Some of the best episodes of Saturday Night Live are when the musical guest gets in on the sketch comedy action. What’s rarer is the sketch comedy coming into the musical guest performance, but that’s exactly what Queens of the Stone Age did with their lone appearance.
Back in 2005, the stoner rock band was a musical guest during the show’s 30th season. Their particular episodes pair them with legendary SNL cast member Will Ferrell as the host. In one of the most underrated SNL moments ever, after introducing the band for their performance of “Little Sister”, Ferrell joined them onstage.
This was no ordinary cameo, though. Ferrell appeared as his classic character, Gene, from the iconic Blue Öyster Cult sketch. Relive the cowbell-tastic set below.
Years after the performance, Queens of the Stone Age founding frontman Josh Homme dished on exactlt how the collaboration came about.
“We happened to have a song that demanded more cowbell, and [Will Ferrell] told me he was going to do that,” Homme recalled in an interview transcrbed by Ultimate Guitar. “And then in the dress rehearsal, playing ‘Little Sister’ with him coming out, I lost it.
Homme said he “started laughing, and couldn’t contain” himself. “I messed up the guitar solo,” he confessed. “I couldn’t keep it together, partially because Will was so serious.”
“You gotta remember, he was in every sketch on that show,” Homme went on to share. “So, it was it was exhausting, right? He was in everything. And then he was [with] the musical guest. And he was sweating, part of his beard was falling off. He had sort of bounced his body [to a point] where his shirt had come up, and his belly was out. And so, I lost it.”
Josh Homme said it was ‘impossible’ not to laugh at Will Ferrell
Homme went on to say, “And frankly, I would have been satisfied with that version going out because it was just so funny. So, when the real live taping of it went out. I, of course, knew he was coming, and he and I agreed that we wouldn’t smile, or laugh, or anything.”
“It was so helpful to have gone through that rehearsal,” he finally added, “because looking at Will Ferrell sweating, with his belly out and [banging] the cowbell, it’s impossible [not to laugh]. But the second time I managed to keep a straight face.”
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