Twenty-five years ago, SPIN handed over the reins of the February issue over to the writers, cast, and crew of Saturday Night Live. The 1993 cast was a treasure trove of comedian greats with heavy-hitters like Chris Rock, David Spade, and Kevin Nealon in rotation. They were told they could interview anyone they wanted (anyone who agreed to be interviewed, at least), and the magazine highlighted stories from those who kept the show running every week, from the lighting specialists to the cleaning crew.
As always, the comedians themselves took the spotlight: A frequent host by the name of Tom Hanks kicked off the issue an open letter to his favorite comedy series. Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels gave an extensive interview to SPIN founder Bob Guccione, and talked about everything from Wayne’s World to managing tricky guest-hosts to Sinead O’Connor. Budding star Adam Sandler had a hallucinatory “interview” with his idol “Prince.” Julia Sweeney spoke with the elusive Jonathan Richman, Dinosaur Jr. superfan Tim Meadows had a chat with J Mascis, David Spade talked Blues Brothers and more with Dan Aykroyd, and Todd Rundgren had a conversation with Dana Carvey. In the “staff selections” reviews section of the magazine, cast members Spade, Rock, Nealon, and others recommended albums they were enjoying at the time. We’ve digitized some of our favorite entries from the February, 1993 SNL takeover issue below. Enjoy.
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280024″ title=”Read Tom Hank's Ode to <em>SNL</em>” index=”” image_id=”280028″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280002″ title=”Read our Lorne Michaels Interview from 1993″ index=”” image_id=”280003″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280004″ title=”Chris Rock Talks <i>CB4</i> In Our 1993 Interview” index=”” image_id=”280006″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280207″ title=”Calling Doctor Detroit: Read David Spade's Interview With OG <i>SNL</i> Cast Member Dan Aykroyd” index=”” image_id=”280217″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280235″ title=”Todd Rundgren, Dana Carvey, and Hal Willner in Conversation” index=”” image_id=”280242″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280011″ title=”Read J. Mascis's 1993 Interview with <i>SNL</i>'s Tim Meadows” index=”” image_id=”280012″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280007″ title=”He, Jonathan: Our Jonathan Richman Interview” index=”” image_id=”280008″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280432″ title=”Kevin Nealon Interviews David Wilcox in Our 1993 SNL Issue” index=”” image_id=”280433″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280040″ title=”Read Adam Sandler's "Interview" with Prince” index=”” image_id=”280041″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280181″ title=”Men, Music, & Me: Julia Sweeney Talks Music and Love” index=”” image_id=”280186″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280222″ title=”My Adidas: Read Tom Davis’ Open Letter To Eddie Vedder” index=”” image_id=”280231″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”279989″ title=”Read Album Reviews from Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, David Spade, and More” index=”” image_id=”280000″]
[featuredStoryItemBlock tile_id=”280430″ title=”Ellen Cleghorne's 1993 Essay on the Future of Hip Hop Culture” index=”” image_id=”280431″]
