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State of the art
Mr. Show hits Mr. Road
BY MARK BAZER

At its best, comedy strives to be not only funny but culturally and politically useful. So listen up, Antonin Scalia: Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, whom you surely remember from HBO’s sketch-comedy program Mr. Show, have figured out a surefire legal way to send mentally retarded killers to the electric chair.

Speaking from Odenkirk’s office in Los Angeles, Cross explains, "We have a sketch about a retarded guy who’s convicted of murder, but the state deems that he’s too retarded to execute. So their solution is to hire the greatest minds in science to tinker with his brain. And they’re very proud of their results, because he turns into a very smart, well-spoken person — and then they kill him."

It’s been a while since such inspired satire was on TV — since 1998, in fact, when Mr. Show bowed out after four seasons in often hard-to-stay-awake-for time slots. But the show remains a cult sensation, having spawned a film (or an attempt at one) and a DVD release of the first two HBO seasons. The duo took to the road this spring, playing rock clubs and having bands open the gigs. A double album culled from those performances is due in November under the title Shut Up, You Fucking Baby (on the indie-rock label Sub Pop), and a DVD version is due next year, with footage shot by Lance Bangs, better known to indie-rockers as Mr. Corin Tucker. So though the show isn’t returning to the airwaves, it is, somehow, picking up steam. And Cross and Odenkirk are returning to the road for a bigger tour, entitled "Hooray for America," for which they’ll perform live new sketches as well as some old favorites. It hits the Orpheum this Tuesday.

Both the title of the tour and the story line that ties the sketches together come from a prescient screenplay the duo wrote a few years ago, one that has become only more relevant since. "A corporation decides that they want to find the most patriotic actor in America, and they’re going to run him for president," says Odenkirk. "Once he’s in power, he’s basically their puppet. And he’s just kind of a party animal; he moves the White House to Hollywood and hangs out with Andy Dick and porn stars. The corporation loves him, and they’re engaged in this evil plan that I don’t want to give away."

Although that doesn’t describe George Bush or his administration’s ties to Enron — at least not yet — it does fit into a style of comedy Cross says he’s proudest of doing on Mr. Show. "I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again because it’s such a delicious quote: I think what we did mostly on Mr. Show, and did quite well, was absurdist yet wholly logical extensions of what already exists."

Joining Odenkirk and Cross on stage will be two Mr. Show regulars, Brian Posehn and John Ennis (Cross met them in the ’80s, when both were performing regularly in Boston comedy clubs), plus Stephanie Courtney. Other Mr. Show veterans, as well as special guests like Patrick Warburton, will appear in videotaped segments.

As for the Mr. Show spinoff movie, Run Ronnie Run!, the less said, the better: apart from a couple of festival showings, it’s been sitting on New Line’s shelf. "We kind of just want to forget about it," says Odenkirk. "It wasn’t a good experience. We don’t think it’s very good. The director kicked us out on the second day of editing." If New Line does eventually release the film, he adds, "Our fans won’t think it’s very good, and people will say we’re lame, and it won’t be a good thing. And oh, on top of that, we’ll have to promote it."

All the more reason to check out the live revival. "It’s fun," says Cross. "We have no obligation. We’re clearly not in it for the money. They’re fun sketches, and performing live is really the most rewarding thing to do. And now we can take it to the people!"

"Mr. Show Live: Hooray for America" arrives at the Orpheum, 1 Hamilton Place, this Tuesday, September 24, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 and $33.50; call (617) 931-2000.

Issue Date: September 19 - 26, 2002
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