Saturday, February 28, 2009

Poseidon. Look at Me!

The Lonely Island troupe have garnished a reputation for themselves as captains of viral video entertainment. First mates since grade school, Andy Samburg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone split off to study film and theater at USCS, NYU, and UCLA. Reconvening in 2001, they formed a crew and have been writing and directing both off and on the internet. Their original claim to fame was a commandeering by Keifer Sutherland a la "Jack Bower" while the troupe was filming an episode of one of their online internet series. Ever since, The Lonely Island has sped ahead full flank, by and large, towards fame and success. Starboard.



Nautical nonsense aside, why we find these videos so funny sails beyond creative goofiness and dives into a satire of common convention. "Dick in a box" wasn't funny just because it featured an R 'n B song with silly lyrics, but because it boiled down the act of holiday gift giving to what it often symbolizes - a sign of sexual commitment to your (possibly several) significant other(s). Even "Jizz in My Pants" turns the table a bit by taking the assertions of male sexual ability found in club/dance music and making the lyrics about men unable to satisfy, well, anyone, but themselves (whether or not that puts a spotlight on reality, you decide). Even "I'm on a Boat" has its own social commentary amidst a delightful fog of general silliness.

Above is their most recent conquest. A hero's tale of fortune - Samburg and his squab are seated at the mess deck when treasure abounds from their very food. Affording them the opportunity to explore the reaches of caucasian prestige, The Lonely Island crew sets their sights to the past-time of wealthy white men - Yachting. T-Pain serves as their bard guide, navigating the way through their mockery of materialism, socioeconomic elitism, masculine conquest, and racial stereotyping through song (and beats). All hands on deck. Comedy Ahoy.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Awesome. I appreciate the way these guys break down social norms. I say the same about Dave Chapelle and anybody else who boldly shuns, nay, MOCKS! conventional behavior, especially if they can do it by making people laugh (and without offending the dumb people)... kinda like futurama.

Stephen said...

I didn't get the Kevin Garnett line until I saw a video of him on YouTube. Apparently Garnett screams "anything is possible!" a bunch of times during an interview after winning the NBA championship with the Celtics.