So crescent fresh!

December 5, 2008 7:10 PM

Sifl & Olly are two sockpuppets that had a show on MTV from 1997 to 1999. In the time allotted to them, they would conduct interviews, take calls from the public, and shill for the Precious Roy Home Shopping Network. In between, they’d talk with their friend Chester, and ROCK!! Call now, and Precious Roy will throw in this extra large tube of S&O, that's four hours and thirty-seven minutes worth for ya kids, let's take some calls!

More music? Here's their Battle of the Bands. And lots more of their +/- One-minute Wonders... What’s in the Center? • United States of Whatever • Baby for Gravy • Weird Day • I Sure Do Miss the Eighties • Answer the Phone • Laser Eyes • Prostitute Laundry • Fake Blood • Dude’s House • The Panda! • Up Here, in the Cabinet • Crazy Super Special Fun Day (feat. Chester) • She’s a Carrot • Crescent Fresh • Heart Attacks • Llama School • Hellfire • Cindy the Hostess • The English Song (Redrum) • Dude Song • Wizzard • Haunted Spaceship • Halloween Rocks • Stolen Holiday (feat. Chester) • Rock Stars Get Some Every Night • Just What I Needed (The Cars) • Don’t Fear the Reaper (Blue Öyster Cult) • Goin' Up the Country (Canned Heat)

Some of the songs on the list were never aired; instead, they appear on co-creator Liam Lynch's popular video podcast, Lynchland, along with other examples of his wackydoodleditties.

Matt Crocco (Sifl) and Liam Lynch (Olly) were friends for a long time before creating Sifl & Olly. They tell more of their story to the attendees of two "Cresventions" in these clips: 1 • 2

¡ʍoɥs o puɐ x ǝɥʇ

posted by not_on_display (56 comments total)

Holy shit. I love Sifly and Olly. It's serious, deeply rooted love. Thank you.
posted by xmutex at 7:18 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

No Forest Elf song? :(
posted by Tehanu at 7:42 PM on December 5, 2008

Well, this just made my year.
posted by dopamine at 7:45 PM on December 5, 2008

Thank you, not_on_display. I think I'm gonna bookmark this post.

Also, Pirate Cripplers.

(Sorry if I missed this one in the awesomely-massive link-dump above)
posted by Tullius at 7:46 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thank you, my boyfriend adores Sifl and Olly.
posted by stoneegg21 at 7:56 PM on December 5, 2008

I love Sifl and Olly. Great post, thanks!
posted by HopperFan at 7:57 PM on December 5, 2008

I am going to Tanzania in January and will keep my eyes out for the girl in the spooky car (her name was Zanzibar). Yeah, that was the name of the girl in the spooky car.
posted by Falconetti at 7:59 PM on December 5, 2008

That's totally crescent fresh!
posted by jonp72 at 8:07 PM on December 5, 2008

Here's a true story: I met a super foxy girl who would not stop talking about Sifl & Olly, and -- because I'm an idiot -- I didn't get on one knee and propose to her on the spot.

Super cres post, thanks.

[PS Peto & Flek]
posted by churl at 8:09 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Crescent.
posted by mediareport at 8:29 PM on December 5, 2008

Oh, and best dada stoner puppet show *ever*
posted by mediareport at 8:30 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(it appears that the Blue Oyster Cult link is actually The Cars link, again.)

Cheers!
posted by captainsohler at 8:30 PM on December 5, 2008

Angry man say dangity-dang
He go to the park to hangity-hang, but

He's not CRESCENT FRESH
His whole life's a mess

Angry dude with many tattoos
He's living his life so crudity-rude, and

He's not CRESCENT FRESH
His short life's a mess

Nice-ity guy goes flying a kite
and nice-ity girl, she like-ity likes him, and

They're so CRESCENT FRESH
Super cres at best

Hippity dude likes hackity-sack,
Don't eat-a the meat, or smoke-a the crack, and

He's so CRESCENT FRESH
Super cres at best
posted by exlotuseater at 8:30 PM on December 5, 2008 [3 favorites]

oh chester. i think of you every time i put on the gloves to wash dishes.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 8:45 PM on December 5, 2008

Don't Fear the Reaper

fixed that for me!
posted by not_on_display at 8:46 PM on December 5, 2008

you know, until this Cat and Girl cartoon, I was totally convinced that my memories of Sifi and Olly were the products of that entire year spent sitting around and doing lots and lots of drugs.


Apparently, they actually existed.

I don't know if that makes it better.
posted by The Whelk at 8:55 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thank you, I miss Sifl and Olly. The phrase "Crescent Fresh" popped into my head a few days ago while driving to work. A good friend of mind is named Troy, and more times than not I call him "Precious T-Roy" in my inner voice. Even though I've never heard him say "Suckers!"
posted by dr. fresh at 9:33 PM on December 5, 2008

The United States of Whatever.... (And, of course, the flag!)

I agree with mediareport: indeed, crescent.
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 9:35 PM on December 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

This post rocks.
posted by nola at 9:48 PM on December 5, 2008

Oh...yay! You are so my new best friend, not_on_display.
posted by dejah420 at 10:36 PM on December 5, 2008

I loved this show and no one ever knows what I'm talking about. One of my absolute faves.
posted by greta simone at 10:36 PM on December 5, 2008

this rocks. Chester was always my reason to watch. I have a feeling that this is one of those things I won't be able to explain to my children.
posted by deliquescent at 10:51 PM on December 5, 2008

I used to work with a sales guy who talked EXACTLY like Chester. Sadly, he wasn't funny or cute or any of the things Chester is. He was actually kind of a creep, and he seemed to delight in making our jobs miserable. But we called him Chester anyway. It was sort of a warning code. "Uh oh. Look busy. We're about to get a Word With Chester." And then there he'd be.

"Uh. Hey. H-hi. I'm leaving early cuz... um... I didn't sleep last night. The birds. This bird was singing. All night. I can't... I need to sleep. Just... crazy."
posted by katillathehun at 10:58 PM on December 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Sifl and Olly! Thanks!
posted by longsleeves at 11:05 PM on December 5, 2008

Along the same vein: Anybody remember Wonder Showzen? It's pretty twisted.
posted by booticon at 11:44 PM on December 5, 2008

Wow, I just told someone last night that they were crescent fresh. This post is giving me a contact high.
posted by Panjandrum at 11:45 PM on December 5, 2008

"Yeah Chester, you're a genius." Do I gotta go live in a lamp?"
posted by shucksitsjeremy at 12:01 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

I just wanted to thank you. People usually just stare at me with a blank expression when I attempt to explain the utter awesomeness that is a fake public access tv show produced by and starring two sock puppets.

Being my adolescent self when this show was on the air, I always enjoyed when rappers Orgasm and gspot would drop by.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 12:29 AM on December 6, 2008

A couple years ago I went on a tear through the internetz, desperate to find some Sifl & Olly. Any Sifl & Olly. But none was to be found. I couldn't even buy it.

I should have known that the internet would vomit them forth, eventually.
posted by lekvar at 1:35 AM on December 6, 2008

It bears mentioning that Liam Lynch later went on to direct shorts, music videos and a feature film for another awesome duo of ROCK.
posted by deusdiabolus at 1:46 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

In case anyone was wondering
magic mushrooms + sifl and olly= head nearly exploding.

I won't say how I know, but trust me, I do.
posted by brevator at 3:53 AM on December 6, 2008

There's a DVD out of the Third Season, which they call the Lost Episodes. I'm not sure if it's still in print. MTV won't release the first two seasons, maybe because those seasons had Sifl & Olly interspersed with music videos; they'd have to edit out the videos. And because MTV sucks on the whole.
posted by cyclopticgaze at 5:58 AM on December 6, 2008

"Just follow the cereal and get into the car .... dude this is impossible"

Somehow I always confuse these puppets with these other puppets. I think it's time for an Ollie-off!
posted by jessamyn at 6:03 AM on December 6, 2008 [2 favorites]

And, um, here's a puppet Happy Birthday to you n_o_d.
posted by jessamyn at 6:52 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thank you. To this day I can't hear Just What I Needed without imagining two sock puppets singing it.
posted by revgeorge at 7:41 AM on December 6, 2008

This thread says I'm wearing sandals...But I know I'm not.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 8:07 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

This post is SUPER CRES!

I stayed up to watch Sifl & Olly every night in middle school. I even did S&O halloween costumes with a friend of mine. That show was fucking hysterical some times. Thanks so much for posting this, it brought back some awesome memories from dark times.
posted by baphomet at 8:55 AM on December 6, 2008

6:50 through 7:22 of this is the greatest thing ever created in the history of human endeavor.
posted by el_lupino at 9:02 AM on December 6, 2008

man, i love the shit out of llama school. great post!
posted by fillsthepews at 9:23 AM on December 6, 2008

It's...it's like you knew how hung over I would be right now.
posted by nosila at 9:31 AM on December 6, 2008

whatever
posted by iamkimiam at 10:12 AM on December 6, 2008

Oh, man.

"Faaaaaake bloooooood, you rock me like the real thing...."

"Do I get my lap dance now?"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT BJÖRK!"
posted by tzikeh at 10:37 AM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wait, wait, whoa guys...we gotta change channels. Peto and Fleck is on. Gagaga!
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 10:47 AM on December 6, 2008

Yay, so it wasn't just me! I loved everything about the show -- the bluescreen, the laid-back improv feel, the endless varieties of socks and other things-made-into-puppets, and the way I could watch it in any mood or state and know I'd smile. Glad y'all appreciate the post! You guys are SUCKERS!!
posted by not_on_display at 10:57 AM on December 6, 2008

I don't know what Caesar thought
When he got to the ides of March
I don't know what Houdini bought
When he went to the store
But I sure do miss the 90's
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:46 PM on December 6, 2008

One of my "mix-tape" CDs has Fake Blood.

Sometimes it's playing in the changer and someone riding in my car will notice about half-way through the song that, you know, WTF. And then I have to try and explain S&O which tend to go badly because I start out with how Sifl looks like one of my cats and, nothing against South Park, but Liam Lynch is the original puking puppet pioneer...

Thank you, not_on_display.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 2:16 PM on December 6, 2008

Precious Roy, Precious Roy, making lots of suckers out of girls and boys!

I love this. Thanks.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 2:46 PM on December 6, 2008

booticon: Along the same vein: Anybody remember Wonder Showzen? It's pretty twisted.

What is your answer for this question?

If your answer for this is "no," you should go here now.

If your answer is "yes," you should go here now.
posted by Pronoiac at 7:24 PM on December 6, 2008

Actually, feel free to skip that Showzen post chock-full of dead videos.
posted by Pronoiac at 7:59 PM on December 6, 2008

I stayed up to watch Sifl & Olly every night in middle school.

Ha. I stayed up to watch Sifl & Olly every night in my late 30s.
posted by mediareport at 9:42 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

For those interested: find the WS episode "Patience". I just watched it. Fuck.
posted by booticon at 10:16 PM on December 6, 2008 [1 favorite]

Sifl and Onion, Sifl and Onion show!

YOU FORGOT I WAS A NINJA, DIDN'T YOU MOTHER @#%@#%?!

I just finished my present for Mefi's secret gift exchange and it involves Chester. Someone has been reading my mind.
posted by Bageena at 10:53 AM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Never saw this before and totally needed some major grinning today. Thanks.
posted by nickyskye at 10:54 AM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wait...did you say Zafo? 'Cause I saw him at Municipal and he played for 13 hours!
posted by Demogorgon at 5:36 PM on December 7, 2008

(singing) It's almost the end of the thread...
posted by not_on_display at 9:30 PM on December 7, 2008

MTV won't release the first two seasons, maybe because those seasons had Sifl & Olly interspersed with music videos; they'd have to edit out the videos. And because MTV sucks on the whole.

As a sidenote, they may or may not be available via that "torrent" thing the kids keep talking about...
posted by inigo2 at 7:09 PM on December 10, 2008