As a child, I would always hear the echoes of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players throughout my house from my televisions. I distinctly remember Jane doing Update, Laraine playing Connie Conehead, and Danny being Beldar. I remember seeing someone else, too - a woman who lit up the screen with her smile, and was clearly loved by audiences and cast members alike: Gilda Radner. I remember the first time I ever saw her, I was probably eight, and she was opening the show with a wide smile on her face.

A couple years ago when my interest in comedy began taking over my life, my mom would always talk about how great this mysterious enigma named Gilda Radner was. That name sparked an interest in me: was this the same bright light from my youth? When I finally got on to watching the 1975 - 1980 seasons of SNL, I cried a lot. I cried namely, because of Gilda. Everything she accomplished in such a short amount of time was just amazing to me; I tend to obsess and idolize a lot of celebrities and comedians, but Gilda is just simply different. She’s anything and everything I could wish to be in a person, all that’s beautiful in the world.

I’m in the middle of reading It’s Always Something, and let me tell you, this woman’s bravery, heart, and love for everyone is something to be admired. Today is hard for us Gilda fans, but I count myself lucky that I even took an interest in her in the first place. It’s unreal that we live in a world where Gilda isn’t with us anymore, but the world was downright lucky to have forty two years of her. If I’m being completely honest, I sort of hate today, and although I haven’t cried as much as I thought I would today, I’m still angry that Gilda isn’t around anymore. In spite of this anger, resentment, and just downright unfairness, us Gilda fans have to remember that she wouldn’t want us resenting or mourning an entire day because of this: she would’ve wanted us to brave about it, just like she was.

My only wish is that Gilda could have seen the younger generation of people who idolize her and love her just as if they were seeing Saturday Night Live back in the 70’s. Let’s just try to keep our spirits up, because we all know that Gilda meant a hell of a lot to all of us, and the world.

I love you, Gilda. Thank you for everything. There truly were no brighter lights.

Even though this won’t get to her, I thought I’d submit what I think a lot of us Gilda fans will be thinking today.

I was five years old when I first watched Gilda’s Broadway special on vhs at my aunt’s house (she skipped over a few of the more inappropriate parts at the time ha) and it took about one sketch for me to instantly fall in love.  I stayed at her house really often, at least once or twice a month, and every time I’d always ask to watch Gilda.  

I think we as Gilda Radner fans are incredibly lucky to idolize such an incredible woman.  She’s helped me through so much in life and not just in times where I was in the mood to laugh (although she’s done that plenty as well!) I have anxiety disorder and fairly severe emetophobia and in times of particular anxiety or distress I always think of her.  In particular, I think of how she described her cancer fight in It’s Always Something as this war going on in her body and I tell myself that if Gilda can fight cancer and have that strength, I can conquer anything.

I always feel resentful on this day in addition to sadness and heartache because it’s just not fair that someone like Gilda was taken from so many of us who never got the chance to see her perform live or appear on talk shows or anything of the sort.  But what is incredible is this lasting legacy that she’s left behind.  Even on Tumblr alone…I can go on here and find others who are so affected by the wonderful comedian and person that Gilda was and that is, for lack of a better term, freaking awesome.  She paved the way not only for women in comedy, but for comedy in general and for women in general. She took something that was regarded as a man’s field and kicked its ass. 

This is always a sad day because it’s a reminder that she is no longer with us, but at the same time, it’s also a reminder that she existed…that we as Gilda fans have this incredible hero to look up to in each aspect of our lives.

Thanks for everything, Gilda.

Wednesday, January 23rd @ 8pm

Don’t change out of your jammies! Embed with Gilda middle school slumber party style! (Bonus: boys and openly served alcohol)

The origin story:

BUST magazine invited me to host this month’s edition as an excuse to plug my Peanut & share my favorite middle school video. I was like, uh, VCRs weren’t really invented then, but we sure watched a lot of Saturday Night Live, howzabout the Best of Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Player Gilda Radner?

All ticket sales will be donated to Gilda’s Club.

Special guest star: MaryElizabeth Williams!!!

Don’t know who Gilda was? It’s okay. You can’t help when you were born. (Your skin, it’s so…elastic! So dewy) Start boning up now, though, not just for the edge it’ll give you in the trivia quiz. Believe it or not, there’s a reason even more compelling than the chance to win a copy of Peanut or a year’s subscription to the East Village Inky. 

Wednesday, January 23rd @ 8pm
Pajamarama at Videology

308 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY

718-782-3468

$8 (going to a beyond good cause.)

 Bring your besties.

RSVP

This is something I wrote on the anniversary of her passing. (I think I took the pictures from you.)

And here’s the email that I’m about to click Send on:

Hi, all,

Well here’s my thing. I don’t understand this “confusion” argument. Leave Gilda’s name and add the word “cancer” in there somewhere if it’s that much of a problem. But why take her name out when the whole thing was founded in her honor? Martin Luther King’s been dead for years, Betty Ford is dead and has been out of the spotlight for years, but nothing dedicated in their honor seems to induce any confusion. I feel like this argument is just an excuse to do something completely unnecessary. Look, I understand that the mission will remain the same. I want to believe that her spirit will be kept alive at these centers. But the name is the symbolic form of that spirit. It means a lot to a lot of people. It’s a huge form of disrespect to her and to those who love her and those who knew her. 

Part traced, part drawn. Credit to this pic. 

Since Gilda once used the term, I decided to create a child that represents all of us. And dressed like a monkey! Wee :)

Submission from: pleasant-tomorrow. 

11 days left: Submit art contest entries here!