“If Cleveland was a person, it’s like, ‘oh, I’m great, I don’t need to advertise it.’” 

Last weekend, Fred Armisen, one of the longest-tenured cast members of Saturday Night Live, shared his droll praise for our city while in town for the new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame exhibit, “SNL: Ladies and Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music.” 

The exhibit makes Cleveland the home of the largest collection of SNL memorabilia, outside of the show itself. Museumgoers will find outfits straight off the Studio 8H stage, an archive of SNL musical performances including never-before-seen acts, and a general vibe that transports visitors straight to New York City. Rock Hall staff credits their long-standing relationships with the SNL team for bringing the exhibit to life. 

“We have a great relationship with them, where we were able to get some of their artifacts on loan,” says Assistant Curator Haley Cronin. “I would say maybe even more than half of what’s on exhibit is from the SNL team.” 

Armisen says seeing his old costumes – like the famous Prince suit he wore for his “Prince Show” impersonation sketches – brought him right back to being on stage. He was awestruck seeing every artifact in one place. 

“I liked the most that it was all mixed up,” he says. “It’s not just like, here’s 1975, here’s 1976. The show should feel like a memory, like a flash, like a dream. I like that they did it that way.” 

Armisen says seeing his work in the Rock Hall is an honor. A musician himself, inspired by the likes of Akron’s DEVO, he always revered the Rock Hall and appreciated its home in Cleveland. 

“It’s easy to have a version of rock and roll and what you think it is,” Armisen remarks. “This place goes deep, and as it should be.” 

Armisen says studying DEVO, whose jumpsuit is on display, influenced the way he produced his work – comedy and music alike. He says their dedication to creating a whole performance stuck with him. 

“They really defined the way that I thought of making comedy or making anything. It was like, it has to be visual. So it’s not just like, they’re a great band, they play great. It’s more like, no, there’s a concept behind it,” he explains. “Whenever I make comedy, it sounds so corny taking it so seriously, but I do think it all the way through. There should be a look to it, there should be a sound, like a full, comprehensive study of a character.” 

The “SNL: Ladies and Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music” exhibit is on display at Level 0 of the Rock Hall. Rock Hall staff calls it “one of their best exhibits yet” -- to which Armisen agrees. 

“As a cast member it moves me, as a fan of SNL, I am a fan of SNL, to this day, every new episode. This is a great exhibit.” 

To hear more of Fred's sentiments for our city and the Rock Hall, watch in the player below: