Introducing Rob, who was sleeping 10 seconds ago but can still hit D#

December 14, 2023 1:22 PM

Can Pat Finnerty, pride of West Philly, execute step 13 of his simple plan and acquire a hot tub that fits in his rental? He answers that and more in What Makes This Song Stink Ep. 8: Jason Aldean's "Try That in a Small Town."
posted by zenon (27 comments total)

I have watched this twice now and recommended it to other people. It's an hour but it doesn't feel like it. It's a journey!

I know his sense of humor isn't for everyone but there's something about it that works for me. This is a delight.
posted by edencosmic at 2:00 PM on December 14, 2023 [4 favorites]

He obviously had so much fun doing this epic takedown and dismemberment... It was a joy to watch.
posted by hippybear at 2:06 PM on December 14, 2023 [4 favorites]

I'm glad he's back - that one is epic. It also has a happy ending!
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:18 PM on December 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

I love Pat Finnerty. His comic delivery reminds me of the Chapman Bros. (of Homestar Runner / Strong Bad fame) with his ability to throw in minor (Beato) asides that are hilarious without breaking the flow of his main sentence and which seem almost like completely unplanned involuntary jokes that his brain sort of half noticed and marked as they went by. So frequently I'm laughing at two completely different jokes at the same time.

And then he has these sublime moments like the view from the pedal mobile with him twisting in his seat to address the camera as it goes around his head. Just delightful.

What's the opposite of "mean-spirited humor"? I mean, besides just "Pat Finnerty."
posted by straight at 2:34 PM on December 14, 2023 [8 favorites]

There are so many good throwaway jokes that aren't presented as jokes but just things he is saying. I'm sure he's scripted this to some extent but just how casual his delivery is and just how he tosses out these comments without bringing attention to the "punchlines" is wonderful.

There are also a lot of good diversions but they all tie into the main topic. He's good at bringing all the threads together.

I am actually watching this again and it is just so wonderful.
posted by edencosmic at 2:42 PM on December 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

This was amazing! Great hour of comedy.
posted by jonbro at 2:53 PM on December 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Let's see here...

• 6'5''
• bald as shit
• rips on guitar
• tubbed up

Confirmed, doesn't stink.
posted by rlk at 3:04 PM on December 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

L4 hernia buddies unite!

This was great. No notes.
posted by sixswitch at 3:24 PM on December 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

As a non-American, I spent so long trying to parse the title and the body of this post. Totally incomprehensible. Against my better judgement I clicked the link and wow, glad that I did. Great style of humour. Really enjoyed it.
posted by Probabilitics at 3:34 PM on December 14, 2023 [4 favorites]

To be fair, if I hadn't just watched this video before this was even posted, and hadn't thus been reminded of who Finnerty is or how I knew him before [as the previously was left out of this post], I as an American would have found this post also completely incomprehensible.
posted by hippybear at 3:39 PM on December 14, 2023 [3 favorites]

I also had no clue what was going on in the body of the post, but I'm glad I took a chance.

It's like a low budget talk to the camera comedy hour that kinda about a shitty song, but mostly just wall to wall jokes?

The absolute burn that his neighbor drops on machine gun Kelly in the first minute of this older episode is amazing.
posted by jonbro at 4:32 PM on December 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

The joke of the title is in reference to Rick Beato's What Makes This Song Great. As part of the joke, often when Finnerty uses some music theory jargon he will interject, "Beato." See also Finnerty's “The Search For the Beato Bandit.”
posted by ob1quixote at 4:35 PM on December 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Finnerty is the best, and I want to watch this, but I know doing so and being reminded of the trash who love that song would burn me up inside.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 4:38 PM on December 14, 2023

I appreciated the cameos by both Gritty & Independence Hall. Glad to see Pat back again!
posted by obloquy at 4:45 PM on December 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

"I'm not saying they ripped off 'Kryptonite.' It's worse than that. I think they were influenced by 'Kryptonite."

Such a low-key yet absolutely savage fucking burn.
posted by Navelgazer at 5:34 PM on December 14, 2023 [17 favorites]

All right, zenon, you got me. I don’t generally watch hour-long videos by random dudes… but I am glad I took a chance on this. The Trace Atkins bits made me cackle. And calling his own parents? Kim singing the theme song? This is good, thank you.
posted by MonkeyToes at 7:38 PM on December 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm so glad Pat got his hot tub. Seeing him in the tub at the end legit made me tear up a bit -- The Simple Plan worked!
posted by dorothy hawk at 9:02 PM on December 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

I'm only 20 minutes in, but this is fucking hilarious.
posted by Ickster at 12:38 AM on December 15, 2023

I love how obviously Pat admires his parents.
posted by Hermione Dies at 2:12 AM on December 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

wow this was amazing
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:00 AM on December 15, 2023

"fold up" was the line that really got my 6'4" boyfriend, "he told me to fold up"

really the only complaint I have about this video is that it made me listen to parts of Try That In A Small Town, what an absolute shitburger of a song

Ohio still slaps tho
posted by taquito sunrise at 7:35 AM on December 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

Hey somebody on ask metafilter asked a few months ago about an inflatable hot tub too - either that was Pat Finnerty (did he only use Quora? that suckssss!) or Pat can now join and give first-hand advice on them.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:03 AM on December 15, 2023

I’d like to note the Easter egg in the form of Zach’s previous texts right at the very beginning of the video. For those of you into WMTSS lore.
posted by badbobbycase at 10:11 AM on December 15, 2023

I want to watch this, but I know doing so and being reminded of the trash who love that song would burn me up inside.

I respect this attitude and policy so much I hesitate to say anything that would dissuade you. But what I love about this is how he sticks almost entirely to critiquing how the song stinks as a song. He pays very little attention to the song's message and the people who love it. Instead his rebuttal to them focuses on celebrating Philly and the delightful regular-people neighbors he has in a big city. Wanna see what you don't get when you put a hot tub in the backyard of your mansion built by pandering to racists?
posted by straight at 10:16 AM on December 15, 2023 [3 favorites]

I am always so impressed by his confidence in roping his family, friends, neighbors, strangers into participating (and often becoming recurring characters) in the madness.
posted by atoxyl at 1:40 PM on December 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

Yes. One of the big laughs for me was when Kim—who in previous videos seemed to have a tolerant-girlfriend-but-keep-me-out-of-this attitude when she was caught on camera—suddenly appeared in one of the music video parodies totally going for it.
posted by straight at 11:22 AM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

Kim can play bass and drums and sing at least as good as in the songs Pat's taking down.
I loved the way Carpenter's Hall sneaks into the part about how 'patriots' live in small towns.
The Beato bits were very subtle this time. I like his Beato bits, and don't need them to be subtle.
Best WMTSS so far.
posted by MtDewd at 3:58 PM on December 18, 2023