Narnia Rap

Last month we were treated to a highly original bit of entertainment on NBC's venerable beast Saturday Night Live.

I know, I know, hard to believe. We'd be totally out of it if it were not for DVR. Anyway, the piece was a digital short, featuring Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell as two dorky dudes (and thus its appeal to me) going to see "The Chronicles of Narnia."

Here is an excerpt of Slate magazine's take on the clip:

The video, officially titled "Lazy Sunday," depicts a day in the life of a pair of dorky New Yorkers. Andy Samberg (aka Samberg) calls up Chris Parnell (aka Parns) "just to see how he's doin'." Soon enough, they "mack on some cupcakes" from the West Village's Magnolia Bakery and debate which online map service will reveal the "dopest route" to an Upper West Side screening of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Then the chorus kicks in: "We love that Chronic—what?—cles of Narnia / Pass that Chronic—what?—cles of Narnia."

Some of the humor here derives from the fact that these whitebread guys—Samberg is wearing a John Muir T-shirt; Parnell looks like a 12-year-old accountant—are moonlighting in what's traditionally been a black medium. Sure, white rappers aren't a novelty anymore. But guys this white, rhyming about getting "taken to a dreamworld of magic"? It's the nerdy, white-boy version of Ice Cube's "It Was a Good Day."

For the whole Slate piece and a link to watch the SNL video (well worth a few minutes of your time), click here.