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"Lazy Sunday."

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22:09 / 28.12.05

Oh my. Overthink things much? It's just an SNL skit.

I laughed.

22:12 / 28.12.05

^ a-fucking-greed

ONLY NICE THINGS

22:35 / 28.12.05

"Overthink" is an interesting verb. It contains inevitably the assumption that the amount of thinking one has done about something is absolutely the right amount of thinking, and therefore that by definition any further thinking will be overthinking. In some fields - particle physics, say - the bar on thinking is set quite high, in others lower. It is possible, of course, to say that somebody is overthinking something and be able to make a case that this judgement is disinterested and correct, at least according to a consensual standard, just as the complaint that somebody is arguing about semantics is very occasionally actually related to an incident in which (a) somebody is in fact arguing about semantics and (b) this is not appropriate. However, these are by some distance the exception rather than the rule.

00:12 / 29.12.05

I'm with Cherielabombe: some American humor is funny (Jon Stewart anyone?), but this was, well, just ok, to me.

(And "overthinking" ROCKS, man, especially when Haus does it! Theory bitches of the world unite!)

00:24 / 29.12.05

"Theory bitches of the world unite!"

"Talk - Action = Shit"
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre

just throwin it out there :-P

ONLY NICE THINGS

00:33 / 29.12.05

Now, oddly, very rarely is the idea of underthinking put forward. The strangeness of this is that clearly it happens quite a lot. The most immediately convincing explanation for this is that those who underthink are unlikely to get much out of any comment to that effect, as they are pretty much ipso facto not going to give it much thought, and therefore those who notice are not motivated to note.

00:57 / 29.12.05

"Talk - Action = Shit"
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre

"I am the son of God."
- ibid.

00:59 / 29.12.05

oh, no doubt
I am completely opposed to both overthinking and underthinking. I think society as a whole needs to learn just how much thinking is required of different situations.

ONLY NICE THINGS

01:02 / 29.12.05

Ah, yes. Because you can judge what is the appropriate amount of thinking in any given situation. It's amazing, given how very common this ability seems to be, that instances of overthinking or underthinking ever happen.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

01:05 / 29.12.05

So I'm the only one that just shuts his eyes and sticks a pin in a list of concepts, then?

Oh bum.

ONLY NICE THINGS

01:12 / 29.12.05

"You see, officer, what it was was that I was just trying to stick a pin in a concept with a blindfold on, and my wife was hoovering, and then the dog ran in, and while I was flailing blindly I must have knocked over the tin of vanilla essence..."

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

01:18 / 29.12.05

That's exactly how it happened, and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.

wembley can change in 28 days

07:05 / 29.12.05

Er...otherwise?

Not to make anybody think I actually read over the whole Slate article, seeing as how as soon as I got overhalf through it, I was overirritated, but there was one good thing that came of it: it made me go back and watch Cowbell!

20:33 / 29.12.05

Now, oddly, very rarely is the idea of underthinking put forward.

Not at all true. The idea is put forward all the time. "You didn't think that through," for example. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," we sometimes say. We just don't use the word "underthink" very often, but perhaps you think we should?

ONLY NICE THINGS

21:02 / 29.12.05

Well, it might help to clarify matters. For example, you presumably believe that your position on this video - that it made you laugh - is precisely the right level of thinking, yes? So, what would be underthinking in this case? Failing to identify whether or not you laughed, presumably. Silence? A random assortment of phonemes?

Elsewhere, T3n, who shares your perception of the correct level of thinking to apply to SNL skits - a statement of whether or not you laughed - did not actually state whether or not he laughed. Does that mean that he did not think it through, or that he has said something unbelievably stupid? I'd say probably not. He has, however, underthought, if we assume that the amount of thought you displayed - thinking whether or not it made you laugh - is the correct level of thought to apply to the topic of the sketch.

Moving on, his response to the statement:

Theory bitches of the world unite!"

is to quote a song, describe the action he has just taken - throwing it out there - and make a face. Now, is this an apppropriate level of thinking to apply to the situation? Has t3n overthought, underthought or applied just the right level of thought?

21:39 / 29.12.05

Conversely, in the Hating Children thread, it was suggested that several of those contributing were not just underthinking but underreading.

It's difficult to get it just right.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

21:48 / 29.12.05

There should be government guidelines on this sort of thing, really. Like with eating.

21:58 / 29.12.05

Is underthinking and overthinking in any way related to being over and undereducated?

21:59 / 29.12.05

it made me go back and watch Cowbell!

Me too! Which, by the way, is funnier, IMHO.

23:06 / 29.12.05

Haus, I don't recall accusing YOU of overthinking anything, but I suppose it's nice that people who feel the need to piss all over jokes they don't find amusing have a spokesman.

I also don't recall claiming that me laughing meant EVERYONE has to laugh, but that does sound nice... a dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier....

ONLY NICE THINGS

23:19 / 29.12.05

I never suggested that you thought everyone had to laugh, ibis. I stated that you believed that stating whether or not you laughed was, in your opinion, the right result of the application of the correct level of thought. I believe that statement still to be correct.

I don't have an instinct for this, but I think you might have underthought your response.

17:58 / 30.12.05

Yesterday, one of my coworkers called me into his office and closed the door. he was like "for some reason, I think you would like this" and of course he played the "Lazy Sunday" thing for me.

I don't know if I like the implications. It still makes me want to eat cupcakes, though.

However, if my co-workers are walking around saying "Mr. Pib + Red Vine = Crazy Delicious" to me, clearly this shit has reached some sort of critical mass.

18:01 / 30.12.05

It might help non-Americans to get the joke to know that cupcakes are for some unfathomable reason a big trendy thing in NYC now. All the bloggers eat em.

18:14 / 30.12.05

fuck yeah....tho BUTTERCUP is better than MAGNOLIA.

18:16 / 30.12.05

and ibis, what is so unfathomable about Cupcakes? It has FROSTING, for GOD'S SAKE.

18:19 / 30.12.05

Who doesn't like FROSTING???!??!?!?!

Regrettable Juvenilia

19:53 / 30.12.05

Since when was applying some kind of contextual cultural or political critique equivalent to "pissing all over" something?

Oh, and TeN: trying to convey ideas to an unreceptive audience is a form of action, whatever your favourite pop stars say.

20:39 / 30.12.05

Cupcakes? Seriously? I've clearly lost my blog awareness over Christmas. I must catch up with the crazy New York trendsetters.

For the record I liked the video, though I didn't expect to, but I wish I'd not read that Slate article, because it took all fun out of it and replaced it with a hatred of columnists.

A

01:01 / 31.12.05

In other news, that dancing baby on Ally McBeal was pretty awesome.

13:49 / 31.12.05

I would just like to go on record as saying I don't need Haus or anyone else to act as my spokesperson for pissing all over jokes I don't find funny. I can do that perfectly well on my own, thank you.

But I didn't think I *was* doing that - rather, simply offering my opinion. Which I had thought about it, and which if there's any place I would like some thoughtful discussion, whether it's for SNL or any other program, it's Barbelith.

If you really dig comedy what is wrong with thinking about WHY you think something is funny? I'm not saying you have to but I do think there's nothing wrong with doing so, and one reason I personally come to Barbelith is for a little thoughtful discussion.

ANYWAY. I watched it again to see if maybe it gets better on the second viewing. It didn't, for me.

14:05 / 31.12.05

Petey Shaftoe thought through what made the skit funny to him, and explained it well, so thinking does not seem to equal the death of humor.

I too gave it a second shot and it occured to me that it might work better if seen while stoned -- which is not meant as pisstake coming from me. I like stoner humor, which I find rather sweet and gentle. The exuberance about snacks and movies could well fall into that 'pot-induced excess of enthusiam' category.

14:48 / 12.01.06

Baltimore columnist not amused.

Barbelith, guard your throats.

Keith, like a scientist

15:51 / 05.03.06

SNL had Natalie Portman hosting this past Saturday, and the result was another rap music video...I thought it was pretty funny, but some people will say this are just riding the success of Lazy Sunday. You be the judge!

Natalie is angry!

21:55 / 05.03.06

I liked the Natalie video... even more upon the second viewing (I saw it last night on the show). My favorite part's when the guys sing "We love you Natalie," and she responds, "I WANNA FUCK YOU TOO!" Laughed out loud each time. Her delivery is just so funny, all the way through.

22:38 / 05.03.06

Somehow the Natalie portman thing really works...not brilliant but very funny. Also seems like a healthy way for her to vent against all the fanboys who idolize/worship her in creepy ways.

The Lazy Sunday video is funny mostly for the execution, I think...good satire of gansta rap/hip-hop videos. I love it when the guys flash $10 bills like they're rich.

there's another version of the Lazy Sunday video where two 12-year old kids recreate and lipsynch to the entire video.

There's also a West Coast Response to the Lazy Sunday video somewhere online...here it is, just dug it up...

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