Mick Jagger is to host the season finale of Saturday Night Live. The Rolling Stones frontman will perform music as well as appearing in sketches on the US comedy mainstay.
This will mark Jagger's fifth appearance on the show, and his first time as host. Previously, the singer performed solo in 1993 and 2001, with the Stones in 1978, and later that year with reggae star Peter Tosh. On 19 May, the 68-year-old will be expected not just to swivel and croon, but also to deliver the opening monologue and crack wise beside cast-members Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig.
Jagger began polishing his SNL comedy chops in December, in an episode hosted by Jimmy Fallon. There, Fallon played Jagger's reflection in the mirror. "Saturday Night Live again!" Jagger said in the sketch. "What more can I do?" In another appearance, 20 years earlier, Jagger was the one doing the impersonation: pretending to be Keith Richards in a skit with Mike Myers. Finally years before that, in the Stones' original Saturday Night Live appearance, the whole band appeared in sketches.
And yet despite the novelty of Jagger as standup comedian, it is not his jokes we are most curious about. His appearance raises the question: what music will he play? Jagger's last solo album was 2001's disappointing Goddess in the Doorway and his new band, SuperHeavy, aren't listed in NBC's announcement. Many fans are wondering about this year's 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones and the band's talk of reuniting for sessions in New York. Manhattan, after all, is where SNL is shot. Whether or not the Stones have any touring plans, perhaps they will playing something on TV.
