Tom Scharpling's Lost Weekend
May 20, 2013 11:33 AM   Subscribe

"YOU SOLD ME OUT AND SHATTERED MY DREAMS TONIGHT; ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS 75 MINUTES OF ONE OF YOUR PEERS' TIME" It started when Tim Heidecker (previously) tried to set up a creative meeting between an old friend—Tom Scharpling (previously)—and an unnamed "high profile player" at the Adult Swim TV upfronts. But then the meeting fell through.

What happened next was a harrowing tale of Hollywood heartbreak; a miserable miniseries of multiple missed connections, refused credit cards, airports, abandonment, and acrimony; of broken friendships and shattered showbiz dreams. Follow the story as it unfolded in this helpful Twitter chronology (first link).
posted by Atom Eyes (83 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Scharpling and Heidecker? was this ever a real thing, I wonder?
posted by boo_radley at 11:43 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


This so totally didn't happen.
posted by R. Schlock at 11:44 AM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]


No, obviously it's a goof. I do wonder if this is Tom Scharpling's way of explaining what happened with "the comedian whose name shall not be mentioned" that he was once friends with.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


I was wondering because who would give Tom Scharpling a credit card
posted by boo_radley at 11:46 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


So he flew to LA on nothing more than an halfway drunken promise? Not sure he has a right to be as pissed off as he is and threaten to beat the guy up in front of his family. If it's a goof, it's a lame goof.
posted by arcticseal at 11:46 AM on May 20, 2013


skype is your friend.
posted by sgt.serenity at 11:48 AM on May 20, 2013


That was truly funny. Even though it's obviously fake, it's very well written and you can almost believe it's real.
posted by cell divide at 11:49 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


These guys are zany with a capital Z!
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 11:50 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


I do wonder if this is Tom Scharpling's way of explaining what happened with "the comedian whose name shall not be mentioned" that he was once friends with.

Could this person be named for those of us in the dark?
posted by to sir with millipedes at 11:51 AM on May 20, 2013


Does this Heidecker guy have more than one weapon in his comedy arsenal? If this were introduced honestly, as another unfunny faux-outrage performance piece by the world's least funny comedian, who would bother reading? Leave the comedy to the professionals Tim!
posted by Lorin at 11:51 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


lol @ "comedy arsenal"
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 11:52 AM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]


I saw this happen in real time and I felt really bad for Tom. Yeah it was a half-drunk promise, but if someone flys out to LA on their own dime at least, I dunno, be more hospitable?
posted by hellojed at 11:54 AM on May 20, 2013


ahahaha transformers 3
posted by iamabot at 11:56 AM on May 20, 2013


Could this person be named for those of us in the dark?

Paul F. Tompkins. They were working on some kind of show together and it blew up and there was Badness and they aren't friends anymore forever. At least, that's what I gather, don't think the full story is public.
posted by malphigian at 11:57 AM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


Speaking of Adult Swim, my reaction to this is very similar to my reaction to things like Aqua Teen or Squidbillies.
  • I see what they are going for.
  • I suppose I can even see what people might really even like it in its current form.
  • But overall it just makes me feel way too sober and/or old.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:57 AM on May 20, 2013 [7 favorites]


hey guys can somebody please clarify for me if this is two hollywood wannabees tweeting at each other or if it's a performance art parody of two hollywood wannabees tweeting at each other because the difference between those two things is rather small
posted by ook at 11:57 AM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]


to sir with millipedes> Could this person be named for those of us in the dark?

My bad. It's Paul F. Tompkins. They were planning to do a show for Comedy Central called Evil Genius or something like that. That fell through, and a few months after that, it became clear that they weren't on speaking terms: at one point, they unfollowed each other on Twitter. Scharpling hasn't mentioned Tompkins's name on his show since then, but it's completely obvious that he doesn't want anything to do with him anymore.

Since then, Scharpling has directed a video for Aimee Mann, a close friend of Tompkins's, which may suggest a thaw, or at least a detente. But who knows. What actually led up to the unfriending isn't a matter of public record.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 11:58 AM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]


I didn't know that about Scharpling and Tompkins. Eh, Paul's probably better for it. I used to really like Scharpling's schtick but at some point I couldn't get past all the bullying.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 12:01 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


If you were half the man you think you are you'd pay for my car service to wherever you are so I can beat your ass.

Worth it for this.
posted by anazgnos at 12:09 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


https://twitter.com/timheidecker/status/336509611362381825
@timheidecker MIssed my @scharpling saga last week? catch up here! http://tweetsbetween.com/tb/5Ie
Retweeted by scharpling
posted by memebake at 12:12 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]


i was so confused yesterday when a lot of places were reporting this as real - sure, if you were watching it from the beginning it could draw you in - but surely by the first mention of power point you gotta know this is a gag, yeah?
posted by nadawi at 12:12 PM on May 20, 2013


They'll patch this up after a long soak in the shrimtub.
posted by dr_dank at 12:13 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


(Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates> I didn't know that about Scharpling and Tompkins. Eh, Paul's probably better for it. I used to really like Scharpling's schtick but at some point I couldn't get past all the bullying.

I have no idea whether Tompkins and/or Scharpling are better off for their feud (or who's right and who's wrong), but Tom is only a "bully" to the extent that he needs to get callers to be concise and interesting to keep things moving. His Twitter feuds with Garry Shandling and Chuck Woolery aren't bullying at all; they're a guy fighting back against world-class jackasses. If there's something else he's done that amounts to bullying, I haven't seen it in more than 3 years.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 12:17 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


This is a microcosm of things I despise.
  • Twitter
  • Gags where the joke is about making people think something mean-spirited has happened, when it probably hasn't
  • #hashtags
  • Hollywood business culture
  • Goofs that you can't quite figure out whether it's a goof, because if it isn't it's horrifying and if it is it's not actually that funny
  • Twitter
I guess I'm not sophisticated/young/edgy enough for this.
posted by mcstayinskool at 12:17 PM on May 20, 2013 [34 favorites]


You forgot:
  • Bullet Points
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:22 PM on May 20, 2013 [27 favorites]


Using Twitter to argue is like using MeTa to ask someone out.
posted by The White Hat at 12:25 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]


I was thinking this would be funnier if I had some idea of who these people are (aside from "one guy has something to do with Adult Swim"), but I get the sense from those of you who do know them that this isn't true. Famous people, go figure.
posted by scalefree at 12:30 PM on May 20, 2013


I'd have fixed his PowerPoint for $2,500 and saved him enough money to pay for a car rental.
posted by arcticseal at 12:30 PM on May 20, 2013


@mcstayinskool

don't worry, i'm young and this makes me unhappy

also whenever I hear about Tim Heidecker I'm reminded of the time he pissed someone off so bad they stabbed him, and also the rumors that Abso Lutely stiffed David Liebe Hart on royalties
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 12:31 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Goofs that you can't quite figure out whether it's a goof, because if it isn't it's horrifying and if it is it's not actually that funny

Tastes differ and all but this is actually a well-written & well-structured humor piece, and I found it really funny. I don't think it hinges on people not knowing whether it's real.
posted by anazgnos at 12:34 PM on May 20, 2013


also whenever I hear about Tim Heidecker I'm reminded of the time he pissed someone off so bad they stabbed him,

Really? That's kinda funny. [goes a'Googling] . . .

In 2006, Tim was stabbed twice in the upper back while attempting to protect an elderly neighbor. After responding to her calls for help in the night, he discovered her son, (who was believed to be under the influence of a synthetic drug) threatening to cut his own penis off and burn the house down. The wounds were not life threatening.[17]

So . . . ??

Also, as for the Scharpling bullying stuff, maybe he's gotten better. I stopped listening to TBS and following him on Twitter/Facebook a few years ago because he was so thin-skinned and just reveled in stomping on people. To those suggesting this is just a long gag designed to needle PFT or something, damn that is so pathetically middle school but does fit his MO. I hope that's not what's going on here.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 12:36 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]


This is a microcosm of things I love.

{#) Twitter
{#) Gags where the joke is about making people think something mean-spirited has happened, when it probably hasn't
{#)#hashtags
{#) making fun of Hollywood business culture
{#) Goofs that you can easily quite figure out whether it's a goof, because if it isn't it's horrifying and its a conversation between two great funny comedians and it's full of really good jokes
{#) some people are too boring to like it
{#) Twitter
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:37 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]


the time he pissed someone off so bad they stabbed him

He told a story about getting stabbed by a neighbor in the midst of a crack-addled blind rage...unless you're saying something entirely different happened I don't think it's a mark against the guy's character?
posted by anazgnos at 12:39 PM on May 20, 2013


Most of the comedy lies in the ridiculousness of the context - as great as Tim and Eric is sometimes, their Twitter accounts are generally pretty pedestrian as far as comedians go. And using it to hold a semi-public discussion was pretty amusing because Who Uses Twitter Like That?

Add to that the mocking of totally bizarre "connections" scene that takes place in Hollywood, and it's overall a pretty interesting piece. I knew where the joke was going almost right out of the gate, but still chuckled when a tweet from one of them popped up in my feed.

And speaking of context, it's bizarre to see the whole thing just plopped down in one big link - part of the reason I found it interesting was that it took place over several days. Anyone else who actively uses Twitter feel the same way? I might have thought it was totally stupid if I didn't use Twitter...
posted by antonymous at 12:45 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]


What I hate about Who's On First by Abbot and Costello

A. Who are these assholes? Not sure whether they are serious about coaching a baseball team
B. Have they even read the rules of baseball? Not that I have, I do not care for the sport.
C. Racist (not sure who against but those names sound foreign)
D. 1$ a week? Baseball plauers make more than that
E. The short one (whichever one that is) seems to be getting mad about the misunderstanding even though it's mostly his fault.
F. At one point the short one figures out the pattern and yells THIRD BASE at the appropriate moment--how could he accomplish this without undertstanding thats the name of the player? Fake.
G. Both of them seem like creeps. I heard the short one used to be a punk rocker? Nice sell out douchebag.
H. COme to think of it maybe even the names are made up>? What a waste of time. Why did I write them all down?
I. Ga ga goo goo ga ga.
J. I live in a swamp.
K. I'm a baby alligator.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:47 PM on May 20, 2013 [17 favorites]


The idea of a Power Point tech guru getting paid three grand to 'fix' a presentation is really funny, but also probably true?
posted by codacorolla at 12:49 PM on May 20, 2013


Since then, Scharpling has directed a video for Aimee Mann, a close friend of Tompkins's, which may suggest a thaw, or at least a detente.

Eh, she's also close friends with Ted Leo, Patton Oswalt, and John Wurster, all of who are definitely in Tom's posse.

I hadn't heard that Evil Genius had ended in acrimony between two guys I really enjoy but haven't been following closely lately. That's sad.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 12:51 PM on May 20, 2013


Using Twitter to argue is like using MeTa to ask someone out.
I dunno about dates, but MeTa is a hell of a way to find a spouse .. or two .. or 30 ...
posted by k5.user at 12:55 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Heidecker is really hit and miss for me. There is such a thing as too dry, but I appreciate that he doesn't care about that line.
posted by Think_Long at 12:55 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Totally changing my username to PP Tech.
posted by schoolgirl report at 12:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]


I guess I'm not sophisticated/young/edgy enough for this

I've found that when something is being marketed to a "sophisticated/young/edgy" crowd it is in fact attempting to draw in an entirely different kind of demographic.
posted by Podkayne of Pasadena at 1:03 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


Have you guys seen The Comedy? It stars Tim Heidecker and is such a dark, anti-comedic skewering of Tim and his irony-loving hipster fanbase that I can't believe it even exists. It also makes me think he's more three-dimensional than he appears. Surprised it's not being talked about more. Check it out, it's on instant Netflix.
posted by naju at 1:03 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]


We should have some fake fights here on Metafilter. If anyone disagrees go fuck yourself.
posted by orme at 1:18 PM on May 20, 2013


orme: "If anyone disagrees go fuck yourself."

I do and I will!
posted by boo_radley at 1:32 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]


Did that already. They asked me to get off the bus.
posted by dr_dank at 1:33 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]


I've dated myself, but never gone all the way.
posted by ook at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]


I don't know a ton about Scharpling, but if Paul F. Tompkins were in a bitter feud with a basket of adorable, big-eyed puppies, I'd tell those puppies to go fuck themselves in a heartbeat.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 1:56 PM on May 20, 2013 [12 favorites]


I'm really sick of improv. And "fake/real?" can take a loooong break, too.
posted by whuppy at 2:01 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


This was just too exhausting to finish, but it made me think that it would be kind of cool to see "Dr. Strangelove" or "Fail Safe" reimagined as Twitter dialogs. Been done?
posted by hwestiii at 2:03 PM on May 20, 2013


"I've dated myself, but never gone all the way."

I keep getting stuck at third base. Maybe I need to get myself more drunk.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:10 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


Half of the comments in this thread seem to be assuming that this is a stunt, while the other half are proceeding on the premise that it's all real. Comedians, god bless 'em, are such strange people that I would believe either. So does anybody know what's actually going on here?
posted by bicyclefish at 2:16 PM on May 20, 2013


It is entirely made up.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:19 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


I think the burden of proof is on anyone claiming that there's even any possibility it could be read as "real". Just because something isn't spelled out explicitly doesn't mean it's ambiguous.
posted by anazgnos at 2:21 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]


I think a lot of Scharpling's brilliance lies in the fact that he's so open, and so available. Producing three new hours of anything a week is exhausting, and listening to The Best Show for years gives a deep sense of who he actually is. But then he's also conscious of who he is, both in the past and in the moment. So he's being "Tom" on air, but it's a bigger, more annoying, more bullying version of Tom than (I assume) he is off the air. It's a persona, but it's deeply rooted in his own persona. That's why this bit is funny, or at least interesting, because Tom really is basically in this position: surrounded by very successful comedians who all think he's brilliant, but unable to catch an actual break. So he toils (FOR FREE!) week in and week out, almost making it but not quite. And the pain/anger that goes with that is present and exaggerated on air (and on Twitter), but also, ultimately, kind of real. Sometimes Tom's hypocrisy is off-putting, but almost always he pushes it to the point of being funny. It's a joy to listen to him because his show is what I imagine everybody's internal monologues are like: half pompous ape, half self-hating shrew. That is the "joke" here, that it is sad and terrifying to see yourself trying so hard to achieve something, but ultimately you can't escape that desire.
posted by one_bean at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2013 [14 favorites]


Aaaand... the link now appears to be borked. Oh, well. If you're able to make heads or tails of Twitter's crappy layout, this is the tweet from Scharpling's feed that launched the saga.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:57 PM on May 20, 2013


Have you guys seen The Comedy? It stars Tim Heidecker and is such a dark, anti-comedic skewering of Tim and his irony-loving hipster fanbase that I can't believe it even exists.

There aren't many movies I've watched in recent years to which I've had such a visceral, negative reaction. Lord, I hated that movie, and I generally enjoy Tim and Eric's other stuff.

But reading about it after the fact, that was the kind of reaction that was expected, even encouraged, so mission accomplished, there.

I'm a big fan of Paul F Tompkins and not so much of Scharpling's show (though I've been enjoying the 'gems' podcast, which eschews his bullying for bits with Jon Wurster), so: hmmph.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]


I agree that taking this out of Twitter probably robs it of some comedy. It would be much funnier as something that played out on Twitter over several days.
posted by Bookhouse at 4:12 PM on May 20, 2013


Metafilter: half pompous ape, half self-hating shrew.
posted by breath at 1:52 AM on May 21, 2013


I don't understand all the references to "bullying." Who does he bully? I've listened to every Best Show and I don't get it.
posted by akaJudge at 6:11 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Heave ho.
posted by anazgnos at 8:14 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


As I recall, there was a period in 2011 where Tom basically said "if you don't have more than 200 followers on twitter you are not worth talking to". Some of his @ replies are cached on google. It was distasteful to read. I think he was going through a rough period. Yeah, Woolery and Shandling don't count as bullying (cause they are more famous than he his), it's when he was all like "I've got 75,000 twitter followers so your opinion is not worth anything". Note: my quotes are still probably paraphrases.
posted by cnanderson at 11:17 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Well, Woolery is not more famous than Tom. Used to be more famous, at least. Point is, Woolery and Shandling are "public figures" and other folks aren't.
posted by cnanderson at 12:08 PM on May 21, 2013


cnanderson> As I recall, there was a period in 2011 where Tom basically said "if you don't have more than 200 followers on twitter you are not worth talking to".

"Basically" said? Or said that in response to someone who was insulting him on Twitter and had less than 200 followers?
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 1:52 PM on May 21, 2013


I honestly don't remember him saying that but then again he blocked me a couple of years ago so who knows. He had made some big deal on his Twitter account about blocking some random guy who Tom said was being a jerk to him -- I looked up the guy's Twitter account and he was all like "why did Scharpling block me, I'm a big fan of his, all I did was ask him a question." It was weird. Tom kept railing on him, like look at this loser, trying to be a jerk to me. It was completely disproportionate, the guy followed like 40 people and had 40 followers. So anyway I was super confused, cause I was a big fan of his, so I tweeted at Scharpling and asked why he blocked the guy. Then he blocked me. Maybe he wrote something about what a jerk I was to him, but I wouldn't know. It was super, super weird. Ever since, I dunno, it's just colored everything; it's hard not to see how he likes to play the little guy getting crapped on by the big guy (which is legitimately funny), but after awhile the tone of the show changed for me -- I went from rooting for him to just hearing a guy who's pissed he can't big-time others. #TeamWurster
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 2:11 PM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


I don't understand all the references to "bullying." Who does he bully? I've listened to every Best Show and I don't get it.

For those of you new to the show, we get a lot of callers. Some call only once. But there are others, the regular callers, those people you can count on to call week in and week out. One of them is a mentally ill individual -- I'M NOT MENTALLY ILL -- named Spike. He's calling from a basement, but his ankle bracelet might be interfering with the -- I DON'T WEAR AN ANKLE BRACELET -- phone call. Spike likes horror movies and doo-wop, and he hates women. What's going on tonight, Spike?
posted by one_bean at 2:16 PM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


Sure he said the bit about a 200 twitter follower threshold in response to someone being rude. Look, being rude sucks. And I have no problem with anyone, no matter how popular they are, calling out rudeness. But the action should be held to account - not the fact that someone is less popular than you. Just because someone is rude to you, it's no excuse to make a blanket statement that you'll ignore anyone who doesn't use social media as a way of "keeping score". Again, I listen to the show and know he was heading through a rough patch - so, fair enough - we all have our bad days. But, you can't ask "who does he bully?" if you have been paying attention to his twitter feed.
posted by cnanderson at 2:30 PM on May 21, 2013


cnanderson> Sure he said the bit about a 200 twitter follower threshold in response to someone being rude.

Then there it is: this is clearly not an example of bullying. Trying to pretend that his comment somehow deeply insulted or bullied anyone else with less than 200 Twitter followers is ridiculous, because everyone else -- well, nearly everyone else -- can understand the context.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 2:54 PM on May 21, 2013


one_bean, I hope you're not serious.
posted by akaJudge at 3:14 PM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]


one_bean, I hope you're not serious.

What do you mean? You don't think he says stuff like that every single time Spike calls, or you don't think that counts as bullying?
posted by one_bean at 3:48 PM on May 21, 2013


Some variation of "I don't argue with people who have less than 100/200/300 followers" was Tom's 'comeback' for a while on twitter - this was a recurring event. He definitely said as much without specific reference to another user. Maybe I just don't get the joke, but I think that's crummy, especially for someone who describes himself as a "ham'n'egger". I think his feed is better now, but it was rough for a while. For what it's worth, I have never had a problem with him on his show, because, well, it's his show. He gets to do what he wants.
posted by cnanderson at 3:59 PM on May 21, 2013


cnanderson> As I recall, there was a period in 2011 where Tom basically said "if you don't have more than 200 followers on twitter you are not worth talking to".

cnanderson> Some variation of "I don't argue with people who have less than 100/200/300 followers" was Tom's 'comeback' for a while on twitter - this was a recurring event.

And there's the crucial difference: he doesn't want to have an open house for arguing with everyone. He doesn't exist to bounce arguments or insults off of, and he chooses higher profile opponents. You can call him thin-skinned, you can call him snappish. But that doesn't amount to bullying, no matter how hard you try to shove his Twitters into that category.

one_bean> You don't think he says stuff like that every single time Spike calls, or you don't think that counts as bullying?

This is the closest, as far as I can see, that Scharpling comes to bullying. The "hates women" thing isn't only Scharpling's take on it. But I'll give you that calling Spike mentally ill comes right up to the line. I happen to view it as teasing, because Tom has an open invitation to Spike to visit him in-studio and on-air, which strikes me as out of character for a bully. But if this is the worst of it, then the charge that Tom's a bully is pretty weak.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 4:22 PM on May 21, 2013


He doesn't exist to bounce arguments or insults off of, and he chooses higher profile opponents.

That's great. Cause I'd like him to either (a) just not respond to folks that are rude to him or (b) if he needs to respond, then maybe make it not about the difference in popularity between some 'nobody' and him. Maybe that's not bullying, but I think it still sucks. Again, I know for a fact that he does all sorts of great things for his listeners, but he went through a period where I was losing the thread. Back on topic, stuff like this back-and-forth with Heidecker is great.
posted by cnanderson at 5:21 PM on May 21, 2013


>What do you mean? You don't think he says stuff like that every single time Spike calls, or you don't think that counts as bullying?

>>This is the closest, as far as I can see, that Scharpling comes to bullying. The "hates women" thing isn't only Scharpling's take on it. But I'll give you that calling Spike mentally ill comes right up to the line.


Um, guys: Spike is one of the characters played by Jon Wurster, drummer for Superchunk and the Mountain Goats and Scharpling's comedy partner for a long time.

When I mention Scharpling's bullying persona, I'm talking about the way he often treats actual non-character callers to the show (or at least used to), which is I guess normal for call-in shows, but tends to put me off, personally.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:32 PM on May 21, 2013


cnanderson> Cause I'd like him to either (a) just not respond to folks that are rude to him or (b) if he needs to respond, then maybe make it not about the difference in popularity between some 'nobody' and him. Maybe that's not bullying, but I think it still sucks.

No, it's definitely not bullying, and he's not required to play nice in order to get a clean bill of health on the bullying front.

Back on topic, stuff like this back-and-forth with Heidecker is great.

I agree. And I'll take your "back on topic" to mean that that's your last on this subject, and I'll make it my last as well.
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 5:37 PM on May 21, 2013


stavrosthewonderchicken> Um, guys: Spike is one of the characters played by Jon Wurster, drummer for Superchunk and the Mountain Goats and Scharpling's comedy partner for a long time.

Okay, the link to the AVClub interview doesn't have the word "Spike" in it anywhere. People have speculated that he's a deep cover character, but is there any definitive proof or statement that this is the case?
posted by UrineSoakedRube at 5:39 PM on May 21, 2013


Um, guys: Spike is one of the characters played by Jon Wurster

No, he most definitely is not.
posted by one_bean at 5:44 PM on May 21, 2013 [2 favorites]


OK, yeah, I'll provisionally retract that. It's been a long time since I stopped listening, and I guess I was getting regular caller(s) and characters mixed up in my memory. In my memory, Spike clearly sounds like Wurster, but I'm probably thinking of the wrong person.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:48 PM on May 21, 2013


Spike is realer than hell, y'alls.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:26 PM on May 21, 2013


Now THIS is how you do a comedian Twitter spat.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 1:13 PM on May 22, 2013


One_bean, it's not like Scharpling seeks this guy out to belittle him. Spike calls every week, begging for this attention. He lied about writing a book. By no definition is Tom/Spike "bullying," that's just absurd.
posted by akaJudge at 1:49 PM on May 22, 2013


This kind of thing is always somehow more convincing to me when Maron's involved. See his recent appearance with Kumail Nanjiani on Doug Loves Movies.
posted by Lorin at 1:51 PM on May 22, 2013


Oh god that Kumail exchange was awesomely uncomfortable.
posted by Think_Long at 1:53 PM on May 22, 2013


Yeah, I do like Maron and want him to succeed, and am neither hot nor cold on Kumail, but that DLM show made me really dislike him, at least in the moment. I understand why he's spent the last few years apologizing to 3/4 of the comedy world individual by individual if that's the kind of unfunny toxic prick he was all the time when he was younger.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:20 PM on May 22, 2013


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