I totally overthought this one, I'll admit it. However, it does make me laugh, much like, I'm sure, "FridgeBot" made Julie herself laugh.
Anyway, I got to thinking about the dance move called the robot, where it's sort of like popping and locking so that you look like you're a robot. The routines invariably end with the robot "breaking" or "malfunctioning," leaving one arm stuck laterally, and the loose forearm hanging down, swinging to and fro. At :15, you'll see what I'm talking about:
From Wikipedia: "A further deviation from the commonly accepted robot routine is the Malfunctioner, which is most often segued into from the "broken robot." Usually saved for the culmination of the dance, this move involves the performer stiffening, moving their joints in an exaggeratedly jerky fashion with a look of confusion on their face, and finally feigning a fall to the ground. The move attempts to leave the onlooker with the impression that the robot has completely ceased to function."
The epic fail of the humor in my haiku was that I got to thinking, why would anyone dance like a broken robot, which is to say, not really dance at all? Might as well do an impression of a broken stove, for all the physical activity it involves. I kept myself chuckling at the vision of someone actually trying to pull off a charade of said appliance, and how utterly stupid that would look.
Perhaps I was also feeling residual humor effects from this one time, in a game of Charades at Cat's house, Sweatpants gave me the clue "Bill Cosby" that I had to work out for the group in Charade form. You haven't lived until you've done his entire stupid dance from the beginning of the Cosby Show, or mimed eating a Pudding Pop with that ridiculous Bill Cosby grin.
That sure was a LOT of syllables to explain 17. But I stand by it.
And no one got "Bill Cosby." Sweatpants kept laughing for like 10 minutes straight while I tortured myself with the performance.
19 comments:
I got it! FridgeBot fixes broken stoves!!!
ooh, east coast horrorthon charades! or are we too old and too sober?
Never too old or too sober AC ;P
Stan I believe I remember that, I now have this visual in my head. Hahaha We had some crazy antics back then. Man, I miss you guys.
The hell of it was, JSP knew what it was the whole time. I even pulled that "waggle your fingers in front of your face" bit from the very end of the show's intro.
To no avail.
I am certainly not sober, though my (shudder) 35th b-day is coming up next week. (choke) (sob) (beer can cracks open)
Stan does a mean Bill Cosby. Even better is his Paul Stanley pursed lips/impressed with himself imitation. Now that I think of it he also does a damn fine onstage Paul which was used to great effect during his toast at Jay's wedding.
For the record, I was right with you on your robot haiku, Stan.
(Bulgaria)
35 hah! I'm hitting 45 this December so quit yer bitchin!
That video's awesome.
Octo - if you threw a robot Halloween party where everyone has to dress like a robot and do the robot dance all night... I would fly out for that shit.
I'll certainly consider it.
It's funny you guys are talking about feeling old because my first thought on reading this post was that you know you're old when the dance move you don't know has a paragraph in Wikipedia about it.
I mean, that's like getting one of those records to teach you how to speak slang.
handsome stan, my birthday's next week too!
I have never in my life wanted to punch someone in the face as much as I wanted to punch Bill Cosby in the face every fucking time I saw the opening credits of his TV show.
Oh, and, something else: If AI ever takes over the earth (or at least becomes a solid demographic, like halfway through The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, you can bet that "The Robot" dance will be held up by the machines as an embarrassing early example of human anti-machine prejudice, like old minstrel shows.
"Look at the dance they named after us! How revealing of their true attitudes!" (Ashamed, embarassed humans would object: "Nobody does that dance any more...except in the Deep South.")
Yes, Jordan, YES! Imagine the horror of having to recreate his Parkinson's-esque shuffling about, having to picture that damn grin and sweater. I've also been told by those that I know that have worked for/with him that he's a complete reverse racist - will not hire or entertain any thought of any white employees on his sets. And he's a jerk to the black people he hires.
AC, what day? I'm the early part of the week, and that's all I'm sayin'. Your Facebook profile was...coy.
JSP, Bulgaria.
Octo, I will take THE REDEYE for that costume party.
If you watch the Cosby show you will notice that white people are only given subservient roles such as janitor or garbage collector. Cosby sexually harassed my piano teacher's daughter, who went on to become an actress (she was on Seinfeld, etc).
i gotta be coy on facebook, stan, but not so much here. my birthday is next friday, and i'll be 44.
JPX stop dragging Cosby through the mud, you racist bastard. Why not mention the good things about him? Have you ever heard his bit when he's pretending to be at the dentist? Hilarious!
Also I'm afraid I can't take Mrs. Hahn's daughter's word over Mr. Cosby's. She is Chinese after all.
Also note that "etc" in JPX's comment really means "And Nothing Else".
I can assure you that my desire to repeatedly punch Mr. Cosby in the face has nothing to do with mud or race.
Also note that "etc" in JPX's comment really means "And Nothing Else".
Priceless!
And true.
Post a Comment