20 Watts

Perhaps it’s the hat and jacket, or perhaps it’s the way he holds his guitar with his right elbow resting on the body, while his left leg is bent sticking out sideways; Jimmy Fallon perfects imitating Neil Young’s distinctive lankiness from the early 1970s. As he strums the basic chords a “Heart of Gold”-style harmonica solo plays. Suddenly this imposter Young starts sweetly singing “a story all about how, his life got flip-turned upside down” and tells how he became the Prince of Bel-Air. In stark contrast to the carefree and fast talking way Will Smith rapped, Fallon hits the right tone by perfectly portraying Neil Young’s typical melancholic vocals–but without it being overbearing.

Jimmy Fallon never really came off as a character actor who could get the job done back in the days when SNL still had decent skits. Instead, he always appeared the same with his nervous, annoying-looking motions and his laughing at every joke in every skit. Perhaps having his own talk-show suits him better, so that most of the time he doesn’t have be a character. That is unless he’s got the right costume on to hide behind; which is one of many reasons why his impersonation of classic rock legend Neil Young performing Will Smith’s “Prince of Bel-Air” is so brilliant.

Both Neil Young and Jimmy Fallon have got the street cred to walk on my street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan any day now!

–Charlie Weeks