Monday, July 31, 2017
Meet Eugene Lee, the Crazy Stylish 78-Year-Old Man Who Literally Built SNL
GQ: “Fancy lighting rigs for Katy Perry. This is what we do now,” Eugene Lee chuckles as we walk past the musical guest stage in Studio 8H days before the finale of Saturday Night Live’s most-watched season in over 20 years. Mr. Lee has been a pivotal force behind the success of this season of SNL—actually behind the success of every season of SNL. So while you may not recognize the name Eugene Lee, it’s a sure bet that you’ll recognize his work.
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This guy is a legend. Although this article was from 2017, it is still really interesting reading about this dude’s life. I can’t imagine being present for the first day of Saturday Night Live and sticking with it for that many years to see it grow and evolve. “Eugene Lee is one of the first names an NBC Page is required to memorize the first week on the job. This may have to do with the fact that Mr. Lee has been the production designer at SNL since the show premiered in 1975, and he’s had his hand in practically every sketch, musical performance, and iconic monologue stage set since then.” it is my absolute dream to become a part of the NBCU Page program, and knowing that they train the members to understand the history and significance of those involved with NBC is amazing. Lee worked on Candide before moving to SNL and apparently it was just coincidence. It truly goes to prove that your name and luck can get you a really long way, and reputation MATTERS.
This article was a joy to read. This man is an icon, from the perfectly pressed suites, to the bow tie, to the insistence that everyone would have a tailor, this guy is exactly who I wanted to see behind all the sets of this show, it's crazy that he had been there from the start. And he went to Carnegie Mellon! He has since passed away, but the fact that he worked on this show for so long is amazing. I really love how hectic this show seems. The fact that the whole show is reordered and sometimes re-written moments before it is live is crazy. I do think its interesting that SNL hired a theatrical scenic designer over a production designer. They must have some insane budget to be able to get everything done in time. I am also becoming further convinced that all scenic designers need to be old men with round glasses. It's also amazing that he seemed to hand draft all of his sets! Dick Block would be proud.
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