Frank Zappa, October 21, 1978

Richard E. Aaron, Redferns

The Performance: With lively takes on 'Meek' and 'Rolo,' Zappa was actually a pretty decent musical guest, but he was a shamelessly abysmal host. The cast didn’t respond well to the art-rock curmudgeon’s off-kilter sense of humour, his mugging for the camera, or his blatant use of cue cards and turned their back to him as the singer signed off for the night. Zappa was then banned from 'Saturday Night Live.'

Career Impact: If anything, the 'SNL' banishment only added to the weirdo rocker’s mystique. Zappa went on to have one of his most successful years in music following the episode, releasing both the critically and commercially successful 'Sheik Yer Booty' and 'Joe’s Garage' in 1979.