Over the years people have constantly asked me about my rock and roll days as the keyboard player for the Greg Kihn Band. Well as I was going through the archives I found and old videotape of Saturday Night Live. The episode featured Howard Cosell as the guest host and The Greg Kihn Band (and me) the musical guest. I thought I would share a few stories about my trip to New York and my week with the cast of Saturday Night Live. The guys in the band at the time were Greg Kihn, Steve Wright, Greg Douglas(ex Steve Miller), Tylor Eng(ex Elvin Bishop), and me Pat Mosca.
When we arrived at our hotel it was first class as well as right in the heart of Manhattan. The hotel was crawling with movie stars, as it was the hotel of choice for all the TV shows in town. U2 was staying right next door to me and I went to their show later that night at the Meadowlands arena.
The next day was our first rehearsal and I was exited to meet Howard Cosell (the father of Monday Night Football). When we got there we watched as Howard went through the script working on his first skit. We were all amazed that Howard after reading his script one time, had it completely memorized it for the rest of the week. Howard proved to be a really fun and entertaining guy to hang out with. When were first introduced to Howard it was an unbelievable memory. His manager walked him into the dressing room and one by one he shook your hand, and with the skills of a expert broadcaster, he would insert your name into a fictitious set of sports statistics, as if you were a famous ball player. For example: Pat Mosca, Pro Bowl running back with over 1000 yards rushing, He rushed for 1,559 yards and 28 touchdowns in 1999, in addition to 301 receiving yards and four more scores through the air. To hear something like that with your name and his famous voice was really a gift. It was really generous of him; we were all in awe.
The rest of the week we rehearsed our spot in the show, dined and hung out with the cast which included: Jim Belushi, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Mary Gross, Harry Shearer, Gary Kroeger and Pamela Stepheson.
On Saturday Night we did the show for the first audience and they videotaped the show. The skits were evaluated and the least funniest are removed. The show is shortened to the final 60 min. and repeated. A fresh new audience is brought in for the live show. Since this was SNLs tenth anniversary show they were having a huge party afterwards and to our surprise the fresh new audience turned out to be full of stars, former cast members, TV executives and the like. It was a vary intimidating audience.
The show went well and afterwards there was a huge cast party in Rockefeller Center so we spent the rest of the night partying with all the cast members and a few hotties as well.
| Starring: |
Howard Cosell/Greg Kihn is the eighteenth episode of the tenth season of Saturday Night Live.
| SKETCHES |
| Cold Opening: Willie & Frankie |
| Monologue: Howard Cosell |
| Sketch: Ed Grimley |
| Sketch: Inside Out |
| Sketch: Girl Olympics |
| Sketch: Howard Cosell gets Bar Mitzvahed |
| Show: Sports Beat with Tony Minetti |
| Saturday Night News: Christopher Guest |
| Musical Guest: Greg Kihn performs “Boys Won’t” |
| Sketch: Fernando’s Hideway |
| Sketch: Red Guys Rap |
| Sketch: Good Sex with Dr. Ruth |
| Musical Guest: Greg Kihn performs “Lucky” |
| Goodnights |
Live from New York, it’s… Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest! Sketches include “Willie and Frankie In The Crew,” “Ed Grimley In The Hospital,” “Inside Out,” “Howard’s Bar Mitzvah,” “Run, Catch, and Throw Like a Girl Olympics,” “Sports Beat,” “Fernando’s Hideaway,” “Rappin’ Russkies,” and “Good Sex.” Greg Kihn performed “Boys Won’t” and “Lucky.”
WILLIE & FRANKIE IN THE CREW: Boom mike operators Willie and Frankie talk about their self-inflicted pain. (Crystal, Guest) MONOLOGUE: Howard Cosell talks about his own saturday night show that debuted in 1975 with the same name as “Saturday Night Live.” (Cosell) ED GRIMLEY IN THE HOSPITAL: A mob hitman mistakes Ed Grimley as a crime boss he is supposed to kill. (Cosell, Belushi, Guest, Kroeger, Short) INSIDE OUT: Talk show host is easily amused by all surprises by spitting her water out at guests. (Gross, Louis-Dreyfus, Stephenson) RUN, THROW & CATCH LIKE A GIRL OLYMPICS: Howard Cosell gives commentary for the sissy-boy competition. (Cosell, Belushi, Gross, Hall, Kroeger, Louis-Dreyfus, Short, Stephenson, Larry David, Jim Downey) HOWARD’S BAR MITZVAH: Little Howard Cosell upsets his parents by announcing he wants to be a colorman when he grows up. (Cosell, Crystal, Guest, Larry David) SPORTS BEAT: An interview with septegenarian Tony Minetti and his return to the boxing ring. (Cosell, Crystal, Guest) SATURDAY NIGHT NEWS: Christopher Guest jots down a list of Frenchmen who enjoy sex; Nathan Thurm believes there is nothing wrong with the Ringling Bros. unicorn; Dwight MacNamara explains why the news clip is so filthy; Robert Latta returns from spring training with new baseball cards with him in the photos. (Guest, Hall, Kroeger, Short) ”BOYS WON’T”: (Kihn) FERNANDO’S HIDEAWAY: Howard Cosell listens to Fernando Lamas’ words of wisdom in show business. (Cosell, Crystal) A COUPLE OF RED GUYS: Soviet Union defecters rap about their plight. (Belushi, Kroeger) GOOD SEX: Dr. Seuss proves that he doesn’t know anything about sexual gratification. (Cosell, Gross, Hall) ”LUCKY”: (Kihn)
