Disturbing Strokes
April 20, 2009 8:48 AM Subscribe
I saw this last week and though it was fantastic.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:05 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:05 AM on April 20, 2009
I saw this last week and though it was fantastic...
...I couldn't help thinking that I'd seen it before, on a Usenet newsgroup...
posted by Mister_A at 9:08 AM on April 20, 2009
...I couldn't help thinking that I'd seen it before, on a Usenet newsgroup...
posted by Mister_A at 9:08 AM on April 20, 2009
It seems like sitcom opening credits that show how the main characters came to live where they do was more common in the old days. (i.e. Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the most recent one I can remember... but I stopped paying attention a while ago. Are any shows still doing this?
posted by Joe Beese at 9:10 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by Joe Beese at 9:10 AM on April 20, 2009
Maybe if do-gooder Drummond would've let those kids fend for themselves and grow up among their own social class Willis wouldn't have served time and Arnold wouldn't be going around being a caricature of himself. Also, something about a rich pedophile cruising Harlem and enticing random kids to hop in his limo.
posted by Burhanistan
Burhanistan, he made a promise to their mother on her deathbed! What, was he just going to leave them out there to fend for themselves on the basketball court? You can't really blame Willis's anger issues on Drummond, I mean he was older when their mom died, more entrenched in the culture of his home community. Arnold on the other side was too young to have become entrenched, he was however old enough that he never really fit in with the Park Avenue set. He therefore grew up trying to please and developed a cartoonish personality.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:11 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Burhanistan
Burhanistan, he made a promise to their mother on her deathbed! What, was he just going to leave them out there to fend for themselves on the basketball court? You can't really blame Willis's anger issues on Drummond, I mean he was older when their mom died, more entrenched in the culture of his home community. Arnold on the other side was too young to have become entrenched, he was however old enough that he never really fit in with the Park Avenue set. He therefore grew up trying to please and developed a cartoonish personality.
posted by Pollomacho at 9:11 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
I saw an ASCII version of this on a bbs in 1987.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:19 AM on April 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:19 AM on April 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
It seems like sitcom opening credits that show how the main characters came to live where they do was more common in the old days. (i.e. Gilligan's Island, The Beverly Hillbillies) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is the most recent one I can remember... but I stopped paying attention a while ago. Are any shows still doing this?
I can't think of any fish-out-of-water sitcoms that need this sort of opening anymore.
posted by fatbird at 9:20 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
I can't think of any fish-out-of-water sitcoms that need this sort of opening anymore.
posted by fatbird at 9:20 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
What about 24?
posted by Mister_A at 9:22 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister_A at 9:22 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
Elaborate opening credits cut into time that could be sold to advertisers.
posted by box at 9:23 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 9:23 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
I used to watch a live simulcast of this with the original show on pirate cable in 1981.
posted by gompa at 9:25 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by gompa at 9:25 AM on April 20, 2009
fatbird: "I can't think of any fish-out-of-water sitcoms that need this sort of opening anymore."
Does The Mary Tyler Moore Show count as a "fish-out-of-water sitcom"? I can see an argument for either side.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:26 AM on April 20, 2009
Does The Mary Tyler Moore Show count as a "fish-out-of-water sitcom"? I can see an argument for either side.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:26 AM on April 20, 2009
The question remains: would you let Gordon Jump cornhole you for a free bike radio?
posted by dr_dank at 9:28 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by dr_dank at 9:28 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
It's like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, only shorter and creepier!
posted by blue_beetle at 9:29 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by blue_beetle at 9:29 AM on April 20, 2009
Are any shows still doing this?
Are any shows still sitcoms?
Perhaps on the Disney Channel.
posted by chococat at 9:34 AM on April 20, 2009
Are any shows still sitcoms?
Perhaps on the Disney Channel.
posted by chococat at 9:34 AM on April 20, 2009
I saw a punchcard version of this on a PDP-11 in 1972.
posted by me & my monkey at 9:36 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by me & my monkey at 9:36 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
The Different Strokes titles with alternate music, and slightly edited in terms of colour and ageing filters... This has turned out far more creepy than I thought it would.
I watched it with the sound off on an old monitor with poor color, and it was creepy enough.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 AM on April 20, 2009
I watched it with the sound off on an old monitor with poor color, and it was creepy enough.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 AM on April 20, 2009
I saw Lord Chamberlain's Men perform this as Dyfferent Strokkes at the Globe in 1606.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:46 AM on April 20, 2009 [16 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 9:46 AM on April 20, 2009 [16 favorites]
I painted this on the wall of a cave in Chauvet.
posted by box at 9:50 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by box at 9:50 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
i watched the romans do it as different wolves in 771 bc
posted by pyramid termite at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009 [6 favorites]
Perhaps on the Disney Channel.
Actually, the Disney Channel's new sitcom, Sonny With A Chance, has exactly this kind of "how did we get to this point" opening credits.
Are your kids obsessed with this show, too, chococat?
posted by Rock Steady at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009
Actually, the Disney Channel's new sitcom, Sonny With A Chance, has exactly this kind of "how did we get to this point" opening credits.
Are your kids obsessed with this show, too, chococat?
posted by Rock Steady at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009
I heard fictional monster Ed Gein was based on actor Conrad Bain.
posted by codswallop at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by codswallop at 9:51 AM on April 20, 2009
Is bragging about how long ago you saw something a new meme or have I just not been paying enough attention?
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 9:54 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 9:54 AM on April 20, 2009
Perhaps on the Disney Channel.
Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP does it!
posted by headspace at 9:55 AM on April 20, 2009
Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP does it!
posted by headspace at 9:55 AM on April 20, 2009
I saw Lord Chamberlain's Men perform this as Dyfferent Strokkes at the Globe in 1606.
What say thee, Guillis?
posted by Pollomacho at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009 [14 favorites]
What say thee, Guillis?
posted by Pollomacho at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009 [14 favorites]
I have a fossil of trilobites miming this from Yunnan Provence, China.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by 1f2frfbf at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009 [3 favorites]
blue_beetle: "It's like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, only shorter and creepier!"
In more ways than one.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009
In more ways than one.
posted by Joe Beese at 9:57 AM on April 20, 2009
I first saw this played across the firmament in the hot entrails of the Big Bang circa 13 x 10^9 BC
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:01 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by Salvor Hardin at 10:01 AM on April 20, 2009
I like the parallels between the Fresh Prince of Bel Air title sequence and the actual life of Ice T.
posted by Artw at 10:26 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by Artw at 10:26 AM on April 20, 2009
I first saw this at the end of the universe, then traveled back to post on MeFi, but someone beat me to it.
It's beautifully done. I want to make a call for a new genre of mashing up the endless optimism of tv sitcom themes with ominous compositions, but it would probably ruin it. Thanks for making my day.
posted by holycola at 10:28 AM on April 20, 2009
It's beautifully done. I want to make a call for a new genre of mashing up the endless optimism of tv sitcom themes with ominous compositions, but it would probably ruin it. Thanks for making my day.
posted by holycola at 10:28 AM on April 20, 2009
The TV show is actually called Diff'rent Strokes
The scary version is an appropriate commentary on how child stars are corrupted, in particular now we know how Gary Coleman's life turned out. The evil villain is not the old man, it's us the viewers who were complicit in enjoying it.
posted by stbalbach at 10:34 AM on April 20, 2009
The scary version is an appropriate commentary on how child stars are corrupted, in particular now we know how Gary Coleman's life turned out. The evil villain is not the old man, it's us the viewers who were complicit in enjoying it.
posted by stbalbach at 10:34 AM on April 20, 2009
I saw this back when it was still called Remarkably Similar Strokes.
posted by hifiparasol at 10:36 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by hifiparasol at 10:36 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
stbalbach: "The evil villain is not the old man, it's us the viewers who were complicit in enjoying it."
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash Dana Plato's blood clean from my hand?
posted by Joe Beese at 10:37 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash Dana Plato's blood clean from my hand?
posted by Joe Beese at 10:37 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
All this needs is Michael Emerson reading off the lyrics in a sinister voice.
posted by jeremy b at 10:43 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by jeremy b at 10:43 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
It seems like opening credits that show how the main characters came to live where they do was more common in the old days. Are any shows still doing this?
Lost does it.
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:53 AM on April 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
Lost does it.
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:53 AM on April 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
I first read about this in blible study...
Genesis:
1:1 In the beginning God created the Sitcom and the Horror Movie.
1:2 And the two were without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the tubes. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the tubes.
1:3 And God said, Let there be mashups. And there was mashups.
1:4 And at first God was like :-/
1:4 But then, He LOL'd
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:54 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Genesis:
1:1 In the beginning God created the Sitcom and the Horror Movie.
1:2 And the two were without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the tubes. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the tubes.
1:3 And God said, Let there be mashups. And there was mashups.
1:4 And at first God was like :-/
1:4 But then, He LOL'd
posted by Potomac Avenue at 10:54 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
No mention of Diff'rent Strokes would be complete without a tribute to The Very Special Episode.
posted by Joe Beese at 10:55 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe Beese at 10:55 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
The tradition of the Nottowegui or Five Nations says, "that in the beginning before the formation of the earth; the country above the sky was inhabited by Superior Beings, over whom the Great Spirit presided. His daughter having become pregnant by an illicit connection, he pulled up a great tree by the roots, and threw her through the Cavity thereby formed; but, to prevent her utter destruction, he previously ordered the Great Turtle, to get from the bottom of the waters, some slime on its back, and to wait on the surface of the water to receive her on it. When she had fallen on the back of the Turtle, with the mud she found there, she began to form the earth, and by the time of her delivery had encreased it to the extent of a little island. Onto this island she was delivered of two sons, and she gave to them the names The Fast-Burning Star and The Man-Child. Before expiring in the pangs of childbirth, she entreated a spirit of the air, He-Who-Lives-In-The-Sky, to watch over her children and to raise them as his own flesh."
posted by Horace Rumpole at 11:03 AM on April 20, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 11:03 AM on April 20, 2009 [5 favorites]
Mike Brady married Carol Martin.
There are 6 kids.
They have a plan.
posted by Artw at 11:06 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
There are 6 kids.
They have a plan.
posted by Artw at 11:06 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
I saw this before you did.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:07 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:07 AM on April 20, 2009
What you think of as quantum effects and probabilities are merely artifacts of limited mechanical consciousness. But to a perfect meta consciousness every time does not branch into different potential universes rather it follows the single trajectory of the is through it's path at the horizon of now as surely as one can divine from the vector of a missle it's origin and termination by glimpsing a single moment. So it was that at the moment when the void surrendored and nothing was made something that this juxtaposition was authored because it's potential and necessity are one and the same and all that shall come was is as inevitable to the ... I suppose one must call them eyes... of the perfect meta consciousness for it is carried by the current of destiny on the return to the unmaking, and know that there is no lottery and the jackpot is ash.
posted by I Foody at 11:08 AM on April 20, 2009
posted by I Foody at 11:08 AM on April 20, 2009
I have yet to see this.
posted by medium format at 11:22 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by medium format at 11:22 AM on April 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
I saw this when it was performed in Charlesmagne's court as Plagas Diversus. Only when the limo appeared, everyone started screaming and attacking it with crossbows. And then Conrad Bain was drowned for witchcraft.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:29 PM on April 20, 2009
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:29 PM on April 20, 2009
...Conrad Bain was drowned for witchcraft.
I never thought I would see those words in that order...
posted by Mister_A at 12:33 PM on April 20, 2009
I never thought I would see those words in that order...
posted by Mister_A at 12:33 PM on April 20, 2009
He's no Bonar "Hank" Bain...
posted by MC Wafflestick at 6:43 PM on April 20, 2009
posted by MC Wafflestick at 6:43 PM on April 20, 2009
I love this kind of thing. I've seen happy movies or tv shows done as scary, but has anyone done scary turned happy? I haven't come across one yet. I wonder if it would have the same effect.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 9:39 AM on April 21, 2009
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 9:39 AM on April 21, 2009
Belle, the re-imagined trailer that pretty much kicked off this current trend was "scary turned happy": Shining.
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:03 AM on April 21, 2009
posted by Ian A.T. at 10:03 AM on April 21, 2009
I exist outside time and have always been watching this video, throughout eternity. Ceaselessly.
posted by tehloki at 12:14 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by tehloki at 12:14 PM on April 21, 2009 [1 favorite]
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posted by Joe Beese at 8:50 AM on April 20, 2009 [1 favorite]