Every audience reaction to the man singing Drowning Pool ‘Bodies’ on America’s Got Talent
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Last Friday was the 20th anniversary of the release of ‘Bodies’, the debut single from the band Drowning Pool. If you’re not familiar with the original version’s violent yet undeniably catchy refrain, you might still know it from the viral video in which it is eerily sung by a parrot, or from the time it was performed by an 82-year-old gentleman on America’s Got Talent.
I have watched this video so many times and it never disappoints. John’s performance definitely rocks, but what keeps me coming back is the incredible range of audience reaction shots. Look at them!
oh. my. god.
OH! MY! GOD!
[forceful clapping]
What the!?
This sounds bad haha
Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh
[Rhythmic punching]
Hehe
If this clip has awoken a long-dormant love of nu metal for you, I also recommend listening to the latest episode of Remember When...
This week’s new podcasts
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey spoke to China trade experts Natasha Hamilton-Hart and Sam Roggeveen about why we shouldn’t be keeping quiet on human rights issues for trade’s sake. Dietary Requirements [Apple | Spotify] welcomed guest Polly Markus aka @miss_pollys_kitchen to talk about the joys of cooking at home. On The Fold [Apple | Spotify], Duncan Greive spoke to NZ Herald head of premium Miriyana Alexander about two years of their online subscription model. On Business is Boring [Apple | Spotify], Simon Pound spoke to Compostic’s Jon Reed about kicking plastic cling wrap to the kerb. On Remember When… [Apple | Spotify], Lucy Balkiston (Shit You Should Care About) and Eden French-Putu talked about the viral challenges of yesteryear. And The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] covered all the latest from Drag Race Down Under, The Apprentice Aotearoa and The Masked Singer NZ.
FIRST
The speed at which Liam Finn can recall the name of his first band (aged two) and the lyrics of the first song he ever wrote (same era) in this week’s episode of FIRST suggests he either has a mega memory or is making them up on the spot. Either way is impressive! I recommend also listening to the podcast version [Apple Podcasts | Spotify] of this one for some good bonus yarns, then going down an early Betchadupa wormhole.
The Apprentice Aotearoa
Stewart says: “I’m calling The Apprentice Aotearoa as our best reality show of 2021. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the back-to-back linear TV experience of The Masked Singer on Three then The Apprentice on TVNZ 1 – both are so low budget, ridiculous and quintessentially New Zealand – and yet somehow The Apprentice is by far the funnier of the two. I also recommend limply pointing at people while monotonously saying ‘you’re fired’.” (This sentiment is shared by Duncan Greive in his review of The Apprentice Aotearoa.)
We Rock!
The first Girls Rock! Camp was held in Portland, Oregon in the early-2000s, and has since grown into a global alliance of camps an international network of camps where girls, trans, intersex, and non-binary people between the ages of 12 and 17 can rock out for a week no matter their musical experience level. Doc Edge short We Rock! was filmed at the 2020 Girls Rock! Aotearoa Camp and it looks like a lot of fun. This year’s Doc Edge Film Festival runs from June 3 to July 11 in Auckland, Wellington and online – if you want to check out what’s showing visit docedge.nz.
Utopia
Justin L says: “Recently added to the Netflix library, Utopia is an Australian comedy series that combines elements of The Office, Parks and Recreation and the British political comedy The Thick of It. It's essentially a satirical takedown of civil servants, politicians and human resources departments. You'll be wincing more than laughing at how close to home it is.”
Saying “Whassup?”
Eli says: “I would like to rec and potentially bring back the late-90s-early-2000s way of saying “Whassup?” While many now believe it to have originated in Scary Movie or the US version of The Office, the true origins of “Whassup?” can be traced to this ad / cinematic masterpiece, which was based on a short film written and directed by Charles Stone III. The start of a long running ad campaign for Budweiser beer (what else?), it first aired in the US during a Monday Night football game in 1999, and features a couple of dudes who love a landline, football, a catchy greeting, and, of course, a Bud. The original “Whassup?” took the world by storm – two decades on, maybe it’s time to bring it back.”
Puss in Boots (1988)
Lucy says: “In case you missed it, Christopher Walken was in a 1988 musical version of Puss in Boots. Naturally Christopher plays Puss with his signature style and always lands on his feet...Here's a few highlights including some classic 80's dissolve effects.”
Whittaker’s carrot cake chocolate
They’ve done it again – just like the special edition flat white flavoured chocolate earlier in the year, opinions are divided on whether Whittaker’s new carrot cake flavoured chocolate is really good or in fact quite bad. Alice liked it: “It nailed the carrot cake flavour”. Stewart, on the other hand, thought it was bad: “I found it unpleasant, and carrot cake is my favourite cake”. Back to Alice for the final word: “Would I buy it? Probably not. Would I eat a lot if someone else did? Absolutely.”
That’s all for this week! Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋