It's a mashup of performances from artists that few people would think of putting together, like R.E.M. and Morris Day, Rick James and Duran Duran, Hanson and Cher. Filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson's experience as a DJ taught him enough about beats per minute and musical keys to meld things seamlessly.

Live is going big in celebration of its 50th anniversary, and part of that effort was announced last month, when it was revealed Questlove and Oz Rodriguez co-directed a new documentary, Ladies &

Digging through more than 900 episodes was bound to yield some surprises — and some warm memories. The experience didn’t disappoint.

Questlove talks about watching every single episode of Saturday Night Live to prepare for his Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music documentary and breaks down how the show brought underground artists to the mainstream.