IAs a producer of a morning radio show, I spend countless hours scouring the internet for comedy treasures. I wish I could say that outside of work I’m completely offline, happily pursuing real-world activities like jogging, baking, and not dreading the news, but that would be a total lie. No, this 21st century woman is addicted! And if there’s anything I’ve learned from putting together this list… it’s that I’m glued to the internet. very someday.
So, in tribute to my decades of drug addiction, here are some classics from the good old days of dial-up. Enjoy those good old modem sounds!
1. Charlie and friends go to the mysterious Candy Mountain
First off, here’s a video that YouTube says is 16 years old. 16! Who am I to hold on to my youth? It’s… Charlie the Unicorn. Remember that? My sister and I used to watch this almost every day in school and yell “avoid atheists” until my dad left the house. It was so much fun.
2. Jurassic Park Theme Song (Melodica Cover)
Another classic. This one takes something I love (great movies) and pokes fun at it by mixing melodica into it. PS: I know you’re probably worried about my sense of humor already. I understand, but bear with me.
3. May the people’s poet rest in peace
I love Rik Mayall. He is one of the British comedians who has shaped my sense of humour a lot. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie… you get the point. In this clip, a young Rik Mayall performs his poem “Theatre” in front of an audience. I love watching Rick’s character evolve over time. Watch it here Another rendition of the same performance. May the people’s poet rest in peace.
This is a Dan Brown-style review of Dan Brown’s book “Inferno.” It’s cruel, unnecessarily mean, and just awesome. My favorite lines include “The reviewer said his writing was poorly written, grammatically incorrect, and repetitive,” and “Famous author Dan Brown smiled, the corners of his mouth curling upwards in delight.” If you’ve never read Dan Brown’s books and therefore don’t understand these quotes, I envy you.
5. Liza Minnelli tries to turn off the lamp
Any list of internet comedy gold standard is bound to include a solid but overly long SNL sketch — that’s the rule — so in my case, I chose Kristen Wiig’s surprisingly funny “Liza Minnelli Tries to Turn Off the Lamp.”
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6. Woo Gu
Chris Fleming is an American comedian and actor. He does a lot of stuff online and I love all of it. But Wildly Unlikable Guy is especially great. Reading it has made me feel less bad about some of the conversations I have at parties (which is amazing, because most of the conversations I have at parties make me feel bad).
7. Don’t say no to a panda
I like seeing generally “good” things do bad things: the dog ripping up the whole couch; A little kid running with a knife“Never Say No to a Panda” is a series of commercials for Arab Dairy’s Panda Cheese. The commercials feature a giant, friendly panda who gets nauseated when people (politely) decide not to use his brand of cheese. Here are some of my favourites from the campaign:
8. Shooting Star
I’ll be honest, I watch a lot of AFL memes (particularly the ones on the Carlton Memes Instagram account, especially after they’ve won a game), but last season a player named Tom Hawkins got shoved to the ground and took a bit of a beating with his fall. You know what I mean? Almost instantly this video appeared online, and for some reason I found it funny and have been laughing at it ever since.
9. Rejected lyrics from the theme song of HBO’s Succession
Demi Adejuyigbe is a fantastic comedian and I first discovered him online through his hit show September Video Clips. He’s truly set a new standard for great online content. This clip is much more lo-fi but just as great. I can honestly say that once you watch the video, you won’t be able to stop singing this song. Intention It will ruin Success for you, but I think it will still be worth it.
