A Muppet and a fat guy
March 12, 2009 9:27 AM Subscribe
Next up on Who's Laugh Is More Annoying.
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on March 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by DU at 9:33 AM on March 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
It was at around a minute-ten, or maybe a minute-fifteen, into this video that the gigantic sandbag of disappointment came crashing onto my expectations, at which point I reluctantly accepted the fact that this clip, despite being, as promised, "An interview with Elmo and Ricky Gervais", was somehow not going to be even slightly funny.
posted by jeremy b at 9:39 AM on March 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by jeremy b at 9:39 AM on March 12, 2009 [3 favorites]
I heard Kevin Clash on Wait, Wait once and he was doing this thing where he could switch back and forth between his normal voice and Elmo so quickly that they almost seemed to be talking over each other, and it was quickly driving Peter Sagal insane.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
Why is Ricky Gervais so much funnier in interview-like situations to me than anywhere else? This and his fantastic run-ins with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in Extras are definitely my favorite things I've seen him in.
posted by Muttoneer at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009
posted by Muttoneer at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009
Gervais to Elmo on how to do interviews: "These are the no-go areas: drugs, child abuse, the holocaust ... do you know what necrophilia is?"
posted by zippy at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by zippy at 9:40 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
What's not funny about Elmo asking an someone where they lost the interview? And I'm not sure Gervais looks that happy when he's sat with Karl...
posted by opsin at 9:43 AM on March 12, 2009
posted by opsin at 9:43 AM on March 12, 2009
"That's the best spunk I've ever tasted."
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:46 AM on March 12, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:46 AM on March 12, 2009 [5 favorites]
Great clip, Blazecock Pileon--I actually have a package of that cock mix at home.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:53 AM on March 12, 2009
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:53 AM on March 12, 2009
Oh, and Sir Ian was at the last metafilter meetup.
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by MrMoonPie at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
Who's the muppet...? Gervais ? Well obviously.
(and it should be bloke)
posted by Webbster at 10:16 AM on March 12, 2009
(and it should be bloke)
posted by Webbster at 10:16 AM on March 12, 2009
@MoonPie Damn, I'm jealous of those at the meetup who caught a glance of Sir Ian. Even if someone misspelled "Magneto" on flickr. He'll always be Amos Starkadder to me, anyway.
posted by Muttoneer at 10:23 AM on March 12, 2009
posted by Muttoneer at 10:23 AM on March 12, 2009
I always find it amazing that people, even when they're stepping way out of the boundaries of the scene they're supposed to be in, always interact with the muppet, not the puppeteer. Even though the actors and kids and musicians can see behind the scenes, the characters seem too real to ignore.
Gervais isn't trying to get Kevin Clash to go out of character - he's trying to get Elmo to go out of character, and cracking up because Elmo's playing along.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:28 AM on March 12, 2009 [9 favorites]
Gervais isn't trying to get Kevin Clash to go out of character - he's trying to get Elmo to go out of character, and cracking up because Elmo's playing along.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:28 AM on March 12, 2009 [9 favorites]
I always find it amazing that people, even when they're stepping way out of the boundaries of the scene they're supposed to be in, always interact with the muppet, not the puppeteer.
If you ever locate a copy of the A&E "Biography" of Sesame Street, check it out -- it's damned interesting. Elmo's puppeteer talks about that quite a bit, that when kids visit the set, they never watch him when Elmo's talking, even though he's right there with his hand up Elmo's rear and his lips are moving. He said that his daughter would call him on the set and ask to talk to Elmo, even though she knew Elmo was just a puppet, and when he greeted her as Elmo, she'd say things like "Tell Daddy I want a new Barbie for my birthday."
posted by middleclasstool at 11:21 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you ever locate a copy of the A&E "Biography" of Sesame Street, check it out -- it's damned interesting. Elmo's puppeteer talks about that quite a bit, that when kids visit the set, they never watch him when Elmo's talking, even though he's right there with his hand up Elmo's rear and his lips are moving. He said that his daughter would call him on the set and ask to talk to Elmo, even though she knew Elmo was just a puppet, and when he greeted her as Elmo, she'd say things like "Tell Daddy I want a new Barbie for my birthday."
posted by middleclasstool at 11:21 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
I found this very amusing. Thar she blows!
posted by ob at 11:32 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by ob at 11:32 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
I worked on a puppet show called Allegra's Window and I found it interesting that, even when the puppeteer was talking to someone directly (like about lunch plans or sports or something), the puppet on his arm would still look around, blink, move its head a little -- even when they weren't taping or acting, they still unconsciously kept the puppet "alive".
And yeah, I along with everyone else -- adults included -- wound up talking to the puppet even when we could see the puppeteer.
posted by notmydesk at 11:34 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
And yeah, I along with everyone else -- adults included -- wound up talking to the puppet even when we could see the puppeteer.
posted by notmydesk at 11:34 AM on March 12, 2009 [1 favorite]
I almost needed a new keyboard when Elmo demanded the tape.
posted by PenDevil at 12:29 PM on March 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 12:29 PM on March 12, 2009 [2 favorites]
Sir Ian... Sir Ian... Sir Ian... WIZARD! You Shall not PASS!... Sir Ian... Sir Ian... Sir Ian...
posted by tkchrist at 1:03 PM on March 12, 2009
posted by tkchrist at 1:03 PM on March 12, 2009
i thought they were saying "set your bigots free"
but it's "set your piggies free".
had it been bigots, it would have been even more
full of win :D
posted by liza at 6:49 PM on March 12, 2009
but it's "set your piggies free".
had it been bigots, it would have been even more
full of win :D
posted by liza at 6:49 PM on March 12, 2009
Didn't even smile.
Love Elmo. Effin' hate Ricky Gervais. Couldn't watch him on The Office, can't watch him now. I don't know what it is with that man, I understand that IN THEORY he's funny. It's the actually watching him that hurts.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:44 PM on March 12, 2009
Love Elmo. Effin' hate Ricky Gervais. Couldn't watch him on The Office, can't watch him now. I don't know what it is with that man, I understand that IN THEORY he's funny. It's the actually watching him that hurts.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 7:44 PM on March 12, 2009
I laughed in spite of my expectations. I can't decide whether to love or hate either one of those two. They're both mostly annoying but sometimes adorable.
posted by not_on_display at 8:57 PM on March 12, 2009
posted by not_on_display at 8:57 PM on March 12, 2009
I really use to hate Gervais until I watched his last stand-up and realized what a sick twisted individual he is. Now, he's my hero.
posted by Mick at 6:05 AM on March 13, 2009
posted by Mick at 6:05 AM on March 13, 2009
« Older The Anthology, notated. | The nearest to being alive. Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Also, my mind got confused if it's Gervais or Elmo laughing.
posted by spec80 at 9:32 AM on March 12, 2009