 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2011) |
| Saturday Night Live | |
|---|---|
| Season 21 | |
 | |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 30, 1995 – May 18, 1996 |
| Season chronology | |
The twenty-first season of Saturday Night Live , an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 30, 1995, and May 18, 1996.
The season was infamous for the Rage Against the Machine incident. On April 13, 1996, the band was the musical guest, and was scheduled to perform two songs. The show was hosted that night by ex-Republican presidential candidate and billionaire Steve Forbes. According to RATM guitarist Tom Morello, "RATM wanted to stand in sharp juxtaposition to a billionaire telling jokes and promoting his flat tax by making our own statement." [1] To this end, the band hung two upside-down American flags from their amplifiers. Seconds before they took the stage to perform "Bulls on Parade", SNL and NBC sent stagehands in to pull the flags down. [2] Following the removal of the flags during the first performance, the band was approached by SNL and NBC officials and ordered to immediately leave the building. Upon hearing this, bassist Tim Commerford reportedly stormed Forbes' dressing room, throwing shreds from one of the torn down flags. Morello noted that members of the Saturday Night Live cast and crew, whom he declined to name, "expressed solidarity with our actions, and a sense of shame that their show had censored the performance." [1]
Only five cast members returned to the show from the previous season: Norm Macdonald, Mark McKinney, Tim Meadows, Molly Shannon, and David Spade. [3]
Repertory players | Featured players
|
bold denotes "Weekend Update" anchor
Steve Higgins, Adam McKay, Paula Pell, Frank Sebastiano, and Colin Quinn join the writing staff.
| No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 387 | 1 | Mariel Hemingway | Blues Traveler | September 30, 1995 | |
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| 388 | 2 | Chevy Chase | Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories | October 7, 1995 | |
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| 389 | 3 | David Schwimmer | Natalie Merchant | October 21, 1995 | |
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| 390 | 4 | Gabriel Byrne | Alanis Morissette | October 28, 1995 | |
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| 391 | 5 | Quentin Tarantino | The Smashing Pumpkins | November 11, 1995 | |
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| 392 | 6 | Laura Leighton | Rancid | November 18, 1995 | |
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| 393 | 7 | Anthony Edwards | Foo Fighters | December 2, 1995 | |
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| 394 | 8 | David Alan Grier | Silverchair | December 9, 1995 | |
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| 395 | 9 | Madeline Kahn | Bush | December 16, 1995 | |
| 396 | 10 | Christopher Walken | Joan Osborne | January 13, 1996 | |
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| 397 | 11 | Alec Baldwin | Tori Amos | January 20, 1996 | |
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| 398 | 12 | Danny Aiello | Coolio | February 10, 1996 | |
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| 399 | 13 | Tom Arnold | Tupac Shakur | February 17, 1996 | |
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| 400 | 14 | Elle Macpherson | Sting | February 24, 1996 | |
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| 401 | 15 | John Goodman | Everclear | March 16, 1996 | |
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| 402 | 16 | Phil Hartman | Gin Blossoms | March 23, 1996 | |
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| 403 | 17 | Steve Forbes | Rage Against the Machine | April 13, 1996 | |
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| 404 | 18 | Teri Hatcher | Dave Matthews Band | April 20, 1996 | |
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| 405 | 19 | Christine Baranski | The Cure | May 11, 1996 | |
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| 406 | 20 | Jim Carrey | Soundgarden | May 18, 1996 | |
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Rage Against the Machine was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and drummer Brad Wilk. The band was known for melding heavy metal and rap music with punk rock and funk influences, as well as their left-wing views. As of 2010, they have sold over 16 million records worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
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