Ever Wonder How Vampire Weekend Got Their Name? These Maya Rudolph ‘SNL’ Promos Definitely Won’t Help

If you’ve ever wondered how Vampire Weekend got their name, new promos for their appearance this weekend on Saturday Night Live with host Maya Rudolph will be of no help whatsoever.

In one of the new promos that arrived Thursday (May 9), SNL castmember Kenan Thompson asks the band about the origin of their moniker and gets this fantastical story in return. “Oh, it’s just a combination of our real names,” frontman Ezra Koenig says. Chris Baio chimes in, “I’m Vampire Friday,” followed by Chris Tomson claiming, “I’m Vampire Saturday,” and Koenig wrapping, “And I’m Vampire Sunday.”

“So does that answer your silly little question during my promo, Kenan?” Rudolph snips at her former castmate, who replies with a simple “yes, ma’am.”

In fact, the rock trio originally got the handle during their Columbia University days, when Koenig worked on a short film by the same name that was intended to be an updated version of the ’80s vampire movie Lost Boys set in Cape Cod.

Saturday’s episode will mark Vampire Weekend’s fourth time on SNL, after making their first appearance in March 2008, not even two months after the release of the self-titled debut album that put them on the map.

Rudolph was a castmember on Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2007 and has made frequent returns to Studio 8H since, including two other turns as the host. The actress is currently starring on the Apple TV+ comedy Loot, which wraps its second season on May 29.

Watch all the promos for this weekend below: