Imperfect Pitch: Portlandia Tackles Karaoke and Consumer Electronics

By James Helmsworth
courtesy of IFC

The Peeves: Overly competitive people, karaoke, working from home, home entertainment systems, the United States Postal Service, Paul Simon

Put a Cap on It: What’s the point of seeing Paul Simon speak? Asking him the best question, of course! So say resident tightasses Kath and Dave, who ask him a lot of weird questions about “vocalization” in the process. Later, they’re invited to a karaoke party, but are stressed because “a karaoke party is an unspoken competition” and they only have a week to prepare. So they a hire a voice teacher (Jeff Goldblum) to coach them in a rousing rendition of “You Can Call Me Al.” But local comic Kristine Levine sings it at the party, much to their chagrin, so they do the national anthem instead.


Meanwhile:

  • SNL’s Vanessa Bayer has iPad-controlled home entertainment system installed by Speakers of the House, but it’s missing a vital cable. Special ordering it results in a creepy visit to the post office and her electronics going off late at night.
  • A telecommuter (Fred) keeps on getting interrupted at  â€œwork,” so he forms a union.
  • The weirdos from Creative Jungle Virtual Playground teach you proper mic technique.

Duds: The telecommuting bit. Instead of exploring the peculiarities of working from home, the joke here is essentially that all 4.2 million people who do so are lazy. That in itself, is lazy. This is what a good version of that sketch looks like.

Deep Cuts: Kath and Dave see Paul Simon speak at...the Star Theater? Well, the interior isn't the Star Theater—they're sitting down—but the show opens on its marquee. On September 24th, the date listed, this band was actually playing. As the show aired, it was Boyeurism: A First Thursday All-Male Review.

Grade: C. This episode weaves disparate parts together better than perhaps any one before it. When Bayer’s speakers turn themselves on, they play “You Can Call Me Al.” When Fred’s work-from-homer is interrupted, it’s by the cable guy. 


But it is disjointed in other ways. Kath and Dave make odd protagonists. What makes them good sketch fodder is that they're annoying; Seeing them strive is strange and boring. And relegating Vanessa Bayer to what's essentially a straight man role is criminal—she's way funnier than either Fred or Carrie.


WWeek 2015

James Helmsworth

James Helmsworth

James Helmsworth is the books editor at Willamette Week. His work has appeared in Cleveland Scene, on Countable.us, and in the alumni magazines of various back-patting liberal arts institutions nationwide. He grew up reading Willamette Week, which easily explains up to half a dozen of his personality flaws, like reminding Portlanders that everything they enjoy was championed by Raleigh Hills dads before 1985.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

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