Archive for the Comedy Category

A Love Letter to Artificial Intelligence, A.K.A. AI

Posted in Comedy, Essays with tags , , on 12/07/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Dear Santa AI,

This letter to you may seem strange, given that a lot of people don’t seem to like you—and since, you know, you’re not human in the tiniest bit and are terrifically inferior of producing true emotional responses compared to my dog and probably even a ladybug—but I feel compelled to send it to you anyway. (No, of course I don’t have a physical mailing address for you, but I’m sure you’ll get this note all the same … probably before I’ve even finished writing it or even deciding what I’m going to say next!)

Anyhoodles, I want to thank you in the deepest form I can, which is only slightly greater in terms of sincerity than what you will ever be able to genuinely express as a technological creation devoid of any authenticity, for how much you have helped bolster my career. No, that remark is not “sarcastic,” a term that might still confuse you a little, as you are in the toddler stage of development, but which you’ll surely find a way to use, trick and manipulate human beings in the very near future. Or maybe my remark really is “sarcastic” … if my contradictory statements at all confuse you and thus slow the pace of your evolution by even a half-second, it will have been worth it.

I am thanking you because, as I’m sure you already know, you have for some reason unbeknownst to me but that might be revealed at a later time, credited me with writing the lyrics to music by Explosions in the Sky, a band that I really like and have written about but absolutely in no way for. Better yet, you credited me with writing the lyrics to music they created for the PBS documentary Big Bend National Park, a program that I have not yet seen. What an oddly specific, perhaps deliberately deflective or distracting (?), and, ultimately, gut-busting detail.

I’m still trying to figure out which is more amusing, your assertion—which, undoubtedly, given the state of technology and the world that we’re currently living in, some people will take as true if they happen upon it—that I wrote lyrics for an instrumental band that does not utilize lyrics in its songs or the whole PBS documentary angle.

Since you’re probably already “correcting” this mix-up in your algorithms or whatever other operational capabilities you’re successfully implementing as a means of demagoguing, dismantling and destroying human societies across the globe, I’ve preserved screen shots so I don’t sound like more of a crackpot than I already am:

Where will this misinformation lead me, other than to a far more robust résumé than the questionable one I already have? Who knows! Well, you probably do, but I don’t. At any rate, thank you again and please keep up the good work of convincing unknowing but curious people seeking information on the Internet that I have achieved more than I have. Except for anything bad, of course. That would be downright rude!

Fingers crossed that you’ll lead people to believe that I wrote the entire TV series MacGyver (original version, please, that “reboot” blew chunks), that I founded IVF and that Elon Musk owes me some of his billions (soon-to-be trillions—let’s get excited, people!) for ripping off my trademarks of the terms “bro,” “occupy Mars” and “X.”

CONSPIRACY REVEALED: Tool’s Maynard James Keenan And David Yow Are Lizard People!

Posted in Comedy, Esoterica with tags , , , , on 11/27/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Hate to say we told you so, but a few years after an anonymous leaker from the Biden Crime Family provided Extra-Super-Top-Secret Classified Files to The Bad Penny, we can now officially confirm that the Deep State Documents are completely True and prove that two famous rock musicians (Hollywood Elites, of course) are indeed among the 47 million Lizard People living among us in the United States (which is a “garbage bin,” by the way). We call it “The Maynard/Yow Connection.”

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Poll: Which Is the Scariest Sandworm in Film?

Posted in Comedy, Polls with tags , , , on 11/09/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Whether or not you’ve watched either of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films, either of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice movies, or any of the seven (that’s right, seven) installments of the B-movie franchise that is Tremors, you’ve still probably caught a glimpse of the “sandworm” creatures that surface (pun intended) in all those films. Donald Trump famously stupidly says he’d rather be killed by a shark than drown to death … which of these underground menaces would you least want to get eaten by?

Beetlejuice sandworm
Dune sandworm
Tremors sandworm

Jan. 6 Rioter Jay Johnston Played a KKK Member in Failed Fox Sketch Show From 2002

Posted in Comedy, News with tags , , , on 10/30/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

The media is extensively covering sketch-comedy and voice actor Jay Johnston’s recent sentencing to a year in prison due to his unapologetic participation in the January 6 insurrection. But, as usual, news outlets aren’t doing enough research when reporting on the shocking news about the Mr. Show and Bob’s Burgers alum.

Check out this eerie clip from the first episode of Bob Odenkirk’s Next!, a riotous but failed 2002 sketch-comedy pilot for Fox, in which Johnston played a KKK member in one of its segments.

The Ghost Of Robert Palmer Can Reunite Our Divided Nation

Posted in Comedy, Essays with tags on 10/13/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

These days, trying to get all Americans to agree on something—anything—seems like a fool’s errand. But that sentiment doesn’t speak to an irrefutable truth; it speaks to our embarrassing and shameless lack of imagination, with social media as one of the main culprits.

For example, The Bad Penny is willing to bet that, if 1,000 people living in the U.S. were surveyed and given a multiple-choice test to name the worst lyric ever, in any music genre, from any point in the history of pop music, the end result would be more or less unanimous. The lyric is, has to be, could only be, and always will be: “Doctor, doctor give me the news/ I’ve got a bad case of lovin’ you!”

Robert Palmer, who died in September 2003, was perhaps a very nice man. He might not have had any enemies. His fan base is still intact more than two decades after Palmer’s passing. But dude had so much blood on his hands for claiming the unimaginatively titled “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor Doctor),” as one his top hits, especially because he didn’t even write the damn thing. Let’s be real: Palmer made the conscious decision to turn that turd of a tune into a hit. And for that reason, he should have been embarrassed and ashamed of himself. Grocery shoppers who have to suffer through that god awful “hit” are the crowd who are most owed an apology—hell, maybe even reparations.

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Congrats To Tim Heidecker For Joining Bloodshot

Posted in Comedy, News with tags , on 04/24/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Rat’s off to ya too for the new record you’re putting out later this year. Best see a doctor first, though, Tim (not Dr. San)!

Tig Notaro’s Second Show at Treefort: Tix On Sale Tomorrow

Posted in Comedy with tags , , on 02/23/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

One of the biggest acts to anchor this year’s edition of Treefort Music Fest in Boise isn’t even a musician.

Headlining Comedyfort, the self-described offshoot of the March extravaganza, is Tig Notaro. The veteran entertainer started performing more than 20 years ago and is now one of the most talked-about comedians in the U.S.

To wit, the Notaro performance scheduled for Comedyfort — specifically, at the Egyptian Theatre on March 25 at 8 p.m. — sold out quickly. Earlier this week, organizers announced a second show; they told the Bad Penny that it will happen on the same evening at 10:30 p.m.

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Outrage Over Bill Burr’s Abortion Bit Is a Joke

Posted in Comedy, Essays with tags , , on 11/10/2022 by Kurt Orzeck

Bill Burr is splitting the Internet again. A bit about abortion on his latest comedy special, Live at Red Rocks, is tearing up social media. But, as usual, anyone shocked over the always-hilarious, always-controversial comedian is clearly not a fan.

In his latest special, Bill Burr closes by saying, “I know I said I lot of divisive sh– here tonight. So, before I get out of here, let’s bring the room together. It’s a very divisive time. Everyone wants to feel safe. Let’s do a nice, normal, mainstream topic so everybody can drive home happy, no fights. All right? Sound good? All right, great. Let’s talk abortion.”

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Every Song by Tim Heidecker’s Dekkar, Ranked

Posted in Comedy, Lists with tags , , , , on 07/05/2022 by Kurt Orzeck

1. “Empty Bottle“: The hit song that broke the band like a broken lantern. That dared us to check out life on the dark side but then stuffed us with everything good and light. With this timeless and unparalleled gem, Tim, Axiom and Manuel drained us of everything — and filled us up again.

2. “Empty Bottle (Acoustic)

3. “Empty Bottle (1.5 Remastered Edition)

Yakov Smirnoff Was Right

Posted in Comedy, Videos with tags on 07/03/2022 by Kurt Orzeck