Bob And David Remind Us Again Of How Uncool TV Executives Are
The Onion's Decider has a good interview with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross today about some shows they're doing together in Chicago. There are all of the usual questions everyone asks of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, and also there's this answer by Bob, after David hangs up:
Bob: When you asked if we were gonna work together in the future, what could we say? There has to be a buyer who wants us. And as much as we have fans, clearly nobody likes us well enough to make a show with us. They'll all have a meeting with us, but even HBO doesn't want to have a show with us.D: You guys have another show idea?
Bob: Yeah, we do, actually. We pitched it. We went to Showtime and HBO. It's a progression of Mr. Show. When we wrote Mr. Show, we would write sketches and then we would link them up. We wrote sketches that came out of a sense of story. So we want to do that show now. It would still be like Mr. Show, but the sketches wouldn't be constructed separate from each other. It would be a fundamentally different show because of that.
D: So you pitched it around?
BO: We did, and basically everyone said, "Oh, we don't have any money right now. Come back next year." It's always been this way. It's always been difficult for us because we have fans. We even have fans at networks--at HBO and Showtime--but it's just not good enough. I think the hard part is the bosses at those networks have never been fans of ours. They've never really watched us or known who we were or given a shit. So the problem is even if the lower-level executives like you, they can't order shows. They just act like they can.
That sounds depressing, but surely Obama will get around to fixing this soon, right after North Korea and Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And, actually, as frustrated as Bob sounds, both Bob and David have stuff going on separately. BUT! Also in the interview, they brought up peoples' favorite Mr. Show sketches, including "The Story Of Everest," which I just watched for about the 100th time and was HOWLING laughing so hard I'm sure my neighbors could hear me. So here's that. "I would like to hear a funny story!"
SEVEN FUCKING MINUTES, ladies and gentlemen. That is how entertaining that show was: seven minutes is a lifetime now. If anyone's Mom or Dad is a really high-up HBO exec who can order shows, please give them shit for this along with some behavior-reinforcing praise for Eastbound And Down.
Posted by Lindsay at 3:30 PM in Behind The Scenes, Interviews
Tags: Bob Odenkirk | David Cross | Mr. Show | Mr. Show With Bob And David
Bob Odenkirk is now too old for sketch comedy.
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and you're too young to attempt any type of abstract thinking
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Obviously, given your post makes absolutely no sense to me.
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It was an attempt to explain the fact that your brain, cognitively, has not yet quite evolved; therefore, you are unable to produce any higher-ordered thinking critiques. Also, it was a play on duality to counteract your "old" statement. better?
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Bob and David actually did have a show called "David's Situation" lined up for HBO a year or so ago, but for whatever reason (they say they were the ones who nixed it) it didn't make it past an un-aired pilot. On their website, they posted a clip from it -- it features Zach Galifianakis and lots o' hilarity. I wouldn't say it's Mr. Show caliber, but it's not really fair to judge from this one clip. Anyway, here you go - rub it in your eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwtnY4QmZs4
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I was really looking forward to this before it got called off, especially because I believe they set up shop in the Everybody Loves Raymond set. Cramazing.
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I'm the biggest Bob and David fan in the galaxy (hyperbole!) but I wasn't that impressed. I could see why they nixed it.
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I like how they mention The Audition in the interview too, which was always one of my favorites.
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Not mentioned in the interview, but the Pre-Taped Call in Show was always one of my favorites. They really excelled at mise en abyme and meta sketches.
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That's my favorite sketch of all time. Even though I own the DVDs I have that bit separate on my computer to show to people who are ignorant about Mr. Show (sadly, they exist).
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Pre-taped Call-In Show is awesome on so many levels.
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Make it sketch vampire comedy.
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I know. True Blood is the most popular show on the network, and Bob and David can't even sell a pilot. This must be what living in Iran feels like.
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I was in a Christian Rock band, it's New Wave mixed with a little rap... NO honey, Jennifer and Crystal Knockers are two different people, I never went out with Crystal Knockers, she's a porn star, we were both in this blow-job competition... Oh that's just Crystal's boyfriend, he's mad because I beat her in the competition... the MOST people! That's why they have a drink named after me here.. No, it's called the Ultimate Dicksucker! But then I was born again, and I joined that band, and then I met Jennifer, and then I quit the band, and then Jennifer and I got engaged, and then I called that off, and then I lucked into that porn film, well what? I'm sure you did a few things that you're not very proud of, Miss Tex-Mex!
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Mr. Show was the best... i don't know if they could do the same sort of thing justice a second time around, though lightning in a bottle and all that. BUT...at this point those guys should have as many shows as they want. they've earned it.
I used the phrase "Taint Misbehavin'" earlier today, actually. :)
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Bob is completely contradicting himself here. A little blurb from their website (bobanddavid.com) about the HBO pilot way back in October:
"HBO was AWESOME to let us shoot it, and we are the ones who nixed going forward with the show....OH, and once again, HBO didn't nix the show, WE did...so don't get mad at them. They are on our side and we're hoping to work with them in the future."
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he's talking about "David's Situation" on the website. the show he's referring to in the interview is a different show they developed afterwards.
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My bad, I shoulda read the entire interview (rather than just the videogum excerpt) before commenting. Still, it's all pretty confusing. Bob and David pitch a meta-sitcom, HBO gives them the green light, but Bob and David nix it. Months later, Bob and David pitch a new sketch comedy show, but HBO nixes it. It's just a weird sequence of events.
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He's not contradicting himself at all. What you're referring to is the "David's Situation," which Bob and David themselves chose not to pursue after shooting. What he's talking about pitching NOW is a different show...
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story of everest = one of the funniest things ever. even better is the commentary in which i believe they mention that it's based (somewhat) on a true story.
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Bob and David need to set up a site with a big thermometer on it and at the top of that thermometer it says 'New Mr. Show show', and then they'll take donations and when they have enough, they'll make this new Mr. Show show for us, and just release them straight to the Internets or DVD or something. Skip the TV network executives and all that crap. You'll be the Radiohead of TV. Or something.
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...But I want them back. :( Why is it so hard for them to get a tv show?
I mean, Bob does all the online stuff for Adult Swim. Why don't they get a show there?
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because they pay their talent $5 per show
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I'll tell you why there's no money. Now let's talk about this arts funding. It's reminds me of the story of the traveling salesman. Now let's say the taxpayer is a farmer, and the government is the salesman.
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We have the technology, the time is now, we must blow up the moon.
Might have screwed that up a bit, but in the autumn, NASA is firing a rocket at the motherfuckn moon.
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my advice: "try try try again, head first this time, dive right in"
From "Try Again" (Adam's Song)
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I saw Tetro just to see the things that I figured would work and it had that...why is the bar so fucking low? I had such hope for what HBO could become after the Sopranos...
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I was on a flight and the dude next to me was watching Mr. Show on a GIANT laptop, so I couldn't help peeking. I was good at first, only making furtive glances, but then the Everest skit hit and I lost it. I howled so loud I woke up the guy next to me and the laptop dude took off his headphones and looked at me like I was a snoop. Hey, don't watch Mr. Show and not share, jerk.
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"Honey, where are all the bags??"
"In the bag hutch!"
"No shit!"
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