Nirvana the Band the Show

Nope, it's not the latest Broadway or supper club grunge tribute... It would be close though, just add more cabaret.

Since last winter, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol have produced and starred in a series of ten-minute episodes of Nirvana The Band The Show. (As a point of reference you may recall my posting on the brilliant Clark and Michael late last year. Stylistically the shows are very similar but this one truly made me laugh out loud. This one however is Canadian-made and way more naughty. (You may want to hide the link from your eleven year old or if you have a peanut allergy. Watch and you will understand) The verite-style ‘webcom’* follows Johnson and McCarrol as they try to book a show for their hyperactive two-man act, Nirvana the Band.

Therein lies the first joke. Nirvana the Band has nothing to do with that other Nirvana. (Yes that one) We don’t actually ever quite hear a full song either, but their act seems to consist of McCarrol playing the piano while Johnson improvises elaborate dances, schemes and self-referential spoken word pieces. The joke being that the characters of Matt and Jay are apparently unaware that the name “Nirvana” has already been taken.

Nirvana the Band is ultimately a mockery of the artistic creative process. Be assured It will make you laugh and in some cases it will offend but the production values belie its fly-on-the-wall docu-spontaneity and salty tongue. Johnson and McCarrol work very well together and many times their brand of humour reminded me of what I loved best about the Kids in the Hall.

If you love the eighties, sitcoms and pop culture from that time and beyond, this stuff is for you. My favourite episode so far is the three part 'Peanuts' segment. Judge for yourself.

* I am going to claim that one, you saw it here first.