Get your Freak on!
I hadn’t known about this until I read Todd’s blog entry at Life 2.0 — Seems Warner Bros. finally released Freakazoid on DVD. For those unfamiliar with the short-lived animated series here’s a brief synopsis from Wikipedia:
The show chronicles the adventures of the title character, Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with a vast array of super villains. The show also features mini-episodes of adventures of other bizarre super heroes.
Can it get any better than this?
Freakazoid represents a very unique time in Saturday morning cartoons, inasmuch as it was pretty much the last time they were consistently good and unpolluted. We were still in the halcyon days before Pokemon aired in the United States, and Freakazoid was like nothing that had come before it. It was completely dadaist (and often surrealist) in its approach to comedy, pulling influences from decades of popular culture, throwing in a great deal of vocal improvisation and non-sequitur, some ridiculously exaggerated classic slapstick, and finishing it off with a bizarre variety show structure — in no particular order. Not too many kids shows were referencing Jack Valenti, F-Troop, Ed Wood, Jerry Lewis, and Tom Lehrer at the time (or ever, because honestly, these are “old people things”, like ointments and brunch specials), but Freakazoid did it, and with Steven Spielberg’s approval — something that the writers are still trying to figure out.
And it was hilarious. I was 23 at the time, and it redefined my whole perception of comedy, mainly because I could appreciate most of the references. Not only that, but who could argue against a 5-minute scene of two hands sloppily making out as being anything but comedy gold. Harlan Ellison even played a cameo role, which I didn’t really appreciate until recently. Now, I don’t know if all of this was the mark of madness or genius, but it worked well for me. It’s the kind of show that I want to own on DVD so that I can share it with people who haven’t witnessed it, just to see how they react…or if they hit me.
At any rate, I leave you with the following clip, which I dedicate to my wife, who is completely obsessed with the 5-day weather forecast. Enjoy, honey!
-
It wasn’t until recently that I realised how much I have in common with one of popular culture’s... Read Full Story » -
I have here some images from The Care Bears Big Wish Movie kupo. These Care Bears from a cloud... Read Full Story » -
These videos are such a great place in my memory of when I was young. Giant this and Monster... Read Full Story » -
Wikizines are interactive magazines that anyone can create or edit - and this one is called... Read Full Story » -
Twenty three years before Peter Jackson created his version, Rankin/Bass produced their 1980... Read Full Story »
