Other Character Email Strong Sad/Documentary

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Contents

Summary

Strong Sad show a documentary about "Experimental Film". No, not the forum guy.

Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Sad, Narrator, Interviewer, John Flansburgh, John Linnel, Alex Trebec, Little Strong Bad, The Cheat, BBC Translator, Homestar Runner, Strong Bad, Homsar, Evil Studio Executive, Boring Tech Guy, Bubs (easter egg)

Transcript

STRONG SAD: In the internet, emails come and go, talk of Michelangelo. {opens email}

Dear Strong Sad,
Are you friends with The Cheat,
or does he think you're as much
of a loser as everyone else does?
Josh

STRONG SAD: {reads email, starts typing} No, I wouldn’t say I’m friends with the Cheat. He thinks I’m a loser, like everyone else does. {sighs} But we did manage to work together and create a music video the They Might Be Giants song “Experimental Film”. {stops typing} In fact, I have a documentary on that video, and I’ll show it to you, on this TV that appeared out of nowhere. Let's watch.

{Strong Sad puts a video in the VCR and press play. The title screen reads: Experiment: In Search of the Journey for the Music Video for Experimental Film}

NARRATOR: Experimental Film is the hallmark this modern generation for years to come. It is a triumph of the will to live in this hellish modern world. It is a love story for the people who are tired of lack of healthcare in Third World countries. It is all these meaningless statements, and more!

{clip of an interview with Strong Sad. Strong Sad is in a non-descript room, which will be used for other interviews.}

STRONG SAD: I liked the film, even though it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to and contains gaping errors and haunts my sleep with its failures. Come to think of it...{cut off}

NARRATOR: It all started with the band They Might Be Giants.

{cut to an interview of TMBG}

INTERVIEWER: John, I love your music.

JOHN FLANSBURGH: Thank you.

INTERVIEWER: {sharp} I was talking to John! {points to Linnell} Anyway, I like that song about the guy who keeps getting postcards with chimpanzees.

JOHN LINNELL: That was the band Barenaked Ladies.

INTERVIEWER: Well, then, I like that song with the line “Put out the dog and brings in the cat”.

JOHN LINNELL: That’s Yakety Yak by The Coasters.

INTERVIEWER: What about that song that a really long rant about eating sauerkraut and a plane crash and hermaphrodites and donut shops and weasels but it’s all really about this city in New Mexico.

{Now the band is at a game show desk}

JOHN LINNELL: {hits buzzer} Albuquerque by Weird Al Yankovic!

ALEX TREBEC: Sorry, you have to put it in the form of a question.

JOHN FLANSBURGH: {to Linnell} Nice going, John.

NARRATOR: They Might Be Giants choose Strong Sad to direct the music video for Experimental Film. Strong Sad’s only previous experience was the filming of the 3rd Annual Free Country Talent Show {clip from stand-up} and Strong Family Trip to Williamsburg ‘81.

{Low-quality video of little Strong Bad chasing a woman in colonial dress with fire poker}

NARRATOR: Strong Sad chose The Cheat to be his co-director.

{clip of Strong Sad interview}

STRONG SAD: The Cheat offered to help me direct, in exchange for not knawing my face off.

{clip of The Cheat doing an interview.}

THE CHEAT: {cheat-speak}

{A female voice with a BBC British accent dubs over The Cheat}

TRANSLATION: Yeah, Strong Sad is a swell kid, but I thought his ideas needed some jazz or they would flop with the brats, if you know what I mean? So I did it my way. And anyone who doesn’t agree can…oh my goodness, that’s filthy! And physical impossible!

{interview of Strong Sad}

STRONG SAD: The Cheat was the one who found the ATM. In fact, he found a lot of ATMs. {suspicious} He never told us where he got them.

NARRATOR: Experimental Film is a flash cartoon…or part of it is.

{cut to the Cheat at the Tangerine Dream}

THE CHEAT: {cheat-speak, as he makes a little animation}

TRANSLATION: Here is where I made the cartoon part of Experimental Film. First I draw fatty, than I move him in some frames, loop it a bit, and I’m done. Yes, the huge animation budget was justified. And no, I don’t know where the money went, but I’m sure that the cheque is in the post.

NARRATOR: The acting in Experimental Film was provided by Strong Sad’s friends and slash or family. They were amateurs with a love of film and an ignorance of union practices.

{interview with Homestar Runner}

HOMESTAR: Strong Sad is not only a great director, but a fan-awesome guy to work with. I treasure our time on that set. {long pause} Seriously though, I hate that freakin’ guy. Thought he was the king of the world or something. I never want to work with that guy again. {whispering off-stage} Holy crap, the camera’s running! Um, I was talking about James Cameron.

{interview with Strong Bad}

STRONG BAD: Of course, my baby brother originally gave me a bigger role in the film. In the first script, Super McBad, my character, and Round-elly, his character, were going to go cross country on nuclear hover bikes in post-apologetic wasteland to Neo-Parts Unknown. As we traveled, we would learn about life and friendship and blackjacks, until I sold Roundy for traveling money. But Saddysawa junked that and went with some po-mo poop.

NARRATOR: But who would play the main character? Other actors were used before Strong decided to play the role himself.

{cut to clip from the filming. Homsar is dressed as Strong Sad (see impression).}

HOMSAR: Ahhh…Ahhhhh…Ahh……..

{As he screams, the camera turns around to the filming crew and than to Strong Sad in a director’s chair and than back again.}

HOMSAR: Ahhhhhhh…ohhh.

STRONG SAD: {angry} Cut! It’s supposed to be ahhh, not ohhh. That’s it, you’re fired.

HOMSAR: I’ll never eat grass on this lawn again.

{interview with Strong Sad}

STRONG SAD: By being both a director and an actor, I got to experience what it’s like to have multiple personality disorder.

NARRATOR: The film did have its share of troubles.

{interview with a businessman in a fancy office}

EVIL STUDIO EXECUTIVE: We cut the film to give it a more consumer friendly “happy ending”, as they say in the massage parlors.

INTERVIEWER: So, the bowl hitting was the happy ending?

EVIL STUDIO EXECUTIVE: You wouldn’t want to see the original ending.

{interview with a young nerdy guy}

BORING TECH: We need the 5’, but only 4 ½’ were avalible, so I had to drive 90 miles pass a train going 80 miles per an hour to Albuquerque from San Diego carrying…hey! {television turned off}

STRONG SAD: On second thought, let’s not watch it.

{the end}

Easter Eggs

  • Click on the word "Josh" to see this scene
{Cut to Bub's Concession Stand. Homestar talks to Bubs}
HOMESTAR: Hey Bubs, what's for lunch today?
BUBS: Today, I grilled up some shiitake mushrooms...
{Bubs and the concession stand disappear. Homestar pauses and looks around. He slowly backs away, whistling}
  • Click on the words Experimental Film at the end to see the original. [1]

Fun Facts

Explanations

  • Strong Sad's first line is a paraphase of the line 
In the room the women come and go
    Talking of Michelangelo

from the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot.

  • The Strongs took a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, which is an recreated 18th century town in Williamsburg, Virginia. My family has spent a lot of time down there. It's like a trip to the past without the smells!
  • In case you didn't know, They Might Be Giants is an American band that did the song Experimental Film. Barenaked Ladies is a really band with fun name, and their cool too.
  • Alex Trebeck is the host of Jeopardy, a game show where they give you the answers and you have to guess the question.
  • "Cheque" is the British spelling for "check". Post is an other Britishism.
  • James Cameron is the director for "Terminator" and "Titanic". At the Oscar awards for Titanic, he famously said "I'm the King of the World!"
  • Round-elly refers to Rondell, Strong Sad's name for the main character in "Experimental Film". Also, he meant to say post-apocalyptic.
  • Saddysawa is a pun on Kurosawa, a famous Japanese director.
  • The Evil Studio Executive part is a references to the troubles the movie "Brazil" went through.

Trivia

  • Josh knows what I mean by shiitake mushrooms. I hope you aren't offended.

Related Links


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