Awesome Video Of The Day
Guy Hurls Plungers At Peoples’ Backs
I’d like to start off the week by saying that I really like the name of this YouTube video. It takes a sort of no-frills approach to telling you exactly what it is: a video of a guy hurling plungers at peoples’ backs. I also like the ridiculous number of plungers spread out across the stage, the fact that half the plungers don’t even stick to the guys’ backs, and the backflip and splits the guy does at the end.
Come to think of it, the actual hurling of plungers might be the least noteworthy thing about this video. What about how all of these shirtless guys are wearing helmets? Or the fact that this guy is clearly on some sort of televised talent show, and his special talent is HURLING PLUNGERS?! How do you come to realize that’s something you’re good at in the first place? How do you practice when you DO figure it out? Is it a blessing or a burden? Does it translate into any sort of vaguely marketable skill, and if not, do you tell the people at your crappy day job about your hobby?
I remember reading somewhere that defeat in World War II messed up Germany’s national psyche pretty bad (hence all the scat videos and weird Halloween costumes), and I’m wondering if this is somehow related. But I have basically no reference point here - I live in America, and everybody who ends up on television here is incredibly talented.
Wildcard!
Art Imitates Life
Everyone knows that The Simpsons have been on TV for like a bazillion years and have produced approximately sixty gazillion episodes. It’s also a well-known fact that the Simpsons have done pretty much everything there is to do (as parodied in the “Simpsons Already Did It” episode of South Park), but that was always just sort of a joke, something that people said to emphasize how long the show has been on. Try telling that to Ricky Labit and Michael Borrelli, who were recently banned from a local buffet for eating too much.
I have no problem with Simpsons plots actually occurring in real life, personally. It will make the world a funnier place to live, right? It will also make for new and wonderful quotes to marvel at:
Labit and Borrelli said they felt discriminated against because of their size. “I was stunned, that somebody would say something like that. I ain’t that fat, I only weigh 277,” Borrelli said, adding that a waitress told him he looked like he a had a “baby in the belly.”
Yeesh.
The article goes on to explain that the two men were banned because they “made a habit of dining exclusively on the more expensive seafood dishes, including crab legs and frog legs.” Now I feel conflicted: I can’t tell if this is hilarious or the saddest thing of all time. It’d be like if the real-life NASA sent an idiot into outer space1 and his gross negligence caused the shuttle to explode, or if a real-life city built a monorail.
1 I would just like to point out how amazing it is that The Simpsons sent a main character into outer space during their fifth season in 1994 and continued not only to be on the air, but somehow managed to stay funny and relevant for a while, too. Usually outer space means the end of a franchise (although I would argue that Leprechaun 4: In Space was every bit as thought-provoking as the first three).
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January 9th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Hey Nick, no one actually plays Guitar Hero instead of learning to play an actual guitar, they play Guitar Hero instead of playing another game. If you feel that the game cheapens your own (impressive, no doubt) talents, that’s really your problem. It’s a game, get over it.
(BTW, I’ve never actually played it and don’t intend to, I just really hate that complaint because it’s incredibly stupid)
January 8th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Aww. I was hoping that they wouldn’t be able to get the plungers off and that they would be left with a giant, horribly disfiguring hickey. How disappointing.
Oh well. Better luck next time, I guess.
January 8th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Ja, danke
January 8th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Thank you, sir. Ihr Deutsch ist bemerkenswert gut, sie machen nur ein paar kleinere Fehler bei der Wortwahl (= choice of words?). *speaking with strong german accent* “Zatz very gud, ja?”
January 8th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I played a Wii game the other day where you throw plungers at bunnies, and my arm was so sore afterwards that I had to give up throwing plungers in real life.
January 8th, 2008 at 4:11 am
Ihr Englisch ist besser als die meisten völker rund um hier. Besser als mein Deutsch
January 8th, 2008 at 3:01 am
Sorry to correct you, but that isn’t a talent show, it’s a show where you place a bet that you succeed at something and if, you can win a money prize (if the audience has loved your bet and voted for it). The show is called “Wetten, dass…”, which can be translated to “I bet, that…”. The show’s entire premise is smalltalk with (international?) stars, who want to promote their new film/album/relationship and betting. Sorry for my bad english.
January 7th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
…and people say Germans have no sense of humor? That’s one of the funniest clips I’ve seen—whether intentional or not.
January 7th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
The throwing plungers at people’s backs is only odd because it’s not mainstream. It’s about the same as playing Guitar Hero. You can get as good as you want, but you’ll only be about as good as this 9-year old kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WZSXCKK3bU
And, you’ll get about the same amount of fame: YouTube and maybe a guest shot of G4 or something. So, power to the people who find excellence in odd things. One day we’ll outgrow the playskool guitars and start throwing plungers at people instead. (Yes, I am cracking on people who waste their time with guitar hero and rock band instead of learning to play a real instrument.)
Bottom line: Simpson’s Rule