Witness history as it's never been told before: Drunk.

February 18, 2009 8:10 AM

Drunk History: Reenactments of scenes from American history as told by very drunk people. 1 2 2.5 4
posted by freshwater_pr0n (39 comments total)

On the plus side, the dubbing thing is pretty funny and the show is mildly informative. On the negative side, the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk.
posted by DU at 8:18 AM on February 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Previously
posted by CynicalKnight at 8:23 AM on February 18, 2009

You're insufferable, DU.

Also: damn! This post made me think there was a new episode out.
posted by mullacc at 8:29 AM on February 18, 2009 [3 favorites]

I agree with DU. I know thirteen year olds that can fake being drunk better than this.
posted by orme at 8:37 AM on February 18, 2009

I just checked yesterday for a new episode. I really need a new one. In the meantime though, I guess it's back to thefoggymonocle.com for my giggles.
posted by Hachijuhachi at 8:39 AM on February 18, 2009

the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk.

I'd have to disagree.
posted by Dr-Baa at 8:43 AM on February 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

I'd like to believe that Ken Burns has stumbled across these and that they have, however briefly, made him reconsider the value of his life's work.
posted by felix betachat at 8:45 AM on February 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

I concede that Dr-Baa's clip is at least well-acted. I will also concede that a person pretending to be drunk can be funnier than someone who really is drunk. However, I will not concede that either is all that funny on an absolute scale.
posted by DU at 8:51 AM on February 18, 2009

the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk.

If my Foster Brooks-lovin' father were alive, he would challenge you to a duel, sir.

Also, if he dueled.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:51 AM on February 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Good idea, but these people are not drunk enough.
posted by HyperBlue at 8:52 AM on February 18, 2009

Obviously, I missed my calling in life. I should have been an American History teacher.
posted by buzzbash at 8:55 AM on February 18, 2009

...the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk.

I'm going out on a limb to say that the dude who pauses his Ben Franklin story to puke a couple of times was actually drunk.

I also thought this post was heralding the arrival of a new installment.
posted by VicNebulous at 9:03 AM on February 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk

I'd also like to disagree.
posted by educatedslacker at 9:11 AM on February 18, 2009

My high school chemistry teacher could pretend to be drunk extraordinarily well. He used to take a five minute break to go to his car and get "in character". When he came back, he even managed to fake whiskey breath! He was amazing!

Then he'd hand out the chemicals and bunsen burners.
posted by darkstar at 9:16 AM on February 18, 2009 [7 favorites]

Jeff Goldblum is neither drunk nor pretending.

The William Henry Harrison guy also pauses to puke. I'm just saying.
posted by DU at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2009

aaahhh you are cruel to post such entertaining and educational documentaries in the middle of the work day.
posted by tarantula at 9:24 AM on February 18, 2009

Great narrative. Would like to see future episodes reenacted by LOLcats.
posted by terranova at 9:32 AM on February 18, 2009

the only thing less funny than someone who is drunk is someone who is pretending to be drunk.

I'd have to disagree as well.
posted by joedan at 9:35 AM on February 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

"So that's how they got the colors, because Lincoln helped."
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:35 AM on February 18, 2009

DU what is your point, that this is faked? Who gives a shit? It's hilarious. I also can't imagine why they'd fake this, it's just as easy to get a buddy drunk and have them yammer about history than to not.

In the future would you mind limiting your negativity to a single post? It's distracting to the rest of us who want to discuss charming silly videos--we get it, you hate this kind of fluff, thanks for your input, now please move on to a thread where you might have something useful to say.

Happy Mother's Day!
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:36 AM on February 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

"So that's how they got the colors, because Lincoln helped."
posted by Mayor Curley

You beat me to it!

"What a collection of assholes!"
posted by orme at 9:47 AM on February 18, 2009

I'm going out on a limb to say that the dude who pauses his Ben Franklin story to puke a couple of times was actually drunk.

I agree. If that was an act, it was well done.
posted by middleclasstool at 9:52 AM on February 18, 2009

Is there a reason you skipped episode 3?
posted by whimsicalnymph at 10:07 AM on February 18, 2009

Episode 3 Link.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 10:07 AM on February 18, 2009

The idea that they'd have to, for lack of people willing to actually drink too much and tell stories on camera, locate people willing only to pretend to drink too much and tell stories on camera?

Less than credible.

I liked these a lot and hadn't seen them before. The careful syncing against filled pauses and hiccups and so on just kind of makes it for me, and the double-takes on the continuity gaffes in the stories ("President Bush...President WASHINGTON", "Alexander Hamilton shot Alexander Hamilton") killed me.

I figure being inured to horking would be a big make-or-break on watching these, though.
posted by cortex at 10:09 AM on February 18, 2009

If I'm going to listen to a drunk valley girl talk for 6 minutes, then I want her to take her shirt off by the end of it.
posted by Liquidwolf at 10:44 AM on February 18, 2009 [4 favorites]

Leeches! And snakes!
posted by rusty at 10:54 AM on February 18, 2009

I'd like to take a view, but I'm one of those susceptible people that cannot hear someone tossing cookies without becoming nauseous. Which (if any) of these are vomit free?
posted by dejah420 at 12:19 PM on February 18, 2009

1 and 3 are vomit-free. I can't recall if 2.5 has vomit or not; 2 definitely does. 4 has it as well.

All of them feature at least the appearance of serious nausea, though. Hanging out by the toilet or looking for a bucket, at least.
posted by cortex at 12:28 PM on February 18, 2009

Metafilter: inured to horking
posted by found missing at 12:34 PM on February 18, 2009

It might help if you're drunk too or like me...just waking up and finishing off my whiskey that I had topped off with oodles of ice but now the ice has melted and I have a cool creamy glass of 12 year old perfection. How'd you people get in my room?
posted by doctorschlock at 1:53 PM on February 18, 2009

I absolutely loved this. Totally 2nding what cortex said about the fills. This was brilliant.
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 2:32 PM on February 18, 2009

Want more!
posted by Ugh at 2:52 PM on February 18, 2009

Do people actually hiccup (more frequently than normally) when drunk? I know it's sort of a common way of portraying drunk people, but I don't think I've ever found drunkenness to cause hiccups in me, or people I've gotten drunk with.
posted by !Jim at 4:22 PM on February 18, 2009

I don't get drunk all that often, and I don't get hiccups all that often, but I think the overlap between the two is maybe significantly disproportionate. A depressant might well nudge the diaphragm into weird muscle-relaxant twitchiness, I guess, which might induce hiccups.

I am not a hiccupologist. I am not your hiccupologist.
posted by cortex at 4:25 PM on February 18, 2009

I will happily get drunk and tell you all about the Steunenberg assassination, all for the price of a bottle of bourbon.
posted by smartyboots at 5:37 PM on February 18, 2009

Yes, the dubbing sells it, and I'm a little curious how they handled that -- I presume by playing back the audio of the interview during filming of the skits. (I also liked that Hamilton was wearing sneakers.)
posted by Rhomboid at 5:53 PM on February 18, 2009

Rhomboid: Check this out...
posted by Old Man Wilson at 12:50 AM on February 19, 2009

Oh drunk people. You never cease to amaze me.
posted by buzzdiggity at 9:11 AM on February 19, 2009