Tom Davis (1952 – 2012)

Tom Davis, one of the great SNL writers who joined the SNL team from its inception, and one time writing partner to Al Franken has passed away at the age of 59.  Tom created The Coneheads, co-wrote The Lounge Singer sketch which helped to launch Bill Murray’s career, as well as The Continental with Christopher Walken and so many other memorable SNL sketches.  Tom Davis, an incredible writer and a major part of comedy history will be missed.  Rest Peacefully Tom.

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Back in 2010, Tom talked about comedy, his career and SNL on the SiriusXM show “Unmasked” with host Ron Bennington.  Below are some of the highlights of the one hour interview, as well as a clip from the show.  Finally, read what people are tweeting about the loss of Tom Davis, today.

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Tom talking with Ron Bennington on  working with Dan Aykroyd:

Danny wrote with everybody but didn’t get credit for the first year because they didn’t want all the cast asking for writing credits….He wrote with other people and for other people.  Nobody’s ever done the show better than Dan Aykroyd and they all know that.

Tom talking about the first day at SNL:

We showed up on the first, day…we got out of the subway at 50th street, and walked right over to NBC and we went to the directory to find out what floor Lorne Michaels was on.  There was no name of the show at that point, we just knew Lorne Michaels was going to produce a show.  We got in line at the directory. In those days, they didn’t have computers, there was a guy sitting back there, who was…the director of the directory I guess.  And  the guy in front of us was this tall guy who asked where Lorne was, and it was Chevy Chase.  So I saw the back of Chevy’s head, I guess was my first meeting and then we went up the elevator with him. We got up there, and there was a group of people that I didn’t know.  There was Alan Zweibel and Michael O Donoghue and Anne Beats.  Gilda was there.   Jim Henson was there, with his executive with a briefcase and a tie, and  Dick Ebersole was there wearing green Lacoste pants and loafers with no socks.  And I had shoulder length hair and a Grateful Dead t-shirt on and I didn’t know who those people were. Chevy got the first laugh cause Lorne started to give one of his talks on his theories of comedy, and Chevy was behind him and there was this mister for the plant, and  Chevy waited until Lorne paused, and then went aahhh-chooo (fake sneezed) and sprayed the back of Lorne’s neck. The first laugh, and Lorne loved it.

 On becoming friend’s with  SNL’s First Head Writer Michael O’Donoghue

I had gone out to smoke a joint…I went over to the bushes at St. Patrick’s cathedral.  And I came back to the office,  and I smelled somebody’s really good pot– so I floated like bugs bunny smelling carrots cooking all the way up to that last door which was Mr. Mikes office, and I knocked on the door and I introduced myself and that was the start of a really good friendship.  And I loved him.

On working hard while at SNL:  

People assume that I went to Studio 54 [and CBGB’s and The Blues Bar].  I went to those places literally once.  Cause I was working.  Some people had to write that show.  (laughs)  Belushi, he went to those places, I guess.  He’d show up every once in awhile with some weird look on his face.  And he’d drag O’Donoghue off.  O’Donoghue never felt like he had to write every week.  He’d say things like, “my piece is brilliant what piece of shit are you working on?”  And he’d take a couple of weeks to do it and make sure it was letter perfect. Some of us had to write that show and it was labor inventive.  So no I didn’t go to CBGB’s I didn’t see shows.   I just worked on that show.  And it took all your time.  It took all my time.  I never was in show business, I just did shows.

Tom talking about getting sketches on SNL:  

The first thing Lorne did when we got there, was have us start writing sketches.  …. Then he just threw them out. He just wanted us to get rid of our ‘trunk stuff’.  I don’t think he ever read them.  We worked for weeks and weeks and he just threw them out.   He knew that every week we were going to have to write up new stuff so he didn’t want us with tried and true things…trying to pass off our act.

About doing acid and writing with Al Franken

I talked about  my drug use, and Franken was never into drugs.  Well let me put it this way, I know he never spent any money on drugs. I spent a small fortune.

Al’s great on Acid. His brain would just be going with it. He was terrific.  We wrote several sketches, including the Nixon final days sketch on LSD. It was midnight and we didn’t know what we were going to do and I took some, and about an hour later Al says– whats wrong with you? And I said I’m tripping my ass off, and Al says, I guess I’d better do some too then, gimme some.  And the sun comes up and there’s this great sketch.

Tom talks About Wired and John Belushi:

We didn’t like that book, and it made us question Bob Woodward’s other books too.  Belushi was one of the funnest people, I mean, he was fun.  …Of course then he died, and that was not fun. And it was not funny.  That was kind of the end of the party. …He was a person who changed a room the moment he walked into it. And he loved it. He loved his life dearly.

Tom talks About Belushi’s death:

Nothing like a death to bring the end of the party.  This death thing, be careful.  I’m told it’s perfectly safe, but don’t think you’re going to be hovering over the dinner room table listening to people’s conversations.  You’re doing something else.  So make sure you’re done first before you go.

Tom talks about Bill Murray:

He struggled a little bit for one show and then after that he killed.  You all know…Bill Murray.  He would have made it without that show.  Billy would be a huge movie star today without Saturday Night Live but thank god we had him on that show.  Because I’m still learning  from Bill Murray.  I have a lot to learn from him.  He’s beautiful.

Tom on His Favorite SNL Episode:

May 20, 1978 Steve Martin and the Blues Brothers. I got like 3 pieces on. Ask a writer what was the best show they ever worked on, it was the one he got three pieces in.  That happened to be my peak. Probably of my career.  Was that show, and I don’t mind saying it. If I had to peak, that was a good one.

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