20/5/12

Mick Jagger mocks Steven Tyler, debuts political song on 'Saturday Night Live'

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger showed his comedic side by playing a variety of characters — including his version of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler — when Jagger was the host and musical guest of "Saturday Night Live's" 37th season finale in New York City on May 19, 2012. Jagger also debuted a blues song that he said he wrote about the 2012 U.S. presidential election, with Jagger taking direct aim at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. As previously announced, Jagger also performed on the show with Jeff Beck, Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire.
During and after the show, Jagger's name began trending worldwide on Twitter. Most people on the Internet who commented about his "Saturday Night Live" performance gave it positive reviews. It was Jagger's first time hosting NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as a solo artist. He had previously performed as a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in 1978 with the Rolling Stones and in 1983 as a solo artist.
In his opening monologue, Jagger (wearing a black shirt, black pants and a neon-gold blazer) said, "It's so wonderful to be here, hosting 'SaturdayNight Live.' You're about to see me do what I do best: stand still and talk. For a long time, I've been Mick Jagger, and because of that, I've met people from all over the world, and they always ask the same questions. So tonight, I thought I'd use the monologue to answer all those Mick Jagger frequently asked questions."
The questions were:

"Who's your favorite Rolling Stone?" Jagger said, "That depends. If I'm allowed to pick myself, my favorite is obviously me. But if I'm not allowed to pick myself, I don't believe in picking favorites."
"Who's your favorite new group?" Jagger said, "Obviously, I love the Foo Fighters. I love Aracade Fire. But you know who really gets me excited these days is the FreeCreditReport.com band."
"At concerts, why do you always ask the crowd to shout louder by saying, 'I can't hear you'?" Jagger said, "I can hear you. It's just that I'm not listening."
"Have you finally got satisfaction?" Jagger said, "It's very clever. It's a trick question though. If I say no, then they'd be like, 'What's your problem, man? What more exactly do you need?' If I say yes, then I can't sing the song [(I Can't Get No} Satusfaction'] anymore."
"Do you have any regrets?" Jagger said, "A few years ago, I was approached by a newly created restaurant chain called Ruby Tuesday's. They asked me if I would come along to their grand opening and sing the song 'Ruby Tuesday' for a thousand dollars and a lifetime supply of jalapeno poppers. I passed up on that offer, and not a day goes by that I don't regret that! Other than that, no regrets at all."

Jagger appeared in almost every skit in the episode. Here is a summary of skits that he did:

On a TV game show called "Secret Word" (set in 1964), Jagger (sporting glasses, a blazer and an ascot) played a closted gay movie star named Chaz Bragman who was a contestant on the show. During the game show, the host (played by Bill Hader) congratulated Chaz on his marriage. Chaz answered, "Yes, I'm very much in love. That's what my agent told me to say." A wedding picture was then shown of Chaz with his bride and a waiter, and Chaz has his hand out, reaching for the waiter's bottom.
At a karaoke club, a group of insurance agents/co-workers are watching people take turns singing Rolling Stones songs and imitating Mick Jagger. (Fred Armisen performs "Start Me Up," Bobby Moynihan performs "Sympathy for the Devil.") Jagger plays one of the insurance agents, a nerd named Kevin, who criticizes the performances. When the rest of the group gets tired of Kevin, they get up and leave him sitting by himself. A forlorn and rejected Kevin then sings a slow, sad version of "(I Can't Get No) Satusfaction."
On an MSNBC talk show called "Politics Nation," host Al Sharpton (played by Kenan Thompson) interviews guests about the news that JP Morgan's lost $3 billion in bad trades. Jagger plays a slick JP Morgan executive in London named Colin McKechnie, who avoids giving a straight answer by using grandiose financial terms.
On a talent show called "So You Think You Can Dance at an Outdoor Music Festival," Jagger plays Steven Tyler, who is one of three judges critiquing stereotypical dancers at festival concerts (the spaced-out hippie fan; the drunk fan; the mud-covered, dreadlocked fan under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms). The other judges are Carlos Santana (played by Armisen) and Jewel (played by Abby Elliott). Jagger's American accent isn't his strong suit here, but he does a few Stever Tyler-esque preening and howls in the skit.
On a soap opera called "The Californians," where the show's characters are dim-witted new-age types, Jagger (wearing a blond wig and a pink blazer) plays a weird guy named Timothy "who runs the ferris wheel over on Santa Monica pier." Timothy unexepectedly shows up and reveals he's the father of Stewart (played by Armisen) and that Stewart's brother (played by Hader). Stewart later finds out that his ditzy ex-girlfriend (played by Elliott) is now married to his father, Timothy, and is pregnant. Steve Martin makes a surprise cameo in this skit as a guy who shows up and asks for directions.
The last skit was a mock graduation ceremony, where Jagger joined the "Saturday Night Live" cast in saying goodbye to Kristen Wiig. (This was her last episode as a "Saturday Night Live" cast member.) As the Rolling Stones songs "She's a Rainbow" and "Ruby Tuesday" were performed by members of Arcade Fire, Wiig took turns dancing with and hugging cast members and "Saturday Night Live" executive producer Lorne Michaels.

(Check out this Web-exclusive video of Jagger doing a "Saturday Night Live" skit in which he portrays fictional stand-up comedian Denny Cumberbatch, who is part of The Original Kings of Catchphrase Comedy.)
For his musical performances, Jagger performed "The Last Time" with Arcade Fire; did a high-energy medley of "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It)" with Foo Fighters; and debuted a new blues song called "Tea Party" with Beck. When Jagger introduced "Tea Party," he said he wrote it about the presidential election.
Here are some of the lyrics to the song:
"If you want to sleep in West Wing, you've got to strategize a bit ... You’re going to have to raise about $100 million or you’ll end so down deep in the sh*t ...
"Mr. Romney, you know he’s a ‘mitch,' but he always plays a straight affair. Mr. Romney, he's a hard-working man, and always says his prayers. Yeah, but the thing about him: Don't ever let him touch your hair ...
"Who'll be the president come November? Well, it's anybody's guess. Who'll be sitting in that Oval Office? Who can say? I must confess. I bet you [in] six months, he'll be screaming, 'Why won't you let me out [of] this mess!'"
Here is a sampling of Twitter comments about Jagger's "Saturday Night Live" performance as a host and musical guest:

"Tonight's #SNL was musical nirvana for me. Nice closing tunes for Wiig & Samberg's final Digital Short. Mick Jagger still a force. Wow."
"Have not watched in a while, but tonight gave me a good laugh. Mick Jagger was killing me with the Steven Tyler impr..."
"Wow - SNL was so good! Mick Jagger killed it - and Kristen Wiig. So amazing."