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The actor spoke to The Citizen during his promotion of the second season of the History Channel’s 'The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd'.
Dan Aykroyd spoke about the SNL 50th anniversary and the return of his show on the History Channel. Picture: therealdanaykroyd/Instagram
In February, when the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) celebrated its 50th anniversary, original cast member Dan Aykroyd was notably absent from the celebrations.
“It was like the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby or a moon landing. I wanted to watch it at home honestly,” Aykroyd told The Citizen.
SNL50: The Anniversary Special drew 14.8 million viewers on NBC and Peacock. Aykroyd was part of the original cast of SNL when it launched in 1975.
The show launched the careers of other first-season alums, such as Chevy Chase and John Belushi.
The Canadian actor spoke to this publication in February during his promotion of the second season of the History Channel’s The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd.
The show returns to the South African screen on April 18 on the History Channel (DStv 186).
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Aykroyd said there were many overriding reasons why he couldn’t attend, but his absence was mainly because he wanted to enjoy the TV show as a viewer.
“I really wanted to watch it at home from beginning to end and not miss a second. If I had gone there I’d be in a dressing room, I’d be backstage… and I’d have to watch it later on tape,” he said.
Speaking like a true fan of the show, he exclaims, “No, it’s a live celebration. So, that was the overriding thing. I wanted to be in my own chair, eating my own food with family and friends.”
“I was smiling the whole time through. The talent is so amazing, the comedy and Lorne [Michaels] is so brilliant. I don’t apologise for not being there, but I am sorry I don’t get the chance to see Lorne.”
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On The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd, the Ghostbusters actor uncovers some of the most mysterious and bizarre inventions, creatures, people and things throughout history by using dynamic visuals, archival images and expert interviews.
“All of us have a common interest in mind-defying events and facts, so when they came to me with this I said this is right up my alley, I love this stuff. Unexplainable stuff, paranormal stuff,” he said.
One of his favourite episodes from the first season of The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd was when he profiled the Dancing Plague of 1518, in which people died from an uncontrollable urge to dance.
“400 people died over a period of about two weeks when people could not stop dancing. And also there was the hysterical mass laughter event in Japan that lasted for days… so everyone on the planet wants to know about these events and what might have caused them,” shared the actor.
“I love the History Channel because of their research staff. They are such excellent researchers, I can verify all of the facts with them and know that I am speaking the truth when I am up there narrating,” he said.
Hosting this kind of TV show reflects Aykroyd’s current career stage, where he aims to prioritise not only entertainment but also to share valuable information that educates viewers.
“I love anything where people can be both entertained and educated and I think this is what this does. Also, I’m in great company there, the other History Channel shows are hosted by William Shatner , Danny Trejo, Morgan Freeman and Dennis Quaid,” he shared.
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With The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd profiling some of the oddest things, when asked what his most unusual job was, the actor said that having a job testing airport runways sits up there.
“That involved taking a 50-ton water truck, two of them, and driving them onto a runway before jumbo jets,” Aykroyd said.
This was done as a test to determine how much surface area they had to cover for jumbo jets.
“So my job was to lie under there – they jacked the truck on a single piston on a plate with a crane arrangement, so you had a 100 tons going down through this one piston on a plate. Talk about how dangerous, my face was inches away from it. My job was to lie there and take the reading every minute.”
Aykroyd has also worked as a road surveyor, a mechanic and a clerk in a prison.
“I’ve been working since I was 14. I started on the Canadian national railway unloading box carts,” said the 72-year-old Canadian.
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