Althouse: "I'm dreading watching the skit where Michael Ian Black walks down the street in his underwear to some song other than the Breeders' 'Cannonball'..."

August 17, 2009

"I'm dreading watching the skit where Michael Ian Black walks down the street in his underwear to some song other than the Breeders' 'Cannonball'..."

"... I might need to mute the TV and listen to it on my iPod for that skit. It was one of the first things that got me interested in rock music."

1. What first got you interested in rock music? Probably not "Cannonball"/underwear, but surely it was something.

2. Did you used to watch "The State" on MTV? Did you know you can buy it now on DVD (but not necessarily with the same songs on the the soundtrack)?

3. Do you understand exactly what made "The State" so funny? (Analysis and "The Jew, the Italian, and the Redhead Gay" at the link.)

18 comments:

Shanna said...: The state is finally out on DVD? Sweet!

My favorite skit was the muppet hunting.; 8/17/09, 9:49 AM
Wince said...: Since the band formed, hasn't the "Breeders" become a dysphemism for straight, religious conservatives?

In answer:

1. My older cousin's record collection in the late 1960s: Beatles, The Doors, Hendrix, Dylan, MC-5, etc.

2. Didn't watch the state.

3. Since it was MTV they got a pass on political correctness, which made it "breakthough"?; 8/17/09, 10:41 AM
Lindsey said...: Monkey torture!; 8/17/09, 11:00 AM
MadisonMan said...: I'm dreading watching Tom Delay on Dancing with the Stars!

Actually, I think that might be entertaining; I wonder how well he dances?; 8/17/09, 11:17 AM
paul a'barge said...: What are you people talking about?

I've been playing rock guitar for virtually my entire life and I've never heard of any of these mutts.; 8/17/09, 11:21 AM
KLDAVIS said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/17/09, 11:38 AM
KLDAVIS said...: The changes that were necessary due to rights clearance issues with the soundtrack are really an abomination. $240 worth of pudding is not the same without Marvin Gaye. If only Lessig were still writing about this sort of thing, instead of running off to try to fix the political system. Talk about a teachable moment.

WV: metapp - An app to tell you what app to buy next? There's an app for that.; 8/17/09, 11:42 AM
Shanna said...: I hate when they change music on dvd's due to clearance issues. It just makes me hate the music industry even more.; 8/17/09, 11:44 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: Hmm, these are curious questions that presuppose an interest in rock music. I believe the thing that got me interested in music was my amazement at my mother who sang along to songs on the radio in the car and apparently KNEW EVERY WORD TO EVERY SONG IN THE HISTORY OF SONGS!!!!¡¡¡1111!!!!!eleventeen!!!

Chuh.

But tell me please, as one who is interested in learning this language, isn't the phrase "coda at the end" a tad redundant, its converse being something like "intro at the beginning?"; 8/17/09, 11:48 AM
BJK said...: You just don't understand because you're 'Dad' and I'm 'Doug'...and I'm outta...

I'm outta...

I'm outta...heeeere.

Have to disagree with JAC's take on what made 'The State' work. The things that I remember about the show were always well-written, but fell into one of a few distinct categories:
- lampooning one-note characters (e.g. "The Jew, the Italian and the Red-head Gay," or "Louie") in intentionally bad sit-com setups, or
- Taking a societal norm, and completely reversing one of the social roles (e.g. 'Doug', the son filled with teenage rebellion against a father who would let him do whatever he wanted, or the scene portraying the lead-up to a rumble between gang members and a group of Amish people).

Mainly, I just think that "The State" was funny because that ensemble cast was hilarious: Michael Ian Black, Thomas Lennon, David Wain, Michael Showalter, Kerri Kenney, Ken Marino, Ben Garant, etc. The only project that I've ever seen from this group that I didn't enjoy was 'Viva Variety' ...and I think that was more a disappointment at it not being "The State" than anything else.; 8/17/09, 11:55 AM
SteveR said...: Sometimes I feel that I've missed something and sometimes I know I didn't. Thanks for clearing this one up for me.; 8/17/09, 12:28 PM
BJM said...: BJK, have you seen the cell phone ad shout out to The State/Doug? Two teens are pleading with their parents to stop Facebooking and Tweeting them as the parents flail away, giggling.

wv: stagabu = Japanese for groomsmen.; 8/17/09, 12:45 PM
John Althouse Cohen said...: But tell me please, as one who is interested in learning this language, isn't the phrase "coda at the end" a tad redundant, its converse being something like "intro at the beginning?"

No, I used the phrase "coda at the end of 'The Jew, the Italian, and the Redhead Gay'" to specify exactly what I referring to: a coda (a new section of a piece of music occurring at the end) that happens at the end of the skit. It's not a given that the skit would have a coda at all -- and if there were a coda, it wouldn't necessarily go at the end of the skit. For instance, the music is also played near the beginning of the skit -- they might have placed the coda there. By analogy, if a movie ended with a writer writing the last page of a novel, I might refer to it as "the last page of the novel that he writes at the end of the movie." Would you say that's redundant because it uses the words "last" and "end"? I doubt it.; 8/17/09, 1:16 PM
Shanna said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/17/09, 1:20 PM
froggyprager said...: I have never watched The State until I recently watched some clips on-line. I heard a great interview with Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter on The Sound of Young America that made me want to watch. $240 worth of pudding is too funny as is the Doug - I'm Outta Heeere one.

I think that the reason this show was funny was because they were young and did not over think it. SNL has too many people trying too hard.; 8/17/09, 2:20 PM
Kensington said...: I cannot stand when music is replaced on DVDs. It's a deal breaker for me. Sure I'd love to pick up The State or Northern Exposure, but not some bastardized version.

Music clearance problems is almost single-handedly ruining the brilliance of TV on DVD for me.; 8/17/09, 3:35 PM
Mr. Forward said...: On a good snow day the final downhill swoop on my favorite cross-country ski trail syncs perfectly with The Breeders' "Cannonball".

Check

Check; 8/17/09, 10:44 PM
jr565 said...: Hmmm, maybe it's just me but I'm not digging this. Seems like a run of the mill sketch comedy show with very few laughs. Then again, it's one sketch so perhaps I shouldn't judge it based on it alone.

For a sketch comedy show that really tickled my funny bone I'd go with Mr. Show instead.

A few classic examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5i6BHBuqxE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2XlSXcwJ3o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udzIlPcLm3Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxlvKA6ipvs&feature=related; 8/18/09, 8:01 PM