What the Folk!

Hit and miss is the best way to describe SNL, and I think it's been that way since the beginning. I actually haven't watched it much lately except during political campaign this past year, and I loved all of those. I think comedians usually do fairly well in Saturday Night live skits anyway, and since these guys are genius and could even be helpful in making it better, I would imagine they could have a really good show. Lorne should definitely give them a call!

But it also (again, speaking as a non-American, and someone who doesn't watch it) strikes me as something very mainstream. And I really don't see FotC as something that will ever, or should ever be mainstream.


I don't know, there's just something about the idea that rubs me the wrong way.
Maybe I've got the wrong idea about SNL?

I suppose... I guess I always thought of SNL as something that started out on the fringes, and then eventually sort of became mainstream. Although, since it is on at 11:30 pm on Saturday nights, they still push the edges of comedy, it's still not as mainstream as for example the Thursday evening NBC comedy line up, which is where most American mainstream sitcoms end up (The Office, Friends, Seinfeld, etc.).

Of course that also brings up the question as to whether they are "mainstream" now or not. Clearly, they started out as an alternative novelty act, but looking at these sold out concerts, I wonder if they have in a way reached a certain mainstream status. There's part of me that wishes everyone knew who they were, but then there's a part of me that wants to keep them a bit obscure, partly because I tend to lose interest and become disillusioned when certain celebrities get too popular, and partly because I just want to simply be able to obtain a ticket to one of their shows.

BEST. THREAD IDEA. EVER.

I would never want to see the guys anywhere near SNL, not in its current form, anyway. It's the complete opposite of what they're about. It sounds like a bad movie pitch - "two humble, self-made foreign musicians try to find success in the tedium of bland, created-by-committee mainstream American television."

Thank God we never got an NBC version of "Flight of the Conchords". I'm getting chest pains just thinking of the hackneyed formula TV comedy writing...

thank you BadAtom for putting it in more forceful words than I dared to

I couldn't agree with this more.

Yay! Best thread ever!

Except the animated sigs still scare me...

So I'll guess I'll ask: has anyone got/heard the Folk the World Tour CD? It costs like $40 but I really want to hear it. Lots of old songs and a live version of Mermaids - one of my favourite songs of which a live version isn't on Youtube. I need to hear it. Bad.

Good point. Sigs annoy me. Not so much on this site, but on certain sites. And not cause of gyrating etc, but it's just very busy and makes pages unnecessarily long and hard to navigate to the stuff you want to actually read. It's more when EVERYONE has a huge sig. That usually makes me leave the site I'm on 'cause it's so distracting.

Well, maybe I have the unpopular opinion on the SNL subject. I am with you 100% on the fact that I'm glad they didn't get an NBC sitcom. That wouldn't have worked as well as it did on HBO, and could have been disasterous. I do however think that SNL would work, and wouldn't compromise their comedy.

First up, glad its made you happy.

Second, you've got your thread (and possibly a sub forum if people want it and more topics are discussed) so please don't bang on about sigs (or avatars if they annoy also ) that people have. Reading what you have written, one persons sig does spring to mind and I don't appreciate that anyone happens to cross it, if you get my meaning. If you are going to complain, do so in PM to me or a mod or if you must say something publicly, be a little less specific and consider your words carefully before doing so. You may find another post from me in reply to you on the matter. And I really don't like having to write them

You can always opt to not see sigs etc at all if you go in to the control panel - Board preferences - Edit display options.

Thirdly, that is the cost in NZ $, it works out less than $40 I am sure. And as its a self funded, self released album I always encourage people to go purchase it legally if at all possible. I don't host the tracks from it nor do I encourage file sharing of it. So please don't ask about getting album material via this site. Or from its members. Thanks. Have a peruse around the forum guidelines to give you an idea. And also the section with more posting info etc. And I do state quite clearly on the main site I don't host album stuff etc. There are reasons for this, the main one being my respect for the guys and I have no wish to change that this far down the line. Hoping you can understand.

FWIW I've had the album since it was hot off the press and love it still. Some great stuff on there and while a little rough, its stood the test of time well.

I was just looking for the Folk the World CD too. It's $16.28 American dollars on SmokeCDs.com. That's where I was told in another thread to look for it. Initially, I thought it was $26.95, but then later realized that was NZ dollars. (See currency converter on right of screen on the website.)

Speaking of TV shows, they should or should not be on...

Just now (like 5 minutes ago) my 5 year old daughter is watching Sesame Street and it shows Elmo, Telly, and Rosita (the muppets) acting like robots. They say "We are Robots, we no longer say "no", we say "affirmative", affirmative." (I kid you not.) They then go on to do the show speaking in the FOTC robot voice. I looked up the show and it is called "the Help o-bots", but couldn't find a video link so you could see it, probably too new. Anyway, it cracked me up. Someone writing for Sesame Street clearly appreciates FOTC. Maybe it's becoming more mainstream than we think...

Anyway, I would love to see FOTC do a song for Sesame Street, kind of like how REM, Andrea Bocelli, and lots of other artists have done songs. Since Bret has said that the FOTC TV characters were inspired by Bert and Ernie, I bet if they were asked to do Sesame Street, they would.

That sounds about right Its not expensive for a self funded album. At least its still available to buy.

I loved it when REM was on Sesame Street. I also loved it when Jack Black was on Yo Gabba Gabba. Maybe FOTC should go on THAT show. I'm giggling a little just thinking about it. Too bad the Muppet Show isn't still around, that would've been perfect.


See, I thought about this, but I assumed FOTC would have some creative input if they were on the show. I imagine Justin Timberlake helps write the songs he does when he's on, but maybe not I guess. I actually think SNL has been kind of funny lately. I don't know their names but I think the guy with the big nose and the guy with the black hair are pretty funny together. So I think it could work. It would certainly be a juxtaposition of comic styles, but FOTC have been known to get kind of over the top themselves, they are not always the masters of understatement and dryness that they are known for being (just take a look at my sig. Or not, Oaky, if it bothers you. )

See I was thinking like Mockingbird too. Part of the reason I think they would be good on SNL is because Bret and Jemaine are comedy writers and I think they would have some input if they hosted. Also, I think there is some mutual appreciation since two of the SNL cast members were on the FOTC show (Brahbrah and Stefan). I also find "the guy with the big nose" is funny too. That's Andy Samberg. He definitely does some video shorts that push the comedic envelope, and some of them (but not all) are very funny in my opinion. One that still makes me laugh are "Lazy Sunday" or "Chronicles of Narnia" short that is actually very similar comedically to H vs. R or Mutha 'uckers (gangsta rap about two white guys going to see a movie on a lazy Sunday afternoon), which makes me think that SNL and FOTC are on the same level of comedy (although I do agree that SNL is hit and miss, and FOTC is almost always funny.). Here is "Lazy Sunday", of course this short got HUGE, so I suppose it would be unusual if there is a person on earth, who hasn't seen it. http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/ ... nday/2921/

Another Samberg short that totally cracks me up is the Rastafarian Trent clip about white suburban college kids trying to be Jamaican. I remember some of these types of guys when I was in college, and it just makes me laugh. It also reminds me of the FOTC type of humor. (You can also see "Brahbrah" (Kristen Wiig) as one of the background dancers in the short.)

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/ ... an/787201/