Al Franken Discusses 'Wasn't That Special,' Names His Favorite Sketch

This week, our friend (and Wasn’t That Special subscriber) Tim Miller of The Bulwark interviewed former SNL writer (and sometimes performer) Al Franken. They ended up discussing the WTS podcast and Miller asked Franken to name his most memorable sketch:

And here’s the sketch Franken discusses (courtesy of Broadway Video), from Season One, Episode Nine, hosted by Elliott Gould on January 10, 1976:

Franken, of course, is performing with his writing partner Tom Davis, who he later eulogized on the floor of the U.S. Senate in 2012.

The bit itself, which both WTS hosts liked, is one of those ones that could never be done today simply because of the language used. The premise is that the Native Americans had actually won control of the country in past centuries and now subjugate white Americans of different ethnicities as the country now does for Indians. And part of that is using racist mascot names (including the “kikes” and “dagos.”)

Naturally, such language in a sketch today would light social media on fire from people too dense to understand that it is racism that the sketch actually skewers. When people talk about the “edgy” first five seasons, this is the kind of sketch they’re talking about.

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You can watch the full Bulwark discussion here: