SNL Was Too Cheap to Approve This Bob Dylan Sketch
By
Devon Ivie ,
a staff writer covering classic rock and TV
Photo: Saturday Night Live via YouTube
Bobcats, assemble. You’ve had two chances to watch James Austin Johnson’s impeccable Bob Dylan impression on SNL, which is evolving at the rate of a Modern Times–era Pokémon. Johnson earned his grand debut in a promo last month that teased Dylan as a new staffer who’s incapable of writing good material for host John Mulaney, which was followed by an actual sketch on December 7 of the musician spewing profundities on the red carpet for A Complete Unknown. If Johnson got his way, though, we would’ve seen his impression well before then if pesky song rights hadn’t gotten in the way. Speaking with Uproxx, he revealed yet another music idea of his that had to be cut after a table read due to being “too expensive” for the show to justify. Transport yourself back to the greatest night in pop and get a load of this:
One of my most famous “almost on the show” pieces was Andrew Dismukes and I did Bob and Bruce Springsteen standing side by side in the choir on the chorus of “We Are the World.” And we’re chit-chatting about our sandwich orders. I’m really proud of it. It’s one of the hardest we’ve ever laughed writing something, and then it murdered at the table. Bob is like, “I got the herbed chicken breast. That sounds good, right? You ever have that herbed chicken breast?” Then Bruce is like, “I got a meatball sub. I’m still waiting on it.”
Don’t worry, we would’ve gotten the sandwich orders of a few other soloists:
Then he goes, “Bob, don’t look now. Looks like Cyndi Lauper just got her muffaletta.” And then it cuts to Sarah Sherman as Cyndi Lauper getting ready to munch on a muffaletta. Then we have to sing the chorus. Then Bob and Bruce notice that Hall & Oates got their sandwich. “Shit!” Then we have to sing the chorus again.
The obvious thing to do was try to get Stevie Wonder to handle it, but in the meantime, Johnson has a cameo in A Complete Unknown. Try to find him!
SNL Was Too Cheap to Approve This Bob Dylan Sketch
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