Yay for Pickle Surprise.

Said by: Gary in NYC at April 10, 2007 12:06 AM

I agree with Fausto, the Strawberry Shortcake one is the better video.

Said by: Kelly in Atlanta at April 10, 2007 12:22 AM

This reminds me of The B-52's video for Girl From Ipanema Goes to Greenland. I wonder if it was an inspiration for the Band in their video direction. They did have RuPaul in the Love Shack video years later.

Said by: pup don at April 10, 2007 12:45 AM

Pickle surprise!!! Strawberry short-cut!!!

Lovely, there should be a whole film festival for psychodelic short films featuring drag queens!!!

I can't believe how much time you guys spend on YouTube! You and Pussypants find the crazyest videos!

I'll have the "pickle surprise" on my mind for months. As the "pretty for me" before.

Said by: Juan Jaime at April 10, 2007 03:15 AM

First time I am hearing of Lady Bunny. Does any one remember Chili Pepper?

Said by: Barbara at April 10, 2007 04:34 AM

What's the big deal with these videos? They seem perfectly normal to me...am I missing something? Oh, my spaceship to Mars is here. I must be off! See you all later.

; )

Said by: Jason at April 10, 2007 06:04 AM

I remember when RuPaul was dancing on the speakers at Weekends in Atlanta and walking down Peachtree Street wearing tinfoil earrings.. needless to say she's a bit more glamorous these days... ;-) I loved her show on VH-1 esp when she had closeted Hall & Oates on! Also did you guys know she was in the B-52's Love Shack video, look for the blond 'fro! great show as always!

Said by: Juantana at April 10, 2007 07:58 AM

I think you have a new question for the FOF breakdown questions for your interviews, "If you were a pickle, what would you wear?" Classic Marc.

Based on the audio alone, "Strawberry Shortcut" is much better, makes much more sense. "Pickle Surprise" is fun, but doesn't make sense, based on the audio alone.

Said by: Christopher Hamilton at April 10, 2007 08:01 AM

I've been following the Nine Inch Nails thing since the audio track with the phone number embedded in it... 1-216-333-1810. It's pretty creepy...and a neat way to market the album. It's the first time I bought an album in years... btw you can follow the whole thing at www.ninwiki.com

Said by: got80s at April 10, 2007 08:40 AM

RuPaul was also on local access channels here in Atlanta way, way back in the day. In fact, a lot of drag queens were on local access back then.

Said by: Cliff Dix(from Atlanta) at April 10, 2007 11:38 AM

Local access chanels / drag queens? Did anybody in Austin ever watch / follow 'el chow de Faustina' on the local access chanel? It was very popular at the time... some checkout dude saw my last name on my check and asked me if I was related to Fausto, and I of course very proudly said,'he's my son!' - that person had been watching the Faustina shows and loved them.

Said by: Patricia Fernós at April 10, 2007 11:53 AM

Dayglow green and pink were very popular in the later 80's and I do believe it was becuase the tech made it possible. Every time someone wanted to make a T-Shirt for an event, black and white were out and the dayglow green, pink and orange. Also, dayglow pink, green and orange caps were popular for events, too -- probably because they developed the one-size-fits-all cap.

I surely participated in all of that but now I look back at it and think, "WTF?"

Said by: Mike (DMCEx) at April 10, 2007 12:31 PM

Strawberry Shortcut is a better put-together video. Pickle Surprise is kinda scary in a bizarre way. But lets be honest.. the singing guam boy is the real star!

Said by: Ben Consoli at April 10, 2007 12:35 PM

I agree that there is something unnerving about Pickle Surprise. Must be the "ham".

Is Cherry 7-Up an 80s thing?

I love the the replies to videos like this on YouTube. People always post stuff like "Wait a second.. those aren't women!"

Said by: Michael at April 10, 2007 12:43 PM

I imagine the pickle in a green pinstriped vest, with a cane and monocle -- sort of a Mr. Peanut, with gangrene?

These videos are priceless! Thanks for the disquisition on these one-minute masterpieces... What a great show today. Much more fun than most of the critiques in my class. ;)

Said by: Maia at April 10, 2007 04:06 PM

GUYS!!!!!!! There's just no question about it! "Pickle Surprise" is by far a more brilliant video!!!! The pickle is a Hindu god!!! That's totally amazing. The whole conceit--it's a surprise cause it doesn't have a picke--is very clever. I loved RuPaul and her hunky sidekick. And poor Lady Bunny should stick to blond wigs--that brown mop on her head in "Strawberry Shortcut" just does her absolutely no justice.

I think Marc was right--Fausto dissed it cause it had ham... what kinda Puerto Rican doesn't like pork??? Pernil and lechón are our national foods!!!!

At any rate, it was a cool show (on my birthday!!!). John Q. Sánchez was a great guest--so knowledgeable! I really liked your analysis of stuff.

Marc, the "tribe" (I don't like that word too much) or community that has young men fellate their elders is the Sambia people of Papua New Guinea. The classic anthropological or ethnographic book on it is Gilbert Herdt's "Guardians of the Flute" (1994)--wink, wink. You can also see his "Ritualized Homosexuality in Melanesia" (1993).

The story about the lipsincer from Guam was really cool. People from Guam who are descendants of the original inhabitants of the island are called (or call themselves) Chamorros. "Guamanian" is a more general term which is not used very much, except perhaps by people from Guam who are not Chamorro (but I might be wrong about that).

Said by: Larry La Fountain at April 10, 2007 05:01 PM

I always threaten to cook ham for Fausto just to see the look of horror on his face. I don't know why he hates it so much. Patricia-any answers?

I also love to cook "chamorro de res." I had no idea I was cooking Guamanians. All this time I thought it was beef.

Said by: Marc at April 10, 2007 05:21 PM

Since everyone has already commented on the Picke suprise and such I guess I'll answer what questions you guys had about trans people getting married. Both myself and my partner are FTM and we've talked to Chris Daly from the transgender law center and he made a good point where it's a lot easier if you are a same sex couple that you should file domestic partnership paperwork if your state has it. People are more likely to beileve that then marriage. If you are opposite sex from the person your marrying and your paperwork is in order then you should be fine. What sucks though is if someone really wants you can contest a marriage, there are plenty of states where they may hate everyone on the LGBT spectrum and not want you to be happy. Great show as always guys!

Said by: Bryan from L.A. at April 10, 2007 07:35 PM

This is so hard to choose, but I have to go with Strawberry Shortcut. At least that seems like a recipe that you could actually make!

However...

The irony of Pickle Surprise makes it the more enjoyable video. That and the outrageously long eyelashes on the Pickle. Fausto, I see a lot of influence on your early FoF makeup and hair in these videos. You obviously learned from the best!

Said by: RcktMan at April 10, 2007 08:12 PM

Quite remarkably, one CAN make tofu taste like pernil (roast Puerto Rican pork). Actually, in Puerto Rico they now have "pavochón" which is pavo (turkey) roasted on an open pit and seasoned to taste like lechón (roast pork).

Larry's Pernil-Like Tofu:

Drain your tofu on paper towels or cloth towels after you cut it into slices. In a mortar and pestle, mash up lots of fresh garlic, dried oregano, black pepper, salt (optional), olive oil. (OK, that's really my mom's recipe for pernil seasoning: a clove of garlic per pound of pernil, which is really WAY too little; a tablespoon of each of the other per pound--or maybe it's a teaspoon? At any rate, lay easy on the salt! Salt is bad for you.)

Anyway.... slather that tofu with the "adobo" (seasoning mix) and put into a preheated 350 degree oven in an oven-safe roasting pan or dish. You can marinate it in refrigerator (but make sure to cover it super well!!!) beforehand if you remember. Turn it while roasting every so often. Eat with delicious Puerto Rican food like rice and beans and a nice green salad with avocado. Voila! Enjoy.

I know, I know.... it's not ham! But at least it's something....

Said by: Larry La Fountain at April 10, 2007 11:39 PM

John Q. Sanchez is CUTE!

Said by: RicoPablo at April 10, 2007 11:56 PM

I have to go with Pickle Surprise!
I was so obsessed with day-glo. I made my mother buy me these clips that you pull your day-glo teeshirt through- tieing your shirt in a knot was just not good enough back then.
PS.My mother is also totally skeeved by ham too Fausto.

Said by: cristy at April 11, 2007 05:50 AM

Sorry guys but all the talk about videos that I couldnt see on the treadmill made the show a little hard to follow.

Usually your show is what keeps me going to the gym. Its the only place that I can listen undistracted to the whole show. But shows that require visual aids are tough to follow when you wont be near a computer for the next 12 hours.

Said by: Boston Bob at April 11, 2007 06:04 AM

Forums?

Where are these forums? Link plzkthx

Said by: epilonious at April 11, 2007 09:15 AM

Loved, loved, loved this episode. I especially enjoyed the Lady Bunny impressions! Pickle surprise was heinous but I adored the pickle costume. Hats off!!

Said by: A-Fray at April 11, 2007 03:06 PM

I have to agree with Boston Bob, and to be honest, the whole art analysis and breakdown of a fun/creepy video kinda had an opposing effect, not as fun anymore :( . I dunno, maybe I'm just not that into art, but I do love a good cat fight Ha! thought Marc and Fausto were heading for a good one with the whole ham argument. Anyway, great show. Oh! and although you guys only played a short part of that Guam guy singing, and I have to admit I haven't heard the original version, it sounded a lot like this other kid I saw on YouTube just wailing that song (at times a bit over the top tho), He's heading for Broadway I'm sure.. he's even been on The View with Rosie so.. maybe a 36 year old Chamorro/Guamenian lip syncing to a 20 year old's rendition? cute, no? Not sure what your rules on linking are, but if it's not allowed, sorry beforehand. He apparently removed his original video which Rosie talks about, but you get the idea with this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRexSeidRF0
Keep up the great work guys!

Said by: Alex at April 11, 2007 03:30 PM

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm ham

Said by: Gary T at April 11, 2007 03:42 PM

I think I prefer the "strawberry shortcut" video.

Thanks for the shoutout John!
Gary, I promise I won't cream myself.

I'm gonna go make a ham sandwich now.

Said by: Milton in NYC at April 11, 2007 05:52 PM

I agree with Fausto, the "Pickles Surprise" video does not work as well as "Strawberry Shortcut." I wasn't sure what he meant by its lack of "language," but I am guessing that he meant it did not communicate meaning to the audience. I know it did nothing for me.

And for the person who asked about Cherry 7-Up, it was more of an '80s thing, but I think it is still around.

Said by: David at April 11, 2007 10:06 PM

I'm still having nightmares from the pickles surprise! The lip-synching boy from guam was hillarious tho. Too funny.

Drew

Said by: PoloDrew at April 12, 2007 07:28 AM

Strawberry Shortcut! Good show btw oh and Marc, I love you dearly but please stop saying "the myspace" you sound like my mother it's just "myspace"

Love and Hugs
Phoenix

Said by: Phoenix at April 12, 2007 10:03 AM

I just listened to this show again and loved it even more. While I did like Pickle Surprise more, I do have to admit that I hate ham, so I'm with Fausto there. It totally turns my stomach. And one time some years ago I went to visit and Aunt and Uncle for Easter once and having arrived a few hours before dinner my Aunt, bless her heart, offered me a sandwich to hold me over. Thinking she was going to pull out a coldcut spread as most people have around the holidays I accepted when much to my shagrin she plopped down a ham sandwich. Of course, being gracious I accepted and managed to finish most of it (taking small bites and swallowing them whole as to keep the vile substance in my mouth for too long). Yeah, not a big ham fan here. But after seeing Pickle Surprise I find myself saying the mantra whenever I'm in a situation where I have nothing else to say. "Hammmmmmmmmm"

Said by: pup don at April 12, 2007 11:20 AM