Something tasteful, but not too bland

May 10, 2013 7:06 AM

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis has been covered on MetaFilter before, but the most recent episode takes a turn for the wack at 1:38 with the debut of The Lonely Island's (also previously) newest video "Spring Break Anthem," which takes both a traditional as well as a different--but quite timely given recent events--take on spring break.
posted by zombieflanders (41 comments total)

The Delaware Coast is suddenly thrilled at their Spring Break tourism prospects.
posted by jph at 7:18 AM on May 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

Also, I think I actually used the phrase "something tasteful but not too bland" last weekend when discussing our "save the date" cards.
posted by jph at 7:19 AM on May 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

This new world of gay acceptance confuses me.
posted by Nelson at 7:44 AM on May 10, 2013 [4 favorites]

Guys I dunno if I'm mistaken or not but this song seems to have an underlying message about gay marriage.
posted by PenDevil at 7:54 AM on May 10, 2013 [3 favorites]

I was not familiar with the show, so I went in wondering "why the hell is it called between two ferns?" (To be honest I was hoping there were dinosaurs). The world makes a bit more sense now.
posted by FirstMateKate at 7:59 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

...okay wait. Was that just some fun silliness, or a meditation on the relationship between hypersexualized heteronormative bro-party culture and the dreams of young closeted gay men?
posted by Tomorrowful at 8:02 AM on May 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yes.
posted by neroli at 8:05 AM on May 10, 2013 [12 favorites]

Hm. I dunno about this. It seems like a return to form for Andy Samberg, whose SNL run can mostly be summed up as "TWO MEN KISSING!!! ISN'T THAT HILARIOUS???"
posted by Sys Rq at 8:09 AM on May 10, 2013

I always admire Andy Samberg's ability to actually make a joke rap sound authentic and sometimes even catchy and awesome, but unless I am missing a cunning twist here, I feel like there's a better application of his talents than saying "lol you're gay" for 3 minutes.
posted by SharkParty at 8:26 AM on May 10, 2013

I dunno, I'm fine with the image of a catchy song that is sung on spring break by homophobic college bros who mindlessly repeat the lyrics without understanding the content.
posted by jeremias at 8:39 AM on May 10, 2013 [4 favorites]

I feel like there's a better application of his talents than saying "lol you're gay" for 3 minutes.

It's weird to me that a lot of people seem to miss the point of the sketch - I think there was a Salon writer the other day who said something similar.

The concept is to juxtapose the bachanalic Bro culture of Cancun-style spring break, which is widely accepted and somehow does not offend religious belief, to the much more mundane and wholesome act of two men being allowed to marry, which is usually condemned as sinful and against God.

Whether it was funny or not is up to you.
posted by Think_Long at 8:40 AM on May 10, 2013 [37 favorites]

I don't see anything mocking of gay marriage or gay relationships in the video, or hear it in the lyrics (unless the juxtaposition of a serious subject and hip hop stylings is mocking in and of itself). My first impression is that the comparsion is meant to point the other way. On preview, what Think_Long said.
posted by muddgirl at 8:41 AM on May 10, 2013

unless I am missing a cunning twist here

missing a twist -- yes, cunning -- not really.
posted by nathancaswell at 8:46 AM on May 10, 2013

Also, consider how many bros this spring and summer are going to be singing "..and marry a man" in unison. It's going to be beautiful.
posted by dobie at 8:46 AM on May 10, 2013 [6 favorites]

Also, consider how many bros this spring and summer are going to be singing "..and marry a man" in unison. It's going to be beautiful.

Consider why they'll think it's funny.

I just don't believe the Lonely Island "Dick in a Box" target audience is necessarily going to grasp the subtle nuance so easily, instead going for the more obvious PARTY ANTHEM + LOLGAY.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:48 AM on May 10, 2013

I guess it just seemed one-note to me, and not as clever as their more subtle earlier work, like Jizz In My Pants or Dick In A Box.

ps to my autocorrect: Dickleburgh? Really?
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:49 AM on May 10, 2013 [4 favorites]

So that's where Ed Norton's been!
posted by Navelgazer at 8:51 AM on May 10, 2013

I just don't believe the Lonely Island "Dick in a Box" target audience is necessarily going to grasp the subtle nuance so easily, instead going for the more obvious PARTY ANTHEM + LOLGAY

I think you may be narrowing the field of the "Dick in a Box" audience, its popularity goes well beyond the lowest common denominator.

Personally (and I know not everyone agrees with this), I don't hold an artist responsible for how the public re purposes their work. I laugh at the wealthy people singing Beverly Hills without irony, I don't blame Weezer.
posted by Think_Long at 8:53 AM on May 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

its popularity goes well beyond the lowest common denominator.

Thusfar, my favorite film of the decade is Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and I would like to go on record as thinking penises in boxes are hilarious.
posted by nathancaswell at 9:02 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

I don't blame Weezer.

I do, but for other reasons.
posted by dubold at 9:41 AM on May 10, 2013 [6 favorites]

Eh, I don't think the funny part is supposed to be "ew, gay people". I think the funny part is supposed to be the constricted space of bro-culture. Like, the musical idiom with the horn blares and whatnot and the rap kicks in and all of that stuff stays exactly the same as the lyrics and the visuals switch topic to scenes of commitment and tenderness. It'd be like James Hetfield growling away about gardening. The juxtaposition makes the genre itself look silly by pointing out how strict and arbitrary its conventions are, how little of the world it includes. Or like Terry Pratchett's early work, in which a modern tourist wanders around Tolkien-verse --- the tourist himself is not the object of derision and contempt, the absurd self-seriousness of the faux-medieval world he's gawking at is.
posted by Diablevert at 9:43 AM on May 10, 2013 [6 favorites]

Andy Samberg is just working his ass off these days, isn't he?

I looked up the career of Billy Joel and there's this period in the 1970s and early 1980s where the guy is just pushing out albums and constantly touring while recording albums of songs he also wrote.

Samberg's doing movies, these albums and their hopelessly complicated music videos, SNL stuff, and who knows what else - that's a lot of uptime.
posted by jscott at 9:44 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

I never really cared for Samberg until he popped up on a couple of podcasts I listened to, and then I watched Hot Rod and I'd like to write an exegesis on that movie, it's so fucking awesome.
posted by Think_Long at 9:46 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

jscott: Makes you wonder? (I'm joking, of course.)
posted by lazaruslong at 9:47 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

(Aren't we all aware that young bros -- like the vast vast majority of their generation -- are pro gay marriage and generally cool with gay people? I know they're easy to laugh at, but even some of the douchiest dudes I've ever met are entirely not homophobic.)
posted by incessant at 9:52 AM on May 10, 2013 [9 favorites]

jph: "The Delaware Coast is suddenly thrilled at their Spring Break tourism prospects."

I mean... this video already kind of sums up what Rehoboth is like on Memorial Day weekend.


That said, it's worth noting that the humor in most/all of the Lonely Island's music comes from unexpected genre bending and subversion. They're experts at dismantling hip hop tropes.

I don't think that Samberg was aiming for "lolgays" with this video -- if anything, the joke is on the "bros." They're pretty much explicitly calling out the subculture's ignorance and/or deliberate exclusion of gay people. The final verse of the song pretty much explicitly spells out that the gay couples are supposed to be the "normal" ones.
posted by schmod at 10:12 AM on May 10, 2013

"It'd be like James Hetfield growling away about gardening."

Not so outlandish...
posted by Eideteker at 10:15 AM on May 10, 2013

I am cackle-giggling and not sorry that this song will be stuck. in. my. head. all summer long.

The omgsquee section of my cerebral fangirl cortex lit up at the prospect of a Franco/Norton Harry Osborne/Bruce Banner wedding. There would be explosions! cake! badass people in formalwear! AO3 fic, you have failed me.

Also because I needed to rewatch it myself just now: I'M ON A SHIP, new-Star Trek-style.
posted by nicebookrack at 10:48 AM on May 10, 2013

James Hetfield growling about a garden isn't really the same thing because in that case the vector of strange juxtaposition isn't the garden but the Hetfield.

In this case, it's either weird that party bros are all just biding time til they have "sex with a man" and settle down OR it's just weird that homosexual men can be leading such normal lives but I am not detecting any kind of third stream here that doesn't require homosexuality to be inherently weird or uncomfortable for this joke song to be a joke.

Sorry I'm usually down for tasteless or transgressive humor but this one just seems kinda lazy.
posted by SharkParty at 11:31 AM on May 10, 2013

(Aren't we all aware that young bros -- like the vast vast majority of their generation -- are pro gay marriage and generally cool with gay people? I know they're easy to laugh at, but even some of the douchiest dudes I've ever met are entirely not homophobic.)

Like, yes and no. Probably most bros are politically okay with gay marriage, and think gay people should have the right to exist, but there are still a lot of them who aren't actually comfortable with gay people. A lot of them don't want to see two people of the same sex expressing affection in public, and they like to throw around the word "faggot": although admittedly it's more a way of ribbing their friends and enforcing masculine behavior than it is about actual hate for gay people. A lot of them wouldn't want a gay friend, and definitely wouldn't want a gay bro friend, for fear it would "taint" them. Obviously also there are still problematic attitudes towards lesbians.

I think "not entirely homophobic" might be a better description than "entirely not homophobic", at least for a significant number. It's an attitude of "what you're doing is fine, just stay away from me because it threatens me".
posted by vogon_poet at 11:37 AM on May 10, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think "not entirely homophobic" might be a better description than "entirely not homophobic", at least for a significant number.

Well I was speaking specifically about the people I know who might fit into that category, but if you'd like to continue making blanket statements about an entire class of people with nothing more than your anecdata to stand on, go for it. I'll be over here, hanging out with the 81% of that generation that's pro gay marriage, concrete evidence that no matter how someone might dress or what band they might listen to or how into sports they are or whether or not they're in a fraternity or whatever generalization we might make about douchebros, there's a very large chance that they're probably totally cool with two dudes kissing.
posted by incessant at 1:14 PM on May 10, 2013

"crushing pussy; marry a man" is pretty much the thesis entire.

The contrast in presentation of each highlights the comedic incongruity, the utterly toxic farce of bacchanalia gone sour and overbright contrasted against the classy, lovely, tastefully decorated (but not too bland) marriage ceremony where everybody is nice and not losing their shit in a jacuzzi of jagermeister.

It may be an attempt at highlighting the irony of machismo? I'm not quite sure. I did chuckle, though.
posted by Doleful Creature at 2:14 PM on May 10, 2013

Why didn't anyone tell me Andy Samberg was engaged to Joanna Newsom? That's crazy and delightful!
posted by neroli at 2:17 PM on May 10, 2013 [3 favorites]

I bet they throw the best parties.
posted by Doleful Creature at 2:26 PM on May 10, 2013 [2 favorites]

Well I was speaking specifically about the people I know who might fit into that category, but if you'd like to continue making blanket statements about an entire class of people with nothing more than your anecdata to stand on, go for it. I'll be over here, hanging out with the 81% of that generation that's pro gay marriage

Wait -- you actually know and hang out with 81% of the entire 18-29 population of the United States? Who knew we had such a popular person with us!

You are making blanket statements based on anecdotal evidence, i.e. a couple non-homophobic "douchebros" (your word) you happen to know, who you assume are more representative of that 81% in a poll that doesn't measure homophobia but rather acceptance of gay marriage as a concept; I am expressing concern based on my observation that idiots exist.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:43 PM on May 10, 2013

Far be it for me to assume you'd actually read what I wrote, Sys Rq, where I specify I was just talking about the few people I know in that group and not, in fact, generalizing. I just see a bunch of people making general statements about bros and whether or not they're homophobic. It's unfair, especially considering the polls of gay marriage acceptance in that age group. When they figure out how to poll for homophobia, we'll take a look at those numbers too, mmkay?
posted by incessant at 3:06 PM on May 10, 2013

Why didn't anyone tell me Andy Samberg was engaged to Joanna Newsom? That's crazy and delightful!

Speaking of juxtapositions...

I was totally unaware of this too and it kind of one-ups the video for hilarity and awesome.
posted by Straight_up at 6:30 PM on May 10, 2013

It may be an attempt at highlighting the irony of machismo?

This is water that Lonely Island has tread before, actually.
posted by Apocryphon at 8:15 PM on May 10, 2013

Jesus, Metafilter is where humor goes to die.

That said, "crushing pussy" is a delightfully offensive phrase. I doubt I'll ever get to use it in context, alas.
posted by bardic at 9:58 PM on May 10, 2013

my favorite film of the decade is Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Are you shitting me? To quote myself from avclub, "This is the most boring movie ever made. I sat through what seemed like an eternity, fell asleep, woke up, and they were _still_ just fumbling around in the dark looking for a body! The film features a lot of pretentious dialog about Arabic poetry and mortality, spouted by poorly lit men standing outside their cars in a field in the middle of the night. 2 hours 37 minutes of this? Pass"
posted by jcruelty at 9:39 PM on May 11, 2013

Happy Mother's Day
posted by zombieflanders at 11:24 AM on May 12, 2013