More cowbell & Will Farrell’s creative process – SCN Encourager

What was the genesis for this classic Saturday Night Live skit?

Have you ever wondered about this?

You gotta know the one I’m talking about.

It was on TV 15 years ago.
A Blue Oyster Cult hit.
Christopher Walken.
Will Farrell.
One soon-to-be-famous cowbell.

And sorry.
No more hints.

But here is the link to the 5 1/2 minute skit if you need to reboot your memory.

I laugh every time I see it.
(No, not the sight of you re-booting your memory… I mean, the video!)

When Will Farrell was recently asked how he first came up with the idea for this skit, he said something that surprised me.

It shouldn’t have.

And it probably wouldn’t have surprised you at all.

But for a few moments, I forgot about an essential component in successful communication.

Empathy.

And Will Farrell helped me remember this.

He said Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” has always been one of his favorite all-time songs.

He was fascinated by the distinct sound of a cowbell, simply keeping the beat, all the way from beginning to end.

“I then had to wonder,” Farrell said. “What would a cowbell player’s life in a rock band be like? I knew that if I could imagine walking in the shoes of a cowbell player for a while, I’d come up with a good idea or two.”

Makes sense, don’tcha think?

Now I wish I could find a cowbell player to “job shadow” for a few days.

I could use a good idea or two myself!

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