No one should ever go there. You know it's bad, bad, bad.
July 17, 2013 10:03 AM   Subscribe

Internet legend Brad Neely, known for his songs about Washington and JFK, his explanation of Sodom and Gomorrah, and, of course, his masterful Harry Potter dub Wizard People, Dear Reader, has a show on Adult Swim, China, IL, that co-stars him (voicing his old characters), Greta Gerwig, and wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who voices an extraordinarily violent and manly dean at "America's worst college." Four episodes are available for free streaming:

Rewind, Pause, Play — Ronald Reagan travels through time to shit in a professor's mouth.
Dean vs Mayor — The dean loses control of his college to the town's God-fearing mayor.
Baby Boom — A scientist (voiced by Arrested Development's Jeffrey Tambor) accidentally creates an enormous baby that kills people.
Coming out of the Casket — A recently-dead history professor comes back to life to hit on people.

The original Brad Neely animated series that inspired the show:

The Professor Brothers
TA Interview
The Substitute
Late Date
Future Thoughts
Prisoner Christmas
Jesus Fucking Christ
Fliff Night (part 2)
Office HoursMovie Talk (and Movie Talk 2)

Baby Cakes
Diary (2 3 4 5 6)
Group Therapy
Role Play Tournament
Lies
Cat People
Party List
Neutral Things
Doors
Coffee Line
Baby Cakes Sees A Play (for King Lear fans!)

The original animated China, IL is also available online: Part 1, 2 3 4
posted by Rory Marinich (29 comments total) 68 users marked this as a favorite
 
Role Play Tournament was my ringtone for a long while. It's pure genius.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:14 AM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]


Based on the synopses, these are episodes I could get into!
posted by Mister_A at 10:16 AM on July 17, 2013


there's a town called Pekin, IL (named for Peking, which was rumored to be on 'the other side of the earth') with a junior college that is often described by old friends as "bad, bad, bad." i always wondered if that was a coincidence.
posted by gorestainedrunes at 10:17 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]


I love Brad Neely but I really can't get into the Adult Swim show. I don't usually mind cartoon violence that much - I thought the first season of Superjail was great - but the endless blood geysers in every episode of China IL are weird and offputting.
posted by theodolite at 10:18 AM on July 17, 2013


endless blood geysers in every episode

hello new MF account name
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:21 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]


i always wondered if that was a coincidence.

Since Pekin's high school team name used to be the, well, it was the common ethnic slur for a Chinese person, it's probably not a coincidence.
posted by hwyengr at 10:27 AM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]


hwyengr: i hear tell from my friend that if you go into the right stores you can drop a phrase and they'll usher you into a back room where you can still buy clothes with the mascot on it.
posted by gorestainedrunes at 10:36 AM on July 17, 2013


I develop a serious case of constantly humming Prisoner Christmas each December. Neely's brilliant. For example, It's… Nat Turner's Punch Out!
posted by ddbeck at 11:14 AM on July 17, 2013


Every day I have to strangle the desire to do a Mad Men set version of WIZARD PEOPLE.

Every. Day.
posted by The Whelk at 11:27 AM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


Rumor has it that Brad's working on something new and WPDR-related.

And by "rumor", I mean "he said that that's what he's doing on his Facebook page."
posted by Rory Marinich at 11:39 AM on July 17, 2013 [3 favorites]


I do so love Neely's work. I could listen to Babycakes say 'Brain Fuckler' all day long.
posted by FatherDagon at 11:44 AM on July 17, 2013


i always wondered if that was a coincidence.

Since Pekin's high school team name used to be the, well, it was the common ethnic slur for a Chinese person, it's probably not a coincidence.


And their local roller skating arena was the "Chink Rink."
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:53 AM on July 17, 2013


I linked to the Baby Cakes series a long time ago, back when it was on Super Deluxe (back when Super Deluxe existed, before Adult Swim/Cartoon Network/Turner Networks/Viacom bought them). While the tone of China, IL is different, we've enjoyed it quite a bit (and we don't generally like things like Superjail). It's that sense that there's a bit more going on there, the odd bits of poetry amidst the blood, and how his characters show weird depths at unexpected times.
posted by JHarris at 12:38 PM on July 17, 2013


Baby Cakes Diary #2 remains one of the most beautiful things I have ever watched in my life.
"We are complicated things.
And the world is a fucking complicated place.
I'm surprised I don't have a bloody nose from just thinking about it."
There is so much art/literature/film trying to make you feel more comfortable with the idea that the world is complicated, and less alone in light of that complicatedness; it always reassures me when something gets right to the point.
posted by compartment at 12:57 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


Thank you so much for this. I feel like Brad Neely has some kind of direct line into my sense of humor. In my book he is the funniest living dude, I think.
posted by town of cats at 1:00 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I feel pretty much the same about China, IL versus Superjail. The former is great and I don't even think of it as a particularly violent show, although that is there. Odd bits of poetry is a great way to put it. I got into Brad Neely with Wizard People, which I've probably watched through at least five times, with varying groups of people. I've enjoyed pretty much everything since then.

I checked Superjail out after hearing good thing about it, and thought it was pretty dire. Awful, unfunny jokes about doing violence to disenfranchised populations. It was far too close to the reality of how we treat prisoners in this country, and the jokes were just sort of "look these characters be awful to these other characters! Ha!" Didn't go past the first episode, and I kind of wished I'd turned it off before that even wrapped up. Maybe it gets better from there, but I'm not about to find out.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 1:02 PM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]


Also, I want to say that Brad Neely is very good at drawing hands. They are hard to draw, but it looks effortless when he does it. Really, check it out.
posted by compartment at 1:05 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


My favorite song of his is still "Washington" (first link in original post). Enough great material there for ten songs, all crammed into one. Love it.
posted by seasparrow at 1:35 PM on July 17, 2013


i love neeley, but I cannot stand the animation or the comedic timing in China Il.
posted by rebent at 2:34 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


I also just want to say that even from the early days, I've always loved the character design for Baby Cakes' dad. Just that goofy wide-mouthed grin! Glad that in China, IL he's gotten a speaking role. And Diary #2, yes, it's a special kind of awesome.
posted by JHarris at 3:15 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


I was a little disappointed that China IL was animated (rather than the series of stills from the shorts and pilot), but it works. I still like the stills better, but as long as there's more Baby Cakes and Baby Cakes' songs, he can have it be animated by Pixar.

....ok, wait, that would actually be kinda awesome.
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 3:16 PM on July 17, 2013


(as for Superjail, I LOVED Season 1, was kind of meh on Season 2, and totally lost interest in Season 3. Unless there was no season 3, then I just totally lost interest in Season 2, and it just feels like I've been sad about the loss of Good Superjail for longer.)
posted by Rev. Syung Myung Me at 3:18 PM on July 17, 2013


"Dad said, 'The worst part about living here is that you can only kill yourself once.'"
posted by JHarris at 3:19 PM on July 17, 2013 [2 favorites]


Brad Neely is the last true poet
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:23 PM on July 17, 2013


Well except for all the wonderful poets. But Brad's got a way with words.
posted by Rory Marinich at 5:29 PM on July 17, 2013


"People always say what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger ; but I've seen the nearly killed and they couldn't be more wronger"
Brad Neely , poet at large, Tokyo drifting everywhere.
posted by das_2099 at 5:43 PM on July 17, 2013 [5 favorites]


I just dropped in to say Baby Cakes at the Role Play Tournament, is one of the things that powers me.

..that is all.
posted by lumpenprole at 10:55 PM on July 17, 2013 [1 favorite]


"So I just left my blown-out slippers with them, and said, 'people like you are the reason God doesn't talk to us anymore.'"
posted by hototogisu at 3:06 AM on July 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


"...how to be a two-person Voltron with her."

Okay, I'm officially in love.
posted by cthuljew at 5:48 PM on July 18, 2013


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