Sometimes it takes actual music notes to make a Saturday Night Live sketch sing.
In the sixth episode of SNL‘s digital short series The Rundown, Questlove—frontman of The Tonight Show‘s house band The Roots, and director of last year’s Ladies and Gentlemen, 50 Years of SNL Music documentary—is tasked with choosing one of more than thirty musical sketches from over the decades to add to the show’s all-star “fantasy” episode lineup.
In The Rundown‘s premiere, Colin Jost broke down the Cold Open writing process before picking—from a cork board full of memorable options—the sketch he’d use to kick off this “fantasy” episode: Season 34’s CBS News interview between Katie Couric (played by Amy Poehler) and Sarah Palin (Tina Fey).
In Episode 2, SNL alum Dana Carvey surveyed and discussed dozens of great sketches before choosing the “Wayne’s World” installment featuring Aerosmith to lead out of the monologue.
Next up was Bowen Yang (taped whilst still on the cast), who considered Roseanne Roseannadanna, “Opera Man,” and other recurring “Weekend Update” guests before locking in on Stefon.
Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidell then pored over assorted parodies, TV Funhouse installments and short films, in the name of selecting a few pre-taped sketches for this “fantasy” ep.
Most recently, Chloe Fineman cycled through some of the best celebrity impressions served up over the decades before singling out Kristen Wiig’s lamp switch-challenged Liza Minelli.
Now it is time to populate the rundown with a musical sketch. Among the many offerings Questlove considers are Kenan Thompson’s “What Up With That?” ft. Robin Williams and Robert De Niro, a rapping Jim Belushi, Christopher Walken’s fervent need for “more cowbell,” and Maya Rudolph’s run-filled rendition of the national anthem.
Press play above to see where Questlove’s musical quest leads him.
