Weird Al steps in as CBB Bandleader
January 25, 2016 12:04 PM   Subscribe

On today's Comedy Bang Bang podcast it was officially announced that Weird Al will take over as bandleader for the fake talk show on IFC.
posted by kittensofthenight (31 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
it was officially announced that Weird Al The Vicar of Yanks will take over as bandleader
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:07 PM on January 25, 2016 [4 favorites]


You don't know how much effort it took to avoid an entire post comprised of in-jokes.
posted by kittensofthenight at 12:09 PM on January 25, 2016 [8 favorites]


Woo! I had a secret hopeful suspicion it would be him. That's great!
posted by Secretariat at 12:28 PM on January 25, 2016


I still miss Reggie.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:42 PM on January 25, 2016 [5 favorites]


That could not have turned out better.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:50 PM on January 25, 2016


Hey Nong Man.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:53 PM on January 25, 2016 [9 favorites]


Hey Nong Man.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:53 PM on January 25


This is great, because five seconds ago I was reading this comment in a related thread:

What's Up, Hotdog?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 2:08 PM on October 16, 2014 [2 favorites +] [!]

posted by Room 641-A at 12:58 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


It's been too long without a bandleader since Reggie left!
posted by Kwine at 1:08 PM on January 25, 2016


Wasn't Kid Cudi in the bandleader spot after Reggie? I'm only about halfway through the episodes currently up on Netflix, but I was under the impression that Cudi had only come onboard within the last year or so. What's everyone's read on his stint on CBB?
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:15 PM on January 25, 2016


MAI WAIIIIFE (the widow Kulap) would really like to know.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:17 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


Did Dr. Dement steal his "o" back from Weirdo Al?

I wasn't all that familiar with Kid Cudi before he joined, but I thought he did great these last twenty episodes (see: Pharrell is a vampire; Kid Cudi's theme song by Alan Thicke; Cudi's Buddy), so I'm a little sad his touring conflicts with the next season's shooting schedule.

However, Weird Al on the regular for CBB? I could get used to this.
posted by memento maury at 1:19 PM on January 25, 2016


I liked Cudi a lot. He was awesome in sketches, although the couch bits relied on him being super cool too often. After I got used to the change I really liked his cues, they undercut the comedy and were at times pretty creepy/ominous. He really took to it after a couple of episodes, and brought a much different energy than Reggie. Maybe its just me, but for me, he was less idiosyncratic and more of a cool guy foil for Scott.

I've always loved Weird Al but from interviews I know he's a very methodical musician/producer and wonder what he'll do for musical commentary. Will he have his band? Will he just sit there at a keyboard?
posted by kittensofthenight at 1:20 PM on January 25, 2016 [4 favorites]


Cudi was fine, but Al is Al after all, and very much already a fixture in the CBB world. Should be fun.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:23 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


I just hope this doesn't delay further his work on a parody of Adele's "Hello". (He's too nice to do it, but I'd suggest "Jello" as sung by Bill Cosby... btw, I still have my unproduced parody of Van Halen's "Jump" from the 1980s titled "Trump" if I can get a band together)
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:26 PM on January 25, 2016


I'm a little sad that Scott's not having another Person Of Color as his band-leader, just because I think that's kinda important, but basically Weird Al is the best, so I'm pretty much fine with it.

WEIRD AL: MAKES WHITE PEOPLE OKAY I GUESS!
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 1:28 PM on January 25, 2016 [4 favorites]


He's too nice to do it,

Sounds like a job for Bill Cosby-Bukowski and his Jell-oems.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:32 PM on January 25, 2016


but I'd suggest "Jello" as sung by Bill Cosby

I know I've heard Adele's song but for whatever reason whenever I see the title I just get Lionel Richie in my head, and a Bill Cosby 'Jello (Is It Me You're Looking For)' would be very dark indeed.
posted by shakespeherian at 1:50 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


As far as I'm concerned, every single song that starts with "hello" -- yes including those offered by Adele and Lionel -- should kneel at the feet of the first 60 seconds of ELO's "Telephone Line".

Anyway, back to Al.
posted by vverse23 at 1:58 PM on January 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm a little sad that Scott's not having another Person Of Color as his band-leader

Yeah. Kid Cudi walked off set at least once because he thought the improv was too racist. Good for him. (Jamie Denbo told the story on an episode of Never Not Funny that's behind a paywall.)
posted by painquale at 2:15 PM on January 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


That sucks, painquale.
posted by kittensofthenight at 2:31 PM on January 25, 2016


I found a little bit more at a Reddit thread:
Jamie Denbo was the guest. They wanted to have both but the other couldn't make it. She made some jokes, in character, about black men not keeping their babies and neither the guest at the time A$AP Rocky nor Cudi found them all that funny. Cudi walked off the set and they eventually had to ask Jamie to leave.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 3:04 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


(and more)
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 3:05 PM on January 25, 2016


I think the episode affected Scott somewhat. He's arguably been shutting down improvisers who try to play racist characters on CBB since then. I think Cudi convinced him that playing a racist character in order to make racist jokes is racist, not subversive. It's subtle if true, because Scott's a deft host, but I think you can notice it if you keep an ear out.
posted by painquale at 4:05 PM on January 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


I can't think of any character that went racist on the podcast since... I think Mary Holland with Neil Campbell on an ep last spring? That would fit this timeline.
posted by kittensofthenight at 5:16 PM on January 25, 2016


He shuts down Gino whenever Gabrus starts going down that path. There have been a few other moments I can't recall right now.
posted by painquale at 5:43 PM on January 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


Yeah, I didn't think too much of the Cudi that I'd heard, and don't listen to the podcast, but he was great as a guest with Reggie. I was a little dismayed Reggie left, what with him being a fuzzy sweatered beacon of light on this dark earth, but warmed up to Cudi very quickly. The "cool factor" stuff was pretty meh, but the rest was pretty great. Dude is seriously charming.

anyway, sucks that happened, glad he took a stand against some hacky bullshit, and glad scott did the right thing, as it sounds.

weird al doesn't really do "blue", or even pg-13, skits will still work, but I wonder about some of the more crude elements of the show.
posted by lkc at 5:52 PM on January 25, 2016 [2 favorites]


Great! It's been too long since I've enjoyed a regular accordionist in my media life.
posted by theraflu at 6:39 PM on January 25, 2016


I can't think of any character that went racist on the podcast since... I think Mary Holland with Neil Campbell on an ep last spring? That would fit this timeline.

There are a decent amount of white people doing ethnic characters on the podcast, which can be dicey. Thomas Middleditch's super racist sounding Chinese character was most recent I think. Also, even though Victor and Tiny really make me laugh, it could easily be seen as racist, especially Victor's "black" voice. My general impression is that Scott usually shuts it down outside when talk gets explicitly racial.
posted by Falconetti at 7:01 PM on January 25, 2016


A good half of Nick Kroll's characters make me uneasy in one way or another.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:16 PM on January 25, 2016 [1 favorite]


The most uncomfortable thing I can think of from the podcast is the fight Jon Daly and Tim Heidecker had about Guy Fieri. I honestly didn't know if the show had just gone off the rails at some point. On the other hand, Tim's story about working the merch table for The Who's last tour is one of the best things ever.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:34 PM on January 25, 2016


I meant to add that in general I find the show just doesn't work as well with anything blue or crude. This is something very specific to the show, but it just really takes me out of it for some reason. Even an F-bomb. (Except for Don Dimello, of course.)
posted by Room 641-A at 11:39 PM on January 25, 2016


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