Justin Bieber, Bill Hader: Unaired SNL Sketch, ‘Greatest Trainwreck Ever’ [Video]
A previously unaired Saturday Night Live sketch starring Justin Bieber and Bill Hader, actually a take-out from a dress rehearsal, has been described as the “greatest trainwreck ever.”
It’s now online, at a great time for Hader who exited SNL in May and is available for hire. However, for the Biebs, the times are a little more hazardous.
Despite the millions of fans he wows on his recently resumed Believe world tour, the teen singer is presently laboring under a negative PR kosh due to a stack of incidents both on and off the tour — and the inflation of these by an industry that sees value in that.
But, back to SNL.
Back in February, Bieber’s hosting stint on the cult show surprised a lot of people who expected the worst. But, after airing, by and large the consensus — with the exception of ‘The Californians’ sketch — was that the-then 18-year-old acquitted himself well.
On the show, the Canadian allowed himself to be the butt of jokes about his baby looks, the usual, tired gender knocking, a bit of race-baiting amid general messing with his image — and it worked.
In addition, Bieber’s SNL sketch also allowed him to address the then recently surfaced pictures of him apparently smoking a blunt in a Newport Hotel room, because as we all know that sort of thing just doesn’t happen in Newport Beach.
Since then, in this new post-Bieber Fever landscape, Hader’s reveals when he stopped by Howard Stern’s Xirius XM HQ have somewhat tarnished the collective memory of the “Baby” singer’s SNL.
“Justin Bieber showed up with like 20 guys,” Hader recalled in May, while comparing the teen to the much older and more confident Justin Timberlake who has hosted SNL a total of five times.
“He had a guy holding a slice of pizza, a guy holding a diet coke,” Hader continued.”Going around stage, you’re trying to fight th through all these people to get dressed.”
This context is useful when watching the new sketch, and adds to its non-sweetness. It also proves the old adage that the only thing better than comedy that works, is comedy that doesn’t with bells on.
In the sketch, Hader, plays a country singer debuting a new experimental opus with his band, while Bieber plays a keyboardist and other SNL guys step up as musos. The taping went over like a lead balloon to the studio audience, most of whom were fans of the singer.
At one point, the stage almost falls on the pop star (who comes out of character and tells the fans it’s a mistake), props go walkies, musical cues are missed, lines lack rhythm and it’s also rather dull in places.
Comedy is a much tougher art form to pull off than straight-up acting. And, in this sketch for, oh, so many hilarious reasons, everyone fails. Beautifully.
Hader and writers Rob klein and John Solomon provide the commentary. The sketch is titled “Song For Daddy.”
Tell us what you think of it below.
