Spade Entertains Harvard

More than 1,100 people packed Sanders Theatre last night to see "Saturday Night Live" comedian David Spade.

The performance was sponsored by the Undergraduate Council and organized by Mark P. Connolly '96, co-chair of the council's campus life committee.

Spade appeared on stage after the crowd chanted his name repeatedly and said, "Thanks for the intro. That was one of the queerest things I've ever heard."

He then launched into a flurry of jokes, poking fun at everything from dating to McDonald's employees to Nuprin.

"Here's my impression of me on a date in high school," Spade said. "C'mon--chug it!"

Having arrived in Cambridge just hours before the show, Spade joked about limousines.

"You know what I think when I see a limousine?" he said, "Ooooooh--you have 80 dollars!"

The crowd roared as Spade made fun of McDonald's employees and the automatic cash registers they use.

"I say 'no onion.' And I see his face frozen in fear--a little bead of sweat trickling down his face," he said, "I mean, this guy has no idea where the button for that is! Then they have to shut the whole place down and call the guy with the key."

The crowd erupted in laughter when Spade made fun of a Nuprin commercial in which a baseball player hits the catcher in the face with a bat.

"The day I get cracked across the face with a Louisville Slugger," he said, "you'd better hook me up to that morphine I.V., pronto!"

In an interview before the show, Spade said he was nervous about performing at Harvard.

Spade said that Adam Sandler, another comedian on "Saturday Night Live," warned him about Harvardaudiences.

"Adam said to me, 'They're fun--but they'llturn on you,'" Spade said.

Sandler was referring to his own Sandersappearance last year, at which the audience hissedat him for telling jokes which some consideredsexist.

But Spade said he had no plans to modify hisroutine.

"About 80 percent of my act is written before Igo on," he said. "I can't really think about thattoo much when I'm on the road."

Spade said he writes all the SNL skits in whichhe stars. His favorite?

"The receptionist," he said, referring to hisfamous "And you are...? character. "It was thefirst big thing I wrote which worked. People knowme from that."

Spade said that "The Gap" and "HollywoodMinute"--two of his other popular skits--are alsofun to do.

When asked about various SNL hosts with whom hehas worked, Spade had much to say.

"Nancy Kerrigan was sweet," he said, grinningwidely. "She went along with a lot of the skitsand was just fine."

"She was cool with saying the word 'horny,'"Spade said.

"When we had Jason Priestly on the show hewould always go off and say he had to study hislines," Spade said. "But then he was seen at adifferent strip joint each night of the week."

He also commented on Priestly's "Beverly Hills90210" co-star Shannen Doherty.

"I liked her," Spade said. "Sometimes she turnsit on to get what she wants, but she's great."

Harvard's improvisational comedy group On ThinIce opened the show.

John Mann '92-'94, co-chair of the campus lifecommittee, said he was very pleased with theevent.

"It went well," Mann said. "People reallyseemed to enjoy it."

Connolly was even more enthusiastic. "This wasdefinitely the best U.C. event this year," hesaid.

Connolly also said that the council will lookinto booking yet another SNL comedian for a shownext year.

"Both Sandler and Spade worked, and it's kindof a tradition now," he said

"Adam said to me, 'They're fun--but they'llturn on you,'" Spade said.

Sandler was referring to his own Sandersappearance last year, at which the audience hissedat him for telling jokes which some consideredsexist.

But Spade said he had no plans to modify hisroutine.

"About 80 percent of my act is written before Igo on," he said. "I can't really think about thattoo much when I'm on the road."

Spade said he writes all the SNL skits in whichhe stars. His favorite?

"The receptionist," he said, referring to hisfamous "And you are...? character. "It was thefirst big thing I wrote which worked. People knowme from that."

Spade said that "The Gap" and "HollywoodMinute"--two of his other popular skits--are alsofun to do.

When asked about various SNL hosts with whom hehas worked, Spade had much to say.

"Nancy Kerrigan was sweet," he said, grinningwidely. "She went along with a lot of the skitsand was just fine."

"She was cool with saying the word 'horny,'"Spade said.

"When we had Jason Priestly on the show hewould always go off and say he had to study hislines," Spade said. "But then he was seen at adifferent strip joint each night of the week."

He also commented on Priestly's "Beverly Hills90210" co-star Shannen Doherty.

"I liked her," Spade said. "Sometimes she turnsit on to get what she wants, but she's great."

Harvard's improvisational comedy group On ThinIce opened the show.

John Mann '92-'94, co-chair of the campus lifecommittee, said he was very pleased with theevent.

"It went well," Mann said. "People reallyseemed to enjoy it."

Connolly was even more enthusiastic. "This wasdefinitely the best U.C. event this year," hesaid.

Connolly also said that the council will lookinto booking yet another SNL comedian for a shownext year.

"Both Sandler and Spade worked, and it's kindof a tradition now," he said