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Marcus Banks: Tree Pimp

Saturday Night LiveSNL
SKETCH-O-VISION
A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.

The setup

A reformed pimp now selling Christmas trees on a New York sidewalk explains how he runs his lot, while a smoother rival warns that his methods have a dark side.

Community rating

– / 10

The premise

Here’s the bit.

In a mock documentary, Marcus Banks describes twelve years as a pimp, a prison term and his improbable second career selling Christmas trees. Between sales to a cowboy-minded customer and a man who wants a trimmed trunk, he insists that his old trade and the tree trade follow the same rules, offering his trees protection, nervously watching for police and bragging that the business is in his blood. A regular customer in a parked car adds to the oddness. A rival, Daddy Kidd, then talks to the camera about his own high-end clientele, calls Marcus ruthless, introduces his favorite tree and refuses to deal in saplings. Marcus returns to admit, with a wobble of regret, that he sometimes slips up.

The funny people

Meet the cast. 5

Say it with us

Highly quotable.

Hose is a game. And trees is a game. And the game is the same.

It's like chlorophyll to me.

I don't get down with no saplings.

ScriptEnglish · 29 turns

Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.

  1. 00:06

    Marcus Banks

    12 years, I was a pimp. That's a long time in pimp years. I made a lot of paper. But then I got popped. Did my time, learned my lesson. Now I'm straight. If you would have told me back then that I'd be selling Christmas trees, I'd say you crazy.

  2. 00:23

    Marcus Banks

    But here I am. Hose is a game. And trees is a game. And the game is the same.

  3. 00:36

    Marcus Banks

    Hey, you like what you see?

  4. 00:38

    Customer

    Yeah, maybe.

  5. 00:39

    Marcus Banks

    Yeah, she's a nice one. She do it all, too.

  6. 00:42

    Customer

    Bull Service. Is this a duck's fur?

  7. 00:47

    Marcus Banks

    She'll be anything you want, cowboy. You know what I'm saying? Best prices in town. Fresh.

  8. 00:53

    Marcus Banks

    Yeah, you like that?

  9. 00:55

    Customer

    You got any big ones?

  10. 00:56

    Marcus Banks

    Oh, well, she big where it counts. She clean, too.

  11. 00:59

    Marcus Banks

    Hold up, Popo. Yeah, you know, this is a beautiful city, man. This is a real beautiful city. It's a hard game. Some mother want to strap my bitches to the top of the car. Hell no.

  12. 01:12

    Customer

    Can I get a fresh cut at the bottom?

  13. 01:13

    Marcus Banks

    Say what?

  14. 01:14

    Customer

    Can I get a fresh cut?

  15. 01:15

    Marcus Banks

    You want me to cut her?

  16. 01:17

    Customer

    Just at the bottom.

  17. 01:18

    Marcus Banks

    Get the hell out of here. No. Get the hell on out of here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't cut my bitches. See, what I offer these trees is protection. You gotta make sure they safe. That's pimping 101.

  18. 01:30

    Marcus Banks

    Y'all got 20 minutes now. That pimping's in my blood, you know? It's in my DNA. It's like chlorophyll to me. Or, uh, uh, uh, uh, photopimperfus.

  19. 01:41

    Marcus Banks

    Hey, Mr. Peterson.

  20. 01:43

    Mr. Peterson

    What's up?

  21. 01:43

    Marcus Banks

    Third time this week, huh? All right, Merry Christmas.

  22. 01:47

    Marcus Banks

    That is one weird dude right there. Well, he pays. He pays.

  23. 01:58

    Daddy Kidd

    I know y'all been talking to Marcus, man. I mean, yeah, he put a show on for you, you know, but Marcus, he cold, man.

  24. 02:07

    Daddy Kidd

    You know, got a dark side. I never put my hands on a tree. But Marcus, it's ungodly.

  25. 02:18

    Daddy Kidd

    Probably know some of my A-list clients. I'm not gonna mention no names, though, man, because, to me, that's, you know, that's sacred. Madeline.

  26. 02:26

    Daddy Kidd

    See, look here, dog. Marcus deals with a more volume business, whereas I deal in discerning clientele. I mean, I deal high end. That's my biggest earner right there. That's That's my bottom bitch.

  27. 02:43

    Daddy Kidd

    See, this game will break your heart if you let it. What's sad is when you see a young tree. I don't get down with no saplings.

  28. 02:50

    Daddy Kidd

    What you doing out here? Get out of here. Go home. Oh, you barely got any rings here.

  29. 02:56

    Marcus Banks

    Now, I try to do right by these trees. Sometimes I slip up, but I'm not a pro at math. But it is what it is.

The rabbit hole continues

One more couldn’t hurt.

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