As a longtime fan of Saturday Night Live (SNL), I am genuinely thrilled about the upcoming documentary, ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music’. Having grown up watching this iconic show and its remarkable musical performances, I can’t wait to revisit these moments through the eyes of Questlove, a man who has not only contributed significantly to music himself but also showcased an unparalleled ability to weave together stories about music in his Oscar-winning film, ‘Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) is going all out for its 50th anniversary celebration. Apart from the four-part documentary series titled “SNL50: Beyond the Weekend,” which includes behind-the-scenes footage along with interviews from celebrities and cast members, NBC is also working on a separate documentary centered around the musical guests who have graced the show throughout its 50-year history. This documentary has an ideal director in place.
According to Deadline, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who’s known as a drummer for The Roots, a record producer, and a DJ, is set to direct an SNL documentary.
Ahmed Ertegun (Questlove) has quite a bit of experience in the realm of music documentaries. He was behind the scenes for the Academy Award-winning documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which delves into the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The upcoming film, titled Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, will be jointly directed by Oz Rodriguez, a previous musical segment director for SNL.
Regarding the project, Questlove commented, “People are familiar with the most iconic Saturday Night Live performances, such as those by Elvis Costello, Prince, or the Beastie Boys. However, these are just the tip of a massive iceberg… Delving into the extensive archival footage felt like traveling through time in a DeLorean or other vehicle. I’m thrilled that I embarked on this journey and can now let everyone join me on it.
‘SNL’ Has a Rich Musical History to Dive Into
There are numerous iconic performances worth revisiting. For example, Elvis Costello once interrupted his song mid-performance to perform “Radio Radio,” a tune he was asked not to play, resulting in a 12-year ban from the show. Similarly memorable is Ashlee Simpson’s lip-syncing mishap that exposed her tracks malfunctioning and caused her to abruptly end her second song. Lastly, who could forget Sinéad O’Connor’s dramatic gesture of ripping a photo of the pope in half on stage and shouting “Fight the real enemy!”?
Interviews from a Half Century of SNL Music: Featuring Fresh Conversations with Elvis Costello, Bad Bunny, DJ Breakout, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Dave Grohl, Debbie Harry and Chris Stein from Blondie, Mick Jagger, Dua Lipa, Darryl DMC McDaniels (of Run DMC), Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Kacey Musgraves, Olivia Rodrigo, MC Sha-Rack, Paul Simon, Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake, Lee Ving of Fear, and Jack White, among others.
The three-hour long documentary is scheduled for its debut on the 27th of January, 2025. Alongside ‘SNL’ creator Lorne Michaels, Questlove plays an executive role in its production as well.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-12-20 01:01