Mr. Show with Bob and David: Genius or Overrated?

ok, so yeah, its a bit spotty, but what comedy shows aren't?? the high points were generally above most other shows ive seen. one that has stuck in my mind is the episode where the commercials progress from mayostard to mustardayonnaise to finally mustmayostardayonnaise (which almost had me on the floor) also nice to see some jack black stuff, i like that guy

To be sure, Python has its weak moments and all, say. But a potentially instructive comparison, maybe -- after watching a batch of Mr. Show episodes one day, friend Chris B. put on some Ben Stiller Show episodes, which also featured Bob O., of course. Call it a difference in the performers or whatever, but that show had me laughing much more readily than Mr. Show ever did.

Anyone who claims Python wasn't politically incorrect needs to rewatch all the episodes for any number of examples -- as well as hear the bit on the Holy Grail DVD where Terry Gilliam sez that when the film first played in New York a fair amount of the audience was shocked and horrified at the Black Knight being chopped up since there was an anti- Vietnam/anti-violence mindset that allowed for no humor on the matter. Perspective, my friend. ;-)

I'll grant you that one Dalai Lama sketch, actually, it was a doozy -- but that's about it from the shows I've seen in terms of a truly memorable zing.

"Fuzz: The Musical"

Goddamn it I've got that "Third Wheel" ditty stuck in my head yet again. Fucking catchy it is.

I'M A SUPERSTAR! IN A SUPERSTAR MACHINE!

http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/images2/OAR-P3-133-TV.jpg

classic.

my top 3 US comedys:
the larry sanders show
strangers with candy
sealab2021

there has sure been a lot of david cross backlash lately. i have 1+2 plus the third season of mr show on dvd but i bought them mostly because i was searching for one particular sketch and i rarely watch them in their entirety. that said, there are few tv comedy moments that have me laughing out loud whenever i later think of them but the dice and sponge sandwich scene from the third season had me laughing hysterically whenever it would cross my mind for at least a year after i first saw it.

pleasant plains and i have been watching the ben stiller show over the past week or so. its ok but id take mr show over it any day.

oh, and sort of on topic - what the fuck is up with kelsey grammer and that sketch show?

i still say american sketch comedy has never done better than mr. show, ever. i'm glad they cut it short before it got grotesquely awful (like later kids in the hall).

right now i'm wanting to see the streaking episode. if only for the heavenly sarah silverman's line "you sure slapped some meat in their eyes, jimmy!"

I like David Cross but there is something smug about him that grates sometimes. I far prefer Bob.

Oh yes, yes indeed.

the one and only sketch on the ben stiller show that reached the heights that mr.show reached regularly. and if he hadn't been able to do it on the stiller show it probably would have ended up on mr.show.

*bows in the direction of Mr. Seward, respectfully disagrees*

I realized it was trying to be that, but it just...wasn't. At least not constantly, not consistently, though it desperately tried hard (too hard?) to be that, forcing the humor and forcing quotes around 'loopy' and 'inspired' as a result. I saw a whole batch of episodes all at once and then a few here and there since and just...no, sorry, not more than wryly amusing here and there. Not *no* laughs, as I mention above -- Dalai Lama sketch, for instance, a definite winner. But gosh, so much of it could have been edited down, made dryer maybe...yeah, I'm not the guys actually getting up there and creating it all so I should talk, but if I find myself telling the show/sketch/actors to get on with it on a semi-regular basis then it's just not working for me, and listing a whole bunch of references won't convince me, much the same way that the huge list of injokes I can make from MST3K -- which to me just outstrips Mr. Show for laughs still, completely -- isn't going to convince someone who has seen a slew of episodes and just shrugged and moved on.

But yeah, there is the Cross factor. I love Odenkirk in Stiller, he seems dragged down and sprawling in Mr. Show = either Cross is even worse than I imagine him or the camaraderie on Stiller was a perfect secret weapon.

Anyway, Mr. Show doesn't work for me, you think the Kenna album sucks, and yet we are love. :-)

The one about Marijuana is one of the best things I've ever seen, but since every show changes into a million different bits, let me clarify that it's the one that starts off with Dave being high.

There are so many tiny details in Mr. Show to laugh at that most shows wouldn't bother to add. To say that Mr. Show was "trying to be" anything is assuming too much. It *was* a loopy and inspired show and if you see it as "trying to be" such, then I'd say you are projecting. It just is what it is.

Saying that the show was loopy and inspired because it was loopy and inspired is a bit glib. I don't doubt you like it at all and that you enjoy it very much, so can I ask that you consider the opposite point of view might have been derived from the same basic experience, ie watching the show? As I've had to point out on similar threads before, the very thread *title* invites debate, yes?

I actually didn't have much of a problem with Cross until I saw Mr. Show, to be honest -- I was completely neutral. Now, in combination with other things of his, I am not. Is that projecting or my reaction?

Anyway, onions. Yum!

You need to get on political TV talk shows.

(More seriously, what part of "I DO NOT THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF IT WAS ENTERTAINING OR SUCCESSFUL AND THEREFORE SAYING SOMETHING LIKE 'YES, IT WAS ALL THOSE THINGS' FLATLY IS GOING TO MAKE ME GO 'OH RIGHT YOU ARE, I WILL DENY MY OWN EXPERIENCES IN ORDER TO SUIT YOUR REALITY" did you not understand? And why does the final line of your complaint remind me of all those messages Melody Maker used to get and print from aggreived attendees of concerts saying "Were you at the same show I was?!")

All I am saying is that it would make more sense for you to say that this approach to comedy didn't work for you because "it was a little too loopy and inspired to be funny", rather than to say they were "trying to be loopy and inspired but it just... wasn't." Because it was!

I don't know because they're completely different points. One is about experiencing a show and one is about experiencing the thought process behind-the-scenes of the show.

Honestly, I'm not much of one either. It's very easy to see why it's so liked, though -- I think I enjoy it much more as reference source!

i always thought that "trying too hard" atmosphere of mr.show was done on purpose. cuz the live stuff was SUPPOSED to resemble people trying desperately to stay on the air and be funny. I liked that live theatre aspect to it.

I like that explanation! That's a good way to think about it that I honestly hadn't thought of. I don't know if it'll help me see it in a new light but I'll keep it in mind should I run across an episode again in future.

rather than to say they were "trying to be loopy and inspired but it just... wasn't." Because it was!

Lemonade, you are conflating an admittedly more descriptive or at least harder to pin down point -- 'loopy,' which can be both positive or negative, and in this case I used in it a 'yeah, it's 'loopy,' thanks whatever' sense -- with 'inspired,' which is clearly meant to be positive and which I specifically question in terms of how I feel about the show. If you can't accept that there is a difference in connotation then that's your own worry. Otherwise this boils down to:

YOU: "It was inspired!"

ME: "I don't think it was inspired, despite your claiming otherwise."

YOU: "But it was inspired!"

ME: "I agree you think it was inspired, but I don't believe so."

YOU: "But it was inspired!"

ME: *looks for some Sonic Youth to listen to instead*

I am FAR from arguing I'm a perfect arguer on these boards here, as folks like the good Mr. Miccio and Mr. Chow and others have, I think quite rightly, pointed out. But can you see where this is breaking down a bit?

*places Lemonade in scriptwriting session for Mr. Show, in safe sealed suit to protect him from the hot wind emanating from Mr. Cross's mouth*

WRITERS: *write write write argue suggest finalize*

LEMONADE: "It's so inspired!" (*leaves, honestly appreciating and enjoying what has been seen and heard*)

*episode airs, featuring a variety of elements; Ned watches it and happens to find it wanting*

LEMONADE: "Wasn't that inspired?"

NED: "Well, no."

LEMONADE: "IT WAS INSPIRED! YOU CANNOT DESCRIBE IT AS ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE BY DEFINITION IT IS INSPIRED!"

NED: *flips through old Melody Maker to find that one interview with Chris Morris*

See, it WAS inspired! :D

xpost *THANK* you Scott. I fully agree with Scott about the tradition Mr. Show exists in, we disagree over it turned out with said show. He I'm sure finds it inspired and doubtless inspiring, I don't. Etc. etc.

(Lemonade, there's this thing called 'radical subjectivity' which I encourage you to search the archives for, though more on ILM.)

Lemonade, you may draw what you like from that as you will. I am not asking you to change your way of thinking, believe it or not, but I would like to ask you to consider how mine works.

Anyway, I found this: Does subjectivity really have a place in a serious argument concerning music? and... long drawn out philosophy made simple: I think everyone has an opinion but outside of those opinions all we have are certain words to describe reality objectively. Perhaps "inspired" is too esoteric a word choice to argue a point. I think the show is definitely loopy and has a unique draw that may not appeal to everyone. How's that? Boring? :D

Lemonade, are you seriously arguing (as you appear to be) that the writer weren't trying to be "loopy and inventive"? I think that's where you and Ned have common ground, you both think that that's what they were shooting for, but you disagree as to whether they hit it.

As for saying "many people consider this subjective opinion to be true", that is, if you'll pardon my French, a prick's game.

Writer #1: "Now that is fuckin' funny! Ha, ha, ha!"

All writers: (riotous laughter)

Writer #2: "Ooooh, man. Ohhhh, shit."

Writer #3: "That situation is kind of like this other situation..."

(and there's your rolling segue)

Writer #4: "It's totally the opposite of this other situation..."

(and there's your rolling segue)

No, I don't think it they were TRYING to be loopy and inspired, I think they just WERE. They came at comedy from every angle and tried to cram as many jokes as they could into a single episode.

xpost

"if you don't like it, go take a dump in your hat."
Don't you mean on the American flag?

I can sort of see how if you don't get that vibe, it could be a really good show, but it's a bit like "if an elephant was small, white and round, it'd be an aspirin".

Oh really. Sure he wasn't just trying to be funny?

"Take it from me, I love you!"

scott so fucking OTM today. lemonade salesman, too.

btw, when was the last time you were funny? i'm thinking it was well before you threatened to get in a fistfight with roger adultery.

The show is certainly inconsistant, but they had some really incredible material. Both Mr. Show and the Upright Citizens Brigade tv show had some interesting ideas about working improv and live sketch formats into a television show, but I think both ultimately make the case for the supremecy of the live experience. (although Arrested Development plays with some of the same tools in a manner much more effective for television)

Hm...all right, let me serve up an example -- one sketch I found egregriously painful was the one in the restaurant where the staff is all falling over themselves to take care of the dude when he poops. So, was that a 'fake' sketch (and was I apparently unaware not to notice?)? (I'm not objecting to that approach -- see also SCTV, MST3K, etc. -- but I don't think it worked well here.)

like ILX is a good arbiter of what's funny. get off yo own nuts!!

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

I mean even America's Funniest Home Videos has that smug Bob Saget cracking wry over the shots of dogs sliding around on ice.

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

i'd understand the complaint if they, like, gratuitously paused for applause or something, but the show has a pretty zippy pace.

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 23rd, 2005.

otfm!

I was referring to the live segments--i.e. the "Space Dog" sketch.

As dumb as Lemonade Salesman's argument is, I don't know if "trying too hard" is a particularly useful criticism as it's phrased, especially when so much sketch could stand to try a lot harder (Michael Showalter, I'm looking at you). I haven't seen the poop sketch in a few years, but I'm remember it being executed very well--great raising the stakes, strong beats--but predicated on pretty weak ideas. Blount brought up Chappelle Show, which suffers from the opposite problem; great (if sometimes same-y) ideas, half-assed execution.

Is "Trying Too Hard" In Art Really THAT Bad?

I still love it.

yes

sad songs are nature's onions

paul f tompkins was chubby once

my shoes hurt too

i really love the jesus christ superstar sketch. i was obsessed with that movie at some point in my youth though.

gagortion

jcss is OK. not many lols.

the sketch i mean. the original is the best thing ever made.

yeah that sketch really goes on too long

It took me a while to start liking Mr. Show, to be honest. I had to get accustomed to it... but I think that happens with most sketch shows. You need to get a feel for the actors on the show, and for the writing. I am, however, a giant sketch comedy fan, so inevitably, this show became one of my favourite shows. When I was younger, I liked Cross best, but now it's definitely Odenkirk. All of the "best" parts I remember of his show were Bob-related... there's one sketch in particular whose name I forget, where Bob is this kid with a squeaky voice who's really down on himself, and David is his swearing friend who leaves in a jeep at one point... I think Bob says "aw, gee..." all the time. Anyone help me out here?

I still don't think I like it as much as Kids in the Hall, though, but I am a Canadian. Again, though, acquired taste?

no. kids in the hall are the greatest sketch comedy group of all time.

Hadn't watched this for a couple of years until I looked up a few favorites on YouTube yesterday. "Change for a Dollar" and the "Van Hammersley" (the guy who teaches you about history through billiards) sketches are still great.

yeah KITH is better, more consistent, generally weirder and relied much less on direct and obvious parodies

the Bob one you're thinking of Will is in Season 1, I think...? He wanders around complaining about how things change (leaves, streetlights, etc.) Its a pretty short interstitial piece if I recall.

altho yeh in general Bob >>>>>>>>>>>>> David

Kids in the Hall is superior (it's easily my favorite show of all time), but I still heart Mr. Show 2 tha max

maybe the key difference is that KITH stuff is generally character-driven, whereas Mr. Show is more concept-driven...?

Yeah but I have tried to show people KITH who aren't yet into it, and they are never amused... until they start watching many episodes. Not a sitcom, but also, people need to wach a few Seinfelds before they "get it" (which isn't to say everyone enjoys it after some eps, but NOBODY seems to like any of these shows after 1 or 2 episodes)

xpost YEAH, that's the one Shakey!

the dice and sponge sandwich KILLED

Ha ha my wife and I do the "These leaves used to be cool ... but they changed" voice all the time.

maybe the key difference is that KITH stuff is generally character-driven, whereas Mr. Show is more concept-driven...?

-- Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:20 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

yeah otm. but boy, what concepts!

because it's Halloween, the Monster Parties: Fact or Fiction? sketch

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fo4tzrxyXsA

I'm willing to side with the "funniest american sketch comedy show" people.

Also, the "Video Complaints" sketch has a joke I still say in regular conversation:

"I HAVE NEVER! EVER! ...EVER! ...NERVER! ...NENVER! ...NEVEREVEREN!

which reminds me of another david cross thing that I still oversue, but it's very subtle... in one eisode of arrested development, in one of the best moments, tobias is telling michael why he'd never take marriage advice from him. "And secondively, why would I take marriage advice from you? Your wife is dead!"

Secondively creeped its way into my speech, to the point where I no longer ven use it with a hint of irony in my voice, and just sound uneducated.

I often describe myself as an adventurist, a noveler, and a travelaire

funniest American sketch comedy show was The State.

which is like light years funnier than Mr. Show. and they weren't allowed to cuss!

I liked a lot of the side people, really think they made the show: Brian Posehn, Jay Johnston and my fave Tom Kenny (aka voice of Spongebob). Season (3? 4? the last one) had like way tons tons of Jay Johnston, which was surprising. The best one from that season was called (IIRCE) "The Story of the Story of the Story of Antarctica," where he kept knocking over the thimble cabinet. I wish they were that puzzling and slapstick all the time.

KITH mos defs>>>>>>>Herr Scahuen

Ned's comment upthread about me liking the Ben Stiller Show more still stands. There's still some howlingly funny episodes of Mr. Show, but like Abbott mentioned the side people are underrated (and David Cross is way way overrated)

The show would be horribly suffocating if it were just Bob & David.

Jill Talley, people

sorry to resurrect this old thing, but i just watched the bob lamonta story and laughed my ass off... this seemed like the best place to post about it.

Since they met on the Ben Stiller show, much of the show's precursors can be found in the Odenkirk sketches from there

the dice and sponge sandwich KILLED

― sunny successor, Wednesday, October 31, 2007 7:22 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

^

my favorite odenkirk from the ben stiller show is - besides manson, obv - val the background singer who is fluent in two languages: english and legalese.

Taint Misbehavin'

Was Odenkirk's Hillbilly Industries from Stiller of Mr Show?

stiller

The Bob Lamonta story is definitely one of the more tedious (bar the kid who says "they gave me some beer and frozen peas", and maybe the principle) of the skits on the show, if you ask me, but I tend to be PC that way.

*the principal

MY SHOES HURT

mehlt you are a philistine

if you can't laugh at that sketch what can you laugh at?

'scuse me?

I'm sorry if I don't find half assed, easy mental disability jokes funny.

I've watched Mr. Show enough to know what I like, there are skits I've seen more than 25 times.

That pales in comparison to the Taint sketch, Mustardayonaisse, fuzz the musical, philouza, pre taped call in show, dream of a lifetime, change for a dollar, grass valley greg

and so on and so on. . .

MY SHOES HURT

have you tried pulling your socks up?

BAM

Oh wait I just remembered that...haha nevermind.

o man the mustardayonaise/mayostard thing

also I never said the skit was bad, per se, but one of the more tedious skits (it has some moments, e.g. my shoes hurt) but for reasons I mentioned above, i.e. structuring skits around lazy, projected stereotypes of mentally disabled people, which aren't really funny to begin with, and aren't any funnier when translated into a sketch, makes for a tedious sketch that has little to built itself from.

The thing is Bob and David aren't really that great comedians, they're just really good at putting together and presenting skits where all the small details come together. In skits like these (and so many others) the presentation is better than the jokes themselves (cf. the skit preceeding the fad 3 once, with Dylan the asshole purist, which is essentially all detail with no joke, and is one of my very favourite sketches). When you look at the heart of the Bob Lamonta sketch, there really isn't anything funny at the centre of it, although it's easy to be mistaken that there is.

Sorry to pontificate, but I don't much care for being called a philistine.

its structured around a basic cable biopic format - the retards are characters

Yes, but I'd argue that's presentation (which is admittedly done really well), and it has little to do with the actual jokes though, which are essentially "retard this, BJ and the bear that". This is a skit with all structure and no inside, or actually, it's like an apple with a rotten core, looks fine, seems fine, but I can't get past the really bad jokes that are in the centre.

there are a bunch of biopic based non-retard jokes that are really hilarious - for one the fact that hes a marathoner w/a mustache - should be noted too that the dice sandwich is before the retard reveal and is still so funny

Yes, yes, maybe I'm being confusing - I'm starting to feel like the pre taped call in show host - but I think that just further corroborates my point. It's the jokes that satirize bio pic moustache marathon runners that are funny, but those are the 'details', as opposed to the straight up comedy, as in the uttered jokes about retard this retard that, which are what I find not funny.

Either way, it's not high end Mr. Show, I'll leave it at that.

I'm not clear on what the difference is between "details" and "comedy." But I agree that the retarded parents thing is not very funny.

I mean I guess some of their sketches are funnier for the peripheral jokes than the central jokes, but that's their style. E.g. the repeated shot of Josh Fenderman doing the dance is far funnier than the actual Josh Fenderman story. Not sure why that doesn't qualify as "comedy" though.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to get at.

I was thinking about this after watching seeing Bob And David's stand up comedy and realizing that I don't find it funny at all, in spite of loving Mr. Show. Depsite what Bob might say about the better skits being the low budget ones (easy for him to say, as he would find himself to be really funny), it's the gestalt that counts, the periphery being as, often more important that the central jokes. I find approaching the skits in a kind of decentred way is more rewarding that looking at it as a vehicle for stand-up style comedy that you could get on an audio recording.
Take The Dylan skit at 7:30 here, which is a skit without a centre, all periphery without an origin that its supposed to be serve.

i love the bob lamonta sketch more for the "brave choice" satire surrounding it, which i think rescues the "bad retarded caricatures" jokes from what it would be on something like mad tv. still, i will be magnanimous and recognize your right not to like it as much as their other sketches. my two favorite sketches from the show are the story of everest and the pre-taped call-in show. however, the greatest mr. show moment of them all was at the end of the lost episode.

Take The Dylan skit at 7:30 here, which is a skit without a centre, all periphery without an origin that its supposed to be serve.

I wouldn't really even call that a skit. It's only about 60 seconds -- more of a transitional piece between skits. Monty Python used to do very similar things, and so did vaudeville acts for that matter. Plus the Dylan character shows up elsewhere and I think it's pretty clear that the "center" is just a spoof of a literary snob type who can't stand base pop culture -- maybe an easy target, but done well I think.

Besides, I think a lot of their comedy is more about certain television and film narratives as narratives than the content of those narratives.

this sequence is funny imo:

'everest' might be the best thing they ever did. i nearly died watching that for the first time!

i'm shocked that out of this entire cast, only Jerry Minor moved on to Saturday Night Live

Bob and Dino wrote for SNL and Sarah Silverman was a cast member.

They all moved onto tiny roles in Arrested Development.

i'm sad jay johnston hasn't had a better career- he was as funny doing slapstick (everest) as he was playing a guy in a suit and tie (like as the record exec trying to convince wykyd sceptyre that they were gay).

Jay Johnston is the best, I agree.

yeah, he's good on the sarah silverman show, but having him play one character, and not use his knack for physical comedy, is kind of a waste of talent.

i mean, the bit in the "tex mex" sketch in mr. show where he punches odenkirk is hilarious. just that punch is as funny as the rest of the sketch.

Choo-Choo the herky-jerky dancer

i dunno, i can't separate the punch from the sleazy look he gives jill talley. and how about the saxophone player in "honesty in motion" ??? another johnston moment where he's not even the center of attention, but he's the funniest part about the sketch.

Jay Johnston is indeed the greatest.

Choo-Choo the herky-jerky dancer

― i'm shy (Abbott), Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:55 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

I say this all the time

That, and "quarters; mostly quarters"

'Pallies' --> 'The Fairsley Difference' --> 'The Story of Everest'

is the absolute high point of the show. If only they could've gotten a better SNL-y restaurant sketch in there like The Burgundy Loaf or something in there instead of the lameass clumsy waiter thing and the connection with Rapist Coming Don't Get Raped would be pretty much the perfect Mr. Show episode.

fore I die I'm gon fuck me a fish

i am a tele-vision set—peter o'toole

i'm the hated milk machine
no one likes me now
i was doing what i'm told
he was trying to be bold
why can't people keep their willies out of holes

where do i go now
where do i go now
this is the knocking song
in days of auld lang syne

^ get this stuck in my head all the time

I personally prefer Y'all are Brutalizing Me (which was nominated for an Emmy... errr, "World's Biggest Asshole" Award!)

I walk around humming "I'm a superstar in a superstar machine! Taking it to the streets! Emotion lotion ..."

I'm Fran, and I'm a woman!

You need to respect the baby, 'cause life is precious... and God... and the Bible.

A rap, rap, a rap rap rap. A rap, rap, a rap tap tap. Get rappin' with it. Heyyyyy. Get rappin' with it. Hohhhh!

Damn, his science is too tight!

OK, fine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne0RrK5qJ-k

I walk around humming "I'm a superstar in a superstar machine! Taking it to the streets! Emotion lotion ..."

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, October 21, 2011 5:57 PM (23 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

and that's when Lincoln said, "Don't diss mah homies!"

weird al version is next level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCmvSKenzY

it's cool to think that besides jack black, the most famous person from this cast is mary lynn rajskub

naw Paul f Tompkins duh

Tom Kenny's obliquely pretty famous.

xpost i mean among normals, not onion a/v club commenters

Tom Kenny's easily the second most SUCCESSFUL of the bunch, but I wouldnt call him famous by any stretch of the imagination

actually Tom Kenney is probably more famous than any of them, in the kind of famous where no one really knows him

yeah that's called not being famous

the guy who does Spongebob vs the chick with the eyes on 24.

but anyways, yeah, 26 year-old Jack Black in the "Joke: The Musical" sketch is just fucking ridiculous. how gifted was that guy?

i like that he does the winged devil dance in that sketch that has become his hallmark in tenacious d.

also... sarah silverman is more famous than mary lynn rajskub, isn't she?

david cross easily in at #2 between arrested development and (more importantly) the chipmunk movies. odenkirk might have a higher q rating than rajskub at this point also, 24's been of the air awhile and didn't exactly go out on top either. calling sarah silverman mr show alumni feels like even more of a stretch than calling her snl alumni. she would rank over rajskub though.

Silverman was on it as much as Jack Black, if not more.

yeah rajskub is not really famous, def not as famous as silverman or cross, maybe not even odenkirk

don't know how i've managed to not troll this thread once in the past 10 years, def overrated as fuck

raskub may not be famous, but her mug is all OVER the 24 pinball game

yeah i guess that's true, i guess it's just i already knew who she was whereas i didn't know who jack black was at the time

xpost to abb

some dude i think you're underestimating just how big 24 and specifically chloe on 24 was at the time, i mean rush limbaugh would drop her name and not feel the need to explain who she was whereas he did feel the need to explain who tony blair was for example.

there's a picture in silverman's bio with sarah and rajskub napping together, kind of affectionately nuzzling one another, before they were famous because they happened to be roommates, and the timeline makes you think like, oh hey here i am the first time in LA, is there anyone who will be my roommate? oh it's mary lynn rajskub, let's cuddle for awhile. hey let's go be on a TV show together, great! and also a story about her and louis ck throwing their clothes off multi-story buildings. how sordid!

the story silverman tells in that book of the first time she bombed is probably the hardest she's ever made me laugh.

24 was definitely a very popular show in its time with a semi-ironic main character, i just don't really know how capital f famous any non-kiefer person is on that show. certainly not sarah silverman famous.

ha semi-iconic

o yeah agreed. i'm not sure what sarah silverman's actual biggest hit is (very possibly her book?), but when she got that laugh as a nominee at the emmys that one year my coworkers were talking about it and none of them had to have who sarah silverman was explained to them.

I think even just because "Sarah Silverman" rolls off the tongue quicker than Mary Lyn Rajskub would make her more famous.

i've never even heard her name spoken out loud to know how it's pronounced, such is her fame

I know she's Silverman's old roommate. I know she got fired from Mr. Show because she and David Cross broke up. I know she was on 24. I saw her guest-star as one of Jemaine's girlfriends on Flight of the Conchords.

All that said, yeah, I don't know how to pronounce her last name either.

i feel like most people just call her chloe

Yeah, I forgot how often Sarah was on the show when I first posed the question.

brian posehn and patton oswalt were roomies, too! it seems like if you're a comedian and you had a roommate at that time, you would end up on Mr. Show and become at least semi-famous. maybe there is a pic in patton's autobio of posehn cradling him like a nursing baby during pre-fame roomie days.

Brian Posehn is defs my favorite Mr. Show guy.

http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/images/2006/06/062906_rushaccostsmarylynn.jpg

I'm inclined to believe (based on little actual evidence) that Tom Kenney is probably the second most successful of this lot from a financial standpoint. If not, he needs a new agent.

i don't think anyone would dispute that dude is set for life. but being known mainly as the voice of in animated character is a hard quantify kind of fame. like i genuinely have no idea what percent of people who know who Homer Simpson is would known the name Dan Castellaneta or recognize his face.

Starting to think that just because Rush was namechecking Mary Lynn, it had more to do with her popularity in the Limbaugh household and not the general populace.

yeah i had no idea before googling her b/c of this thread that there was a whole weird thing w/ them being on a panel together and rush planting a kiss on her

rush is best friends with the 24 creator, so hes probably more into the show than the average joe

yeah i had no idea before googling her b/c of this thread that there was a whole weird thing w/ them being on a panel together and rush planting a kiss on her

― some dude, Sunday, April 29, 2012 8:46 PM (48 seconds ago) Bookmark

people briefly thought they were dating

ugh that 'heritage foundation' banner

http://i38.tinypic.com/33wum2t.gif

Mary Lynn is probably equally as famous as the guy who played Tony on 24.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjQ9D5JIcfM

bag hutch 4ever.

garafolo was already famous at that point iirc

yeah, i think that's why i didn't count silverman cuz i already knew who she was (though she was nowhere near garafolo fame). always just assumed that somehow garafolo got rajskulb the job replacing her on larry sanders though i might just be conflating what happened on the show there.

burn that disco ghost to the ground!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXi1begBop0&feature=related

are there really people who don't like mr. show? so sad...

so is adult swim and youtube why there hasn't been a non-snl sketch show in so long? (not counting madtv or whatever britain turns out) there's a lull after sctv but late 80s thru the 90s you get in living color, kids in the hall, ben stiller show, the state, mr. show and probably some other obscure things i'm completely forgetting. that's alot of talent churned out there.

dana carvey show

chappelle show

DURR

yeah i haven't had cable in years i'm guessing comedy central has never stopped looking for another chappelle show. ignore my thought!

there's some show now, mabel and kenworth or something that supposed to be good? much closer to chappelle than mencia in any case? anyone seen it?

You mean Key & Peele? I've seen a few bits of it, seemed alright, but certainly no Chappelle show.

that's it

lol mabel and kenworth

are there really people who don't like mr. show? so sad...

― scott seward, Sunday, April 29, 2012 9:33 PM (52 minutes ago) Bookmark Fl

it's aight but i tend to front on it because of a) douchey college kids who've never watch an episode of KITH overrating it, b) an over-reliance on clever sketch segues that just always felt kinda forced to me compared to Python segues and c) David Cross turning out to be such a dickbag that i almost don't want to laugh at him even when he's funny out of spite.

This is kind of the greatest American sketch comedy show though, save a few choice seasons of SNL

the segues are hit or miss, sure (especially how they just make the sketch into a news segment as a seeming last resort), but the truly inspired ones make up for it, in my opinion. i'm thinking ones like information jimmy, or TTOMO into the sad song awards.

gimme another space beer, gleep glop

so is adult swim and youtube why there hasn't been a non-snl sketch show in so long? (not counting madtv or whatever britain turns out) there's a lull after sctv but late 80s thru the 90s you get in living color, kids in the hall, ben stiller show, the state, mr. show and probably some other obscure things i'm completely forgetting. that's alot of talent churned out there.

― balls, Sunday, April 29, 2012 9:33 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

the whitest kids u know has its fans

also seems like improv/sketch people are more likely to try to get on sitcoms these days than they are to start the next Human Giant show.

xpost, the saddest fact

i saw mary lynn rajskub do stand-up on one of those john oliver comedy central stand-up shows and it was SO. BAD. i like her in general but it was just a long meandering story with no jokes and no point and her doing her uncomfortable/nervous thing.

i watched a few eps recently and some of it was really funny and some of it was so 90s, overall ingenius show

this is tru tho

c) David Cross turning out to be such a dickbag that i almost don't want to laugh at him even when he's funny out of spite.

― some dude, Sunday, April 29, 2012 10:30 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

what a foul monster

what did david cross do to you guys? you hate him cuz he's a corny indie fuxxor or whatever?

have you heard his standup?

I think the actual answer is

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Amber+Tamblyn+David+Cross+MONTBLANC+Presents+ZW3XFoKxkm2l.jpg

mr. show is the greatest

thought this was pretty funny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIWLMMHGAS8

he has a beard now.... GET HIM!

xposts

I've never really understood actually ~hating~ david cross.

hes just a really h8ful person

saw david cross live and he killed
he spent half the show giving swag that people had given him at festivals and what not to the audience members
just a real nice guy.
no idea why people think he's such a dick

I saw him live years and years ago and the most annoying thing about it was that there were bands opening for him and when he came onstage to do his act the crowd remained standing like we were at a rock show. it was so weird.

he seems like an allright guy to me.

i said he's a dickbag, not a dick. i don't know why that seems like an urgent distinction, but i think i mean i don't know whether he is a nice person IRL, i just think he comes across as kind of pompous and humorless about a lot of things when speaking onstage/in interviews.

he looks plump and happy. i think i've just heard the one cd (on sub pop?) and one stand-up special. thought they were fine. in a patton kinda way. i laughed. i like him when i see him on other things. except for the godforsaken chipmunks movie.

i like the virgin mary desert rape bit. i remember that one.

but jeez just try and forget seeing him now cuz he did so much great stuff on mr. show. you can't take that away from him.

He's hit and miss. His acting is usually pretty funny. But his stand-up… I dunno, seems like most of what I've seen is "I mean, FUCK. 'Oh you don't believe in fucking Jesus?' NO MAN! And, and and… here's a fucking story. Go fuck some more kids in the ass and come back and tell me about your fucking invisible man in the sky, ok?"

That tripping clip was pretty dead-on about what it's like to trip, but… was there a joke in there? It was a good performance though, I'm giving him all that.

Out of like ten sketches, ONE may be slightly funny. On the whole, kind of a dud.

your percentages are wrong

cross' elephant story was painfully funny and demolished the room

I saw him open for Aimee Mann and Michael Penn on their "Acoustic Alchemy" tour and he killed. This show was in Alexdandria, VA, which is trade association and nonprofit HQ central for the US. He did a bit about walking through town, seeing the National Snack Food Association, and going in to their offices to ask why there's no honey mustard popcorn that was just amazing.

lol Alexdandria

He's hit and miss. His acting is usually pretty funny. But his stand-up… I dunno, seems like most of what I've seen is "I mean, FUCK. 'Oh you don't believe in fucking Jesus?' NO MAN! And, and and… here's a fucking story. Go fuck some more kids in the ass and come back and tell me about your fucking invisible man in the sky, ok?"

haha yes this is otm

i mean he's this close to being a gen x bill maher

can only assume you are misunderstanding Bill Maher's politics

i...wasn't saying they share views?

not sure what you're getting at then. the main thing I associate with Bill Maher is reactionary libertarian politics, being a sexist asshole, a sanctimonious atheist, and generally ignorant jerk. Cross isn't really any of those things.

can't really envision Cross hosting a "chat show" or whatever either

apart from the "Mr. Show Water Cooler" sketch I guess lol

Doesn't he have a rep for being a "sanctimonious atheist"? I remember about 6-7 years ago - this local blog i used to write for, one of the other writers reviewed a performance of his and was bothered by the fact that he made fun of Mormons. It turned out the writer was Mormon, and David Cross actually replied in the comments (i think) and restated that he thought Mormonism was dumb.

xpost PRE-TAPED CALL-IN SHOW!! Funniest 4 minutes in televised history imo.

he is sanctimonious abt a great many things

yeah i was gonna say, that was kind of the meat of my comparison (xpost)

I think Cross's brand of inflammatory rhetoric is a different strain from Maher's "All religions are stupid, I'm gonna make an entire 'documentary' about it" approach

xp

yeah, that's why i said he's almost a gen x equivalent, not the exact same thing. sorry for using words.

Maher is only 8 years older than Cross, dunno where this generational divide is being drawn here

maybe we could delineate that in depth

I think they have fundamentally different approaches - Maher wants to be taken seriously for his "ideas", he craves legitimacy. Cross knows he's not a legitimate arbiter of anything and mines this for laughs, his sanctimony is part of an overly aggressive schtick afaict

they don't have to be 30 years apart in age for one to be generation x and one not. anyway as was already pointed out, the comparison was mainly made on the basis of their having smug condescending attitudes towards sheeple that don't share their views. maybe you agree, maybe you don't, but we don't really have to board lawyer the point to death.

I say Baby Boom lasted from D-Day to Gulf of Tonkin resolution.

With one Generation X exclave during the period between JFK getting shot and the Beatles appearing on Ed Sullivan.

the comparison was mainly made on the basis of their having smug condescending attitudes towards sheeple that don't share their views

but...this includes like 90% of America

They could at least be funny about it, since that their chosen profession.

someone on my facebook irl used the term sheeple the other day, first time id seen it in the wild

but...this includes like 90% of America

fwiw what I meant here was that 90% of America has smug, condescending attitudes about people who don't share their views, this is hardly some sort of unusual characteristic unique to Cross and Maher

you're not a professional comedian, though

ugh shakey

hey some dude

http://a4.ec-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/141/44faaa13616b4d6b829952c223059e15/m.gif

SPEAK ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER

lol

"i saw mary lynn rajskub do stand-up on one of those john oliver comedy central stand-up shows and it was SO. BAD."

i dunno if it's part of her routine to say this but at the beginning she says she's never done stand-up before.

maybe your first time doing stand-up shouldn't be on a tv show?

i think on average, i'd rather watch a show full of nothing but first time stand-ups than most shows with stand-ups on it.

that wouldn't be a bad idea for a TV show but the fact remains that dropping a first-timer into a regular standup show is probably not going to go well

its a p funny idea

just go to an open mic or something

pffft w/e

i've always hated this weird implicit contract in standup where the comedian goes through this well-practiced setlist of jokes as if it's extemporaneous, and the audience is supposed to react accordingly and dropping a first-timer in just destroys that. i love it. but you can do the same thing with pros. there's this recording of oswalt getting super-drunk and the audience starts yelling requests for bits they've heard before.

David Cross' audio book has some hilariously great and irritably sanctimonious parts to it. There's an extended section where he just rags on some Midwestern scrapbooking group that comes across as the meanest Vice magazine hipster cokehead snark horseshit you ever read.

The bit where he gets into an argument with H Jon Benjamin in the recording booth is awesome, though.

Some of his stories are great, others seem to be him taking all the shit he got growing up in Georgia as a pretense to attack anybody who's not as loudly atheistic as him.

MLR's standup is okay, apparently more performance art than anything, but her set doesn't warrant the placement it can get in the show. She headlined a show of great comedians at Bridgetown a week or two ago and her stuff was only good->middling, but fell far short of what guys earlier in the show brought.

Cute as hell tho.

thread is the first time I've heard of Cross being an atheist tbh. that's what I get for avoiding his last couple albums I guess.

I like him and find him generally funny, but also have to agree with the sanctimonious comments upthread.
i've seen his standup and man – he loves to rag on religion. I was in the second row and after he'd been mocking religion for maybe 15 minutes or so, I had started yawing when I locked eyes with him everso briefly. He immediately switched subjects.

i wish i had such a superpower..!

Yeah the famous bit is where he reads from the Atlanta Journal Constitution where someone wrote in to ask "Are there cars in heaven?" and he goes on and just destroys the response.

Not sure I've ever heard him say "I am an atheist" tho, so who knows? Btw I sort of suspect Colbert is a devout Christian who just knows his market well.

sometimes cross is really funny, sometimes he's a really strident asshole, sometimes both at once. imo his body of work is funny enough for me to overlook the shitty stuff, usually

though i think with him its not even so much being an asshole as sometimes you're just like... 'man this guy is really into himself' (in an unappealing way)

he looks really gross these days too

"I sort of suspect Colbert is a devout Christian"
he is! i don't think he's cynically pandering to anti-christians though.

Btw I sort of suspect Colbert is a devout Christian who just knows his market well.

He makes it pretty clear he's Catholic. The show has its own chaplain!

Colbert is infinitely more hilarious AND biting AND humane on religion that Cross ever has or will be.

Cross in that Tripping youtube could easily be posted in "pictures of people that aren't whiney" thread

The only Cross standup routine that got real lols form me was the one where he ate a chocolate mountain covered in gold.
His book was not funny. He's kind of a jerk. I've tried not to let it rub off on my views of Mr. Show, which I still think is funny overall.

Hungry4Ayyyyy nailed it

otm - like the "emotion lotion" sketch kinda felt a bit too revealing

The final straw for me with Cross was all his whining about how bad he has it on the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. You signed up for the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies. What on earth about "third Alvin and the Chipmunks movie" made you think it was going to be an actor's dream, especially after burning so many bridges talking shit about the first two?

i know, right!!

i have to admit, i laughed at the comedians zinging each other for being in shitty movies that the alvin thing started.

Growing up non southern Baptist in the bible belt will warp your perspective on religion a bit. Still, you'd think a nearly 50 year old would over it by now.

you don't have friends that just like to complain about shit? Like it seems like they will get themselves into situations just to be able to complain about it later? I dunno, i think that's totally human and kinda lol.

if david cross grew up in the bible belt for the sole purpose of getting whining material, i'd agree that's pretty funny.

ha i think she meant the alvin and the chipmunks thing

He's such a diva about it, though. They are not lol complaints.

Growing up non southern Baptist Jewish in the bible belt will warp your perspective on religion a bit.

I think the "Jewish" thing is more significant than the "non-SB" thing.

Oh definitely, but in my experience (as someone living in the south) it's also true for *anyone* not down with southern evangelical culture. I was raised Catholic and I was told I was a non-Jesus-believing heathen several times as a kid. By adults as well as children.

So, extrapolating from my own experience, I can see why being Jewish in the south (especially in the 70's when Cross grew up there) would be fucking alienating in the extreme and warp your view on religion for a long time.

It's better now, and there's a lot more diversity where I live than there was even 15 years ago, but the South is the South.

have a Catholic uncle who lived in Tennessee his whole life and constantly took shit for it, according to him

I never got too much shit for it, but I did get tired of the "Why do you pray to Mary?" questions.

i had a kid check my head for horns, so i don't care if this guy wants to rant

??!!

Holy crap, really? When was this?

junior high

he didn't really mean anything by it is the thing. just general ignorance.
also me and my sister were regularly told by kids, teachers and kid's parents when we visited their homes that we were going to hell since we hadn't accepted jesus into our lives, both subtly and straight up explicitly

i remember buying my first car with my parents and it was from a friendly good ol boy and the whole process was great and he was a sweetheart right until we got down to the payment and my dad told him he appreciated working with him on the price and the guy said "well you weren't jewing me down or anything it's alright" and we all got very quiet, he bought my car with the money from my savings bonds and we left. put a damper on the excitement, i tell you what

so again, i have no issue with this guy bitching about shitkickers; feels like he's within his rights
i made my peace a long time ago with that stuff but i ain't about to tell him what he should and shouldn't be complaining about

Thing is, it aint even shitkickers he'll go after

david cross hates every single person in the world and thinks its awesome is more the criticism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDimQTJMjB0
wonder showzen sux tho

wonder showzen sux tho

u mad

have mine ears bewitched me with whispers of Xanadu?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvFV8Oh5VHU&spfreload=10

http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lncvbshoHI1qinfbmo1_400.gif

Two-time winner in the Philadelphia regional Grammy's. Respect.

Surprised this thread was never bumped for the reunion news:

http://cdn.splitsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/mr_show_2015.jpg

i saw the reunion show in NY and it was great fun

http://deadline.com/2015/04/bob-odenkirk-david-cross-sketch-comedy-series-netflix-1201403256/

It's not Mr. Show, but really it kinda is.

Raaaaaaaad.

Awesome!

Kinda crazy he's gonna do this *and* better call saul at the same time

will watch. now they don't have to work as hard to play old men.

haha true

sweet!

All episodes will be on Netflix November 13th.

(of with Bob and David)

yesssssssss!

first couple of leaked sketches have been more promising than awesome but of course will watch whole thing

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/lists/my-favorite-mr-show-sketches-maynard-keenan-sarah-silverman-sound-off-20151103

i think i still have all my vhs tapes where i taped each episode. watched them so many times. i don't even know how i knew to tape it. i don't remember reading about it or anything. but i never missed a show. so inspiring. felt like it took forever for the DVDs to come out.

yeah I had VHS tapes from a friend, which we subsequently copied - this was around '97 or so (I didn't know anybody at the time who actually paid for HBO)

wow the audition really is kind of a perfect lil scene

it's always funny

i really did do this. it was my only test to see if we were compatible.

When Scott and I first started hanging out, one of the first things he played me on his t.v. was his Mr. Show videos. I think he was really relieved when my sides were splitting and asked to see more. We might not be married today if I had hated it.
― Maria :D (Maria D.), Saturday, April 23, 2005 3:49 PM (10 years ago)

i never could have married ned raggett! sheesh, he really didn't like this show when i look upthread at ancient posts. smashing pumpkins fans are unpredictable though...

if I had to pick a single Mr. Show sketch to save in a fire it would def be "The Audition" which is just perfect from start to finish.

I was staying over at a friend's house in the mid-'90s and, having no idea what a Mr. Show was, we happened upon the Bob Lamonta sketch while flipping through channels. Probably still one of my hardest laughs of all time. And yes, once I was exposed, it really did feel like forever until those DVDs were released.

my shoes hurt too

is a thing I still say to my wife

My shoes hurt too. My shoes hurt ... too.

I have a similar story... I got cable in the mid-90s, stumbled across "It's Great. It's Crack. It Gets You Really High" and thought it was the greatest thing since vintage SCTV.

thumbs up to all of this.

I took old school fuzzy iron-on letters and made a tshirt, ca. 2000, that said "five inch taint." I wore it exactly once out in public and then felt ridiculous about it and tossed it.

They were really good at those deeply iterative bits that really pushed the boundary of how far they could take and repeat the same joke -- The Audition, Mt. Everest, Pre-Taped Call-In Show, shitting on the flag, etc. Each iteration brought something silly and new, so they could keep running with it.

24 is the highest number

C.S. Lewis, Jr., "Blew Moon"

Look out, Moon
America's gonna getcha
Gonna go Kaboom
Was nice to have metcha
Cuz you don't mess around
with God's America

hey mr. monkey don't be asking why
cos you know you can't mess with American Pride

We're earthlings, let's blow up earth things!

that monkey sure took the fun out of everything

watching david cross' stand up is like watching troy dyer sing "add it up," in a "fuck, am i that guy?" kind of way and i automatically sympathize with the michael grates point of view even though "add it up" what i think i'm all about

I think of this whenever Noel Gallagher says something stupid/funny:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n6NqxBZP0Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pBougV1JK4

Young People & Companions is an underrated sketch. Pretty sure I read/heard that Dino was tripping when he came up with the idea (and I think Pre-Taped Call-In Show was born of similar circumstances).

I love that sketch. Kinda helps if you grew up in SoCal, maybe? Because it seems like people were always getting lost in the woods and being described as "young people and companions."

"This yellow ribbon is for the companions, to show that we care about them. And this red ribbon is for the young people..."

Watched the first episode of the new show and was very pleased to find that it's basically just new episodes of Mr show, with the exact same format and supporting cast. Lots of laffs, although of course everyone has aged quite a lot.

The aging of John Ennis being the most notable (although I've seen him in other stuff from recent years). Dude looks like a stately old grandpa now.

this is live tonight, right?

It's up now

John Ennis' angry spanking is a thing of beauty

Yeah, it's so much more over the top than it has any reason to be.

I love Odenkirk ( the Steve jobs brother stand up bit is pure gold ) but this show just doesn't make me laugh at all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n--DbvvwYTo

so good

shit, i am tempted to drop everything and watch these

wanna say what if arabs instead of jews ran hollywood is some trenchant social commentary 2 but not sure it reaches those heights/depths tbh

New eps are incredible, totally lol that they cant call it mr. Show cuz it totally is.

They sure do write great musicals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVBsCCV6NG4

DRUDGERYYYYYY

i thought they seemed kinda tired. and i was sad that the 5th episode was just a long boring making-of. bob looks really tired in that. i feel like they would have gotten their rhythm back after the 4th episode. they seemed to be getting there. but i actually got a little bored during some of those sketches. i did love the house musical numbers though. a secret room!

also the making-of really brought home the "mr. show is a boy's club!" line from the old show. needed more women in the new stuff.

I just watched the first episode, but the whole "Bitter Roots" sketch was as good as anything they've ever done.

felt like it had pretty much the same hit:miss ratio as the original series

Yeah me too

They were all great but only four episodes? That felt like an appetizer.

They want to do more, but everyone has different jobs now and they could only coordinate little portions of time

i really love how after all this time it is exactly the same show

it really is, it's uncanny

last episode of the 4 was my least favorite but that's okay, they can't all be solid gold

high points of new eps for me:
- John Ennis' incomprehensible angry englishman jibber jabber
- finding the right rhyme for "stairs" in "Rooms: The Musical"

the intro animation is great I just crack up at bobs expressions tbh

Still haven't watched this, but I think "Rooms: The Musical" must be an oooooold idea (there's a fake program for it in the Naomi Odenkirk book).

I love Odenkirk ( the Steve jobs brother stand up bit is pure gold ) but this show just doesn't make me laugh at all

― calstars, Friday, November 13, 2015 1:37 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I know Bob & David have always shied away from using real names in their broad parody, but this misses the point of that sketch so wildly that this post has haunted my thoughts

An earlier version of Rooms got performed on CBB a few years ago.

xpost

tbh I had never heard of Shingy until after seeing the Bob & David sketch, I also thought it was a parody of Apple product events with some crazy made up character in the Steve Jobs role

oh yeah, shingy is a special level of wow
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/17/crystal-ball-3

yeah, but even on top of the Shingy, the setting is clearly more "Ted Talk" than "product unveil"

let alone "stand up" (shades of Gallagher II notwithstanding)

wait Shingy is a real person?!

reminds me of the dude from the hiphopsite forums who, unfamiliar with gilligans island, tried to break the news that conan obrien made a reference to indie rapper thirstin howl III on late night

― and what, Friday, January 11, 2008 6:54 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

shingy is a real person
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44mAWlY023o

"the sixth... largest... contributor... to stress today is media overload"
really want to see this research

i'm not even gonna front, i wish to god i had thought up the shingy schtick before he did because i could TOTALLY do that and how much fun would it be to go in front of a group of hundreds of millionaires and just babble half-obvious / half-imaginary truth statistics and then have them pay me a fuckton of money for it

https://youtu.be/Z-sw4CjZnqM?t=1m56s

Digital Prophet by day, singer-songwriter by night.

the Einstein Portrait skit was amazing. episode 2 or 3.

daves stoner brother is really good lmao @ "bro i gotta take one of my world famous showers dont deny me my shower rights"

I don't know why I waited so long to start watching this. So good. Odenkirk's delivery of "but the creamed asparagus stole the show!" in the Most Dangerous Game sketch just about slayed me. He is such an amazing genius.

i just noticed last week that hbogo has the original run up. i do not know if it's always been there and i just never noticed or if it's a recent thing but i was excited to start rewatching

Yeah, I think it's a new thing. I read something about HBO trying to make all of their old shows available. Don't know if they have Larry Sanders yet but they were working on it.

Call me when they get Not Necessarily the News up there

need my sniglet fix

no larry sanders yet :(

yeah that's in the works

I love how like the lone character they brought back from the original run for the new episodes was John Ennis' mustachioed incomprehensible englishman

It's a fantastic character. Upping the incomprehensibility was a good move.

My understanding is the contracts for Larry Sanders for any episodes involving music/musical guests were done in the same short-sighted way that Saturday Night Live's are done - no consideration for online streaming or sales, etc. - and that clearing them for the DVDs was expensive and exhausting. It's never streamed on any service yet.

that's not true it was on Crackle for awhile, and you can purchase episodes/seasons through Amazon

I still wish SNL would figure out some deal with the musical acts, that stuff is living pop culture history at this point

x-post - I don't even know what Crackle is, but either way I was doubly wrong: It streamed on Netflix for a few months in 2013 before Sony (who made it) complained to HBO that they didn't have the rights to license it for streaming, for reasons including music rights.

As for SNL, Broadway Video reportedly refuses to negotiate the extra payments to the musical guests to have the right to rebroadcast that segment of the show on streaming/VOD services. (Lorne doesn't want to pay the bands or the lawyers to deal with it; his interest in the musical segments faded in the '70s, supposedly)

I still wish SNL would figure out some deal with the musical acts, that stuff is living pop culture history at this point

yeah this is so deeply irritating, so many great performances basically totally unavailable/lost

It's so silly. I'm sure it would mean paying, Timbuk 3, like 14 cents a year.

Thank goodness for the efforts of those willing to digitize old VHS tapes. The true heroes.

I mean I def think there is some historical importance and this goes beyond the entitled fan service crap of "why isn't season three of the Twilight Zone on Netflix *pisses pants*" or "nnnguuuhhh I don't want to PAY for [show readily available on iTunes/Amazon] *shits pants*]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly and it really is a shame *vomits on pants*.

those hbo shows pre-oz i think weren't produced by hbo so they didn't own them. larry sanders streamed on netflix briefly, i'm not sure mr. show ever streamed anywhere, no idea why not really.

Mr. Show is streaming on HBO now

Larry Sanders was just announced today. Starting in I think September.

Mr. Show is on Youtube in its entirety, or at least it has been for years now.

Bob's Netflix Valentine's Day movie "Girlfriend's Day" was p good in a low-key way. Stacey Keach def nails his impression of John Huston as Noah Cross.

Funniest bit was by far "Shitfoot"

every time i see bob in something, or on tv or w/e, i'm always impressed even if he isn't funny -- he seems to be operating on a slightly different level than everyone else, i can't explain it

https://youtu.be/pOqye2O3nYA

This was pretty good; very reminiscent of a Mr. Show sketch.

The ending kills me!

yeah, good punchline

I lol'd

late night TV makeup is distracting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQaF4YXCXsc

watched some of season 3 last night, so classic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cku497rURF8

the church of satan skit immediately following is even better

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/459723-conversion-therapy-group-founder-comes-out-as-gay-apologizes

‘mckray game’ is not a real name, c’mon

https://www.fastcompany.com/90539119/these-nine-sketches-from-mr-show-in-the-1990s-perfectly-explain-everything-about-2020

That this character was a rascally hillbilly, and not a Black man minding his own business, speaks to either the sociopolitical landscape of the era, or the ability of David Cross, who played Ronnie, to crush in the writers’ room.

Amazing that David Cross got this role over all the black actors in the cast

Wow that's a dumb sentence

Clearly in the BLM era you'd make a comedy sketch about a black man who's always getting arrested!

how can you make an article like this without including Worthington's Law?

i mean yeah, blow up the moon is obvious too, and the wyckyd scepter explanation sold me, but come on. 'more money = better than' is the guiding philosophy of our country.

Another puzzling line: It’s a play on American exceptionalism, the indomitable spirit later embodied by the Onion article, Fuck Everything, We’re Doing Five Blades.

terrible clickbait like this wouldn't be noteworthy if it wasn't such a labored attempt at something so obscure

Nooooo! Is it? It can’t be. pic.twitter.com/Wx5LIA422R

— Nachoo-Choo The Herky Jerky Tweeter (@kickitupanacho) March 5, 2021

I saw all the haha jokey memes earlier, but it sounds like this may actually have been him?

goddamn, and that story of Everest sketch is probably my favorite thing they did

oh jeeez

I’m still not 100% sure but there is some stuff going around Twitter that someone else on Mr Show might have confirmed that he knew Jay was there, but thought it was just a rally and that they didn’t know until today that he actually stormed the Capitol?

There's a vague resemblance but I don't think that's him. Let's wait and see if these vague reports of 'but people who know him said so!' firm up a bit.

I mean, yeah, I hope it’s not him! I wouldn’t have even bothered sharing it here but there’s been several blue check comedians popping into mentions saying cryptic shit like, “I got bad news for you”. It’s just weird, the tone on Twitter def shifted from “haha this guy looks like Jay” to “this sucks that this is Jay” pretty quick tonight.

Best Crisis Actor

It’s jay

— Presidant of Hei Network (@timheidecker) March 5, 2021

not looking good for choo choo rn

The Gavin McInnes Show (TV Series) - 2015
Self - Comedian

This does indeed call for a huge "WTF!?".

I guess now we know no one at the FBI watches TV.

feel like theyre probably more of a Mad TV kinda crowd

Well, that's one of the things that's giving me pause. I'd think it would be relatively easy for the FBI to identify someone whose face has been semi-regularly broadcast on screens over the past several decades.

Goddamnit if true, though.

There is no way they'd recognize him from scattered TV any more than they would recognize his voice as that of Jimmy Pesto.

"No way"? It took the internet like 2 minutes.

Jay Johnston, internet famous.

just peeked at his wiki and this oddly defensive line kind makes sense now in context:

Jay Johnston's contribution to Mr. Show were generally of the "evergreen" variety, dealing with more or less universal themes as opposed to the more political and socially satirical material that his fellow writers and performers contributed

I guess, if this is true, at the very least I'm relieved to learn that facial recognition software isn't as much a thing as I'd assumed.

ugh - i didn't even know he voiced Pesto

I just saw a post (since deleted) on a Bob's Burgers forum that he might have been suffering from substance abuse problems.

why would facial recognition software have flagged a random nondescript-looking white man

so nondescript half of twitter was like "is that the story of everest guy" more or less immediately

tbf I'm pretty sure that picture of him with the camo mask has been on the FBI wanted poster since right after the event itself, so it's not like he was identified overnight.

Had this dude been on some crime spree in between his acting gigs that would have put his picture into a facial recognition database as a person of interest?

you all know you don't actually have to defend the FBI right

Who...is doing that?

Seems like everyone is clowning the FBI?

Had this dude been on some crime spree in between his acting gigs that would have put his picture into a facial recognition database as a person of interest?

― Hello Nice FBI Lady (DJP), Friday, March 5, 2021 9:49 AM (twelve minutes ago)

tbh I am a little surprised that a massive, public database of images like the IMDB isn't already in the training data for whatever facial recognition software the FBI has access to. I'm also not sure you need to be flagged as a POI to be identified by such software, though I admittedly have zero clue how the FBI uses it.

It's funny watching white dudes go "oh I guess I don't have to be as scared of facial recognition software as I thought" when the primary problems with it have always been that it gives lots of false positives and the number increases the darker your skin, meaning that you guys were never really in danger from it to begin with unless you were actually committing crimes recorded on camera.

I guess pointing out the privilege in your perspective could be interpreted as defending the FBI if you really want it to

I didn't say that I personally was worried about being facially-recognized, though, is the thing.

okay yeah, that's fair

sorry

Seems like everyone is clowning the FBI?

I was being a prick there for no good reason tbh.

It's all good, y'all.

I really hope this is debunked soon because

goddamn, and that story of Everest sketch is probably my favorite thing they did

― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Thursday, March 4, 2021 10:54 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

except it's maybe among my top five 'makes me laugh no matter how many times I rewatch it' comedy bits of all time and it would make me sad if the person who made it was a fascist shithead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBqdNhY3pf0

He was also involved in my favorite single joke to ever come out of the Sarah Silverman program:

http://i.imgur.com/A0BZc.png

I really hope this is debunked soon

btwn the McInnes appearance and Tim confirming it I would be frankly shocked if it weren't true :(

Also this reinforces that these wackos are rarely actually economically disenfranchised or anything like that - dude was still getting steady work.

I want to believe, I'm so tired of comedy people/entertainers in general ruining my enjoyment of their material by being terrible irl, can't we have just one nice + untainted thing ever

otm. I could give two shits if he stayed quiet and voted Republican or whatever, it's when someone starts palling around with McInnes and, y'know, takes part in an insurrection, it's uh harder to ignore.

honestly if he's the only person in that orbit to have developed terminal brainworms, that's pretty good by comedy standards

Yeah, I'd actually realized recently both that Mr. Show has aged well relative to a lot of decades-old comedy stuff that seems excessively regressive as time goes by and that the cast has by and large turned out okay, as well. Which I was contrasting against the roughly contemporaneous NewsRadio, which I still enjoy but which requires me to look past the presence of Rogan and Dick and the tragic absence of Hartman.

Oh god, imagine if only we could have made some cosmic trade by sacrificing the careers of Rogan and Dick for another two decades of Hartman.

Last time I watched, Mr Show had aged almost astonishingly well

I think Dick's career is eternal, because of its inherent role in the common currency of blowjobs

god I just remembered the time jon lovitz beat up andy dick. classic

who hasn't beat up the guy tho

The State has also aged well, largely thanks to avoiding any material with the slightest whiff of relevance to the real world. The lesson being, I think, you'd better be super on-point with your topical material or avoid it altogether.

Last time I watched, Mr Show had aged almost astonishingly well

― stimmy stimmy yah (Simon H.), Friday, March 5, 2021 12:02 PM (eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

agreed, the satire has held up (especially worthington's law and blow up the moon), and the "evergreen" stuff is still very funny.

I saw the tweets last night but I was pretty tired so I thought it was some weird in-joke or performance that I wasn't privy to but that's pretty sad.

Has it been detailed what exactly he did that made him such a person of interest?

The State is pretty weird to watch nowadays since pretty much all those actors are still around and getting regular work in some capacity

xp we'll feel so played but also relieved if he's wanted for knocking over a thimble display in some capitol office

huh. I still like Mr Show a lot, but last time I rewatched it I had a different reaction. To me at times it exemplifies the late 90s/early 00s white comedian approach to satirizing racism, which was often very very adjacent to racism. I'm old enough to understand that the show was progressive in its original context, but some of it felt less sharp and smart than it used to.

Thanks OL: I hadn't really had the thought before that Joe Rogan is the most successful living NewsRadio alum, which is depressing as hell for a cast with Maura Tierney, Dave Foley, Khandi Alexander, and Stephen Root in it (no offense to Vicki Lewis, who's great, I just haven't seen her in anything else).

Lol

otm, re the NewsRadio cast. I've always loved Root, but watching him kill in Barry and Perry Mason has taken my appreciation to a whole new level.

I do love that Root continues to be great and to seemingly never age.

xp to rob, that might be true about the dated approach to racial/identity satire, but compared to a lot of comedy, they don't go there all that often? At least that's how I remember it.

According to wikipedia Johnston was part of the creative team behind Moral Orel, so I would imagine the brainworms had not yet set in at that point. Or I need to rewatch that show with a different lens.

Wait. So it's been confirmed or not yet?

well, at this point there has been plenty of time for him to deny it.

who knows, it's all so weird. Upthread someone shared a Tim Heidecker tweet where he confirmed it, but uh now:

i deleted the tweet because its was a reply to someone who asked and shouldn't be used as some kind of official source of information or verification.

— Presidant of Hei Network (@timheidecker) March 5, 2021

Which doesn't exactly deny it either...

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jay-johnston-capitol-riots/

You know who could clear this up?

Which is why I'm tempted to believe it is him.

One of the complications of the Dipshit Riot is that not only was it a Trump “Stop The Steal” thing, but it was also a Q thing, which at one point was a distinct vibe until lately. Not to say this was excusable at any point, of course, but Hollywood people getting sucked into Q shit is not unprecedented.

yeah, the lack of any denials of this from, well, anyone is very telling at the moment. Seems like a lot of his co-workers/friends don't wanna confirm it and get him arrested.

This is adding a whole new layer of weirdness to my already kinda weird "Jay Johnston randomly came to my moving sale and we re-enacted a picture we took together at a Mr Show DVD signing 13 years earlier" story.

Yeah I think part of why this stings (if true) is that, while I'm not familiar with all of his output, I never got anything but positive vibes from him as a performer. There are like eight million comedy dudes who I'd be not terribly surprised to learn were shitheads irl but he definitely isn't one of them.

sorry, was the initial FBI post, which showed a picture of a dude without a mask and one with...were those both from the same day? because the unmasked picture didn't even look like him to me. For one thing his hair appears to be curly these days, and it's not there. dunno.

I don't know for sure, I don't think the original FBI tweet asking for into gives any further context. The insinuation is that both photos are from the 6th.

So those pictures only bear a vague resemblance to him to me. Am I face blind?

Seems p damning to me that there still hasn’t been any denial.

with mask on: it's the king slayer!
with no mask: i am certain that is him.

It's very probably him, but it's also crazy to expect a formal denial of some unsourced tweets. Dude himself tweeted eleven times in 2009, then never again (there's one spam tweet that hijacked his account in 2015, which currently has replies saying things like "So no statement from you about the #FBI pic. Guess that’s pretty much an admission of guilt, huh?"). Even people who are on twitter shouldn't be expected to reply to friendly messages, let alone issue denials to either wild or to accurate accusations.

I know he deleted it but I think Tim Heidecker confirming it pretty much seals it for me

Also the picture definitely being him

pretty weird

xpost sic - I guess I was just thinking about the lack of denials or clarity from anyone at all. Didn’t necessarily expect him to tweet out a denial himself, but figured there might be at least something from one of his (semi) famous friends if it definitely wasn’t him. The silence says a lot at this point, IMO.

I meant that a handful of tweets also aren’t anything that a publicist ought to issue statements about, either. If he wasn’t there, no point in giving it oxygen. If, as ppl who know him tweeted, he was there but didn’t intend to storm the capitol, better to argue that to the FBI than to the press. (If he did storm the capitol, same deal.)

Like, before Twitter, we might expect to hear something either way in 2-3 months.

yeah exactly - if i were him there would be no way that i would engage with this publicly, whether its true or not.

He's a comedian! If I were him and it wasn't me I would make a funny joke about it. If I was him and it *was* me, I would remain dead silent, because I am either lawyering up, turning myself in to the FBI, both, or fleeing/hiding like a fugitive. He's got so many famous and funny friends and colleagues who are very vocal, and very present on social media, and the fact that (for once) they haven't said anything, either (other than to initially confirm it), really says it all.

Like, in what world does an actor and comedian get accidentally branded a wanted fugitive by the FBI and *not* say something? If it's not true, that shit is kind of funny. At the least I wouldn't want to be accidentally captured by some comedian bounty hunter.

Let's stop kidding ourselves, it's him. And all his peers have remained silent because of course they will. As someone said above the silence speaks volumes here.

At the least I wouldn't want to be accidentally captured by some comedian bounty hunter.

Updog's methods are brutal but he gets results.

I imagine Updog the Bounty Hunter looks a bit like buff Carrot Top.

so Carrot Top then

I'd run from him for sure.

So it doesn’t seem like those that identified him originally actually denied it, they just backtracked a bit so that someone else would have to do the official identification.

Essentially, yeah.

People claiming it isn't him seem to be conveniently ignoring the other piece of damning evidence, appearing on a Proud Boy podcast.

Maybe he was doing a bit.

positively Lunar

Ah, yes, the old pretending to be a Nazi troll with the Nazi trolls to own the, er, wait who now?

Tim's backpedal/deletion is pretty shitty, reeks of omerta. He's more than happy to pick his targets but when one target is too close to home he chooses to self-censor.

maybe he just doesn't want to have to deal with the FBI

Yeah, I read it more as a, "oh shit, maybe I should just stay out this" than anything else. But, who knows.

Sam Seder and Andy Kindler (who also do voices on Bob's Burgers) talked about it on air and were pretty positive it was him. Seems like they wouldn't have touched on a co-worker if they weren't sure.

I don't think Tim wants to be "the source" but it's already too late. Appears as simple as that.

yeah Tim is pretty online savvy, I think he might've assumed this was gonna be confirmed right away and when it wasn't he didn't want to be on record as the guy saying it. don't think it has anything to do with protecting him, otherwise he wouldn't have said anything in the first place

the thing I am finding weird is the need for confirmation from comedians who weren't there when we have pictures of him there, you can see him, he's there. It's not like he doesn't have a distinctive look.

Various other comedy people have posted that Johnston has rabbit-holed in concert with a drug and alcohol problem.

I just think it's kinda funny that reddit basically figured out 75% of the people photographed by like the 8th of January, but this has been out for 4 or 5 days now and the collective response is still, "welp, sure looks like him, but we'll never know".

I don't think Tim wants to be "the source" but it's already too late. Appears as simple as that.

He specifically said so in a patreon blog.

Boy it really looked like him! So I sent it around to a few friends, and wrote Nick... "is it him?" He said he thought it was, and had heard it was confirmed through a friend. I was feeling impatient and couldn't find anything more official on the internet, so I went to twitter to ask if it had been confirmed or debunked. a few minutes later I got a DM from a friend who is (was) friends with Jay who confirmed it, telling me Jay had sent pics from the Capitol on the day... So, in my replies someone wrote to me that it wasn't him because of the shape of his ears or some shit... anyway, I wrote back saying it was him, and somehow that became the official on twitter! The verified proof that Jay "Mr Show" Johnston has the FBI on his tail!

well, I also think the confirmation issue based off just the picture is kinda complicated by the Chuck Norris look-alike who was there, but which was very quickly squashed after it started trending on Twitter with a formal denial/alibi from Norris himself, which surely hasn't happened in this case.

xps

I just think it's kinda funny that reddit basically figured out 75% of the people photographed by like the 8th of January, but this has been out for 4 or 5 days now and the collective response is still, "welp, sure looks like him, but we'll never know".

yeah it always bums me out when ppl (often reddit) exhibit the thinking "[performer x] would never do that - they were on such-and-such show, and i imagine that everyone involved in that show is basically like me!"

"if you closely examine the subtle curvature of the left ear in photo #2, its proof that everyone who does a voice on bobs burgers would totally be my friend if we knew each other in real life!"

yeah shit like that happens sometimes. I happen to have a friend who looks very much like Nic Cage (though he's about 20 years younger) and he gets hounded all the time about it. in fact, many people don't believe him when he says he ISN'T Nic Cage, because they assume the real Nic Cage would say that as well. so yeah while it's very very likely it is him there's a small chance it wasn't. that said the fact that this guy hasn't put out a statement or had one of his friends do it says it all - I don't care that he's off Twitter, obviously he knows this is happening

your friend is totally Nic Cage

yeah for real, mr humblbrag over here. "i have this friend who looks just like nic cage, although he always denies it" ok ok we get it

frogbs's friend on a rural holiday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo

Speaking of humblebrag, people say I look like Aaron Rodgers but not so much that they wonder how I escaped Clonus.

you don't say???

https://i.imgur.com/kNXl5Jm.png

I got a book about how I keep doing stuff no matter what coming out pic.twitter.com/2YsJFSo31Z

— Mr. Bob Odenkirk (@mrbobodenkirk) April 28, 2021

I'll definitely check that out, dude has had such an interesting career arc.

Has there ever been anything else about Johnston, one way or another?

Eww, Girl, Eww

so was Jay at the insurrection? it seemed obvious but the story dried up after March

Damn

Doesn't Odenkirk have a new film? Is it out yet? From what I read about it, it seems like a pretty misguided vigilante action flick -- he said in an interview that he was inspired to do it because his house was burgled once. Okay, but right now in particular seems like really bad timing for that. He did also basically say that he regards Mr Show as a highlight of his career.

So much analysis of David Cross' personality here, heh. The Subpop CD was classic standup to me, but I stopped paying much attention after that. Aside from the bit about eating gold foil, the one about racist zombies seems like it was also quite rich. Although if I listened to it now, his liberal (sarcastic, but still) use of the N-word might ruin it.

Overall though I think he's a well-meaning guy, not nearly in the league of smug bitterness as Bill Maher. Cross reminds me very much of friends who were picked on a lot as kids, never had much of a support network, and who developed alcohol dependency as adults. That alcoholic perpetual bitterness is pretty distinctive IMO.

Odenkirk's movie is out, it's by ppl involved w/ John Wick so it's getting v postive reviews, and from what I've heard a big part of it is dude just wanting to live his life and the toxic masculinity of neighbours and his own son pushing him towards violence. Agree the timing's bad but I think it's been received as a fun action movie more than right-wing screed.

Nobody strenuously avoids any right-wing inflammatory content (he even has a buddy played by the RZA who helps him out) and makes the villains Russians, as safe a move as you can get. It's just a silly John Wick rip-off, no one could mistake it for Death Wish.

Saul I needed to hear

so was Jay at the insurrection? it seemed obvious but the story dried up after March

I've been wondering what happens if he somehow avoids charges and how long the people in that circle of comedy can avoid talking about it.

indefinitely? I don't think he has any projects going on so why would it need to come up?

maybe Jay was just trying to get directions on how to get AWAY from there

Odenkirk's movie is out, it's by ppl involved w/ John Wick so it's getting v postive reviews, and from what I've heard a big part of it is dude just wanting to live his life and the toxic masculinity of neighbours and his own son pushing him towards violence. Agree the timing's bad but I think it's been received as a fun action movie more than right-wing screed.

― Daniel_Rf, Friday, 25 June 2021 10:09 (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

It builds along these lines, has a pretty cracking twist and everything in the last forty mins is nonsense

Fills a wick gap but don't go running to the cinema

Its not about toxic masculinity and it pretty much is a right wing screed

No more than the average violent yarn. I haven't heard of one conservative giving a shit about it, which in this climate is as good an indicator as any.

indefinitely? I don't think he has any projects going on so why would it need to come up?

well, he's at least a regular voice on Bob's Burgers as Jimmy Pesto and they have aired new episodes featuring his voice work without interruption after this broke in March.

that was supposed to be a block quote, oops

I've been wondering what happens if he somehow avoids charges and how long the people in that circle of comedy can avoid talking about it.

― Chris L, Friday, June 25, 2021 7:19 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Andy Kindler and Sam Seder, who both also do voices on Bob's Burgers, have talked about it publicly and were pretty sure it was Jay in the photos.