All language subtitles for The.History.Of.Comedy.S01E07_English

Is there a difference
between parody and satire?

I mean, obviously
parody is ‐‐ man!

I dont know.

Well...

You know, Jerry, my brother,

and Jim Abrahams always
have an answer for that.

I I think of...

I dont know.

Go look it up in the dictionary.

Im sure they have wonderful,

better descriptions
of what the word is.

Man: Parody is essentially
a take‐off.

Parody is like what
"Weird" Al Yankovic goes.

I think were done here.

[ Laughter ]

Oh, hold on one second.
Satire is hard.

Man: Satire is a more serious

an intensive form
of comic derision.

Satire is humor
with a moral purpose.

Making fun of things
so that they might get better.

You are trying
to make a social point.

To me, good satire is...

The greatest weapon
against assholes.

And, you know, the world
is full of assholes.

This is Captain James T. Kirk
of the Starship Enterprise.

Identify yourself.

Smith: "SNL" does parody
all the time.

Name a cartoon,
they trade in it.

"Lord of the Rings."

Smith:
Name a late‐night talk show,

they trade in it.
Why?

Because its common reference.

Like, we all know
the thing theyre parodying.

Parody is very much taking
something that we recognize,

a song that everybody knows,
a movie that everybody knows.

Its a very grand tradition
of taking known forms

and skewing them just enough
to make a comment about them.

OBrien: In "Your Show of Shows"
in the 1950s,

they were parodying things
that people knew,

like the famous kissing scene
in "From Here to Eternity."

Everybody in America
had seen that movie.

It was something that
everybody could relate to.

And then everyone feels like,

"Yes, were all
in this together."

[ Laughter ]

Burnett: When we did a takeoff
on "Gone With the Wind,"

the younger audience didnt know
the original movie.

For those who did
know the movie,

it was a double whammy.

That gown is gorgeous!

Thank you,
I saw it in the window,

and I just
couldnt resist it.

Parody tends to
make me laugh harder,

but satire tends to make me
go, "Ooh, thats good."

Thats 11 votes
for Amy Schumer

not hot enough
for television.

Is anybody voting
the other way?

Reiner: Amy Schumer did a piece
about "12 Angry Men."

Thats a great
gem piece of satire.

You look at people
who just get it.

They get what it is,

and they dont try
to make it too big,

they dont try to go
too broad with it.

They just stay a little
close to the bone

and just twist it a little bit.

Its an undisputed fact
that a womans value

is mostly determined
by her looks.

As it should be.

The verdict is in.

The jury agreed
that they would bang you.

Yes!

Youre hot enough
for basic cable television.

Thank you, Your Honor!
Thank you so much!

You earn the right to be
transgressive by being funny ‐‐

really funny,
and then making sure

that youre not
making fun of the victims.

Satire is comedy
aimed at the powerful.

Man #1: Is that
who I think it is?

Man #2: Uh, yes, thats
Adolf Hitler in a home movie.

Man #1: Looks a little like
Mel Brooks.

In terms of parody and satire,
there really is Mel Brooks,

and theres everybody else.

When I was a kid,
VHS tapes were invented,

so we had "The Godfather,"

and then we had
every Mel Brooks movie,

and he was just the funniest.

Id like to go back
to your television days,

cause, I mean, you were
in television for something

like 20 years,
writing for Sid Caesar.

It was very good for me
to be part of the writing staff

of "The Show of Shows,"
"The Sid Caesar Show."

You talk about as though
it was a training ground

for your film work.

I mean, is that how you see it?

Comedy university,
it really was.

Nesteroff: Mel Brooks was one of
the highest paid comedy writers

in the history of show business

when he worked
for "Your Show of Shows."

So by the time
of "The Producers,"

he was one of the most
critically acclaimed

people in comedy.

Joseph? You are smoking
in the presence of the Fuhrer.

Im sorry, big daddy.

"The Producers" was not the
first attempt to parody Hitler.

Ernst Lubitsch had done it.

Heil myself.

The Three Stooges did it
in a couple of film shorts.

But it really was the embodiment

of a lot of what
Mel Brooks was about.

He does have this
Hitler obsession.

Brooks: Theres only
one way to get even.

You have to bring him
down with ridicule,

and its been one
of my life‐long jobs

has been to make the world
laugh at Adolf Hitler.

♪ Hes absolutely going ♪

Man: You never had any
aspirations to be serious.

Bullshit.

All my films are serious.

You examine any one of them,
theyre serious,

because they are passionate,

and they depict human behavior

at given points
in the history of humanity.

Oswalt: Mel Brooks grew up
loving westerns.

And as he got older, still
loved them from his childhood,

but you look back
on some of them and go,

"Wow, thats really racist.

Some of this stuff
is really messed up."

And thats where
"Blazing Saddles" comes from.

Apatow: "Blazing Saddles"
was very satirical,

but it did it by...
‐[ Belches ]

...making you
shit your pants laughing.

[ Flatulates ]

What he manages to do
with the high and the low,

I think, is astonishing.

You can have one scene
where a horse

is knocked out with a punch,

and then deal
with race relations

about an African‐American
sheriff.

Thats pretty heady stuff.

As chairman of
the welcoming committee,

it is my privilege
to extent a laurel

and hearty handshake
to our new...

...nigger.

Apatow:
Mel Brooks tells a story

about saying to the head
of the studio, "Can I do this?"

And the head of the studio
is saying,

"Well, if youre gonna
walk up to the bell,

you got to ring it."

And Mel Brooks rings it.

You cant make
a successful comedy

that doesnt say something
about the system,

about the social structure,
about prejudice,

about people,
about behavior.

"Blazing Saddles"
is all about racial prejudice.

Its all about
the hypocritical west

shitting all over
a black sheriff

and wanting him dead.

[ Gasping ]

And now for my next
impression, Jesse Owens!

Seize them!

Satire is something that
touches the heart of everyone.

We can go, "This is a problem
that our society has."

Nesteroff: "Blazing Saddles" is
comedys indictment of racism.

They darker than us.

And showing its absurdity

in this great parody
of an American genre.

[ Electricity crackles ]
Life!

Life, do you hear me?!

There was a certain grammar
to those old movies,

and Mel Brooks stuck
to the form of them.

He just twisted it
a little bit here and there,

and its brilliant.

You see his love of cinema
in all of his parodies.

"High Anxiety" is a satire
of all the Hitchcock films.

And "Silent Movie," obviously,
a satire of silent movies.

And "Spaceballs,"
a satire of George Lucas.

May the Schwartz
be with you!

What I love about him
is lots of times, people say,

"Oh, that is very funny,
but we cant say that."

Mel would go,
"Thats very funny,

were gonna say that."

Oh!

It good to be the king.

The magazine Mad magazine,

the edition number one,

the date, 1952.

In the 40s, there were things

that you should never
joke about ‐‐

religion, politics.

Things were still sacred.

Mad magazine
helped change that.

It was very, very influential.

It was embraced by
the comedy community,

and it was sort of
like a precursor

to underground comics
in the late 60s.

Yankovic:
Id never been exposed

to that kind of
irreverent humor before.

It was sort of like shaking
your fist at authority

in a very clever and funny way.

In case youre not
familiar with Mad,

its a magazine
of broad satire aimed

at practically everything
Americans hold dear ‐‐

sex, success,
beauty, patriotism,

anti‐patriotism, pro‐war groups,

anti‐war groups.

You name it,
in one issue or another,

Mad has aimed
its blunt instrument at it.

Smith: I remember when I was
a kid, begging my father

to buy the issue
of "King Kong" Mad magazine

because "Network"
was also parodied.

And I remember
telling my dad,

like, "Dad, theyre doing
Network.

Its called Nutwork,
and you liked Network,"

trying to sell him on it.
Like, youll enjoy this, too ‐‐

as if hed ever read
Mad magazine.

Mad magazine was aggressive
to a certain extent,

but they always
pulled their punches.

It was nothing that would
get you thrown out of school.

Now, National Lampoon
put nothing in there

that wouldnt get you
kicked out of school.

You know, here was a magazine

to hide from your parents,
you know?

And your wife.

It had, like,
some nasty pictures in it.

These are not magazines
you can open in this office now.

Thats all I can say.

[ Laughs ]

They are so
politically incorrect.

ORourke: To see people
using humor as a weapon

the way that the kids that
started National Lampoon did

was just, I thought,
"This is great."

Its often the only magazine
that a lot of younger hip people

today read.

And why that is is, I think
they trust us.

Beatts: Another clue to
the success of the magazine

was that unlike Mad magazine,

all the artwork was done
very intentionally

to replicate whatever
was being parodied.

And that was a big difference
from what had been

in the counterculture
prior to that.

The 1970s were
a fertile time for humor,

and you people were bitter,
caustic, smutty,

dirty, funny, and...

Drunk.
...drunk,

and largely outrageous.

The hopes of the 60s
had given way

to the frustrations
of the 70s.

The Vietnam War
was obviously lost.

The civil rights movement
had won,

and the argument was over,
but, of course, it wasnt.

The craziness of that period
is one of the things

that made National Lampoon
a success.

People needed to laugh.

Woman: You did
a very interesting parody

of "The Joy of Sex,"
"The Job of Sex."

Kelly: We called the book
"The Job of Sex,"

and divided it up
into punching in,

down time, overtime,
on the job injuries,

and workmans
compensation.

Beatts:
At the National Lampoon,

there was certainly an enjoyment
of being edgy and shocking.

Youre listening to
the National Lampoon Radio Hour.

Yankovic:
The National Lampoon Radio Hour

was a syndicated radio show

written and produced
by the National Lampoon,

which was magazine
an audio form.

And thats where
I was first exposed

to people that went on
to much bigger fame,

people like Bill Murray.

A lot of
the "Saturday Night Live" people

started out as
National Lampoon people.

Lets do 20 face slaps.

Gilda and John did the show
in this sort of weird space.

It was under
the Time‐Life Building.

Announcer: They are
the cast of the new

National Lampoon show,

which opens this Friday
at the new Palladium Cabaret.

And then Lorne Michaels,
he came in and poached

all these people.

[ Laughs ]

‐Gilda Radner.
‐Gilda.

John Belushi.
And, uh...

Laraine Newman.

Lorne Michaels pitched
"SNL" to me as a cross

between "Monty Python"
and "60 Minutes."

He said, "Its gonna work."

Man: For outstanding comedy,
variety, or music series,

NBCs "Saturday Night."

Id also like to thank
the city of New York

for the correct
combination of, um...

rejection and alienation,

which keeps
the comedy spirit alive.

[ Laughter ]

[ Gasps ]

OBrien: When something
really revolutionary happens,

when you first see it,
it should look wrong.

And "Saturday Night Live,"
when you first saw it,

what is this?

Miller: Rule number one is
if youre gonna do parody,

you better have somebody
who can deliver it ‐‐

both in the writers room
and on stage.

Hey, Norton?!

Hey, Robby Bee.

Newman: What made
"Saturday Night Live" different

was this phenomenon that
happened in the 60s,

which was the youth culture
and the youth market.

Our show was the first one

to really have a voice
for a younger generation.

Land Shark! Still the cleverest
species of them all.

Franken: It was the first time
that our generation

was allowed to do TV,

and be on TV and write TV.

And so we were parodying things

that "The Carol Burnett Show"
didnt parody.

Your mama eats
kitty litter.

Dont nobody
talk about my mama!

I got put in charge of producing
the commercial parodies

because I had worked
in advertising.

You have to establish
the product,

say why people need it,

and also allow for the comedy.

[ Laughs ]

I have a certain fondness
for Royal Deluxe II

where the rabbi circumcises
a baby

in the back seat of a car

to show how smooth
the ride of the car is.

Commercial parodies became
a kind of trademark

of "Saturday Night Live."

Woman: Hey, You...

Just one whiff does the trick.

Some of their parodies were
really speaking to the times.

Hey, you.

In the sexual awakening
of the 60s and 70s,

there was a connection
to reality.

Woman: Hey, You,
for that special someone

you never expect to see again.

Michaels: When you have
18 minutes of commercials

in your time period,
then to not comment

on commercials
would be ridiculous.

Who am I?
Why am I here?

When Im done
rolling up this booger,

should I eat it
or throw it out the window?

The commercial parodies endure
because they reflected

not only the culture
at the time...

Super Colon Blow?

...but also the way

that Madison Avenue
tried to sell things.

Where are all out of
Cracklin Oat Flakes.

How about new
Cracklin Oat Flakes,

now with ecstasy?

McKay: We get to talk back
to these corporate monoliths.

Everywhere we go,
theres billboards.

Every time we turn on the TV,
theres commercials.

And its the one time "SNL"
has really figured it out

where you can strike back.

I cant hear you,
dude!

What?

Piece of crap!

Hey, I think that phone
you bought me is busted.

Announcer: Samuel L. Bronkowitz
presents "Cleopatra Schwartz."

Never again will one man
and one woman

defy such incredible odds.

[ Gunfire ]

Together, no one
could stop them.

I dont think parody
and satire is important.

But its important to me

because, you know,
Ive done it a lot.

"Kentucky Fried Movie" started
with Kentucky Fried Theater.

We did these sketches
in 1971 in Madison, Wisconsin,

and 1972,
moved the show to L. A.

Man: Quiet, please!
Hold still.

We wanted to make
that show into a movie.

‐Poisonous fish.
‐Poisonous fish.

"Kentucky Fried Movie"
was just doing individual bits

without a story.

Im not wearing any pants.

Film at 11:00.

Jerry Zucker:
What we were trying to do

with "Kentucky Friend Movie"
was get into the movie business.

Theres a certain Z‐A‐Z sense
of humor, whatever that is.

For me, the most fun was
making David and Jim laugh.

We each trusted the other two
as arbiters of whether our ideas

were funny or not.

Something about the three of us,
we had a common vision.

Sound your alarm bell now!

[ Alarm blares ]

All right now, everybody,
get in crash positions!

McKay:
"Airplane" had that anarchic
anything‐can‐happen quality.

That, to me, is a seminal movie.

That, to me, is a movie

that changed
my perspective on comedy.

Okay, boys, lets get
some pictures.

OBrien: These brilliant
people had collected

100,000 of the funniest jokes
and crammed them into a movie,

and they were
so relentlessly funny.

What the hells
going on up there?

Every moment of it, it
transports you to the land

of magic mushrooms.

If youre wondering
what magic mushrooms feels like,

it feels like you are
"Airplane."

Letterman: Was the idea
for this motion picture

a well‐planned vehicle
or more accidental in nature?

We all watched a movie
on late‐night television

called "Zero Hour,"
and that actually was lucky,

because it was essentially,

well, at least
a very similar plot

to what "Airplane" is.

David Zucker: We have never
found a movie since

that was as perfect
for satire or parody.

It worked great, but not a joke
in the whole thing.

But we thought it was hilarious.

Youd better
tell the captain.

Weve got to land
as soon as we can.

This woman has to be
gotten to a hospital.

What do you think it is?

Well, I cant be sure yet.

But I know its serious enough
to land at the nearest city

with hospital facilities.

Better tell the captain
I want to speak to him.

‐Certainly.
‐Its really film noir acting.

Please help me.

Jerry Zucker: Not only
does it fit the style of acting

that we love, but also because
we had the film to look at,

there were a lot of shots
that we just took.

We said, "Hey, this is great."

We wanted to go shot for shot,

so it really would look
like an old movie.

In fact, scene for scene,
we just copied it.

Because of my mistake,

six men didnt return
from that raid.

Because of my mistake, six men
didnt return from that raid.

‐We have visitors.
‐Hello.

‐Hi.
‐We have a visitor.

‐Hello.
‐Hi.

Basically, what we do is just
set up familiar situations

and then we reverse
the audiences expectation

of the outcome.

Would you like
to have it?

Thank you.
Thanks a lot.

Sure. You ever been
in a cockpit before?

No, sir, Ive never been
up in a plane before.

You ever seen
a grown man naked?

Jerry Zucker: The acting style
and the committing

to the absolutely serious
dramatic portrayal of the roles

is the essence of the film

and why we insisted
on directing it.

You better
tell the captain

weve got to land
as soon as we can.

This woman has to be
gotten to a hospital.

A hospital?
What is it?

Its a big building
with patients,

but thats not
important right now.

Tell the captain
I must speak to him.

Certainly.

Leslie was such
a character actor,

unknown at the time.

Jerry Zucker: Im amazed
that he could have done

all those serious movies
all those years,

cause he really is
a closet comedian.

And, well, out of the closet
after we got through with him.

When I see five weirdos
dressed in togas

stabbing a guy
in the middle of the park

in full view of 100 people,
I shoot the bastards.

Thats my policy.

That was a Shakespeare
in the Park production

of "Julius Caesar,"
you moron.

David Zucker: Even the most
crazy, zany comedy

still needs a good story.

By the time we got
to "The Naked Gun,"

we knew how to do the plot
and the character.

Everywhere I look,
something reminds me of her.

We love doing visual puns.

You just have to stay
ahead of the audience.

A lot of people
see the joke developing.

Its always a contest
to beat them to the punch.

Bingo.

The audience cant
be expecting it,

otherwise, I mean,
it wont be funny.

‐Nice beaver.
‐Thank you.

I just had it stuffed.
‐Let me help you with that.

Jerry Zucker: There are
certain kinds of jokes

that the sexual content is in
the eye of the beholder.

Were just talking about
this stuffed beaver up there.

We dont mean
anything sexual, you know.

And so thats ‐‐
thats your fault

if you think that.

Yankovic: The Zucker brothers
proved this time and again.

Its somehow not as funny

to have some kind
of goofy guy being goofy,

but it works when
you have serious people

doing outrageous things.

Jerry Zucker: If we had anything
to do with all the great satires

that came after us,

Im thrilled,
if we encouraged people.

That smells like
pure gasoline.

Theyve done studies,
you know.

60% of the time,
it works every time.

That doesnt make sense.

Maybe people said, "Oh, gee,
I could do that, you know.

That doesnt look
that difficult."

Oh, behave.

[ Laughs ] Yeah.

Yeah, baby!

Yeah.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Id like to reaffirm

that the art of ventriloquism
is not dead.

Would you welcome the very funny
Mr. Albert Brooks.

[ Applause ]

I was around a lot
of comedians in my group.

I mean, with Billy Crystal
and Robin Williams.

Whenever Albert was
in the group,

everybody recognized that
there was nobody like that.

It was like a challenge dance.

You just stepped back
and let him go.

Well, good evening, everybody.

Yes, hello, everybody!

Im Dave.
And Im Danny.

Nesteroff: When you see
early Albert Brooks footage,

hes often parodying
old‐school show business.

Thats what he knew.

His father was a comedian,

his brother is a comedian.

Albert was very meta,
and all of his stuff

was about the conventions
of the trade.

Danny and Dave was about
the lameness of ventriloquism.

You know, Danny,
Im a little nervous

being here on television
and everything.

Well, why dont you
have a cigarette?

That always calms you down.

Great.

Shearer: There was content,
there was funniness,

but the target of the comedy

was the standard forms
of show business.

Hello.

Im Albert Brooks.

And Im speaking
to you on behalf

of the famous
School for Comedians.

One of the first things
I ever saw him do

was the School for Comedians.

Lets see how
these kids are doing.

He was walking past
the spit‐take class.

Ive just walked into the room.
Now start to drink.

Good.
Now I speak.

Guess what!
I just heard from the bank,

and not only dont
you have any money,

but your sister is dead!

That was funny.

Newman:
What was special about him

was his singular vision,
his style.

This was alternative comedy,
for sure.

During the next hour,
you will see the first

in a series of programs entitled
"An American Family."

Shearer: Albert had been
watching "An American Family,"

which was the first
reality show.

It was on PBS.

They spent a year filming
a real family,

the "Loud" family.

You got all the boys,
I got all the girls.

You cant beat it.

Both of us shared the sense

that there was a lie
at the heart of this,

which is that the camera
can be there

without changing things.

When we did "Real Life,"
the movie together,

the underlying motion
was to poke fun at that idea.

Welcome home!
Aloha!

Look at this now!
Ah.

Grodin: And Albert Brooks
plays himself, a filmmaker,

and I play the head
of this American family

that has been chosen
to be filmed for a year.

Honey, do you think
its safe for you to be eating

with your heating pad
in your lap?

I have terrible cramps,
I am bleeding profusely,

and I want to vomit
on the table.

[ Chuckles ]

What are you doing?

No, I just want
to let them know

that this is not the way
we usually talk,

especially
at the dinner table.

Sacks:
"Real Life" is about reality TV.

And this was years
before it had even existed.

So Albert Brooks is dealing
on a whole different level.

Whereas with "Spinal Tap,"
youre making fun

of a group of idiots
who are likable,

but not the smartest
people in the world.

Hi, Im Rob Reiner.

Ive just directed
my first feature film

for Embassy Pictures.

Its called "Spinal Tap."

Its a comedy about
a British rock and roll band.

Weide: "Spinal Tap"
was a mockumentary.

It was a mock‐documentary.

Dialogue wasnt written,
it was improvised,

but it was shot
like a documentary.

Reiner: During
the "Flower People" period,

who was your drummer?

It was tragic, really.
He exploded on stage.

Just like that.
‐He just went up.

He just was like
a flash of green light...

and that was it.
Nothing was left.

You know, dozens of people
spontaneously combust each year.

Its just not really
widely reported.

[ Spinal Taps "Big Bottom"
plays ]

Shearer: Movies kept getting
rock and roll wrong.

And so the real drive
of the project was,

"Its not that hard,
lets get it right."

♪ My baby fits me
like a flesh tuxedo ♪

♪ Id like to sink her
with my pink torpedo ♪

♪ Big bottom ♪

Helps to really like
something enough to pay

close attention to it

so that when time
comes to parodize it,

it comes naturally.

Shearer:
Its not parodize lost.

‐Ooh.
‐Oh, thats not bad.

Is that in the film?
‐No, it will be in the sequel.

How much more black could this
be, and the answer is...

...none, none more black.

‐Rock and roll!
‐We made this movie,

and the guy who was shooting it,
I hired him because he had shot

all these rock and roll
documentaries.

And I thought hell be perfect.

Hello, Cleveland!
Hello, Cleveland!

And hes watching this,
and he says,

"Whats funny about this?

This isnt funny.

This is exactly what goes on."

But, to me, that was
a great compliment

because it was saying
were capturing real life

what people actually experience
in that rock and roll world,

and that, to me,
is the best comedy,

the comedy that connects
with real experience.

Weide: People said,
"Oh, this is so new."

And then you say,
"Well, no, actually,

you could take that back

to Woody Allens
Take the Money and Run."

Nesteroff:
Woody Allens "Zelig,"

"The Rutles" with Eric Idle

was a mockumentary
that was a precursor.

But "Spinal Tap" was the one

that really became
a huge critical success.

Now, mockumentary is a style

that has infiltrated
not just cinema, but television.

That herky‐jerky camera motion

we see on "Modern Family"
or "The Office."

Christopher Guests
whole trajectory

has been mockumentary.

Hey, judge, look at me.

His stuff is very specific.

‐Its in the crate!
‐Where is it?

Its in the crate!

The fact that it was improvised,
that became a style

of storytelling.

♪ Midnight at the Oasis ♪

Nesteroff: And any time
that you introduce something

that is effective and nothing
like everything else...

Really good.

...thats where you get
something thats revolutionary.

♪ Like a surgeon ♪

[ Chainsaw motor revs ]

♪ Cutting for
the very first time ♪

Ive just always thought that
rock and roll should be fun,

which is why its healthy
for me to sometimes

prick the bubble
of pretentiousness

that sometimes
pervades the industry.

♪ Baby, I love rocky road ♪

♪ So wont you go
and buy half a gallon, baby ♪

♪ I love rocky road ♪

♪ So have another
triple scoop with me ♪

I give myself
several guidelines

and parameters when Im writing
my parody songs.

It needs to be funny
even if people arent familiar

with the original
source material.

But I would say
probably 90% of the time,

Im just dealing with
what is a very current,

popular mainstream song,

and how can I somehow
make that strange?

♪ Just eat it ♪

♪ Eat it ♪

♪ Eat it ♪

♪ Eat it ♪

♪ Open up your mouth
and feed it ♪

♪ Have some more yogurt ♪

♪ Have some more Spam ♪

♪ It doesnt matter
if its fresh or canned ♪

♪ Just eat it ♪

♪ Eat it ♪

Man: "Eat It" is Weird Als

most successful parody to date.

As you can see, it is a video

as well as a musical parody
of Michael Jacksons work.

Yankovic: I did a parody of
every single shot in that video,

because people were
so familiar with it,

and it was like they knew
every little detail.

So all I had to do was
just tweak everything

just a little bit,
and it became funny.

♪ We been spending
most our lives ♪

♪ Living in an Amish paradise ♪

Oswalt: Weird Al Yankovic,
when he does a parody

or a satire of a song,
its a song that he has to admit

on one level, like,
"That is a good song,

but I can have
some fun with it."

When he did the song
"Perform This Way,"

he asked Lady Gaga,

and she said, "Well,
that song is very important.

Id really you rather
not you not."

And her fans said,
"You let Weird Al do that!"

Like, they got ‐‐ like,
"Oh, sorry, I didnt know.

Never mind, go ahead."

♪ Im sure my critics will say ♪

♪ Its a grotesque display ♪

♪ Well, they can bite me ♪

♪ Baby, I perform this way ♪

♪ I might be
wearin Swiss cheese ♪

♪ Or maybe covered with bees ♪

♪ It doesnt mean Im crazy ♪

♪ I perform this way ♪

What I like about my job
is Im a pop culture Cuisinart.

I get all this input
from everywhere,

and I mix it all up,
and I spew it out.

Im providing
cultural commentary,

and, hopefully,
its amusing to people.

♪ I perform this way, hey ♪

♪ Im really not insane ♪

♪ I just perform this way, hey ♪

♪

Thats dandy.

Ho, ho, thats rich, Ill say.

Now, how about
some color, stupid?!

Hey!

OBrien: My big influence
when I was a kid

was Warner Bros. cartoons.

The timing on those
is brilliant.

They were parodying things
that I didnt understand,

but it was still really funny.

[ Bell ringing ]

Heil Hitler.

Alterman: One of the things
that animation has

that gives it
certain advantages

is that on the surface,

it has the appearance
of being very safe.

And so animators can be
more be more satirical.

It just feels
a little bit more benign

because its animated.

Well, Dave, I have
a hilarious new movie

coming out on HBO
next month.

Its all about 9/11.

The movies called
"September 11, 2000‐Fun."

[ Gasping ]

Smith: Anybody thats
gonna do parody or satire

can say so many things.

You can go so many places.

Just the practicality
of not having

to build these things
in the real world

and having an actor do them.

You can have Homer roll out
the door, roll out the hill,

oh, and roll back into the car

as it then plummets off a cliff.

Aaah!

OBrien: "The Simpsons" can cram
650 pop culture references

quietly into an episode,

and you either pick it up
or you dont.

But its there.

So theyre just the little
parody Easter eggs

all over the place.

[ "The Jetsons" theme plays ]

McKay: "The Simpsons," to
pretty much all comedy writers,

theyre the cathedral that
you walk 800 miles to go see.

I mean, they the are definitive.

OBrien: I always had a little
bit of a cartoon sensibility,

and then, lo and behold,
all these years later,

I get a job at "The Simpsons."

[ Ominous music plays ]

There was an episode
when I worked there

that was a "Cape Fear" parody.

It was all about Sideshow Bob

coming to get
his revenge against Bart.

Whats great is that you dont
need to have seen "Cape Fear."

The beauty of "The Simpsons"
is you dont need

to know the reference
in order to still think

that something funny
is happening.

[ Humming ]

Hows it going, guys?

Smith:
When "South Park" happened,

the vessel of animation,
it could look like shit,

it could look like
your kid did it.

The car that gets you
there dont matter,

its whats inside the car,

its the content
thats traveling.

[ Zany cartoon music plays ]

Ramadan!

Hey, look, an infidel!

Ooh!
Oh, pig‐kebab!

McGraw: Dont let the fact
that its animated

and dont let the fact

that its about a bunch
of children fool you.

It is about satire.

This year, were taking the boys
on a weekend boat trip

to discuss Jesus role
as the navigator of our lives.

A Catholic boat trip?

♪ The Catholic Boat ♪

♪ Its gonna be heading
on out today ♪

[ Screaming ]

People who hate religion have,
like, really glommed on

to our show, too, cause we
make fun of a lot of religion.

Weve made fun of...
‐Everything.

...everything.

I have,
in my possession,

an ancient book written
on gold plates

that tells of Jesus Christs
second coming ‐‐

here, in America!

In America?
Really?

That sounds kind of...

♪ Dumb, dumb, dumb,
dumb, dumb, dumb ♪

OBrien: Those "South Park" guys
clearly just live in a bunker.

Or theyre sociopaths.

They do not care
who they offend.

They burn every bridge,

and they have
absolutely no fear.

Man: The category is
"People Who Annoy You."

Audience, keep quiet.

I know it, but I dont think
I should say it.

Five seconds,
Mr. Marsh.

All right, Id like
to solve the puzzle.

Niggers!

[ Buzzer ]

Huh?

Parker: I dont think weve
ever come up with something

and the been like, "Oh, thats
really going too far,"

you know, because
you cant do that.

The groups that come
and get angry at us,

once we start saying,
"Okay, we better not

make fun of them anymore,"

then all of a sudden,
none of its okay.

It either has to all be okay
or none of its okay.

There was just one thing
you didnt count on.

That more people besides me
hate "Family Guy."

Yeah.

King: Tonight, "Family Guy"
creator Seth MacFarlane.

Hes an equal opportunity
offender.

Christians, gays,
Sarah Palin,

you name it, nothing,
no one off limits.

They live in
a crummy neighborhood.

‐The Bradys?
‐Oh, hell yeah!

They got robbers, thugs,
drug dealers, oh, you name it.

‐You folks want some pancakes?
‐No, thank you.

See, thats the worst we got
is Jemimas Witnesses.

What is the line for you?
Is there a line?

The JFK Pez dispenser,
I wish wed never done.

Really?
Yeah.

That was just
over the line.

‐Take him out.
‐No!

Check it out. Its
a John F. Kennedy Pez dispenser.

Oh.

Well, good thing I still have
my Bobby Kennedy Pez dispenser.

Seth MacFarlane
pushes the envelope

more than Ive ever
seen anyone else do.

Oh, screw this.

I just came over
to buy some fireworks.

Its a little bit hateful,
a little bit hurtful.

But its ‐‐ Oh, my God,
its so fucking funny.

Sorry, Wonder Woman,
I got three kings.

Now, lets
see your pair.

[ Sighs ]

[ Chuckles ] All right.

Hey, Robin, what are you
looking at me for?

Look at her.

[ Gunfire ]
McKay: Animation allows you

to do whatever you want.

Its probably the freest form

for your imagination there is.

Down in front!
In that sense,

its a comedy writers dream.

If I were 23 again
and starting over,

I would beeline
towards animation.

You may not be
old enough to drive,

but if youre a safe passenger,
youve got a job to do.

Gary is checking to make sure
that the parking brake

is in the proper
release position.

All clear, Gary?

Smith: The ability to tell
outlandish stories

and very small jokes
at the same time is yours

if youve mastered animation.

Im Han Solo, captain of
the Millennium Falcon

and the only actor whose career
isnt destroyed by this movie.

[ Hard rock music plays ]

Ewokoniad
Sigourneth Juniorstein,

Oklahoma State University.

Eqqsquizitine Buble‐Schwingslow,
University of Nebraska.

OBrien: I dont know
that the Internet

has changed
comedy itself that much.

Theres a lot more of it.

But still when you look
at the individual pieces,

its still comedy.

Rushing.

Its the way we experience
it thats changed.

Oswalt: The reason
that parody is so enduring

and is even stronger now
is because

we are in this
viral Internet culture,

where most stuff is now
watched online in little bits,

and its presented in
an, "Oh, you got to see this.

Click on this,
youre not gonna believe."

Hey, dont call me bitch!
Im a grown man!

God, youre mean.

[ Sobs ]

[ Laughs ]

McKay: The idea was everything.
The idea was parody.

Why are there newspapers
all over the place?

Political satire,
crazy characters, sketches.

It was anything that was fun
that you wanted to try

that a network
would never put on.

I would like to welcome
my first guest,

Jessica Cheststain.

Jessica Chastain.

Jenkins:
With "Between Two Ferns,"

you had a program that
its a send‐up of talk shows,

so its a satire
of talk shows.

Real interested in the work
youve been doing down in Haiti.

Tell us a little
bit about that.

‐Well ‐‐
‐Is there a Six Flags

down there?
‐Theres not, no.

Okay, we can move on.

The new media stuff,
especially sites

that are just for comedy,

I think that theyre a good
thing for the business.

Especially Funny or Die,
which is great because

there is
a democratization there.

Hey, dude, you want
to play Madden?

The things that succeed
on the Internet

is happening organically.

If Im seeing
a really hilarious video,

its largely because
someone shared it.

♪ Its the chronic, what,
cles of Narnia ♪

♪ We love that chronic,
what, cles of Narnia ♪

♪ Pass that chronic ♪

Man: It all began with this,

when a comedy rap video pirated
from "Saturday Night Live"...

♪ I set up Yahoo Maps ♪

...turned up
on the web site YouTube,

the suits at NBC took notice.

They didnt like the piracy,
but they sure loved the buzz.

It spread like wildfire.

Six million streams.

Miller: Baby‐boomers
who grew up with "SNL,"

they stopped watching
at a certain point.

And if youre gonna be
on network television

for 40 years,
you adapt or die.

Lonely Island
and those digital shorts

gave a whole new port of entry
for younger viewers

who maybe hadnt even
seen the show.

♪ He ran for
the president of Iran ♪

♪ We ran together
to a tropical island ♪

Guthrie: Digital shorts
are obviously

how you made your name.

My favorite is
"Blank in a Box."

"Blank in a Box."
Yes.

Thats what we can say
in the morning.

♪ One ♪

♪ Cut a hole in a box ♪

♪ Two ♪

♪ Put your junk in that box ♪

♪ Three ♪

♪ Make her open the box ♪

♪ And thats way you do it ♪

♪ Its my dick in a box ♪

What they do isnt direct
parodies, like Im famous for.

But theyll take various memes,
if you will, in pop music,

and theyll make it more
ridiculous than it is already.

Its a kind of a caricature.

And we have breaking news!
Baby Lakeisha has gone missing.

For the next hour, we will ‐‐
whats that?

Nobody cares? Moving on, lets
check in with Baby Prudence.

Her 14th day home,
and shes still safe and sound.

Key: New media and YouTube
and the Internet in regard

to the success of our show
is the success of our show.

For example, I was stopped
one day on the street by a girl,

and she said to me,

"Ive been with you guys
since the beginning,

when you guys
were making videos."

She had no idea
that we had a television show.

‐Could be worse.
‐Not that bad.

Brennan:
Their show was mostly online.

Their show was mostly
YouTube clips.

I watched one of their sketches
on YouTube, and then at the end,

Jordan and Keegan come on,
and theyre basically like,

"Look, we appreciate
you watching.

Would you please watch
the broadcast show?"

They were, like, begging.

Thats the way
networks make money.

Thats where the profit is,
is on the network,

is broadcasting.

Jequallin.

Key: We didnt know
this was gonna happen.

If you told me
that "Substitute Teacher"

was gonna have
98 million hits online,

Im like, "What?"

Uh, do you mean
Jacqueline?

Okay. So thats
how its gonna be.

Yall want to play.

Okay, then.

Ive got my eye
on you, Jequallin.

Key:
Or that in the aggregate,

were approaching
a billion hits.

This is Key and Peele,
a billion?!

Like, "What?!"

[ British accent ]
Pack your fucking knifes.

Get out.
Youre off the show.

Sorry, Chef.

Because...

you should be working

in the finest
restaurant in the world.

‐Thank you, Chef.
‐Just not any world

that I live in.

Mankoff: One of the things that
humor and humor and comedy does

is it gets your attention.

If it comes
in the form of a joke,

if it comes
in the form of satire,

if it has
an entertainment value,

you know,
people will listen to it.

Working off of something
thats in pop culture

is very satisfying because
it gives everyone a sense

that were all in on it.

And in a fractured age
where people feel very alone,

I think a lot
of mankinds desire

is to feel like were together.

I know yall do these
parodies on your show.

Oh, thank you.

Well, "thank you," no.

Dont do one of "Empire."

I wouldnt do that.

Okay.
Okay.

Well, Im gonna
[bleep] things up

if youre [bleep]
with me, man.

What if ‐‐ we may be
there already.

But what if, as a nation ‐‐
or as a world,

too many of us
are spending too much time

parodying
and satirizing culture?

No ones gonna be
growing crops.

No ones going to be
trucking them into cities.

No ones going to
be canning goods.

Were all just gonna be,

"Look what I just made.
I just made this funny thing."

And future aliens
will come to this earth

and find our skeletons
holding our devices.

[ Laughs ]

Theyll realize
that the Romans collapsed

because there was lead
in the water.

We might be killed by
too much parody and satire.