Mick Jagger Imitates Steven Tyler on ‘SNL’

Few bands have owed a greater debt to the Rolling Stones than Aerosmith. From the bluesy, riff-based rock to the dynamic between Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, they were originally seen by some as little more than Stones rip-offs. But on last week’s episode of ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Mick Jagger turned the tables by doing an impression of Tyler.

On a sketch called ‘So You Think You Can Dance at an Outdoor Music Festival,’ Jagger wore a Tyler wig, a loud jacket and a scarf around his neck. As perhaps a subtle jab to Aerosmith’s lack of production in the studio in recent years, he was introduced by Bill Hader not as the lead singer of Aerosmith, but as being “on loan from ‘American Idol’ and those weird Burger King commercials. We’re luck to have her…Steven Tyler!”

The bit saw Jagger, Fred Armisen (doing a dead-on Carlos Santana impersonation) and Abby Elliott (as Jewel) judging the dancing you’re likely to see if you happen to make it to any of the big music festivals this summer. About the contestant named “Groove Willy,” who was “on mushrooms” and “dancing with a garbage bag he found,” Jagger compared his dancing to being “almost as awesome as Burger King’s new crispy chicken strips! OW!”

Maybe Jagger didn’t have the voice down pat, but he did capture Tyler’s outrageous personality very well. And, of course, he also had the lips.