My family and I recently saw THE AMAZING TRANSPARENT MAN episode for the first time and we were all hysterical about the opening llama bit. (MST3K lama joke - YouTube)
The combination of Servo’s farmer drawl, him gradually going from calm to yelling at the top of his lungs, Mike doing almost nothing in the first 20 seconds with a deadpan manner, and Crow’s llama squeals just brought out so much joy from us. We will never be able to look at llamas the same way again.
All this to ask the question: Is there a host segment in particular that you thought was absolutely hysterical and still can’t help but have a huge belly laugh over?
This, definitely this.
I laughed so hard I hurt the first time I saw Mike and the bots providing some “local color” for the Mads’ bed & breakfast.
Thus the screen name, of course.
The “Vaguely Italian” sketch from Devil Fish. The dolphin skits are… all right. But they can’t compete.
Mike as-- Coatimundi Man!!
Joel’s Super-Dragon Jazz Trio (but I already mentioned that in the thread about musical sketches)
The KLACK commerical from First Spaceship On Venus. I rarely see anyone mention this episode or this sketch, but it’s so deadpan and yet so trippy! It should be everyone’s fave!
Kin to KLACK: The T.GI.Tokyo sketch [ETA- Gamera vs. Barugon ], which I assume draws heavily on Mike’s career as waiter even though it’s Joel being the eternally patient server. (And doing a fine job. I don’t listen to anyone who says he can’t act well. I don’t even listen to him when he says it! )
I’d say the “Pet the Llama” bit is arguably the most perfect MST3K host segment ever.
Mike’s creepy unblinking stare, Tom’s drawl, and Crow’s gradually more distressed llama impersonation are just flawless. There’s nothing you could conceivably add to that skit that could make it funnier than it already is.
Crow’s never-ending Grateful Dead guitar solo is likewise hilarious, even down to Crow’s facial expression. For anybody who frequents live gigs or plays music themselves, this skit takes on an extra level of brilliance, because we’ve all encountered the self-indulgent guitar solo in the wild, frequently performed by people who are in no way talented enough to deserve a self-indulgent guitar solo, but so far up their own butts they truly believe they’re jamming like Hendrix or in tune with the cosmic spheres or some such nonsense. (This sort of person also inevitably has a girlfriend in the band who only plays wind chimes or some other equally stupid non-instrument). Add to that the sheer meandering noodliness of Crow’s performance, and gratuitous misuse of the Wah pedal, and it just ramps that up to 11. The guy who composes this bit is a musical god to create something so inconceivably perfectly flawed.
Henceforth, all noodly guitar solos will be judged by how they stack up to Crow’s performance.
But my own contribution to the list has to be the bit with Winky from Crash of the Moons.
It’s another example of a skit that descends into pure insanity with everybody yelling over everyone else, and a character that utterly refuses to give up on the illusion they’ve spun for themselves.
When Pearl takes Brain Guy’s brain hostage and threatens to stab it. Everyone screaming and talking at once only to have Pearl calla timeout to tell Mike and the bots, “I accidentally lied” about sending them more bad movies then going back to the screaming threats and panic. Bobo is no help at all and reverts to ape aggression displays.
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