EPISODE 346 — That Is Wild

[StanSitwell 811]

Good god, if Harris Wittels' or Paul Rust's dog died and he took 2 minutes to be sad about it since it came up organically, this thread would be 6 pages of people wishing him well and being sad about the dog dying...

 

Unbelievable how much the tone of the comments shifts with different guests

[Kickpuncher 5012]

I hope this isn't symptomatic of a general downturn in the show

 

Are you fucking kidding? Going by consensus reception, this has probably been the best 2- to 3-month stretch of episodes ever.

[denimgremlin 1179]

Good god, if Harris Wittels' or Paul Rust's dog died and he took 2 minutes to be sad about it since it came up organically, this thread would be 6 pages of people wishing him well and being sad about the dog dying...

 

Unbelievable how much the tone of the comments shifts with different guests

 

I agree with your sentiment, but I wonder if maybe what made it weird is Tom Green is the kind of guy who's whole routine was being intentionally off putting and playing shit really straight so it was hard to tell if he was being genuine or if this was some kind of weird bit. I dunno, he also has a weird way of speaking that makes it hard to tell if he's fucking with you, like how he kept emphasizing that they were siberian huskys over and over. maybe his years of gotcha comedy have made me suspicious of his true intentions

[HunterJE 618]

Good god, if Harris Wittels' or Paul Rust's dog died and he took 2 minutes to be sad about it since it came up organically, this thread would be 6 pages of people wishing him well and being sad about the dog dying...

 

Unbelievable how much the tone of the comments shifts with different guests

And they would have done it with some timing. If he'd brought it up at the top of the show, when the conversation was on him, it would have probably been an OK choice. Instead he brought it up in the middle of a character bit, one in which he already had shown a complete inability to give-and-take, interrupting every bit with a non-humorous road-block "hey hey I'm here too" tag. So when he drops that bomb, pretty much out-of-nowhere, it just comes off as the nuclear option of "this'll bring the subject back to 'me.'"

[StanSitwell 811]

And they would have done it with some timing. If he'd brought it up at the top of the show, when the conversation was on him, it would have probably been an OK choice. Instead he brought it up in the middle of a character bit, one in which he already had shown a complete inability to give-and-take, interrupting every bit with a non-humorous road-block "hey hey I'm here too" tag. So when he drops that bomb, pretty much out-of-nowhere, it just comes off as the nuclear option of "this'll bring the subject back to 'me.'"

 

Well I thought dogs came up in conversation, or even a dog dying so he chimed in. I guess he should have seen the mention of a dog coming ahead and gotten that out of the way at the top of the show like Harris apparently would have. I took it as, he was actually in a poor mental state due to his dog of 16 years dying and he wanted to take a moment to actually show himself, perhaps not knowing the tone of the show normally which I wont hate him for. I saw it as him being honest about who he is, sharing that he is hurt a little bit, and then moving along.

 

and in his defense, I didn't think the character work he was 'interrupting' was all that great. I guess holes in your jeans, wanting to fuck scott, and having an open pussy are level-10 comedy. I didn't think anything in this episode brought it that great comedy-wise, so I'm not with everyone hating on Tom for derailing comedy, I didn't think he derailed anything that hilarious

[EvilBunnySanta 1]

Man I have listened to every single CBB ep since like 30 every week and this was the first one I could not finish. I had to just consider this a lose. I didn't even make it to w/e dog bit everyone else is talking about and it just felt like a complete waste of my time. I cannot imagine it getting worse but apparently it did. The performers tried very hard and are very talented but just couldn't get anything to land thanks to Tom.

[freeagent 329]

i am only about 30-40 minutes in but love all these Carson impressions. Especially Trabitha's.

[Topher 90]

 

I didn't think he derailed anything that hilarious

Well, to be fair...how would you know? I mean derailing things usually make them not-hilarious (by definition).

[StanSitwell 811]

Well, to be fair...how would you know? I mean derailing things usually make them not-hilarious (by definition).

 

Judging by the comedy level of everything he didnt interrupt... I didnt finish yet, but I am not impressed by anyone's performance here

 

it's like if Kanye West jumped on stage during a Jeff Dunham show you were at... Kanye might have "ruined" the show, but I'd bet it wasn't going to be very good without the interruption

[Erudite crudite 225]

I'm pretty sure Tom was trying to throw everyone off their game. But the show is basically founded on people trying to throw people off their game, so it didn't do much, even when he kept trying to double down. (Scott did take a break right after Tom started telling the story though... it made me wonder whether he checked in during the break about whether he could make fun of Tom's dead dog.)

 

Scott's really amassing a collection of teenagers who have crushes on him. I want to see an episode with Traci, Marissa, and Trabitha all squaring off. With an unannounced guest appearance by Kulap at the end.

[HunterJE 618]

But the show is basically founded on people trying to throw people off their game...

 

In a very different way, though. The "gotcha improv" thing CBB has built is about derailing in order to elevate. When, say, Scott interrupts a PFT/Andy Daly character with a complete curve-ball, it's to force the character into an even more outrageous situation (and it's done in the form of a dare/offer rather than a "we're done with whatever you were doing"). Tom's wasn't in the mode of pushing the bit onto a new track, it was just pushing it off the side of a bridge (indeed, as discussed above, when the character guests tried to incorporate the directions he'd brought it in he repeatedly shouted over them).

[ComedyGangBang 88]

 

Well I thought dogs came up in conversation, or even a dog dying so he chimed in. I guess he should have seen the mention of a dog coming ahead and gotten that out of the way at the top of the show like Harris apparently would have........

 

You're really hung up on Harris, for some reason.

 

You can let that grudge go. I'm sure you heard what happened....

[HotSaucerman 2051]

I enjoyed Tom Green. I don't know why everybody's shitting on him. Maybe its comedy hipsterism where you pretend like you didn't love The Tom Green Show 15 years ago?

[justinmh05 1968]

I enjoyed Tom Green. I don't know why everybody's shitting on him. Maybe its comedy hipsterism where you pretend like you didn't love The Tom Green Show 15 years ago?

 

Here's the thing. You can say you don't agree, but do you really not know why people disliked his appearance? Several different people have listed several reasons why they disliked his appearance.

 

I didn't enjoy the majority of this episode because Tom Green derailed bits, showed no real interest in the character guests and consistently steered the conversation back to himself. Is he the only guest to ever do this? No. Ben Stiller, Pete Holmes, Marc Maron, John Heder, and a very small group of others have done it as well. I didn't like it in those instances either.

 

I think it's a valid complaint - even if you, Stan Sitwell or others don't happen to agree.

 

And to answer Stan, if Harris Wittels had decided to derail the podcast and make it all about himself one time, then yes, I would have complained. But he never did that (really, go back and listen) because he understood the group dynamic of Comedy Bang Bang.

[Shampoodler 1489]

This episode of The Tom Green Show infuriates me, and I hope he never invites this dog-hating Scott guy back!

 

Edit: I've just been informed this was actually just one episode of Comedy Bang Bang out of like 346, so I'll let it slide.

[zoankkambie 887]

I really don't think that this episode was that bad, but not the best either, it was just fine. Tom seemed like a guy who didn't really get the show, it has happened before and that's ok he still had some good jokes. I think that Tom tried to continue the therapy bit with his dog story at first, but got sentimental and that's understandable (even thought it brought the show down to a halt).

 

The character's where fine (the nipple sucking/inner-self bit was great), but they didn't really have space to grow. I would love to hear from both of them again. It's so great that women are finally allowed to be funny.

 

PS. If you haven't listened to Mary Holland's appearance on last weeks Hollywood Handbook, you should. It was such a funny and nice episode with three funny and nice people.

[MusicalGuest 380]

Man I have listened to every single CBB ep since like 30 every week and this was the first one I could not finish. I had to just consider this a lose. I didn't even make it to w/e dog bit everyone else is talking about and it just felt like a complete waste of my time. I cannot imagine it getting worse but apparently it did. The performers tried very hard and are very talented but just couldn't get anything to land thanks to Tom.

 

I'm with you but you really can't blame it all on Tom. Especially prior to the dog thing, he really didn't do anything wrong. The Wild Horses crew is certainly talented, but in this instance what they brought to the table wasn't working. The episode was a pretty abject failure, but it was not the fault of only one person.

[HipsterNonsense 402]

I enjoyed Tom Green. I don't know why everybody's shitting on him. Maybe its comedy hipsterism where you pretend like you didn't love The Tom Green Show 15 years ago?

Saying you don't like something an artist does later on in their career doesn't mean you're pretending that you never liked anything they've done. I also don't think that feedback based on Tom's appearance on this show has anything to do with how people felt about his career before or after the fact. In the comments section of the episode Dane Cook did a few months ago numerous people said they weren't fond of him during the peak of his popularity, but they enjoyed him on the podcast. Some of which said they'd be willing to give his new material a try. It seems like you're trying to act like people wanted to shit on this episode without even listening just because Tom was on it. While that may be true for a small amount of people, it seems like the majority of the listeners were willing to give this a try and found problems with it only after they listened.

 

For whatever it's worth, I liked Tom Green 15 years ago. I've even gone back as recently as a year or two ago and watched some of his old bits on youtube. They were funny to me then and I still laugh at them now. If it's funny it's funny, if it's not then it isn't. Of course comedy is subjective so whether or not he or anything else is funny is merely a matter of opinion and not an absolute fact. That being said just because I have a differing opinion than yours doesn't mean that I belong in a group of people that you've created in order to rationalize someone having a separate opinion. It's like saying you're racist if you don't like a certain black comedian or you're homophobic if you don't like a specific LGBT comedian. While not IMPOSSIBLE, it's a bit of a reach.

[pokey_valentine 115]

Tom Green did what Tom Green does, and it would be insane to expect him to have any regard for improv etiquette or to be something other than Tom Green.

 

For Tom Green to work on this podcast, the improvisers would have to account for his being Tom Green. I'm not sure if anyone could, and if they could, I'm not sure they'd be willing to, but if they could and they would, they would have to be loud, aggressive, and accepting of the possibility that Tom Green will be actually mad/upset with them and even leave. James Adomian and Jon Gabrus are about the only ones who come to mind. All due respect to Mary Holland and Erin Whitehead (and this is no insult), but their style is not compatible with Tom Green style.

[Erudite crudite 225]

Gabrus or Adomian would obviously do great, but I think any of the strong, established characters could stand up to Tom's dourness. Marissa Wompler, Victor and Tiny, or Don Demillo could all balance him out just fine. Trabitha is still a little too one-note. (But so were all those characters originally. have high hopes for her. I want to know more about get home life and family.)

[Bernard_Shakey 3484]

Tom Green did what Tom Green does, and it would be insane to expect him to have any regard for improv etiquette or to be something other than Tom Green.

 

Exactly. Tom was fine. Imagine if he had been boisterous and frantic with physical gags and stuff. This forum would be going ape-shit.

To me, Tom was genuine. How could he not bring up his dead dogs after dogs were mentioned? I'm sure it's a constant in his mind right now. Yes it prob made everyone a little uncomfortable, but that's what his entire comedy career has been based on.

It all comes down to chemistry (Walter White). These 3 guests just didn't mesh quite as well as anyone had hoped.

[ieatpants 720]

mary holland was channeling a bit of susan windchime -- wonderful.

 

tom green was very... tom green-ish. he is like some sort of canadian shocking disc jockey.

[HipGuide 196]

 

Exactly. Tom was fine. Imagine if he had been boisterous and frantic with physical gags and stuff. This forum would be going ape-shit.

To me, Tom was genuine. How could he not bring up his dead dogs after dogs were mentioned? I'm sure it's a constant in his mind right now. Yes it prob made everyone a little uncomfortable, but that's what his entire comedy career has been based on.

It all comes down to chemistry (Walter White). These 3 guests just didn't mesh quite as well as anyone had hoped.

 

 

Not all anti-comedy is the same.

[Razor Boy 152]

Maybe not a grepisode, but certainly a goopisode.

 

I thought that the dead dog thing was the funniest part of the podcast. My roommate and I definitely laughed the hardest then.

 

Also, the complaints in this thread seem to hover around the argument that Tom didn't respect the form. But as a first-timer who isn't an improv guy and isn't familiar with the format, what would you expect? He's not coming on CBB to make a show for you. Plus, Scott seemed to be having a lot of fun.

 

I wonder if Tom's webovision show has forums, and what their reaction might be to Hot Soccermom.

[DEATHMAN 3317]

I dunno, he also has a weird way of speaking that makes it hard to tell if he's fucking with you, like how he kept emphasizing that they were siberian huskys over and over.

I've been thinking about this all day