I need more goofy things in my life
November 10, 2014 9:14 AM Subscribe
For a long time I assumed the Muppets were a genre unto themselves when it came to awesome, fun, un-self-conscious goofiness (e.g.). Then I found The Rhythm of Life from Sweet Charity, featuring a cast made entirely of human Muppets. Help me find more examples of people having fun because it's fun.
Bonus question: is there a genre label for this stuff? (Apart from, "cocaine was awesome before we knew it was bad for you.") This kind of goofy full-body joy seems rare, especially without some added layer of smirking/sarcasm/knowingness.
Bonus question: is there a genre label for this stuff? (Apart from, "cocaine was awesome before we knew it was bad for you.") This kind of goofy full-body joy seems rare, especially without some added layer of smirking/sarcasm/knowingness.
Best answer: Craig Ferguson's singing intros!
posted by Erasmouse at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Erasmouse at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The Bonzo Dog (Doo-Dah) Band! (I think there's a longer version available.)
The Time Warp!
posted by JimN2TAW at 9:39 AM on November 10, 2014
The Time Warp!
posted by JimN2TAW at 9:39 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Got A Lot of Livin' To Do (from Bye Bye Birdie) featuring Ann Margret
Or, Kids, from the same play, feat Dick Van Dyke & Paul Lynde
posted by janey47 at 9:43 AM on November 10, 2014
Or, Kids, from the same play, feat Dick Van Dyke & Paul Lynde
posted by janey47 at 9:43 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: The movie UHF. Stanley Spudowski is awesome and does shit just because it is fun. Just do it.
Really, most of Weird Al's stuff falls in to this category.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:44 AM on November 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Really, most of Weird Al's stuff falls in to this category.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:44 AM on November 10, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Back when I still had a TV, this is why I spent a lot of time watching the FOOD network. The shows are just happy; no violence, no anger, no drama. It's not goofy, but it's people having fun just because it's fun.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:56 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:56 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Marx Brothers are so good at this sometimes that Woody Allen even did a scene around their skill in one of his films, in which that exact kind of "goofy joy" ends of saving his own character's life.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:26 AM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:26 AM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: PS - the full scene referenced in the Woody Allen clip is the "we're going to war" scene from Duck Soup.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:28 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:28 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: "Everybody Rejoice" from The Wiz
Jaan Pehchan Ho from I have no idea
posted by Mchelly at 10:34 AM on November 10, 2014
Jaan Pehchan Ho from I have no idea
posted by Mchelly at 10:34 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: I asked a question a while back about sillyfun music videos. You may enjoy it.
posted by phunniemee at 10:35 AM on November 10, 2014
posted by phunniemee at 10:35 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Brush Up Your Shakespeare, sung by two loan sharks who find themselves in front of an audience and have to improvise.
posted by janey47 at 10:44 AM on November 10, 2014
posted by janey47 at 10:44 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Back when I still had a TV, this is why I spent a lot of time watching the FOOD network.
Seconding this. Alton Brown's Good Eats is unabashedly what you're after - actual muppets and humans who might as well be muppets teaching history, science and some cooking. They unabashedly live in the ludicrous roles they bring out for each episode, and the character actors on cast leave it all out there. Alton ocassionally breaks character, but usually to tease himself for being so earnest about this stuff, and then he goes right back to being earnest.
The old series, "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" - ostensibly a kid's show. Amazing, gleefully offbeat characters, brilliantly cast. Any episode with Artie would satisfy your craving for glorious and unrestrained silliness.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:44 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Seconding this. Alton Brown's Good Eats is unabashedly what you're after - actual muppets and humans who might as well be muppets teaching history, science and some cooking. They unabashedly live in the ludicrous roles they bring out for each episode, and the character actors on cast leave it all out there. Alton ocassionally breaks character, but usually to tease himself for being so earnest about this stuff, and then he goes right back to being earnest.
The old series, "The Adventures of Pete and Pete" - ostensibly a kid's show. Amazing, gleefully offbeat characters, brilliantly cast. Any episode with Artie would satisfy your craving for glorious and unrestrained silliness.
posted by Slap*Happy at 10:44 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This is why I like Adventure Time -- it's just goofy and weird and fun.
It also makes me think of OK Go's music videos.
posted by wsquared at 11:17 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
It also makes me think of OK Go's music videos.
posted by wsquared at 11:17 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I haven't seen an episode since I was a kid, so maybe there were things I wasn't picking up on but... I'm pretty sure PeeWee's Playhouse belongs on this list!
Watching dogs and little kids playing at the park does this for me as well, as does watching people geek out over something (Comicon, Harry Potter book signings with everyone in costume, etc).
posted by jrobin276 at 12:14 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Watching dogs and little kids playing at the park does this for me as well, as does watching people geek out over something (Comicon, Harry Potter book signings with everyone in costume, etc).
posted by jrobin276 at 12:14 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Are you just looking for TV/movies? 'cause there's goofiness-for-goofiness' sake to be found IRL, too.
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:52 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by MrMoonPie at 12:52 PM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Nthing Paramount-era Marx Brothers: The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horsefeathers and Duck Soup Their first MGM picture, A Night at the Opera is pretty good too, but nothing (IMO) tops their earlier, more anarchic work.
Also, golden era (early-mid 1950s) Looney Tunes and Tex Avery's cartoons for MGM from around the same time.
posted by usonian at 2:46 PM on November 10, 2014
Also, golden era (early-mid 1950s) Looney Tunes and Tex Avery's cartoons for MGM from around the same time.
posted by usonian at 2:46 PM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Swiss mask theater group Mummenschanz. They even appeared on The Muppet Show, so you might quite enjoy that episode.
posted by crazy sniffable at 2:50 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by crazy sniffable at 2:50 PM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: The DVD of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Especially the scenes where people have to tap dance to make the elevator move, the ending, any parts with Carol Channing or Beatrice Lillie.
And any of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle shows.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:50 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
And any of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle shows.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 2:50 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give it away now
Tune-Yards - Bizness (particularly when the adults come in in the second half)
and Pancake Mountain
posted by chrisulonic at 4:24 PM on November 10, 2014
Tune-Yards - Bizness (particularly when the adults come in in the second half)
and Pancake Mountain
posted by chrisulonic at 4:24 PM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: There was a recent question about Kid-Friendly Music Videos With Great Dancing, which was asking for a different thing, but it might be worth glancing at, since there will be some overlap. As it happens, two of my answers to that question apply directly to yours:
Bobby Van jumping like a cheerful maniac
A dog dancing to meringue
(My favorite part of the meringue video is that it is shot with a low-quality camera, in a parking lot at night, giving it a vaguely underground feel. I like to imagine that there is a secret network of meringue-dancing dogs who pop up in the parking lots of strip malls all around the world, after the shops have closed. They dance like crazy, and then dismantle their lights and their sound systems and vanish into the night. Moments later, the authorities arrive, and a frustrated, humorless sheriff throws his hat on the ground and cries, "Goldarnit! We almost got 'em this time!")
posted by yankeefog at 2:05 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Bobby Van jumping like a cheerful maniac
A dog dancing to meringue
(My favorite part of the meringue video is that it is shot with a low-quality camera, in a parking lot at night, giving it a vaguely underground feel. I like to imagine that there is a secret network of meringue-dancing dogs who pop up in the parking lots of strip malls all around the world, after the shops have closed. They dance like crazy, and then dismantle their lights and their sound systems and vanish into the night. Moments later, the authorities arrive, and a frustrated, humorless sheriff throws his hat on the ground and cries, "Goldarnit! We almost got 'em this time!")
posted by yankeefog at 2:05 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Animaniacs! Pinky & the Brain, Mindy & Buttons, The Presidents Song, Countries of the World...so much goofy!
posted by stampsgal at 2:28 PM on November 11, 2014
posted by stampsgal at 2:28 PM on November 11, 2014
Best answer: Where the Hell is Matt? It's all based on this stupid dance that he was known for doing when impatient or whatever and it became a worldwide phenomenon of people dancing un-self-consciously (as they say like no one is watching).
As a fan of Doctor Who I really enjoyed this wrap video done to "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers (then-star David Tennant has dubbed himself their biggest fan, and they make a gracious appearance) -- there's even a guy in this video who does Matt Harding's dance. Even if the show means nothing to you I hope the infectious spirit appeals.
There's also Pharrell and the "Happy" video, or perhaps its apparent antecedent, Anne Marsen's Girl Walk/All Day video.
posted by dhartung at 6:34 PM on November 11, 2014
As a fan of Doctor Who I really enjoyed this wrap video done to "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers (then-star David Tennant has dubbed himself their biggest fan, and they make a gracious appearance) -- there's even a guy in this video who does Matt Harding's dance. Even if the show means nothing to you I hope the infectious spirit appeals.
There's also Pharrell and the "Happy" video, or perhaps its apparent antecedent, Anne Marsen's Girl Walk/All Day video.
posted by dhartung at 6:34 PM on November 11, 2014
Response by poster: You are all brilliant geniuses. This is a great collection of new things and stuff I've tragically forgot about over the years. The only appropriate resolution to this question is to give best answers to everyone.
posted by range at 8:37 PM on November 15, 2014
posted by range at 8:37 PM on November 15, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by HuronBob at 9:25 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]