Tina Fey / My Vanity Fair letter, part 2

Heh, and here is what they published:

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"Maureen Dowd neglected to mention one of Tina Fey’s finest achievements; reforming the infamously harsh offstage culture at Saturday Night Live."

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They cut the vast majority of the letter, but kept the main idea. Whoever said "brevity is the soul of wit," would have done well as an editor at Vanity Fair. Ah well, I guess that's just what editors do.

I think there's an article here, actually. If only there were academic journals devoted to pop culture. Hmmm... maybe there are.

Anyway, I'd like to say that my impression is that it wasn't *just* Tina Fey who changed the tone over there. In the book "Live from New York" by Tom Shales, Janeane Garolfalo mentions producer Steve Higgins as someone who improved the vibe after she left.

Also, then-head writer Adam McKay definitely deserves props and historical love for being an awesome influence at SNL in general. I was lucky enough to work with McKay on a film our friend Jonathan Appel made. I found McKay to be genuinely cool; thoughtful, smart, supportive. I've got to believe that was reflected in his work at SNL.

Anyway, my comment is is on page 152 of the March issue. (Just for you "trust but verify" types.)

Finally, thanks to Melissa Zakri. Melissa is a fellow improviser, an educational theater grad and a feminist writer. Melissa interviewed me for her upcoming article on women in comedy. Our conversation inspired me to write the letter.