Looking back 44 years later, it seems almost unreal, more like something out of a dream than actual history. On Halloween night, 1981, hardcore punk band FEAR appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live. How the hell that happened, and how a prime time show like SNL booked a hardcore punk band like that and not expect havoc, it all remains staggering.
It all started with John Belushi, a FEAR fan and a devoted punk, who lobbied to get the band on SNL as he wanted to make amends for wasting their time on a song recorded for the movie Neighbors, only to have it rejected by the producers. Belushi imported a crowd of hardcore kids from DC, including Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat, John Brannon of Negative Approach, and Harley Flanagan and John Joseph, future members of The Cro-Mags, to slam dance in front of the stage.
With Donald Pleasence hosting, FEAR launched into Beef Bologna and then New York’s Alright if You Like Saxophones. Initially, the SNL director refused to allow the mosh pit on camera, but Belushi convinced them to leave it in.
“It’s great to be here in New Jersey,” singer Lee Ving cheerfully greeted the crowd. Later on, Ian MacKaye was the one who grabbed the mic and shouted, “New York sucks, fuck you!”
There were mosh pits on US prime time television...
Chaos quickly escalated. By the time FEAR began Let’s Have a War, director Dave Wilson, fearing damage to the studio equipment, cut the audio and video, switching abruptly to a prerecorded Eddie Murphy sketch.
FEAR was banned from SNL forever.
Punk history had been made.
ZR