Martin Short Did Not Enjoy His Time On SNL
Salon published an excerpt from Martin Short’s new book where he writes about his time on SNL and the anxiety and pressure that came along with being a cast member. Short’s new book, “I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend” comes out on Tuesday.
In the Salon excerpt, he writes that he wishes he would have enjoyed his time on SNL more. Martin Short joined the Saturday Night Live cast for just one season in 1984. That was during the point in SNL history when Lorne Michaels had left the show and Dick Ebersole was the executive producer. He writes that his one year was “a roller coaster of elation and anxiety”.
He wrote that a lot of his anxiety not only came from the live aspect of the show, but also from how different the work environments were between SNL and SCTV.
“I didn’t like the idea of being funny on demand. While by 1984 I was a proven sketch performer, I had grown accustomed to SCTV’s gentle, if laborious, pace. After each take, we’d all crowd around the monitor and everyone would discuss how to recalibrate the scene for the next take: “Okay, maybe a little less from John, a little more from Andrea, and a lot less from Marty.” But on Saturday Night Live, naturally, there would be no second takes, much less third, fourth, and fifth ones.”
Martin Short’s I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend
