The International Center seemed louder than a Bayside High football game when the comedic stylings of former "Saved By the Bell" star Dustin Diamond, who played Screech, left fans of the show hooting and hollering on Saturday.
Before Diamond yukked it up with the crowd, James Madison College freshman Mark Adler warmed them up with a comedic song which poked fun at aspects of the show such as the Zack and Kelly love affair, the cheesy dialogue and the character's prehistoric cell phones.
The State News quizzed Adler about his "Saved By the Bell" knowledge, his love of the show and his performance this weekend.
Q: How long have you been performing, and why did you decide to audition?
A: I've been playing the guitar and singing for about seven years, but I never imagined it would lead to opening for Dustin. As soon as I heard he was coming, I thought it would be cool to sabotage him with the song and remind him that we all loved him in "Saved By the Bell."
Q: What is your song about, and why did you write it?
A: The song is called "Teen Angst." I've been writing music for about three years and I just realized I knew a lot about the show. It's about the characters and has reference to some episodes.
Q: Which "Saved By the Bell" character would you most like to date?
A: Well, I'm singing the song about Kelly, but would probably date Tori (the leather-wearing biker who replaced Kelly and Jessie during their senior year) because of her bad-girl appeal. I need that in my life.
Q: And which "Saved By the Bell" character are you most like?
A: I'm definitely like Zack because he was a criminal mastermind who had a good heart.
Q: Zack and Screech were always getting in trouble with Bayside Principal Mr. Belding. What's the craziest thing you ever did in high school?
A: I convinced my entire Spanish class to skip because we were supposed to watch "Harry Potter" in Spanish. We got caught and I ended up getting 20 kids suspended. But no one was mad; it was all in good fun.
Q: Screech was always chasing after his love, Lisa, but she always got away from him. Did you ever chase a "Lisa"?
A: I never had to chase a Lisa because girls love cute guys who play songs with a guitar.
Q: What were the auditions like?
A: Well, I knew stand up wasn't my thing, so I tried to stick with what I knew. I wanted to impress the judges and make them laugh. I was so nervous because I wasn't a comedian like the others. But as soon as I saw them smile, I just gave it my best shot.
Q: Trivia time: What was the name of Screech's robot?
A: That's a hard one. I think it was Kevin. (Correct)
Q: What contest did Screech beat out all of Bayside's girls to win?
A: That was the "Miss Bayside" episode when Zack and Slater made a bet that Zack couldn't get Screech named Miss Bayside. (Correct)
During Adler's song, the crowd cheered and laughed while he and his guitar entertained them. Seeming to like it as much as the crowd, headliner Diamond came out to start his show and made reference to a line in Adler's song.
"I guess I'm gonna use my 'big-ass cell phone,'" Diamond said. "Wow, that was pretty funny, kid."
