Will Ferrell and Jimmy Reminisce on the More Cowbell SNL Sketch | The Tonight Show

-When people talk about
your "Best of: SNL"

or things that you've done
on the show,

I know what everyone
brings up to me.

-Right. Which is...
-...you're involved in.

[ Laughter ]

Anyway. Let's talk about
something else.

-Cowbell. Cowbell sketch.
-Yes, the cowbell sketch.

That's what I was gonna say.
I was gonna say that.

I was gonna talk
about the cowbell.

-You were a major part of that.

-I was a really major part
of the cowbell sketch.

It was all you. It was all you.
This is a --

This is a picture of...
-Yeah.

-That's me there.
-Right.

-That's Kattan, Parnell.
-Look at that hair.

-Horatio Sanz.

-And --
-That's you.

And that is Christopher Walken.
-Which is...

It's the strangest thing.

[ Laughter ]

-That's Christopher Walken.

-That's Christopher Walken
across...from that.

-Yeah. [ Laughs ]
Look at -- That shirt is insane.

-You maintain that between
dress rehearsal and air

that I went and put
a tighter shirt on.

-I think -- You did, didn't you?
-I thought it just --

I just -- I thought I just put
a little more mustard into it,

and then it hiked up.

-Is that right? I thought --

-But you thought I put
a tighter shirt on, you think?

-I thought you did
because this

doesn't even feel like
a shirt that should...

That's insane.

Everyone else
is wearing other shirts.

I think I would've --
But you were coming up

a little bit in dress.

-Yeah.
-But that was high up.

-Yeah.
-And that was --

That was low down.
-But you might be right.

Maybe I --
-I mean, you barely
have a shirt on.

-Maybe I switched it
to a tighter shirt.

-Because I remember
it was so loud on air

because it was --
-Oh, with -- Yeah.

I banged it much louder
than in the dress.

-No, but, I mean,
the audience response.

-Oh, the response. Yeah.
-Yeah, but, I mean, like, the --

the sketch was on at the end
of the show, I believe.

-Right.
-Which is where usually

the weirder sketches are.
-Yeah.

-And it was working so well
that the floor started shaking.

-Oh, I don't remember that.
-Yeah.

-I was just in a haze.

-Dude, you were
in a comedy haze.

-I was staring you down.
But you --

Because you were laugh--
But I was laughing, too.

But the beard
was just protecting, uh --

You couldn't see it.

-After a series
of staggering defeats,

Blue Oyster Cult assembled
in the recording studio

in late 1976 for a session

with famed producer
Bruce Dickinson.

And luckily for us,
the cameras were rolling.

♪♪

-Alright, guys.

I think we're ready
to lay this first track down.

By the way,
my name is Bruce Dickinson.

Yes -- the Bruce Dickinson.

And I got to tell you, fellas,

you have got what appears
to be a dynamite sound.

-Coming from you, Bruce,
that means a lot.

-Yeah. I mean,
you're Bruce Dickinson.

-This is incredible.
-I can't believe

Bruce Dickinson
digs our sound.

-Easy, guys.

I put my pants on
just like the rest of you --

one leg at a time.

Except once my pants are on,
I make gold records.

[ Laughter ]

Alright. Here we go.

"Don't Fear the Reaper."
Take one. Roll it.

-Alright.
One, two, three, four.

♪♪

[ Cowbell clanging
rhythmically ]

♪♪

-♪ All our times have come ♪

♪♪

♪ Here but now they're gone ♪

-Okay! Wait! Wait! Stop.

Um, Bruce, could you come
in here for a second, please?

-That -- That was
gonna be a great track.

Guys, what's the deal?

-Uh, are you sure
that was sounding okay?

-I'll be honest, fellas,
it was sounding great, but...

I could have used
a little more cowbell.

So let's take it again.

And, Gene.
-Yeah.

-Really explore the studio space
this time.

-You got it, Bruce.
-I mean, really.

-Yeah.
-Explore the space.

-Okay.
-I like what I'm hearing.

Roll it.

-One, two, three, four.

♪♪

♪♪

-♪ All our times have come ♪

♪♪

♪ Here but now they're gone ♪

-Okay! Wait! Stop! Stop!
Bruce, I'm sorry.

Could you come back in here,
please?

-Fellas, now, we --
we just wasted two good tracks.

This last one was even better
than the first.

-Well, it's just
that I find Gene's

cowbell playing distracting.

I don't know.

If I'm the only one,
I'll shut up.

-No, it's pretty rough.

-You know, I can pull it back
a little if you like.

-Not too much, though.
I'm telling you, fellas.

You're gonna want
that cowbell on the track.

-You know what? It's fine.
Let's just do the thing.

-Okay. Roll it.

-One, two, three, four.

♪♪

♪♪

♪ All our times have come ♪

[ Cowbell clanging off-beat ]

♪ Here but now they're gone ♪

♪♪

Come on, Gene!
-No, you come on!

-[ Shouts ]
-Guys, you know...

that -- that --
it doesn't work for me.

I gotta have more cowbell.

-Don't blow this for us, Gene!

-Quit being --
Quit being so selfish, Gene.

-Can I just say one thing?
-Say it, baby, just say it!

-I'm standing here staring
at rock legend Bruce Dickinson.

-I'm the cock of the walk, baby!

-And if Bruce Dickinson
wants more cowbell,

we should probably give him
more cowbell!

-Say it, baby!

-And, Bobby, you are right.
I am being selfish.

But the last time I checked,
we don't have a whole lot

of songs that feature
the cowbell.

-I gotta have
more cowbell, baby!

-And I'd be doing myself
a disservice...

And every member of this band,

if I didn't perform
the hell out of this!

-Guess what! I got a fever!

And the only prescription
is more cowbell!

-Thank you, Bruce.

I think if --
I think if I just leave and --

Maybe I'll come back later
and we can lay down the cowbell.

-Come on, baby.
-Gene, wait.

Why don't you lay down
that cowbell right now?

With us. Together.

-Do you mean that, Eric?

-Oh, yeah.

-Speaks for all of us.
-Thank you.

-Babies, before we're done here,

y'all be wearing
gold-plated diapers.

-What does that mean?

-Never question
Bruce Dickinson.

Roll it!

-Thanks, man.

One, two, three, four.

♪♪

♪♪

♪ All our times have come ♪

-But here's the crazy thing.

So, I go to see
Christopher Walken

years later in a play.

I say hello to him backstage,

and he's like, "You know,
you've ruined my life."

[ Laughter ]

-What? What?

-"People during
the curtain call

bring cowbells and ring them."

[ Laughter ]

"The other day, I went
for an Italian food lunch,

and the waiter asked
if I wanted more cowbell

with my pasta bolognese."

[ Laughter ]

And I think
he was really mad at me.

-Wow. No way.
-He had a little smile, but...

-Well, because he had
such a great career.

-But, you know...
-He's a great actor.

-From "The Deer Hunter"
to "Pulp Fiction"...

-"Pulp Fiction." He's amazing.

-...to "more cowbell."
That's all he gets now.

-That's all he gets now. So it
made a lot of people happy...

-But Christopher...
-Ruined one person's life.

-Ruined one person.
But what are you gonna do?

-That's good odds, right?
That's decent odds.
You know what I'm saying?