The “Saturday Night Live” 50th Anniversary Special, which aired Feb. 16, won an Emmy for outstanding sound mixing with the help of a local musician and Middle Village resident, Geoff Countryman. The 50th Anniversary special won a total of three Emmys out of eight nominations and featured guest appearances from the many cast members turned stars throughout the years since its inception in 1975, which Countryman played a hand in producing both behind the scenes and live.
“We went up on stage and I was standing there looking out at Will Ferrell and Bill Burr sitting in the front row, it was crazy,” said Countryman. “I’m old enough now to know that that statue and $3 will get you on the subway. I’m proud of it, but it’s the job I genuinely love.”
Originally from San Jose, CA, Countryman’s entire family adores “Star Wars” and his uncle even worked for Lucasfilm at Skywalker Ranch with Sound Designer Ben Burtt. Countryman was inspired by the creativity and ingenuity of the films, such as Burtt using slowed baby elephant trumpets for TIE Fighters, and tried to incorporate those “tricks” into his own sound design.
Countryman moved to New York to attend New York University’s (NYU) jazz performance program, where he was taught by fellow saxophonist and long-time SNL band member Lenny Pickett, and began working as an intern for the same show. After graduating, Countryman continued his work at SNL and as a musician, eventually appearing on the iconic stage playing his saxophone. Even when not on stage, Countryman helped prepare the band and even legendary musicians, like Paul McCartney; just don’t ask him for the lyrics to the song.
“[While preparing] for a Christmas song he asked for a lyric, and I was the only one onstage, so I told him… and it was wrong,” Countryman said. “After he sang it he turned around, gave me a shrug, and just laughed.”
A beacon of professionalism and a seasoned performer himself, Countryman avoids pestering guest stars for personal favors like autographs and selfies. However, backstage of the award ceremony, Countryman made an exception in order to meet Conan O’Brian, a personal hero of his, who thanked him for providing “all the bleeps and boops.”
After 23 years with the show in various roles, Countryman’s official title with the show is “Supplemental SFX Mixer,” which does not do the chaotic nature of the job justice. Countryman records, mixes and plays the sound effects using a keyboard during the live sketches. Some highlights include the sound of Jack Black cracking his whip while NOT dressed as Indiana Jones and helping honk the car horn for Kristen Wiig as Dooneese, to accommodate her for her tiny hands.
“The game shows are the ones that keep me up at night,” Countryman said. “Eddie Murphy was doing jeopardy and he decided to start riffing and buzzing in randomly, so I just threw my script out and watched Eddie to see what happened. That was a pretty wild moment.”
The sound effect virtuoso enjoys the work, but also the time off between shows and during the summer off-season to be able to perform as a saxophonist, run his Grammy-nominated recording studio, Jeff & Tyler, and spend time with his wife Alissa and two kids Jean and Ronan at their home in Middle Village. His kids are both around 10 and still young enough to get a kick out of their dad’s role in the show while watching.
Have you ever wanted to be on SNL? Well, if you drive your car down Dry Harbor Road, you might have made an indirect appearance on the show. Countryman carries a microphone with him at all times to collect sounds from his daily life to incorporate into a vast library for use on the show. Countryman’s Emmy sits on the mantle in his house, but you’d never know about his impressive career unless you asked.
“We were ecstatic when he won, he worked so hard for it,” said Jessica Boiardi, a family friend who moonlights as a member of Queens Community Board 5. “He’s so good at his job, and just so much fun.”
