Category Archives: Videocracy

Videocracy

YouTubery Friday: Snuff Box and Do Something!

It’s Friday! Procrastinate and count down to happy hour with these lovely bits!

Over Thanksgiving, my brother hipped me to the hilarious video below, which is a compilation of segments from the BBC comedy Snuff Box. You may recognize Matt Berry as Dr. Lucien Sanchez from Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. You may also recognize Rich Fulcher as Bob Fossil from The Mighty Boosh. But if you don’t know either of them from Adam, I think you’ll recognize funny when you see it.

To be honest, I know very little about Snuff Box, except what bits exist on the YouTube. But from what I can gather, it involves the misadventures of a hangman and his assistant, with liberal doses of British absurdist humor, very much in the Boosh vein. It also has many recurring gags, one of which is gathered here.

Matt Berry will help a young damsel in distress, usually carrying a heavy object for her. But the exact second she reveals she has a boyfriend, I mean, the exact second, he…well, I won’t ruin it. Suffice to say, the comedic timing and violence are both exquisite.

Last night, the hilarious Michael Kupperman tweeted “Do something!”, along with a link to the video below. I will give it no more set up than he did. Enjoy (seeing this in your nightmares)!

Tuneage, Videocracy

YouTubery Friday: Bad Video Game Dialogue, Dock Ellis, and The Minutemen

It’s Friday! Procrastinate and count down to happy hour with these lovely bits!

Over at the FOT forum, Stupornaut posted a link to this amazing collection of terrible dialogue from video games of the last 10 years or so. Most of them are terrible because of the dialogue itself–not too many Faulkners work in the video game industry–although there are clearly a few “actors” included here who should not have chosen voice over work for their vocation Particularly one man who did a voice for Mega Man, who sounds like he went to the Elmer Fudd School of Diction.

Earlier this year, former major league pitcher Dock Ellis passed away. His biggest claim to fame is the fact that he once threw a no-hitter while tripping balls on LSD. That feat has now been immortalized in animation form, thanks to the good people at No Mas. Even if you don’t like baseball or lysergic amusement, you will enjoy this video. Trust me.

Finally, just because, here’s The Minutemen performing “Little Man with a Gun in His Hand” (one of my favorite songs of all time) at the 9:30 Club in DC, circa 1984. D. Boon, gone way too soon.

Videocracy

YouTubery Friday: VentriloChoir and “Amazing” Grace

It’s Friday! Procrastinate and countdown to happy hour with these lovely bits!

This video of a Hungarian ventriloquist choir was placed on the FOT forum by Big Plastic Head, preceded by the phrase “Nightmare Fuel.” I could not agree more. Good to know that, even in foreign countries, ventriloquists’ “dummy” voices sound pinched and annoying.

See if you can guess what song they’ll sing before it starts. I think you’ll be pleasantly horrified.

And while we’re on the subject of terrifying vocal performances, here’s another find from the FOT forum, this one posted by dania. It features a man at church who’s overtaken by the spirit of The Lord (and no doubt more earthly substances) and takes a stab at singing “Amazing Grace”. Hilarity ensues.

Most spectacular feature of this video: when the church band kicks in, and not only keeps a straight face, but stays on key/in rhythm the whole time. Amazing, indeed.