Comedy gold: “Auto-Tune the News”
posted at 11:30 am on April 25, 2009 by Allahpundit
Alternate title: “If T-Pain ran CNN.” Stupidity is easy, brilliance is hard, both at the same time is magic: South Park falls squarely into the third category, and so does this. I can’t fathom how they came up with it, whether they picked the clips and wrote the music around it, wrote the music first and then went looking for clips, or some third possibility. Their first try in this vein wasn’t nearly as good, but this one’s perfection; make sure to read the lyrics in the sidebar at YouTube, too. Are they using the music to satirize the conventions of TV news or the news to satirize the conventions of this genre of hip-hop? I think both. Awesome.
The purest stroke of genius is, of course, the Katie Couric clip, but my favorite is the one with Hannity. You’re a great American, angry gorilla.
Blowback
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Funny clips, but THAT assessment made me laugh out loud.
How many Frank McGee’s does it take to make an angry gorilla?
Only one Frank McGee angry gorilla couples Sean Hannity. I saw the CNN “angry” Hannity reference. But what has McGee vs. Babawawa have to do with Sean?
maverick muse on April 25, 2009 at 1:18 PM
Cough cough.. Ventalators cough cough… I dont think this is really all that much of a secret…. ;p
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:20 PM
The Geraldo impersonation was the best…….
BBBBBWWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…………
Seven Percent Solution on April 25, 2009 at 1:21 PM
I can’t begin to see any racism in the gorilla scean.
Only a slightly ghey gorilla.
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Barney Franks would like the gorilla phone number…
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:23 PM
The music sound’s slightly retro 70′s sorta like the Geiko commercial.
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Weight of Glory on April 25, 2009 at 12:33 PM
It was clever.
But reference yourself.
maverick muse on April 25, 2009 at 1:23 PM
I think he’s already done the gorilla
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:24 PM
I’m saving this for when hyper-inflation kicks in……
…….. you can thank Allah later.
Seven Percent Solution on April 25, 2009 at 1:24 PM
I agree with those that think this is lame display at humor and would like to get out of the juvenile mode. Not funny not worth watching fit for Beavis and Butthead fans. Not good enough to be classified as comic relief or lightening up break. Classify as super stupid. Created while deep into substance abuse, by some technical nerd who usual likes jokes about passing gas, but tried for new heights in technical Audio-Visio creativity. Really have to question editors that let this pass!
rsl775 on April 25, 2009 at 1:25 PM
Anything that helps burst the ego & “we-know-better” balloon of the media and politicians is good. (I don’t care how dumb it is.)
This one had several clever moments in it. Better than the first one, for sure.
albill on April 25, 2009 at 1:26 PM
“Everyone knows” that monkeys with ties (or even gorillas) symbolize–eaglewingz08 on April 25, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Quit superimposing your interpretation.
maverick muse on April 25, 2009 at 1:26 PM
What’s wrong with jokes about passing gas………..?
Seven Percent Solution on April 25, 2009 at 1:26 PM
I’d have to disagree, it’s definitely stupid enough to be funny, not as funny as the comments about it, but definitely good enough to be classified as comic relief.
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:28 PM
I’m on a dolphin, doing flips and ****
On very thin ice
OneGyT on April 25, 2009 at 1:28 PM
Christ, Allahpundit. This is what we’re up against?
Potfry on April 25, 2009 at 1:29 PM
True… Just thought though that the video was missing the Barny Franks “I wish I could loose weight without dieting” comment… ;p
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:30 PM
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:23 PM
That’s an 80s song on the Geiko ads.
thecountofincognito on April 25, 2009 at 1:31 PM
That was so bad I only lasted 30 seconds. Maybey it’s because I don’t know what “auto-tune” is or lisen to that type of music, but I honestly tried to watch the whole thing.
Usually your comedy gold posts are great Allah, but this was a swing and miss.
Mord on April 25, 2009 at 1:34 PM
I have been outed. It’s…liberating!
Michelle on April 25, 2009 at 1:41 PM
OK, well how about some shameless self promotion videos
That’s an 80s song on the Geiko ads.
thecountofincognito on April 25, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
ROTFLMAO… I think you were actually outed when you did that little thing in the cheer leaders outfit… ;p
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:43 PM
I thought it was rather clever and well done. I found humor in it but it wasn’t laugh out loud. Maybe I should have waited a little longer after getting out bed to watch this comedy clip.
Weebork on April 25, 2009 at 1:46 PM
I miss the Vent-er-ist music vids :(
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:46 PM
By the way, auto-tune is the vocal sound effects.
Maybe it’s a filipino thing to like this sort of music. My wife digs this genre too.
Weebork on April 25, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Sigh, so do I, I also miss the live blog casts… (you reading this Michelle???)…
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 1:48 PM
You know who else posted this (and actually beat you to it)?
mnftiu
One of those times the left and right wrap around and meet each other – is this what bipartisanship looks like?
studentpat on April 25, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Same category as South Park? Fuck no! Are you high?
But, it was pretty funny. The Couric bit was especially decent
Stickeehands on April 25, 2009 at 1:55 PM
Maybe Bryan can make a guest appearance.
Kini on April 25, 2009 at 1:59 PM
That would be great, but I think we probably just sent Michelle back into lurker mode with these suggestions… ;(
doriangrey on April 25, 2009 at 2:02 PM
HA! I could listen to the Katie Couric/Hillary bit over and over — it was really well done!
I think it’s more lampooning auto-tuning in music than news; it’s basically saying “you can make something catchy even out of political news on such ‘serious’ topics.” And, by jove, it worked!
lansing quaker on April 25, 2009 at 2:12 PM
Funny clip, you guys going to freak everybody out about the pig flu?
koolbrease on April 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
I miss Bryan.
GoodBoy on April 25, 2009 at 2:19 PM
Home run AP…that was funny as hell. Some of you need to get those rather large sticks out of your rectums.
dakine on April 25, 2009 at 2:23 PM
I liked it. The Couric part was awesome.
sammypants on April 25, 2009 at 2:24 PM
hilarious… I must subscribe..
Kaptain Amerika on April 25, 2009 at 2:35 PM
Thanks, I needed a good laugh!
“That’s what I do. Just ask Donkey Kong. He’s in my crew.”
tru2tx on April 25, 2009 at 2:36 PM
The guy next to couric had me laughing, that part was certainly amusing in many senses of the word.. Clearly these fellas are improving with practice..*
*There might be some ladykilling messages for the Pundit in there somewhere. Albeit it might be best NOT to start with the Prejeans of the world despite the obvious temptations ;) Might be best to start out small, maybe try Miss Rhode Island.
saus on April 25, 2009 at 2:56 PM
I’ve watched the Katie Couric part 10 times now — it’s brilliant.
John the Libertarian on April 25, 2009 at 3:05 PM
A for concept
D for execution
Bodhi on April 25, 2009 at 3:09 PM
It would seem they started with Katie Couric’s melodic and rhythmic delivery and wrote the song around it. The others don’t track nearly as perfectly.
John the Libertarian on April 25, 2009 at 3:20 PM
Wow, Couric can really lay down the global warming propaganda. Way to obey your masters Katie.
alteredbeat on April 25, 2009 at 3:24 PM
It was very weak, until the Couric segment – should’ve hung in long enough for that.
Midas on April 25, 2009 at 3:43 PM
Best lyric ever.
Thanks for the cleanser, AP.
12thman on April 25, 2009 at 4:23 PM
Awesome stuff
strictnein on April 25, 2009 at 4:25 PM
The Katie Couric part was hilarious while the rest was meh.
Daemonocracy on April 25, 2009 at 4:37 PM
That was pretty funny. Couric ROCKED tho. LOL
This is my fave genre of music – hip-hop techno or whatever the heck the teens call it this week.
Now that I know the name of how they do this – sorry for the stupid question – is Auto-Tune how they did the “Jai Ho” refrain?
inviolet on April 25, 2009 at 4:38 PM
I liked it! If ONLY Katie Couric was always this entertaining.
anniekc on April 25, 2009 at 5:09 PM
Yeah funny as in a Full House sort of way.
Sorry, no it is just fcking nerd humor.
ClassicCon on April 25, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Yes, it’s funny and yes the Couric bit at the end is the best part
Beta male shut-ins win another round……….
Janos Hunyadi on April 25, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Okay, is we are doing music (?) here is the band my youngest is with right now.
http://www.myspace.com/killerontheway
Cindy Munford on April 25, 2009 at 5:18 PM
I liked the Couric part..the rest is a waste of time.
BayCon on April 25, 2009 at 5:20 PM
That was pretty cool.
Cindy Munford on April 25, 2009 at 5:23 PM
I was wondering if she outed her self as a gaming geek the other day also,when she paraphrased the “All your base are belong to us” for the byline in a blog post, or if that phrase had just gotten that popular.
Sir Corky on April 25, 2009 at 5:34 PM
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing AP
bigbeas on April 25, 2009 at 5:44 PM
I couldn’t understand the comedian’s voices :(. They sound like Cher. Who’m I also can’t understand.
Kevin M on April 25, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Katie Couric was being serious, guys! Thin ice is pretty precarious stuff, you guys!
ericdijon on April 25, 2009 at 6:22 PM
This makes me feel a bit like a grade-school artist trying to figure Picasso out. It’s funny, I think. It skewers, I think, some figures that richly deserve it. And it’s diffent, I’m sure.
And Allahpundit, great stretch to slam another conservative in your jealousy hall-of-fame. You might consider getting some meds for that, pal.
notagool on April 25, 2009 at 6:25 PM
Shure mon, she’s a girl. What’s your excuse?
rcl on April 25, 2009 at 6:46 PM
Actually I thought the Katie bit was great. Regardless the lame techno track.
The gorilla? What’s the point of that torn up mask?
rcl on April 25, 2009 at 6:49 PM
I don’t get it. Is this something that is supposed to be funny?
TugboatPhil on April 25, 2009 at 7:26 PM
It really goes to show how much of a cheat Auto-Tune is for performers. Couric was just… talking and look what they were able to do with it.
And God, I’ve watched this thing a million times now and I can’t get over how good it is. Check out the MLK video too.
Typhonsentra on April 25, 2009 at 7:28 PM
I’m a South Park Conservative, and that was funny I don’t care who you are.
Pole-Cat on April 25, 2009 at 7:52 PM
Legalize it! And I will Hannitize it!
ronsfi on April 25, 2009 at 7:56 PM
eh…dude? The couric part is marginally funny.
If you could harness all the humour in this vid and turn it directly into energy, you could….toast a piece of bread.
Lightly.
Gaunilon on April 25, 2009 at 7:59 PM
Auto-Tune is software that adjusts pitch and tempo with a few clicks. The synthesizer effect is exaggerated to make the point that it’s all manipulated (pun intended).
Pole-Cat on April 25, 2009 at 8:07 PM
I thought this was sort of funny the first time that I watched it, but I couldn’t understand the words. After I read the lyrics, it was funnier. But now, I’ve gone back and watched it 2-3 times because it keeps growing on me. The Couric and Hillary parts are the best.
TX Mom on April 25, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I wasn’t that sure about it the first time I saw it, but yeah…it really grows on you. Especially when you get the backstory on the whole auto-tune thing.
Asher on April 25, 2009 at 9:31 PM
What is ‘shawty’, btw? lol
Asher on April 25, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Loved it!
The Katie Couric thing had me smiling in amazement. Almost as cool as the Bale-out.
eforhan on April 25, 2009 at 9:48 PM
This is the first of this genre of youtube vids I have ever seen. Thanks, AP – I think it’s damn funny, and I’ve been scouring for more since I watched this one.
But I can’t find any that are this funny. Perhaps they are just hitting their stride.
connertown on April 25, 2009 at 9:51 PM
Allah, you’re nuts–their first try was a much better song, and more melodically interesting. Hell, I even like Joe Biden a little more now–or at least when he’s in
two-part harmony.
Maybe you just didn’t like the whole Woody Allen-Diane Keaton vibe they had going at the end there.
Still, that’s a great song.
T.Marcell on April 25, 2009 at 10:54 PM
Some of us apparently don’t hit the bong quite as early as you. I have an excellent(if not twisted at times),sense of humor, but this clip didn’t even make me crack a smile.
By the way, the terrorists HAVE won. Did you forget who is in the White House? I wouldn’t blame you if you had, because I try and block that memory out as much as possible.
xblade on April 25, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Massive amounts of FAIL right there, shawty.
blogRot on April 25, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Cant…stop…watching…it…
rihar on April 26, 2009 at 12:50 AM
It means “Shorty”, which is slang for girl.
strictnein on April 26, 2009 at 3:29 AM
USA: 0
Terrorists: 1
Hey Allah; do you like fishsticks? Do you like to put them in your mouth?
TMK on April 26, 2009 at 4:27 AM
Good stuff. I browsed this guy’s other work, the MLK one was awesome too.
NorthernCross on April 26, 2009 at 9:03 AM
I couldn’t make it past the first 30 seconds — too lame.
Dasher on April 26, 2009 at 9:29 AM
I need to get me some auto-tune software. The potential is endless.
This was certainly a spoof on the idiom, with some funny lines. (“that means the ocean”). It’s hard to follow the “lyrics” since they are so fast, but I’ve got to respect the special effects that went into this production.
4 out of 5 stars. :-)
cannonball on April 26, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Michelle Malkin is something of a personal hero of mine in these days and times. I will dismiss Allah’s assertion that she likes this genre of music in the same way that I dismiss the fact that Elvis ate fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. It doesn’t help their image, but their work is/was just…too…damn…vital to get worried about their little vices.
;-)
hawkdriver on April 26, 2009 at 11:37 AM
LOL
And what, precisely, is wrong w/ this genre of music? :)
inviolet on April 26, 2009 at 11:53 AM
If you have to ask, you probably are not capable of understanding.
doriangrey on April 26, 2009 at 12:01 PM
*laughs gently* Usually agree w/ your posts and am surprised at the prejudice. Love all kinds of music – yes, all (except country, sorry to fans, don’t know why but it doesn’t appeal to me). Sorry you don’t enjoy this genre but am sure Michelle Malkin will be amused that you think her incapable of understanding why she considers this music. :)
inviolet on April 26, 2009 at 12:09 PM
Who cares if you like this genre of music or not? I can’t stand opera but I sure as hell will laugh at a sketch which sends it up. Ditto for this clip. The whole Cher auto-tune sound is so bad it’s comical, anyway. The fact that producers are still not bored of it after 10 years is a source of great amusement to me. And I think it’s probably a source of amusement to the guys who created this video, too. Imagine if, 10 years after the 70′s, they were still releasing track after track with that ELO “robot voice.” I’d find that pretty funny. This genre of music has become a parody of itself and this video uses that ridiculousness to great comic effect.
It’s also very well thought out and put together. Even if I didn’t find it funny I would appreciate its technical quality because, well, I guess I appreciate talent when I see it even if it’s not “my kind of thing.”
It’s interesting to note that those making a big song and dance about how “unfunny” they find it are exactly those posters whose lame, predicable attempts at “humor” leave me cold on a daily basis. There, I’ve said it.
Sharke on April 26, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Allah is telling us that he is much younger than you or I.
Al in St. Lou on April 26, 2009 at 12:55 PM
I’m not gonna put it at Southpark level, but that’s pretty entertaining.
Blacklake on April 26, 2009 at 1:16 PM
I’m thinking you took this whole thread a bit more serious than the rest of us.
Don’t make me call you Francis and tell you to lighten up.
hawkdriver on April 26, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Absolutely nothing.
I be teasing. I actually have eaten a fried banana and peanut butter sammy to boot.
;-)
hawkdriver on April 26, 2009 at 4:04 PM
unclesmrgol on April 26, 2009 at 11:13 PM
LOL
What’s missing? Gotta have a Bill, Hitlery, and Monica get together. Also, Hitlery needs to start wearing those large broaches aka Meddling Alright.
MSGTAS on April 27, 2009 at 9:35 AM
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spmat on April 27, 2009 at 11:13 AM
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