Sketch Comedy
Oct192005
Filed Under Sketch Comedy
Former SNL cast member Charles Rocket committed suicide on October 7th. Though I don’t really have much awareness of his work, I feel sorry if only because I was one of many people who made fun of his bad SNL experience (albeit in a silly headline on a semi-obscure blog). I doubt his time at SNL contributed to his decision to take his own life… he had years to get over not being the next Chevy (as he and SNL Producer-at-the-time Jean Doumanian fully expected to). But it had to suck that no matter what you did, obituaries everywhere would lead with you being the guy who got fired for saying the word “fuck” on live TV. A far more generous and deserving obituary appeared in the Providence Phoenix. (As an aside, death by cutting your own throat is horrific enough that I shiver just thinking of it.)
Of course for the curious, here’s video of Rocket saying the word “fuck” on air (Windows Media), ultimately leading to the demise of the Jean Doumanian era of SNL.
Oct122005
Filed Under Sitcom, Sketch Comedy
Comedy Central announced what they’re working on for 2006 (or rather, in some ways, who they’re working with). Some of the ideas sound like they’ll fall with a resounding thud (I liked Jackass, but I got all I need of “Wee-Man"), but overall there’s a lot of great potential in here. With network comedy only starting to rally back with “My Name is Earl” and “Everybody Hates Chris” and other basic cable nets failing to launch anything else comparable (or even attempting to), Comedy Central has a near monopoly on funny (save for HBO). It’s nice to see that it’s not making them lazy. Even better is they’re braving into more and more narrative comedy, a territory the networks seem to have surrendered until recently.
Highlights for me, are, of course, David Cross and Jon Benjamin teaming up for an animated series called “Freak Show” who the freaks double as superheroes. The superhero parody bit would seem mined thoroughly (in both senses), but when one of the Freaks is a Log Cabin Republican and the talent is this good, I can’t wait.
Lewis Black‘s “Red State Diaries” is a fantastic idea - him exploring the realities of what supposedly is homogenous ultra-religious territory. It’s almost Insomniac sober and with a social conscience (well maybe not too sober). I imagine Lewis is far less explosive in real life, so it should be interesting to see another dimension to the comic. I wonder if, much like the soon to premiere Colbert Report, this will keep his rants from appearing on the Daily Show.
Mike Birbiglia has a script deal for a show based on his life, including his “jealous brother.” Mike’s insanely funny with this bizarre sense of innocence that can’t be entirely true. I actually used to work with his brother Joe, so I know there’s a lot to draw from here (but knowing Joe, any jealousy is very good natured). The show’s title is “My Secret Public Journal”, based on a radio feature that you can listen to here. The first one dated 9/13 talks about the aforementioned brother.
Another script deal is with Stella’s David Wain for “Teacher’s Lounge,” a show about alcoholic, sex addict school teachers that sounded a bit like the lost and lamented Strangers with Candy. (There’s plenty of people still angry about that cancellation.) That gut reaction is assuaged by the video the idea might be based on (which can be viewed right here). The tone is definitely distinct and far more real, staying away from the surreal tone Strangers often took.
There’s alot more there including the anime parody “Ghost Foot”, Nick Di Paolo mea-culpaish “Culture Clash” and Nick Swardson in the Adam Sandler produced ”Gay Robot.” Full press release after the jump.
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Sep262005
Filed Under Sketch Comedy
Interesting articles on comedy is this week’s New York magazine. I’ll have many more comments tomorrow, but one quote from Lorne Michaels caught my eye (possibly because it indirectly crucifies my blog, as if the quote top right isn’t enough of a warning that I’m wasting my time). He says:
“I don’t want to get into any theoretical ideas about comedy. Anybody who talks about comedy for more than two minutes is not funny.”
Of course, I remembered the seminal book on SNL, the far too long out of print Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live
, where authors describe Lorne Michaels as:
He analyzed comedy endlessly, theorizing, with an acid head’s attention to the underlying dynamics of it all, about what worked, what didn’t, and why. One of his favorite themes was the expressionistic barrnness of the old Honeymooners set; later he would become an advocate of realism, saying that humor derived from the one off-center element in a setting of absolute normality.”
Guess you weren’t too funny in ‘75 huh, Lorne?
Jun022005
Filed Under Awards, Sketch Comedy
The 2005 Emerging Comic of New York Award nominations have been set and are now open for voting. If you lust after a particular downtown comic, this is the best way to get their attention, outside of a balloon bouquet sent to their temp job. Vote now!
May192005
Filed Under Sketch Comedy
I’ve been a little paralyzed from updating lately because I felt I needed to talk about Dave Chappelle’s flight from his own show. Like a lot of people, I felt sympathy for the man. All the rumors and details - mental hospitals, drug addiction and $50 million - sounded more like gossip instead of my usual interest in deconstructing poop jokes. None of Dave’s troubles in the press had any direct roots to his comedy… at least none that were being put forward at the time.
Dave Chappelle’s interview with Time confirmed that this is a bit more of an art-driven pullout than the usual celeb shenanigans. Chappelle’s fears that his sketches might perpetuate the stereotypes they mean to destroy struck me as a very real concern. Dave’s sensitivity does seem a bit high - the spark for his worries seems to be the raucous laughter of a single white male during a filming of a sketch. But I can still see why it bothers him. Comedy can be a pretty blunt instrument. Because so much of it plays on attitudes we don’t speak of, you first have to show the attitude you don’t like and then destroy it. But the act of reflecting racism, sexism, homophobia or anything else of that nature confirms the suspicions inherent in them. You run the risk of someone missing the point and thinking you share the same prejudice.
To me the risk is always worth taking. I think the more you bring the ugly side of life to light, the more these things robbed of their power. Worrying that one person might get it wrong and not get it isn’t worth it when compared to the others that will. It’s like this: if a child imitates a video game and kill someone, it doesn’t mean video games are bad. If a sketch about stereotypes reinforces racism in a few people, it’s not worth it to worry about because of the others who do get it. But that’s easy for me to say. I’m a white protestant male from the south, pretty much the template of the insider in this country now.
A lot of people make hay out of the $50 million Dave’s making. I’m a little concerned with our sense of scale when it come to entertainment, but I do see the money affecting Chappelle in some ways simply because his entire career has been based on taking risks with racial stereotypes. It’s what got him that $50 million, along with all the attention that comes with it. When you get access to an opportunity like that, you naturally reexamine your motives. Even if your jokes are no different, simply because of the money measure in our society, the jokes are more important. I’ve finally got the mic of the world now, what am I going to say and is it going to land the way I want. It’s easy to deconstruct racism in front of small audiences, but the bigger the audience, the more likely someone’s going to hear you wrong.
I hope Chappelle realizes that his instincts are strong and that the laughs of one white guy are a fair sacrifice for the people he is reaching. Take all the time you need, Dave.
Apr192005
Filed Under Sketch Comedy
Tom Green and Martin Short got in a recent row about an interview Short, in his Jiminy Glick persona, performed with the teat-suckling prankster. Short apparently asked Tom about his testicle cancer and then mimed taking a cell phone call while Green was talking. Tom considered the bit mean and pushed fans to start wearing shirts that said “Martin Short is Lame.” Green seems to have relented without getting the apology he desired from Short, but I think Green is right. Short has become lame.
Martin Short has become far too broad for his own good. His guest star appearance on Arrested Development as a crippled parody of Jack LaLane was the only episode that failed to work for me, simply because he hammed it up so large, it grated against the subtle acting of the rest of the show and the documentary style it is shot in. (I’m not the only one either, Arrested Development fans rate “Ready, Aim, Marry Me” at the bottom too.) Even will all the exaggerated coincidences on the show, the cast always keeps a sense that for the characters that the events are actually happening to them. Short just crammed as much scenery in his mouth as he could.
Plus, he doesn’t seem to understand the need for surprise anymore. His appearance on SNL interview a 70’s era Lorne Michaels was structured exactly like all of his celebrity interviews… mess up the celeb’s name, fall out of the chair, eat like a pig, pretend to choke with slight variations of faux insensitivity only because every celebs’ career highlights are different. The only saving grace from the repetitive schtick for previous interviews was at least you got celebrities’ honest reactions (like Green’s I suppose). On SNL, 70’s Lorne was played by Will Forte, so any improvisational feeling was lost.
Short can be subtle. In what’s possibly one of the greatest SNL sketches ever, he plays a male synchronized swimmer who’s not too strong a swimmer. He can be an amazing player if he doesn’t oversell. It would be great for Short to rediscover how to play small.
I normally hate the impulse of actors to play drama. But Short could actually use it. Find a film where a director will sit on him and make him keep all the manic energy inside. Hell, find a drama about old Hollywood if that’s what it’ll take to keep him interested. Just do something different from falling, screaming and over-eating. Surprise us.
Apr132005
Filed Under Animation, Satire, Sketch Comedy
Why TV Funhouse didn’t last confused me. Though its connecting puppet sketches didn’t really work, everything else, the short films and animated parodies, was pretty spot-on. After witnessing MTV2’s Wonder Showzen, I got what TV Funhouse lacked - a firm commitment to its target, children’s television.
The original FOX pilot for TV Funhouse was a full-on Bozo parody with kids in the studio for most of the insanity - including a segment where the camera sweeps through an audience to find a winning child only for it to stop on one tyke and announce “it’s not you!” From that, it’s safe to say, creator Robert Smigel was pretty committed to using the conventions of kid’s show. It was Comedy Central that got nervous (including switching one segment from “Porn to Kids” to “Porn for Everyone").
Wonder Showzen is a kid’s show in all but title and, of course, content. Kids sing the main theme song and litter nearly all of the dark segments including an investigative report entitled “Beat Kids,” each word labeled across a fist. The show is brilliant - committed to be as horrific as possible with blood poring from dying trees and pictures of dead animals set to chants of children yelling “funny” or “not funny.” The ominous warning that begins every act includes eerie music and, if you listen, screams.
Some bits are ridiculous - bugging everyday people on the street with a puppet just makes the puppeteers look like assholes. But even then, they know it, and target people who deserve to be bothered like impolite cell phone users. The most recent, a visit to find out why people are angry in Harlem was even a good demonstration of how bad race relations still are.
The show even knows when it goes over the edge and calls itself on it. One cartoon featuring a song about celebrating differences includes “ooga-booga” African tribesmen and “Ching Chong” Chinamen is followed by a six-year-old saying, with perfect inflection, “Oh, I get it. Your racism is ironic.” The show is childlike clarity in form, but it has adult ambivalence and pain underlay every part.
It’s a shame it’s buried someplace like MTV2, but that might be the only reason why we’re seeing it at all. If you don’t get the channel, check out some segments here (wmv) or a bootleg of the original pilot here. And for the brave, check out the creators’ fantastically trippy site.
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