Music on MTV's "The State"

October 5, 2007 1:31 PM

I've got a question about a song played on the old MTV sketch show "The State." There was a brief sketch in which Michael Ian Black was introduced to the importance of wearing pants, followed by a montage of him joyously striding around in his newly-acquired trousers. What was the name of the song that was used in this sketch?
posted by mollymolo to media & arts (20 comments total)

OMG, was it "Cannonball" by the Breeders?

I have no idea how this was indexed in my brain.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:33 PM on October 5, 2007

It was Cannonball. It was Cannonball.
posted by Greg Nog at 1:40 PM on October 5, 2007

YES! It was absolutely "Cannonball" by the Breeders. It's seared in my brain, too. "Would you like to try some...pants?" [cue guitar]
posted by scody at 1:41 PM on October 5, 2007

Bow wah wah wah wom. Bow wah wah wah wom. Bow wah wah wah wom waaah wom wom wommm. OOOoooh OOOOooooh
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:43 PM on October 5, 2007

must....find....cd......song....in head.....forever
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 1:46 PM on October 5, 2007

Cannonball.
posted by jessamyn at 1:46 PM on October 5, 2007

Please post a YouTube link to this sketch. I've never seen it, and I NEED IT.
posted by davejay at 2:02 PM on October 5, 2007

Incidentally, I thought they were finally going to release The State on DVD... what gives?
posted by scody at 2:18 PM on October 5, 2007

Me too. I want The State on DVD so bad!

And Sifl and Olly, while we're at it. Season 1.
posted by agregoli at 2:24 PM on October 5, 2007

Supposedly it's to be released in October, but I haven't been able to track down an actual release date or place to pre-order yet.

I could have sworn that skit used to be on YouTube, but I'm not finding it at the moment.
posted by Stacey at 2:39 PM on October 5, 2007

Aha! Persistence has paid off. It's 3 minutes into this clip.
posted by Stacey at 2:44 PM on October 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Supposedly it's to be released in October, but I haven't been able to track down an actual release date or place to pre-order yet.

Alas, on the upcoming DVD, because of rights issues, most of the original music will be replaced. MTV couldn't / wouldn't go back and re-secure DVD rights for everything.

Which will be interesting, because some of the sketches actually depend on music for transitions and such. If you watch The State sketches on MTV.com, you already see this replacement in action.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:04 PM on October 5, 2007

Is it just me, or is that music not Cannonball at all? It's just a Cannonball-esque instrumental.
posted by litlnemo at 3:05 PM on October 5, 2007

Oh, I should have previewed. Was this music on ifilm.com a replacement for Cannonball used in the original sketch, then?
posted by litlnemo at 3:06 PM on October 5, 2007

Yeah, I think it is. The sketch doesn't sound right. Which is what I get for getting so excited I'd found the clip that I didn't actually watch it all the way through before posting.

I'm a little afraid to go check out the other sketches and see what other beloved musical cues they've replaced.
posted by Stacey at 3:14 PM on October 5, 2007

Alas, on the upcoming DVD, because of rights issues, most of the original music will be replaced. MTV couldn't / wouldn't go back and re-secure DVD rights for everything. Which will be interesting, because some of the sketches actually depend on music for transitions and such.

Aw, that's a pity. And yeah, the specific songs/cues really did make a difference, especially since they used a lot of great indie music of the period. This sketch does definitely lose something without "Cannonball" punctuating it at the key moment, though I wonder if that's in part just because it's burned into my brain that way.
posted by scody at 3:16 PM on October 5, 2007

No Cannonball?!? No sketch!
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 4:50 PM on October 5, 2007

For some reason seeing the cannonball video and learning that they were making that AHHOOGA sound with their mouths just ruins it for me.
posted by muscat at 5:30 PM on October 5, 2007

Great video too: Spike Jonze rules, and so do the Deal sisters. I was sooo smitten.
posted by kandinski at 7:28 PM on October 5, 2007

I'm not sure what's going on with the DVD, but the entire first season is available on iTunes. Unfortunately with the new music.
posted by Who_Am_I at 9:49 PM on October 5, 2007