Coats

May 12, 2005 3:25 AM

A video clip (direct link: approx 10 MB WMV, streaming) of two clever performers on stage, aired on a Netherlands television channel.
posted by hypersloth (51 comments total)

thanks, hypersloth, for reminding me why i do not own a television.
posted by three blind mice at 3:37 AM on May 12, 2005

I thought it was funny. I don't really understand the point of the rudeness, mice.
posted by MegoSteve at 4:02 AM on May 12, 2005

(slight off-topic diversion) You know how not having a television is meant to make for better conversation? Did you ever notice that whatever conversation you get out of people who don't have televisions, it tends to end up with them saying "blah blah blah blah I don't have a television"?

posted by bunglin jones at 4:06 AM on May 12, 2005

thanks, three blind mice, for reminding me why i do not use computers.
posted by mokujin at 4:08 AM on May 12, 2005

That's some pretty good vaudeville. I liked the pulling the hat out the rabbit bit.
posted by PenDevil at 4:10 AM on May 12, 2005

Television does have its moments, and this is foreign tv... Regardless, I very rarely ever participate, but occasionally something interesting does happen, and then people tell me about it, so I find it online, minus commercials, and generally with better reception.

on preview: lol
posted by hypersloth at 4:12 AM on May 12, 2005

They are called Men In Coats (duh!), and have been doing the rounds in London for a while, and have had few spots on TV in the UK.
posted by viama at 4:14 AM on May 12, 2005

Physical and visual comedy is very very difficult to do well, and very very difficult to make funny. Good stuff.
posted by nthdegx at 4:18 AM on May 12, 2005

Thank you for that, viama! I dilligently searched for a source, but only came up with "coats"! I also knew, if anywhere, this would be the place to post it to get to the bottom of it... Maybe if I didn't own a t.v. or a computer, I would've known that, eh?!
posted by hypersloth at 4:19 AM on May 12, 2005

Funny vid hypersloth. Too bad it's streaming ;)
posted by page404 at 4:25 AM on May 12, 2005

I saw these guys before on American TV... where?
posted by Livewire Confusion at 4:33 AM on May 12, 2005

page404:

Regarding streaming video... if you use firefox, get the greasemonkey extension, after which you can add the "unembed" script. If you refresh this link, you will notice a "download" button, which will forever afterwards, always, appear on any screen which has embedded flash/video/etc.
posted by hypersloth at 4:34 AM on May 12, 2005

*by this link, I mean this FPP's link
posted by hypersloth at 4:36 AM on May 12, 2005

I thought it was funny, for a single-link post. Funniest "magic" since the Great Metrano (Art Metrano).
posted by beelzbubba at 4:41 AM on May 12, 2005

that was great fun, loved it
posted by quarsan at 4:45 AM on May 12, 2005

bunglin jones: Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television (from the Onion)
posted by tpl1212 at 4:46 AM on May 12, 2005

oh wait... now i get it. it wasn't streaming. whatev, tho.
posted by hypersloth at 4:56 AM on May 12, 2005

hypersloth *I* thought it was funny! Thanks for the morning brightener.
posted by yoga at 5:07 AM on May 12, 2005

I just had a really bad morning, and this was exactly what the doctor ordered. Thanks.
posted by TimothyMason at 5:17 AM on May 12, 2005

Don't let the jaded jerk offs get you down, hypersloth.
posted by crunchland at 5:20 AM on May 12, 2005

hypersloth: i totally agree with you that television has its moments. to my way of thinking, this just isn't one of them. that other people enjoyed it explains the popularity of television.

bunglin jones, tpl1212: to join you briefly in your derail of this fascinating thread about hypersloth's videoclip, yeah, when everyone is talking about "the apprentice" and i can only contribute a blank stare, i usually need to explain why. most people are generally not put off by this - although once last night's TV program is taken away as a subject of conversation, they often have very little else to say.
posted by three blind mice at 5:42 AM on May 12, 2005

that other people enjoyed it explains the popularity of television.

I have no television, and you are a berk.
posted by TimothyMason at 5:50 AM on May 12, 2005

Without TV I wouldn't be where I am today (in front of my TV)
posted by dontrememberthis at 6:11 AM on May 12, 2005

I watch TV, read books, go to the movies, participate in politics, and socialize quite a bit. In my experience, the people that don't own TVs, don't own them because they have trouble using them in moderation.
posted by surferboy at 6:21 AM on May 12, 2005

that other people enjoyed it explains the popularity of television.

How's it feel to be better than the unwashed masses?
posted by DieHipsterDie at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2005

Well put. I have trouble with the internet, because I can't seem to get a grapple on just using it in moderation.
posted by hypersloth at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2005

this just isn't one of them. that other people enjoyed it explains the popularity of television.

TBM...did you make it through the whole thing or give up in the first three minutes or so? I almost shut it down cuz the first three or four minutes is LAME, but if you make it to the little person bit, it's actually good. I suspect maybe you lost interest quickly and thus didn't see the actually funny bits. I could be wrong.
posted by spicynuts at 6:36 AM on May 12, 2005

Did you ever notice that whatever conversation you get out of people who don't have televisions, it tends to end up with them saying "blah blah blah blah I don't have a television"?

After reading "Fast Food Nation," I didn't eat fast food for years. Then I realized that I'd been telling people that I didn't eat fast food the same way those dreadful people who don't watch TV make sure that everybody knows that they don't watch TV. So now I eat fast food twice a year so that I can't become one of those godawful people.
posted by waldo at 6:51 AM on May 12, 2005

I don't have TV but I don't mention it to people very often because when it comes up (and oddly enough, it comes up when people mention a commercial they think everyone in the world has seen, as opposed to a TV program) people tend to think of me as eccentric--and people think me odd even without that.

Also, many people tend to be defensive about my lack of television as though they have to justify watching TV. For the record, I really don't care what you watch in your spare time.
posted by leftcoastbob at 7:03 AM on May 12, 2005

to join you briefly in your derail of this fascinating thread about hypersloth's videoclip

What a passive-aggressive asshole. There are a lot of crappier fpp's you could piss on if you really feel like you just have to, tbm.

Thanks for the video hypersloth; very entertaining.
posted by Stauf at 7:12 AM on May 12, 2005

Twas good.
posted by destro at 7:58 AM on May 12, 2005

In my experience, the people that don't own TVs, don't own them because they have trouble using them in moderation.

I watch three shows which I download every week. I sold my TV because I wanted to own less stuff, and my TV was one of those 200lb Sony wega jobs. Nice TV though, would be nice to still have it to watch football instead of having to go to the local sports bar.
posted by MillMan at 8:01 AM on May 12, 2005

I have no television, and you are a berk.

Berk! What a glorious insult! I'd forgotten all about it. I must use it more.
posted by nthdegx at 8:06 AM on May 12, 2005

I liked it.
I don't own a television.
I don't eat fast food.
My best friend is a former stripper.
;-P
posted by mischief at 8:18 AM on May 12, 2005

Speaking of direct links... (I use that greasmonkey script, too.)
posted by blendor at 8:41 AM on May 12, 2005

Ok I win: I just bought a brand new, wide-screen, HDTV-ready TV... and purposely don't watch it.
posted by scheptech at 8:48 AM on May 12, 2005

No boobies and no explosions. This foreign humor is too subtle for me.
posted by adamrice at 8:55 AM on May 12, 2005

Hey, it made me smile! The hat from the rabbit trick did it for me. And to derail the thread even further (if possible)... most of the Dutch public broadcasting is actually streamed and archived online... Another reason for me for not having a TV.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 8:56 AM on May 12, 2005

Is it just me, or do the many cut aways to the audience pretty much kill the entertainment value? I mean, they might as well go all the way and add a wacky voice over too.
posted by efbrazil at 9:36 AM on May 12, 2005

Speaking of cut aways, the one that stood out to me was the cut away to the black guys after the break dancing bit. I didn't realize such racially conscious live broadcast-type direction choices were in use overseas as well as here.
posted by JT at 9:50 AM on May 12, 2005

Or it could just be... coincidence?
posted by five fresh fish at 10:13 AM on May 12, 2005

Pretty good stuff, fun "new vaudeville", reminiscent of Bill Irwin, Bob Berkey, Dan Froot and David Dorfman, et al. Although not a whole of newness in there. The opening is pure (Swiss mime troupe) Mummenschanz . The arms-as-legs schtick is as old as the hills--back to the 20's--but they do a nice job with it.
posted by stacyhall1 at 11:19 AM on May 12, 2005

Hee hee, that was funny.
posted by debralee at 11:29 AM on May 12, 2005

1. What the hell is a "berk". It sounds like a good word for an insult. But, what is it?
2. Can anyone name those tunes? I liked most of them and I know one of them by name ("Rockit"). What about the rest?
posted by horseblind at 11:30 AM on May 12, 2005

Speaking of cut aways, the one that stood out to me was the cut away to the black guys after the break dancing bit. I didn't realize such racially conscious live broadcast-type direction choices were in use overseas as well as here.

The clip is from a show called "Raymann is laat". It is hosted by a Surinam comedian, the show deals with multicultural issues and stereotypes and the target audience consists predominantly of the 'urban', very mixed, population of the Dutch major cities.

So I would say, purely coincidental.
posted by swordfishtrombones at 11:39 AM on May 12, 2005

horseblind, "berk" is short for "Berkshire hunt". It's Cockney rhyming slang, and the remainder of the explanation is left as an exercise for the reader.
posted by George_Spiggott at 1:56 PM on May 12, 2005

tpl, thanks, I was looking for that onion link.
I also do not own a TV, because my reptile hindbrain sees the motion and forces me to watch, then my ADD kicks in and forces me to watch immoderately. I don't feel superior to non-TV owning individuals. What does surprise me is that when my non-TV owning status comes up I very often am offered someones old/spare/used TV. I should probably take them up on their offers and hawk 'em on ebay, but I don't.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:06 PM on May 12, 2005

I thought it was kinda fun, even though that joke levitation piece was old news back in Shakespeare's day.

By the way, I haven't owned a television since 1997 and you'd better believe I'm reeeeeall smug about it.
posted by Decani at 6:45 PM on May 12, 2005

What on earth is the name of the first song in this clip? It's killing me.
posted by eschatfische at 8:25 PM on May 12, 2005

eschatfische, is it a Perez Prado song, from album Havana 3 AM? Don't know what the song title is, great album though.
posted by BrotherCaine at 11:22 PM on May 12, 2005

berko is australian slang for crazy. i believe it's derived from beserk.
posted by dhruva at 1:52 AM on May 13, 2005