I'm coming back with a friend, and you will be very sorry!
June 15, 2012 4:58 PM   Subscribe

Conan O'Brian, at the end of 4 days of broadcasting from Chicago, sends "the nicest, most polite person we know"--Jack McBrayer, who plays the rube Kenneth on 30 Rock--to The Wiener's Circle, notorious as much for the vulgar insults served up by its hostile staff as for its hot dogs. When things don't go so well for meek Jack, he calls in some backup.
posted by drlith (75 comments total) 45 users marked this as a favorite
 
I watched this earlier today and loved it. Jack McBrayer trying to insult people is the best.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:02 PM on June 15, 2012


This got me reminded of Terry Gross' interview with Jack's backup.
posted by jonbro at 5:03 PM on June 15, 2012


Anyone been to The Wiener's Circle and lived to tell about it?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:09 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


Partway through, when Jack has his hands clamped over his mouth, I can't tell if he's acting horrified or trying not to laugh out loud!
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:09 PM on June 15, 2012


I love Triumph.
posted by brundlefly at 5:09 PM on June 15, 2012


I adore The Wiener's Circle. And I feel left out because I have never been insulted there.

Similarly, I have never been insulted at Shopsin's. Or Durgin Park.

Apparently I am just too bland to attract the insults of famously cantankerous food service staff. Sigh.
posted by Sidhedevil at 5:10 PM on June 15, 2012


I love the staffer in the red who's trying to be cool but loses it every time Triumph throws down an amazing dis.
posted by thecjm at 5:11 PM on June 15, 2012 [6 favorites]


Oh. My. God. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:13 PM on June 15, 2012 [3 favorites]


I'm glad there are people out there that can handle these situations and make them hilarious. I'm afraid that if I ever got within a block of the place I'd spend the next couple of hours apologizing to everyone I could find. If I ever went inside, I think I'd just throw my wallet in the tip jar, shout, "I'm so sorry", say "I'm sorry for shouting." and run away.
posted by Science! at 5:15 PM on June 15, 2012 [26 favorites]


It's possible that Kenneth only apears to be a rube.

Also, Conan berating Jack in "Can't Stop" is one of the greatest, most uncomfortable things I've seen in a while.
posted by humboldt32 at 5:18 PM on June 15, 2012 [5 favorites]


My favorite Triumph line (at the Friars Club Roast of Rob Reiner).
posted by brundlefly at 5:19 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]




It was worth it just to hear Jack McBrayer yell, "BITCH, TIP!"
posted by The Gooch at 5:24 PM on June 15, 2012 [5 favorites]


Anyone been to The Wiener's Circle and lived to tell about it?

I lived across the street in the high rise with the solid cement side next to the McDonalds about 20 years ago. Loved that place. Seems as if they have taken it up a notch, but there was nothing like stumbling home from the Burwood Tap and stopping in for a Char Dog all the way and some cheese fries! Coming home from a night game at Wrigley? Stumble down Clark Street, stop and get a pure grain alcohol margarita and then onto the Circle!

Gawd I miss my youth spent doing stupid things in Chicago!

(Funny thing was that during the day especially on weekends, there are a lot of kids/families with kids who eat there. THe daytime crew is much different than the after midnight crew.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 5:26 PM on June 15, 2012


... things don't go so well for meek Jack, he calls in some backup.

Mentioned elsewhere (previously) on MeFi: 1, 2.
posted by ericb at 5:27 PM on June 15, 2012


It's a weird place with an even weirder racial dynamic that barely comes across in the video. Keep in part that this in an institution located in Lincoln Park, and that it's waitstaff is mostly black while its clientele is mostly middle-class white. The mutual abuse from both sides occasionally has an explicitly racial component, and, even when it isn't explicit, it can be really weird to see a bunch of black people and white people screaming at each other. A frequent request is for a "chocolate milkshake," which is a request for a black waitress to shake her breasts.

There's been a lot of discussion about this.

When I went back a few years later, having graduated from college and been away from Chicago for a few years, the poison in that interaction became much more transparent. The crowd was mostly the same as before, but this time the comments seemed much more violent and openly racist.

A classic Chicago dive sells the world's greatest franks, but turns into a boiled-over hate fest every weekend

What seems like a friendly “game” of snapping can intensify into a racially-charged onslaught, especially during the wee hours of the morning, when the freaks drunks come out (as you can see in the video below). Here’s where the thick of the story kicks in: the Wieners Circle is located in the middle of an affluent, white-suburban neighborhood in one of the most racially-segregated cities in the U.S.; with “Blacks on the south side, Whites on the North side.” Because of the tension built from decades of segregation and racism, they’ve (the establishment) unwittingly unleashed this unspoken pressure, and this is where society seems to get carried away. In fact, as the video states, the segregation became so harmful that they coined a new term for it: “hypersegregation,” when African Americans relocated to large, urban cities; more specifically the “inner-city” to find industrial work, in turn causing numerous European Americans to move into the suburbs due to white flight.

Maybe it is all meant in good fun. But I really don't need to see a puppet dog shouting his racially tinged version of the dozens at an all-black staff in a place that mostly seems to represent the fault line of America's racial history.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 5:29 PM on June 15, 2012 [35 favorites]


Previous FPP on the This American Life episode about The Wiener Circle.
posted by ericb at 5:30 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]


Comedian Dave Attell at The Wiener's Circle: "It's kinda like the Ricky Lake show, but with food."*
posted by ericb at 5:34 PM on June 15, 2012 [3 favorites]


It's a weird place with an even weirder racial dynamic that barely comes across in the video.

I don't know about that. I'm really not one to see a racial issue most of the time, but that occurred to me almost immediately. "What the heck is with all these black people yelling at all these white people?" I mean, it's hilarious, but I was kind of uncomfortable watching it. There were some awesome disses in there, and I actually thought that Triumph's bit was less racially charged than most of the rest of it. But I somehow got the impression that the racial aspect was downplayed a bit for TV. Which doesn't make me feel awesome.
posted by valkyryn at 5:41 PM on June 15, 2012


Go to Weiners Circle for the abuse, come here (my neighborhood joint) for the love.
posted by timsteil at 5:46 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


Best part: "You're gonna sign this titty before you go!"
posted by Ron Thanagar at 5:59 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]


800 - 588 - 2300 Empire, bitch!
posted by nooneyouknow at 6:12 PM on June 15, 2012 [6 favorites]


"The uploader has not made this video available in your country" - damn it.
posted by smoke at 6:17 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


The "why you work for tips" line damn near took me out of my chair.
posted by Cyrano at 6:21 PM on June 15, 2012 [10 favorites]


I'm not kidding when I say I teared up a little when she told them they were going to sign her titty before they left. That was sweet, in an insult slinging weiner shack sort of way.
posted by ian1977 at 6:32 PM on June 15, 2012 [3 favorites]


The place may be known for the insult schtick - but those char cheddar dogs really do kick ass. The food is actually really good. (even sober)
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 6:36 PM on June 15, 2012


It's a weird place with an even weirder racial dynamic that barely comes across in the video. Keep in part that this in an institution located in Lincoln Park, and that it's waitstaff is mostly black while its clientele is mostly middle-class white. The mutual abuse from both sides occasionally has an explicitly racial component, and, even when it isn't explicit, it can be really weird to see a bunch of black people and white people screaming at each other. A frequent request is for a "chocolate milkshake," which is a request for a black waitress to shake her breasts.

I grew up in Chicago and live in the DC area now. Chicago is hyper- segregated and as much as I
miss the fun parts, as much as DC has its own problems, it is better here in many ways.
posted by discopolo at 6:42 PM on June 15, 2012


These kinds of shenanigans make me uncomfortable.
posted by ColdChef at 6:48 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


Now if we could just get Conan to stop trying to do stand up and interviews, he'd have a hell of a show.
posted by mrhappy at 6:54 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]


Go to Weiners Circle for the abuse, come here (my neighborhood joint) for the love.

Superdawg is Ok. Not a great hot dog in my opinion. I give it a thumbs up for the 2 figures on top of the the building.

Hot dog related story - We had a friend visiting from Austria. His name was Gerald. Fun, crazy, hard partying dude. One Saturday afternoon, we started drinking a bit early. By early evening we were all starving. We talked Gerald into coming with us to The Red Apple (a Polish buffet). The Apple is just north of Superdawg. As we drove up Milwaukee Avenue, Gerald kept tell us that we had to visit Europe. He was going on and on about the sights, the people and the wonderful experience that was Europe. I think it's when he said something about us Americans being "uncultured" that we started goading him on. Kept insulting Europe - and he was defending it. We were nearing Superdawg when I grabbed Gerald by the head and pressed his face against the window. Pointing at the two giant hot dogs in the sky, I asked him "Does Europe have anything even remotely as awesome as that?". He stuttered and said "No, why would we have this kind of thing". I let go of his head and said, "That my friend, is why Europe is a place I shall never visit".

We made it to the polish buffet and had a great time. On the way back, we once again passed Superdawg. This time it was in utter silence. The look on his face was priceless. Gerald stared at the two giant fiberglass hot dog people - as if he were looking at the Arc de Triomphe.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 7:02 PM on June 15, 2012 [7 favorites]


Speaking of the racial overtones: did I imagine it or did one of the women try to ask "Triumph" if his "owner" was Jewish?
posted by lunasol at 7:09 PM on June 15, 2012


Yes, to which Triumph responded with a fat joke.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 7:20 PM on June 15, 2012 [3 favorites]


Speaking of the racial overtones: did I imagine it or did one of the women try to ask "Triumph" if his "owner" was Jewish?

I doubt there was malice to the insult.
It's part of the schtick. Nothing is sacred.
The guy who owns the place is Jewish.
posted by Bighappyfunhouse at 7:21 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


This was funny, but went on a little too long. Glad to see Triumph still around, though. For me to poop on!
posted by Gator at 7:56 PM on June 15, 2012


I might be speaking out of school here, but I think the schtick going on with the insults is a play on some American Black Culture...like when I show up at work and the black people are all like..."You skinny chicken legged white fool!" When what they really mean is "Hey SNS, haven't seen you for a few days, come give us some hugs!"

As a very white guy I take it easy on the give and take, but I ALWAYS collect on the hugs. Every time. There can be SO much love in those insults..."Your gonna sign this titty right here, before you leave!" *Bashful smile*
posted by snsranch at 8:11 PM on June 15, 2012


The best place for encased meats of all kinds is obviously Hot Doug's.
posted by adamdschneider at 8:17 PM on June 15, 2012 [10 favorites]


The owner of Hot Dougs is pretty much the happiest man on the planet. He's always working the register, just awesoming his days away, spreading the gospel of encased meats.
posted by Windigo at 8:38 PM on June 15, 2012 [2 favorites]


that's a really weird, uncomfortable scene, but i guess it suits the really weird, uncomfortable racial segregation in chicago.

although i must say 'how do you sleep in your car at night?' was a great line :-)
posted by facetious at 8:50 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


The best place for encased meats of all kinds is obviously Hot Doug's.

OK. You all by now know I'm from Rhode Island. And every city, and I mean every city, makes a claim to the best dogs.

But, baby?

Get you to Spikes offa Mineral Spring. Get you to Olneyville for a N.Y. System Wiener (which isn't available in NYC, go figure) or to Cumberland for a saucy dog. Flag down Hewtin's Hot Dog Truck.

Much like clams and authentic Portuguese cuisine, if you want a good hot dog, you gotta, gotta come to RI.
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:00 PM on June 15, 2012 [4 favorites]


(SAUGY dog, damn autocorrect.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:00 PM on June 15, 2012


Slap*Happy, you forgot Mr Doughboy...weiners and fries to die for!
posted by Biblio at 9:18 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


The best place for encased meats of all kinds is obviously Hot Doug's.

Motherfucking quoted for the motherfuckingest truth that a motherfucker ever said.
posted by secret about box at 9:36 PM on June 15, 2012 [5 favorites]


I think it's time to turn in my "sophisticated comedy" card, because I watched this whole thing and found it mildly amusing, until Triumph projectile vomited all over everyone and then I finally laughed.
posted by escabeche at 9:50 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


It's the specials menu at Hot Doug's that blows you away. And the people. And the longass line at lunch.

Wiener's Circle is an attraction, not a place to eat, if you ask me. It's a festival of drunkards and schtick. But that clip was hilarious, and Triumph really dressed up the joint.
posted by heyho at 9:53 PM on June 15, 2012


Wieners Circle has definitely ramped up the verbal abuse level in recent years now that it's pretty much expected as part of the latenight experience. In the past I've seen a sort of good cop/bad cop dynamic, where a staff member will help out an obviously uncomfortable customer not familiar with the lay of the land - while another member is yelling at the customer and assisting staff member to hurry up. As crazy as it might appear in a brief TV clip - just about everyone has a good time on both sides of the counter and they've incredibly efficient at getting people in and out.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 10:12 PM on June 15, 2012


I've been pretty impressed with the high quality of insults and comebacks from the Wieners Circle staff over the years. The cleverness of their repertoire doesn't really come across in the Conan clip. And it's not done in a goofy Ed Debevic's way - it's more like the third set at comedy club full of hecklers.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 10:20 PM on June 15, 2012


Only TRIUMPH could steal the show from THOSE people! That's one tough crowd. I've never seen him not funny. I laughed so hard it brought me to tears. Metafilter is the perfect place for this, and of course, for me to poop on!
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:46 PM on June 15, 2012


Every damn time I come back to Chicago, I've tried to get to Hot Dougs, and I've failed every time. The most recent events: food poisoning from another place that kept me in the bathroom on every possible day to go, and then the last time, it was closed for the weekend. I'm not meant to experience the wonder of Hot Dougs, I know it.
posted by Ghidorah at 10:59 PM on June 15, 2012


The post I read before this was the one about Voyager and the accomplishments of the human race. And just like that, everything we've done is wiped out....
posted by showmethecalvino at 11:56 PM on June 15, 2012 [1 favorite]


Two important things: HOT DOUGS, and why do people dislike Conan's stand up & interviews? I love his interviews. And despite the usual lameness of the monologues, I think he has a really incredible improvisational talent that comes out during them. His field bits are usually hilarious but to me, his regular sketches are lacking.

I really disliked this clip because it was basically Triumph slinging racially-charged insults at a volume that drowned out the responses of anyone else. It was like, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog making extremely racist jokes without even bothering to use the context.

I loved Conan teaching first graders about the blues, though. I rode the bus past the Chicago Theatre yesterday while they were letting the audience in and I wanted to weep for my lack of ticket.
posted by stoneandstar at 12:13 AM on June 16, 2012


Anyone have another link? The uploader has not made the video available in Australia. Jerk
posted by barnacles at 12:25 AM on June 16, 2012


Nor is it available in Norway.
posted by Harald74 at 12:36 AM on June 16, 2012


I think it's time to turn in my "sophisticated comedy" card, because I watched this whole thing and found it mildly amusing, until Triumph projectile vomited all over everyone and then I finally laughed.

The thing is, I found that hysterical, too - but I'm not sure it was as unsophisticated as all that. Let me take you on the journey of IRFH watching that video:

Act 1
This is the first I've heard of The Wiener's Circle, but Jack McBrayer cracks my shit up, so I have high hopes. I've been to a few places that pride themselves on rude staff, so I figure I'll recognize the vibe. I'm wrong. I can see right away that there's a weird racial dynamic going on here, with all of the staff black and all of the customers white, drunken kids, and everybody screaming at each other. But since Jack is the butt of the humor at this point, I still laugh a little. I'm uncomfortable, but not uncomfortably uncomfortable, because it's clear that I'm meant to feel uncomfortable at this point.

Act 2
Jack comes back with Triumph. Now I get really uncomfortable. It starts out as little more than a shouting match, neither side really saying anything especially funny at first, even by insult comedy standards. Then Triumph comes up with a couple of zingers. I laugh a little, but feel guilty doing so, even when some of the staff start to laugh at Triumph's jokes, too. But as Triumph starts to get in a groove, and more of the staff are now openly laughing, and I catch myself laughing more, too, despite myself, an interesting thing happens: the woman behind the counter who is his primary comic foil... Doesn't. Back. Down. Not one bit. And then everything is turned upside down, when...

Act 3
...suddenly, Triumph and Jack are behind the counter, with Jack getting lessons from Triumph and the tenacious staffer together in how to abuse the white, drunken customers. And at this point, I lose my shit. It's partly because Jack is funny, and this is a particularly good use of having him act against type. It's partly because with the roles now reversed, expectations have been overturned, which is often an effective comic maneuver. It's partly because now the white, drunken customers who had been cheering Triumph on are getting it from both barrels (and serving as a proxy for the audience back home - i.e., me). And it is also in large part because with the target of abuse now a "safe" one, I'm free to vent the tension that has been steadily building up since this began. Which is quite a bit of tension. So I am already laughing very hard when Triumph delivers his coup de grace…

Act 4
…literally hosing down the white drunken customers (and the audience back home by proxy) with a steady stream of vomit and bile.

At this point, IRFH is trying not to pee himself.

###

So, no – it wasn’t particularly classy humor. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it was unsophisticated. Or that was the way I experienced it, at any rate. You mileage, as always, may vary.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:00 AM on June 16, 2012 [18 favorites]


ThePinkSuperhero: "Anyone been to The Wiener's Circle and lived to tell about it?"

I got in a fist fight there back in 1987 and NOT with any of the staff.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 5:39 AM on June 16, 2012


"800 - 588 - 2300 Empire, bitch!"

Can someone explain this joke to me?
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:56 AM on June 16, 2012


The Empire Carpet phone number! This more or less identifies you as being from the Chicagoland area because that jingle has been burned into your skull. It's just Triumph throwing out every Chicago-specific "in joke" he can come up with.
posted by jeanmari at 6:01 AM on June 16, 2012


If you splice the "800" onto the jingle, you ain't legit.
posted by gjc at 6:28 AM on June 16, 2012 [6 favorites]


We lived in Chicago during my teen years, so I too have the Empire song seared into my brain. They show Empire commercials down here in NC now, so I assume they're nationwide, and feature a cartoon of the kindly bespectacled guy who used to appear live (who I assume is now deceased?). Without the context of knowing that this used to be an actual person, they really don't make sense.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:36 AM on June 16, 2012


The post I read before this was the one about Voyager and the accomplishments of the human race. And just like that, everything we've done is wiped out....

Just imagine that before Voyager exits the heliotrope, Jupiter yells out "Before you leave, you're gonna sign this titty!"
posted by Mcable at 6:44 AM on June 16, 2012 [7 favorites]


Yeah, Empire is everywhere now, and they still use the same jingle. I'm in FL and I have it burned in my brain too.
posted by Gator at 6:49 AM on June 16, 2012


My favorite Hot Doug's story was the time a bunch of friends and I got up early on Saturday to get us some encased meats. We waited in line the requisite eternity, but it's a jovial hung-over (i.e. still drunk from the night before) crowd, so it's cool. We finally get to the register to order. My friend says to Doug, "I'll just have a hot dog."
Doug looks at him like he fell out of a tree, and says, "You want fries and a pop?"
My friend says, "No thanks, I don't have the cash on me for that." (Hot Doug's is cash only)
Doug: "That's not what I asked. You want fries and a pop?"
Friend: "Sure. Why not. I really only have the cash for a dog, though."
Doug: "OK, it's $x.xx for the hot dog. The fries and pop are on me, so it will sting a little less when I say..."
Doug: "You're a grown fucking man. Keep 20 bucks in your wallet."
posted by nonreflectiveobject at 7:27 AM on June 16, 2012 [42 favorites]


I thought this was great.....I went to HS with Jack....was in Drama with him, his mom was my PE coach. He is such a genuine guy, seriously, the nicest guy Conan knows......I have friends who are still very close with him and he hasn't changed a bit.....I'm sure that sweat on his brow was real..... he probably mopped up that vomit himself (I'm sure he offered). Love his success... Go Jack!!
posted by pearlybob at 8:30 AM on June 16, 2012 [9 favorites]


The video is amazing. Hot Doug's is also amazing. If you're in LP and don't want to deal with weiner's circle, and don't want to go to avondale to deal with Hot Doug's, Chicago Dog is RIDICULOUSLY good, is open at reasonable hours, and given that it's near my apartment... is my default hot dog place.

PS. The duck sausage + pears + whatever is to die for.
posted by sparkletone at 8:30 AM on June 16, 2012


...They show Empire commercials down here in NC now, so I assume they're nationwide, and feature a cartoon of the kindly bespectacled guy who used to appear live (who I assume is now deceased?). Without the context of knowing that this used to be an actual person, they really don't make sense.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 9:36 AM on June 16



Previously on Metafilter: Lynn Haludren, better known as the Empire Carpet Man, died yesterday at the age of 89.
posted by magstheaxe at 8:46 AM on June 16, 2012


It was like, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog making extremely racist jokes without even bothering to use the context.

Hrm. I think I'll cock an eyebrow at that. Examples?
posted by Amanojaku at 9:24 AM on June 16, 2012


Oh. 'Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog'. Not... Triumph. Sorta was expecting something else there. What, exactly? I have no idea. The most unexpected comeback in Can-Con hoser rock history?
posted by Bartonius at 9:40 AM on June 16, 2012


Slap*Happy: I am hungover and NY System sounds really really good right now. Olneyville's only a few minutes away ...
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:08 AM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


Oh man, I wish I wasn't about 700 miles too far away to get a Polish right now.

Similarly, I have never been insulted at Shopsin's.
Promise? I've been wanting to hit that place up, but I've been too scared.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 12:10 PM on June 16, 2012


Oh my god. If the lady behind the counter isn't considering a career in comedy or politics, she really needs to. She didn't miss a single beat in the whole damn thing. I'm seriously in awe that she was able to continue an unbroken string of profanity for that long without even blinking.
posted by schmod at 12:51 PM on June 16, 2012 [1 favorite]


I haven't been back to Wiener Circle in years, but in my 20s every time I went was a very uncomfortable mix of being insulted by women while the man behind the counter asked me out. Now I live in walking distance to Hot Doug's so there's really no reason for me to go to Wiener Circle these days.
posted by Bunglegirl at 1:04 PM on June 16, 2012


Well crap. After he left, I was all set to see him come back with these guys backing him up. Instead I get a friggin little DOG PUPPET??!!
posted by Mike D at 4:49 PM on June 16, 2012


Thanks Bartonius. Great minds think alike.
posted by Mike D at 4:49 PM on June 16, 2012


Slap*Happy also forgot to call out the Weiner Genie.

And note that "Rho-DIE-landers" might very well be insulting their customers but no one understands their accent so who can tell?
posted by wenestvedt at 8:21 AM on June 18, 2012


Slap*Happy also forgot to call out the Weiner Genie.

xDDDDDDDD
posted by adamdschneider at 9:11 AM on June 18, 2012


As someone who will be in Chicago tomorrow, thank you all for enlightening me about your favorite hot dog places. My Father will be particularly happy when I tell him about all the hot dog places we have to go to.
posted by SteveFlamingo at 7:24 PM on June 19, 2012


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