I’ve always disliked SNL. I was a bullied kid for much of my childhood, traumatized at home as well, and I didn’t like the spotlight because then the bullies would see me. And when I hit the age where I noticed the comedy stylings of SNL, it was too adult for me. What I do remember the most from that point, though, was the regular videos of Mr. Bill. “Oh, no, it’s Mr. Bill.” He was always being hurt or killed, along with his “Oh, no” laments.
I hated it. And I hated every time someone in school would say “Oh, no, it’s Mr. Bill” when I was nearby. If it wasn’t that, then it was the Abbott and Costello line, which greeted me constantly back then and slightly less often ever since: “Hey, Abbott!” Those were the defining pop culture cliches that dominated my childhood.
In the process, I didn’t get along with SNL. Bill Murray (outside of Ghostbusters) and Chevy Chase were just annoying. I didn’t want to watch SNL. I had a personal grudge. Yes, I kept up with the side projects (Wayne’s World stands out), but I rarely tried watching the show itself. Moments broke through, like the celebrity Jeopardy skit, but I was always resistant to their kind of humor most of the time. And I’ve always had friends who were telling me about the latest SNL bits, which I didn’t care to know about if I could help it. Nobody understood, really, what my problem was. SNL was prime comedy, and it was super popular. If I explained it, I was made to feel I was being too sensitive about it. I watched the history/clip show a few years ago and kind of enjoyed it, but it didn’t make me want to watch it. I can always find the musical guests on YouTube. I didn’t need the rest of it. I was already the uncool kid and teen, and that stain coated me into adulthood.
Am I reconsidering SNL? No. I’m just figuring out and clearly explaining it because it was bothering me. As much as I’ve been a pop culture king, that is one of the outlying lands I’ve never wanted to annex.
Bill Abbott, poet, web page 