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Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

nytimes.com

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Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#51

Post by scrame »

the_af wrote: post #42
stormbrew wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At it’s best it’s a very quintessentially Canadian sort of absurdism, but then you have to define Canadian. That said i think this is no less true of Monty Python which is really a very British kind of absurdism. Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes). Maybe like… In living color or something. It rarely make…

> Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent What about The Whitest Kids U Know? For some reason they remind me a lot of the Kids in the Hall, and not just because both have "kids" in their names. There's the absurdist humor, but I also think they even physically resemble the other troupe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Kids_U%27_Know Example skit: "Happier And With Your Mouth…

WKUK had its moments, but was definitely led by Trevor in a way KITH members could stand on their own. Personally, i felt it dipped a bit too much into contemporary politics (stuff like Bush being in Skull and Bones), which doesn't quite have the shelf life of KITHs high points.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#52

Post by scrame »

the_af wrote: post #25

The article and Wikipedia seem to agree in saying Brain Candy was a disappointment (even to the troupe). But I differ: I love that movie. It's hilarious. Sketches and phrases from it are forever stuck in my head.

Agreed, it was one of a few VHS tapes I had in early college and watched it daily for a long while. Its different in tone because it was largely written by Kevin dealing with depression, with the others having little input or none at all (Foley just acted, iirc). That and the usual studio meddling, similar to the Mr Show movie.

There's a good interview in the avclub from long ago with Kevin MacDonald about it.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#53

Post by xattt »

stormbrew wrote: post #36
version_five wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of that I think is their humor is very niche, and I don't know how to describe the niche. I had friends who absolutely loved them, and I never found any of their stuff remotely funny. There is something either in the context that people were introduced to them, or in some subtelness of people's sense of humor that seems to completely make or break how they get perceived. Sort of like the comedy equivalent of Rus…

At it’s best it’s a very quintessentially Canadian sort of absurdism, but then you have to define Canadian. That said i think this is no less true of Monty Python which is really a very British kind of absurdism. Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes). Maybe like… In living color or something. It rarely make…

> Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes).

Given both are Lorne Michaels shows, Portlandia would be it.

Looking forward to the Portlandia reboot in 2041 :)

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#54

Post by stormbrew »

xattt wrote: post #53
stormbrew wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At it’s best it’s a very quintessentially Canadian sort of absurdism, but then you have to define Canadian. That said i think this is no less true of Monty Python which is really a very British kind of absurdism. Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes). Maybe like… In living color or something. It rarely make…

> Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes). Given both are Lorne Michaels shows, Portlandia would be it. Looking forward to the Portlandia reboot in 2041 :)

Lorne Michaels has his hands in everything (including SNL), so that doesn't necessarily mean very much. He's very good at finding talent though. That said, yeah portlandia is pretty close probably, not sure why it didn't occur to me (I guess I was thinking more 90s-contemporary).

Still I think the thing is none of these suggestions really rise to the top of the culture the way KITH does for Canada or Monty Python does for the UK, or the way (as a different but related sort of thing) SNL does for the US.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#56

Post by stormbrew »

deeptote wrote: post #50
the_af wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent What about The Whitest Kids U Know? For some reason they remind me a lot of the Kids in the Hall, and not just because both have "kids" in their names. There's the absurdist humor, but I also think they even physically resemble the other troupe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Kids_U%27_Know Example skit: "Happier And With Your Mouth…

That's about as close as you can get. Americans are too earnest to be into absurdist humor.

I do think there's kind of an element of truth to this, though it feels very broad to say so. American absurdism does exist, just maybe not as much on TV? Screwball comedy is very much a thing in film, and occasionally reaches for the same feeling.

Stuff like Airplane! or some of Mel Brooks' stuff or National Lampoons movies, and later the "Scary Movie"/"Teen Movie"/etc. things... but it's like when they go much deeper than an average SNL sketch they almost always go too far and suddenly reach into trying to offend or anger or even disgust (though the new KITH has a bit of that too).

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#57

Post by bee_rider »

stormbrew wrote: post #36
version_five wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of that I think is their humor is very niche, and I don't know how to describe the niche. I had friends who absolutely loved them, and I never found any of their stuff remotely funny. There is something either in the context that people were introduced to them, or in some subtelness of people's sense of humor that seems to completely make or break how they get perceived. Sort of like the comedy equivalent of Rus…

At it’s best it’s a very quintessentially Canadian sort of absurdism, but then you have to define Canadian. That said i think this is no less true of Monty Python which is really a very British kind of absurdism. Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent (certainly SNL isn’t it - Canada’s SNL is probably this hour has 22 minutes). Maybe like… In living color or something. It rarely make…

Maybe something on Adult Swim? ATHF, Space Ghost, Harvey Birdman?

In the US, live action shows seem to be big productions, maybe not as well suited to making things that aren't universally appealing.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#58

Post by bee_rider »

scrame wrote: post #51
the_af wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Weirdly i feel like there’s no really good, singular American equivalent What about The Whitest Kids U Know? For some reason they remind me a lot of the Kids in the Hall, and not just because both have "kids" in their names. There's the absurdist humor, but I also think they even physically resemble the other troupe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Whitest_Kids_U%27_Know Example skit: "Happier And With Your Mouth…

WKUK had its moments, but was definitely led by Trevor in a way KITH members could stand on their own. Personally, i felt it dipped a bit too much into contemporary politics (stuff like Bush being in Skull and Bones), which doesn't quite have the shelf life of KITHs high points.

We're a very in-the-moment people, in the US.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#59

Post by sircastor »

werdnapk wrote: post #47
at_a_remove wrote: post #33

I was a fan of Kids in the Hall even during their whole pilot, which many might have missed. Look up "Brian's Bombshell" as an example. My theory is that each member has some strengths they play to. Dave passes best as a young woman and is also fantastic as a glittery-eyed psychopath (Manservant Hecubus, Sarcastic Guy, etc). Mark is amazing at accents and really inhabiting a character (Dar- ryll ). Scott, once he bre…

Vacant Lot was a great show. One of the cast members is the brother of Mark McKinney.

My friends and I loved The Vacant Lot. It was just our kind of humor. Right off the top of my head I can sing the whole of “Slept on his arms last night” and “This songs gonna make an great video” And probably recite most of the “blinded by the light” sketch.

That show was gold.

Re: Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks

#60

Post by eigenrick »

at_a_remove wrote: post #33

I was a fan of Kids in the Hall even during their whole pilot, which many might have missed. Look up "Brian's Bombshell" as an example. My theory is that each member has some strengths they play to. Dave passes best as a young woman and is also fantastic as a glittery-eyed psychopath (Manservant Hecubus, Sarcastic Guy, etc). Mark is amazing at accents and really inhabiting a character (Dar- ryll ). Scott, once he bre…

The first episode was rough, there are some stellar sketches and acting after that though.

I'm only to episode 4, but I love how their writing and acting has grown up a bit. The apocalypse DJ really got me.

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