Alligator Boots

September 15, 2011 4:34 AM

Alligator Boots Behind the scenes of the never-aired 'hip-hop puppet show.' From Kanye West and the producers of Crank Yankers. (Via the AV Club.)
posted by box (14 comments total)

when everyone you have ever loved is finally gone
when everything you have ever wanted is finally done with
when all of your nightmares are for a time obscured
as by a shining brainless beacon
or a blinding eclipse of the many terrible shapes of this world
when you are calm and joyful
and finally entirely alone
then in a great new darkness
you will finally execute your special plan
for an expensive but poorly-executed hip-hop puppet show
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:21 AM on September 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

Looked like an interesting concept, but the jokes in that show seemed to fall pretty flat.
posted by delmoi at 5:39 AM on September 15, 2011

There's nothing wrong with a hip-hop puppet show in and of itself, but nothing else from that show seems like a good idea. Kanye West seems like an atrocious person to head up that project - his enormous ego would prevent constructive criticism from sinking in. The Crank Yankers people also seem like the wrong people to bring in as well, because their talent is in puppetry, production design, and editing, not in comedy writing - the comedy in Crank Yankers had been provided by comedians calling up unsuspecting marks.
posted by Sticherbeast at 5:47 AM on September 15, 2011

See also.

the comedy in Crank Yankers had been provided by comedians calling up unsuspecting marks.

Now THAT is funny!
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:25 AM on September 15, 2011

Yeah, the problem with Crank Yankers was that the entire visual component of the show was completely superfluous. While the calls themselves were sometimes funny, especially when the recipient started playing along with the joke, it made no more sense to show puppets pretending to place the calls than it would have to just show two camels fucking.

I expect that would have been cheaper, too. You know camels are always ready to go.
posted by Naberius at 6:34 AM on September 15, 2011

My main problem with Crank Yankers was that it was clearly scripted, usually poorly.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:51 AM on September 15, 2011

I am not a hip-hop fan, but if anything could get me there it would be puppets.

Jim Henson is rolling in his grave.

I saw a puppet wang before 9 AM. Yay metafilter!
posted by cjorgensen at 6:53 AM on September 15, 2011

The puppeteering was not superfluous. Unless you dislike puppetry. It adds the visual element to the show, so it's not just a podcast or a Jerky Boys album.

The fact that you prefer seeing camels fuck is indicative of your preference over what's a good idea to show.

Is a full version of the pilot available? You don't know what jokes fell flat, or were even included until you see the completed show.
posted by Napierzaza at 7:25 AM on September 15, 2011

A show with puppets
for an audience of puppets
with backstage puppet show meta show
and full-size human guests interacting with the puppets
also music

Clearly this concept would never work on TV.
posted by freq at 7:57 AM on September 15, 2011

Yeah, but the Muppets have a new parody trailer. So there's that.
posted by fijiwriter at 9:00 AM on September 15, 2011

I'm sure Franklin could find a place among the cast.
posted by hot_monster at 9:59 AM on September 15, 2011

I'm sure Franklin could find a place among the cast.

Or his namesake.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 10:11 AM on September 15, 2011

This seems like a show a lot of my friends would love and I would never watch.
posted by oddman at 10:32 AM on September 15, 2011

Yeah, but the Muppets have a new parody trailer. So there's that.

That's pretty brilliant.
posted by alby at 10:33 AM on September 15, 2011