You don't need us to tell you that Lana Del Rey took it on the chin a few weeks back for her two-song performance on Saturday Night Live, nor that SNL took some heat as well for booking her despite her lack of experience and thin back catalogue. Well, SNL stook up for their girl—and by extension, themselves—last night with a Kristen Wiig appearance on "Weekend Update," in which she played the embattled singer, long blonde hair, stately dress, vacant eyes and all. Host Seth Meyers asked her a couple questions about her gig and the ensuing criticism, and Kristen/Lana offered an apology for "some of the things people took issue with." These include:
- Her name change. "They're absolutely right. No serious musician would ever change their name. Except maybe for Sting, Cher, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, everyone else in hip-hop and of course Bob Dylan."
- Her performance ranking among SNL's worst. "The music stage on SNL is hallowed ground, and I failed to reach the high bars set by past guests like Bubba Sparxxx, The Baha Men and Shaggy."
- Her awkward stage manner. "I think people thought I was stiff…distant…and weird. But there's a perfectly good explanation for that. I am stiff, distant and weird. It's my thing. I stand still and sing sad songs like this: 'Haaaaaa'…some people find it off-putting."
Ouch, haters. Anyway, good of SNL to allow Lana the chance to answer the critics in a way that she probably never could in real life. They do poke fun at her a little—Kristen's stiff, awkward and weird Lana makes her look a little like that creepy femme alien robot from Mars Attacks, and and her singing voice is made to sound decidedly banshee-ish—but ultimately, they imbue her with a kind of dignity that she was badly lacking before. Sure the thought was appreciated.
