[This is part of The John M. Higgins Memorial Xmasganza.]
All of these different Kevin & Bean CDs have a mix of music and comedy, with some of the humor coming from celebrities and some from the show staff. It’s hit-and-miss. Like most “Morning Zoo” teams across this great land of ours (unless you live in another country, in which case, you still might have this phenomenon), the humor tends toward the frat boy end of the spectrum. Lots o’ makin’ fun o’ the immigrants and the chicks and the funny lookin’ people and anything serious.
But today, I will present two of the funniest damn things I ever heard. First up, is something that’s not for the faint of heart. Really, if you’re easily offended, don’t listen, ’cause this one is really going to offend you.
Everyone gone? Okay.
Adam Carolla developed the character “Mr. Birchum” in the early Nineties for the K&B program. Birchum is an eternally pissed-off Vietnam veteran and Wood Shop teacher. In this Loveline transcript, Carolla explains the character’s creation:
Uh, I thought, “Well, what do I know?” and I thought, “Well, I know carpentry.” And then I thought, “Well, why does a carpenter call in the morning show?” and I thought, “Shop teacher.” And then I thought, “Well why does a shop teacher call the morning show?” And I said, uh, “This guy teaches junior high shop. He’s not gonna make it in this morning.” I’d call at like 7:10 in the morning — but all my students listen to your crappy show and I gotta use the telephone as an intercom system and give ‘em a message. And I would start screaming at the kids to stay away from my router bit index.
He later brought the guy over to the Crank Yankers program.
Now, hear some gift-giving advice from Mr. Birchum. The heart of this 1996 bit is a seemingly endless series of parody porn titles. Seriously, I never fail to laugh.
John Higgins always loved South Park, even back to the Jesus vs. Santa short, which he somehow obtained. I mean it — he was a huge, huge fan of the show and of the movie. It was very much in line with his sense of humor.
In this selection from 1997, Cartman is (literally) prodded to sing the words to “O Holy Night ” correctly. A different version, with Cartman singing the song uninterrupted, can be found on Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics. As mentioned before, this was John’s favorite Christmas carol, so this selection really sums up a lot about him.
And, it’s friggin’ hilarious. I break up every time.
Mr. Birchum’s Gift Guide – Adam Carolla
O Holy Night – The Kids of South Park
Tags: Adam Carolla, Mr. Birchum, South Park, Christmas music, MP3s