well, he likes the Boston Red Sox.
It gets better, indeed.
Moynihan:And if you mess with him, hell suck your cock.
That was 100% Hader.
Black Joker
The best of Pharaohs distinctly insane characters is Black Joker.
Moynihan:We actually have ten minutes of him doing stand-up as Black Joker.
Hes just doing a perfect Heath Ledger.
The video is somewhere.
Moynihan:I cant believe he isnt in the top 5.
Hes one of the Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy!
Funky Boy, that was all Pauls creation.
is a little outlandish.
If thats the case, like take a moment to watch the stand-up comedy ofAlonzo Hamburger Jones.
Some might call it more of a verbal tic than a catchphrase.
But for disciples of catchphrase comedy, its scripture.
Moynihan:Beef Jelly is easily my #1.
He was named after Dave Winfield the baseball player.
Youll notice that he loves to talk about dookie and eating dookie.
John Mulaney was the one who came up with the idea to always have him talking about dookie.
But its not hilarious just because its fans repeating back a punchline.
Of course shes in the top five … shes Fur Coat Rhonda!
Moynihan:This was based on nothing.
It was simply, What if Abby Elliott was a stand-up comic?
Well, she would be Fur Coat Rhonda.
The audience in the crowd loves Fur Coat Rhonda.
Shes a rock star.
Reen Uh, Houston?
Gordon
Reen Uh, Houston?
We got a husband!
and punctuates it by playing the sound you hear when sitcom characters enter a dream sequence.
Its simple, its funny, and it works.
And I dont doubt that a real-life catchphrase comedian once used it whenApollo 13was in Americas cultural consciousness.
Moynihan:Thats a surprising choice for #3 but Nasim was amazing.
This is the one with the harp, right?
Slappy Pappy
Like Dave Beef Jelly Winfield, Slappy Pappy seems too absurd to be based in reality.
And word-for-word, my line If a Dracula is chasing you, turn around and trip the bitch!
is taken from that special.
Not the word bitch because Sinbad doesnt swear.
But the rest was entirely improvised by me.
White Bernie Mac
Thelate, great Bernie Macused to say in his routine I been black a long time.
I tell it like it is.
Maybe thats why Jason Sudeikis in whiteface doing a spot-on Bernie Mac impression is so viscerally funny to me.
Theres no deeper meaning into it.
Its just White Bernie Mac.
Its five seconds that triggers whatever it is inside my brain that causes guttural laughter.
Moynihan:I am so happy with the placement.
On my list, Id rank him at #2.
White Bernie Mac was a character Jason would do around the office.
And we thought, again, How do we get White Bernie Mac on the air?
These sketches were always so hard to get on the show.
Two made it to air and one was only shown online.
I am so mad we didnt shoot more footage of us all backstage when we were in character.
We couldve made a documentary like the realThe Original Kings of Comedy.
