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My favorite thing about Kids in the Hall was how it was somehow impossible to describe one of their skits to a friend and have it seem funny. And, to be clear,

My favorite thing about Kids in the Hall was how it was somehow impossible to describe one of their skits to a friend and have it seem funny. And, to be clear, I mean this as a compliment. By the way, a couple of my favorite sketches: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ApuaJrtck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ApuaJrtck (The Monkeys) * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOQBXA5CPEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOQBXA5CPEM (Mouse Killer)

tlb 4y ago
The viral coefficient must be higher for sketches that can be imitated in a few lines. SNL really specialized in this. KITH had a few such (like the Crusher) but as you say, most defied summarization.
- ksaj 4y ago
  The one they got away with, but is banned on YouTube: Hitler F*ing a Donkey. The phrase is used a LOT in the skit because of course they're trying to explain why they're so frantic. What did they see in the barn? Hitler F*ing a Donkey! I saw Hitler F*ing a Donkey!!! That was a catch phrase for some time after. But it might be lost to history thanks to censorship. I think they left in the Chicken Lady origin story. It's not too different, and does explain why she keeps exploding when she gets excited. They also had a lot of memorable song bits. Like "These are the Daves I know" and some really absurd spoken bits like "30 Helens Agree" that became part of the Canadian vernacular for a while. It's not exactly like the American "bite-sized quote" but held a similar function.
  - sillywalk 4y ago
    The Hitler F*ing a donkey sketch appears to me ( in Canada). It was part of a bit on 'censored sketches' and what they were allowed to show. There was also another about a cancer kid's (last?) wish and a baseball player
version_five 4y ago
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 Rush
- stormbrew 4y ago
  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 makes that Canadianyness explicit but then that’s kind of quintessentially Canadian too.
  - bee_rider 4y ago
    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.
    - wyldfire 4y ago
      I saw a couple of episodes of Dr Steve Brule. Pretty good. And I guess "Too Many Cooks" really deserves some love. It was incredible. I guess this stuff is from Tim and Eric?
      - bee_rider 4y ago
        Yeah, I've heard their stuff is good, I think I missed the bus slightly on it. It seems, sort of, very out there. I couldn't follow the plot most of the time whenever I tried to watch it. Now I'm watching old Brad Neely videos, he had some good weird stuff.

tlb 4y ago

The viral coefficient must be higher for sketches that can be imitated in a few lines. SNL really specialized in this. KITH had a few such (like the Crusher) but as you say, most defied summarization.

ksaj 4y ago
The one they got away with, but is banned on YouTube: Hitler F*ing a Donkey. The phrase is used a LOT in the skit because of course they're trying to explain why they're so frantic. What did they see in the barn? Hitler F*ing a Donkey! I saw Hitler F*ing a Donkey!!! That was a catch phrase for some time after. But it might be lost to history thanks to censorship. I think they left in the Chicken Lady origin story. It's not too different, and does explain why she keeps exploding when she gets excited. They also had a lot of memorable song bits. Like "These are the Daves I know" and some really absurd spoken bits like "30 Helens Agree" that became part of the Canadian vernacular for a while. It's not exactly like the American "bite-sized quote" but held a similar function.
- sillywalk 4y ago
  The Hitler F*ing a donkey sketch appears to me ( in Canada). It was part of a bit on 'censored sketches' and what they were allowed to show. There was also another about a cancer kid's (last?) wish and a baseball player

version_five 4y ago

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 Rush

stormbrew 4y ago
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 makes that Canadianyness explicit but then that’s kind of quintessentially Canadian too.
- bee_rider 4y ago
  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.
  - wyldfire 4y ago
    I saw a couple of episodes of Dr Steve Brule. Pretty good. And I guess "Too Many Cooks" really deserves some love. It was incredible. I guess this stuff is from Tim and Eric?
    - bee_rider 4y ago
      Yeah, I've heard their stuff is good, I think I missed the bus slightly on it. It seems, sort of, very out there. I couldn't follow the plot most of the time whenever I tried to watch it. Now I'm watching old Brad Neely videos, he had some good weird stuff.