bill carter

Bill Carter on Covering 'SNL' and Lorne Michaels for 40 Years

I've loved Saturday Night Live since I was a kid, so this glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes was fascinating and entertaining to read.

[Lorne] Michaels needed to get station clearances up fast or face ratings doom. So he agreed to talk to me — initially on the phone. One thing he said illustrated how sure he was of his mission: “When we do well, we do the best comedy on TV. That's not ego; that's just the way it is.”

As John Gruber put it, “How [The New York Times] let Carter walk away is beyond me.”