Obviously Steve Forbes didn’t choose Rage Against The Machine, and most hosts probably don’t bother to try and get a musical guest they like, but does it ever happen that a star with some clout says “I’ll host the show only if you have so-and-so as the musical act?”
Several years ago, Dan Akroyd was invited to host SNL. I know he was pretty instrumental in having the Tragically Hip play that show.
I’m sure Dan’s got an in or two at SNL, so I’m not sure if his case is an exception or not.
Several years ago, Sean Penn was hosting. I don’t remember who the musical guest was, but near the end of the show, Sean brings out his brother, Michael, and he does a song. Not exactly picking the musical guest, but a variation.
BTW, Michael Penn is greatness.
In reverse, the musical guest (Sinead O’Connor) once refused to appear because the host was Andrew Dice Clay.
The guest host has some degree of influence, but both the host and the musical guests are booked several weeks in advance. Alec Baldwin (I’m telling this story from memory and have no cite, sorry) wanted Rosemary Clooney to be the musical guest on one of his appearances, and it was explained to him that sisnce she didn’t have a new record out, and since the record companies shouldered dome of the expense for the musical hosts, there was no practical way Clooney could be the musical guest.
Sometimes a guest host and a musical guest might have objections to one another. Rage Against the Machine had some vague objection to Steve Forbes, but not enough to skip the show. Sinead O’Conner famously objected to Andrew “Dice” Clay and bailed.
“That’s a shame. She was a cute bald chick.”
I’ve heard that in the early days of the show, the host actually chose the musical guest, and that there were several groups and musicians that benefitted greatly because they happened to be an obscure favorite of a host.
Incorrect.
It was a female cast member, I believe Nora Dunn who refused to work with Clay, and she made the mistake of not telling Lorne Michaels first, but instead going to the papers, which essentailly doomed any hopes for her on the show.
Sinead O’ Conner didn’t do anything except rip up a picture of The Pope, which caused seemingly the entire US population to want to lynch her.
In rehearsals she had said that she was going to hold up a picture of a starving child, and Michaels was very cool with that. He was not cool with her ripping up the picture of the Pope, because she hadn’t told anyone she was going to do it.
That isn’t to say that Michaels would have put the kibosh on the idea, he is very anti-censorship.
I got the info from the new book Live From New York by Tom Shales.
An excellent, funny and fairly fast read.
Norm McDonald comes off as an even bigger asshat then he was on the show and that’s saying something.
Actually, Sinead gets two checkmarks in the “SNL infamy column.” She did indeed drop out of singing on the May 12, 1990, show because of The Diceman. “Live from New York” (you are right, a great book) does not mention this episode. She appeared at the beginning of the next season with no controversy. A year later, well, you know.
Sinead’s replacements that night were Spanic Boys and Julee Cruise.
Curiously, the episode after the Diceman’s (Candace Bergan/Notting Hillbillies) aired today on Comedy Central. The Notting Hillbillies are quite good.
-Myron
I recall during the first season, when Louise Lasser hosted, she said the producers told her she could have whoever she wanted as a musical guest, and she chose the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Then a couple of seasons later, when Walter Matthau was guest host, he blew off having a musical guest all together and asked that Garrett Morris perform “Dalla Sua Pace” - an aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Of course, that was over 25 years ago. The probably do things differently now. 
I remember that; when it was done Matthau said something like, “Now, back to the usual crap.”
If they put together a two-hour compilation of the best musical performances on the show in its quarter-century, it would be sublime. A two-hour compilation of the worst musical moments on the show would make me blow my head off.
Referring (on that SNL episode) to Sinead O’Connor as “that cute bald chick” was the only funny thing I ever hear Andrew Dice Clay say.
I was going to mention Walter Matthau’s musical choice, but I see someone already beat me to it!
I was heartened by that. It was a refreshing change of pace.
I thought Dan had NEVER hosted SNL. I know he has visited many times, but never as a full host.
Dan Aykroyd is scheduled to host SNL for the first time on 17 May 2003. He has made 10 cameo appearances on SNL since he was a cast member.
The group Tragically Hip appeared on the SNL episode broadcast 25 March 1995, with John Goodman as host. Dan Aykroyd was also on the show.
What was even funnier was when Phil Hartman–as Frank Sinatra–was in a skit presenting an award to a fake Sinead O’Connor (Jan Hooks, I think) and he kept calling her “Skinhead O’Connor” and “Cyanide O’Connor.”
I heard that Eric Idle specifically requested Kate Bush. It was her only American TV show appearance.