![]() ![]() The video includes various stock hyper-patriotic visuals, like a flag pin on top of a bible, the Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore. Even though he has just mentioned that he is working on the song, it’s already got a full lyric and video karaoke (specifically: AMERIKARAOKE) available at the bar. The background is full of the absurdist details that no one does better than Heidecker. What really makes this all time comedy for me is what’s going on around Decker as he sings. “Ya wave a flag on Christmas Day, they’ll throw you in jail!” I mean, come on! He’s got a point. It’s like an extremely rough draft of a Toby Keith anthem for the straw man conservative fears of the Trump era. The lyrics are a perfect extension of the Decker character. It’s even got a rap, or what this character thinks is rap, bridge. As silly as it is, “Our Values Are Under Attack” is a genuinely catchy earworm (a word I hate), with a big hook chorus that’ll make you want to sing along. His album Fear of Death was one of my favorites of 2019. First of all, Tim Heidecker is a phenomenal musician. Since it’s impossible to dissect what makes this song hysterical without ruining it, I’ll just tell you what I love about it. I’ve also seen the fear in the eyes of those same people as I chase them to their cars, wielding that keyboard as a weapon. I’ve seen the way audience members and comedians roll their eyes as I lug my keyboard onto the stage. I say that as someone who has tried and failed at it many times. After a beat, Lanoi looks at Decker and asks, “Hey, you still sing?”ĭecker, who to this point has never sung or mentioned singing in the series, quickly replies, “Yes, I’ve just been working on a new song.” What follows is “Our Values Are Under Attack,” the funniest bit of musical comedy I’ve ever seen.Ī lot of people write comedic songs, but it’s hard to write a song that’s actually funny. When Decker arrives, the two reconnect and take shots. ![]() His best friend Lanoi Arnold is throwing him a big party at his bar (there are probably eight people there). In season 2 of the show, hilariously titled Decker: Port of Call: Hawaii, Decker is on vacation. Tim Heidecker plays Decker, a CIA counter-terrorism special agent who loves to protect America from threats while spouting off Fox News talking points with the precision of a career drunk. My favorite moment in On Cinema came in a spinoff of the show, Decker. Now it’s even got its own platform, the HEI Network, with a new season on the way. I ran through the 11 seasons, Oscar Specials, full length trial, and spin-offs in about a month. I don’t have enough of a word count to explain the full universe here (Chris Kopcow wrote a handy guide for Vulture: Vulture On Cinema Guide) but I would suggest just giving it a try. It quickly became one of my favorite comedy projects. When I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time in spring of 2020 (can’t remember why), I decided to dive in head first. I had heard about the Tim Heidecker/Gregg Turkington Adult Swim show for a while, but I had yet to check it out. Nothing made me laugh harder last year than On Cinema. He’s opening for Patton Oswalt this Friday, October 8 at Kings Theater in Brooklyn. Tommy McNamara is a Brooklyn based comedian. Rather than shine light on stand up or sketch, Tommy asked to write about a song. I shared our Song I Wish I Wrote Daniel Knox entry to give Tommy a framework. Reading about comedy tends to get very depressing, very fast and I thought Tommy could start things off with a positive jam (I apologize for The Hold Steady reference but I’m definitely including it since Tommy and I both looks like we should be fans of The Hold Steady). ![]() I figured he’d be a great person to start the series about comedy since his optimism and joy are evident in his work. I reached out to Tommy to begin our series Bit I Wish I Wrote. It’s just as joyful and dumb as his debut LP. Last Christmas he released a Christmas themed EP of just songs, I Think I’m Starting to Like Christmas. ![]() His 2019 album, Who’s Tommy, is an excellent representation of his stand up and songwriting. No comic makes me feel better than Tommy McNamara. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |