Over the weekend Lady Gaga was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. She and R Kelly had a bit of choreographed love-making on stage. Needless to say, the internet ate it up. I am not a Gaga hater, I don't know enough of her music to bash the woman, but I will say her performance was dreck. If she and R Kelly never pretended to bump uglies under the spotlight, this performance would have been a wash. So, in order to help balance out this weekend's act, I put together a list of 5 SNL performances that relied on talent over controversy to create a memorable performance.
Patti Smith - Gloria
In 1976 Patti Smith was one of the first performers on SNL. Smith represented everything New York and SNL stood for at that time. She was young, edgy, and fresh. There was nothing else like her around. Patti Smith has now become synonymous with CBGB, and the punk rock movement in NYC. Her performance of Van Morrison's Gloria is not only one of the best of SNL history, but a milestone in punk rock.
The White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
I do not what I like more about this performance, the fact that John McCain introduced The White Stripes, or Jack Whites's crazy madman grin. When the White Stripes hit the scene in early 2000s, I was the happiest kid on Sesame Street. Breaking up the wake of shitty pop-punk and emo bands, The White Stripes brought rock and roll back to the mainstream. This performance is what makes The White Stripes one of the greatest rock bands in the last 20 years.
Beastie Boys and Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
In the early days of SNL Elvis Costello was banned from the program for playing "Radio, Radio" against Lorne Michaels wishes. He would go on to be banned from the show for over decade. That bit of knowledge is what makes this performance great, also the fact the Beastie's are playing as Costello's back-up band! Just as The Beastie Boys are about to rip in "Sabotage" (see what they did there), Costello rushes in and takes over the mic, leading the boys through a killer rendition of "Radio, Radio." Classic!
Radiohead - The National Anthem
The best part of this performance is not the horns or Thom Yorke’s dance moves or whatever it is that Jonny Greenwood is doing. The best part of this video is imagining someone unfamiliar with Radiohead tuning into SNL to see Kate Hudson host and then trying to figure out what is happening during this wild 4 minutes.
Blues Brothers - Soul Man
Everyone knows The Blues Brothers. The movie is a classic, and Dan Akryod and John Belushi are legends in their own right. This performance is not only flawless, showcasing how talented both Akryod and Belushi are, but was born in house out of a SNL sketch. Today we have The Lonely Island group, a half-ass rap group. In the 70s, SNL had The Blues Brother. Enough said.
