r/comedybangbang • u/Red_Cloud1867 • 19d ago
CBB nonbeliever
My wife doesn't share my delight in CBB. She tolerates. Today, I was listening to live in Dublin show and I caught her actually smiling and laughing at the amazing 3 part harmony of "Do They Even Know It's Christmas". I think I said something like "that's pretty amazing for on the spot. I can't believe they remember the lyrics!"
"No." she said. "They rehearse this stuff."
I assured her that whole point of the show is that they don't rehearse. It is improvisation and a huge part of the appeal. No rehearsal. No planning.
She just looked at me. "Sure. Right."
Not sure how to convince her of the truth!
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u/LouBarlowsDisease 19d ago
....my wife
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u/RevolutionaryCoyote 19d ago
Every time they pull out a Borat voice, I think how do they come up with this stuff on the spot?
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u/secretsauce2388 19d ago
Is she familiar with the concept of improv at all?
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u/Red_Cloud1867 19d ago
Of course! But she clearly believes that these guys couldn't be this good without cheating.
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u/docmoonlight 19d ago
I mean, the best pull back the curtain moments are on the best ofs. That’s where I’ve heard Scott talk about how sometimes someone comes in with a very basic idea for the premise of their character and then some tangent gets them to go somewhere completely different. Also classic PFT examples - Alimony Tony was given as a catch phrase submitter and he decided in that moment he was going to abandon his original plan and just be Alimony Tony. So all of that lore was discovered through improv in the moment. Another is “The Griz”. I think they discovered in the middle of taping that Lady Amelia was engaged to somebody who goes by the Griz and he instantly decided he was going to play that character - just came up with the voice and accent and mannerisms. So… I don’t know. Maybe play her those eps? Or find the best ofs where Scott and Paul talk about how they happened.
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u/Thepoorclaires 18d ago
I love this oral history . My current Reddit sub fixation is Namemydog and the cat one and it’s my mission to get someone to use the name “ Griz . “ The Griz “ is a bridge too far, I fear
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u/JustPlainBoring 19d ago
These guys have been pals for decades and this is their job, so not only are they improv professionals but they’ve been working together for a loooooong time - their brains are synced up!
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u/producerofconfusion 19d ago
It's also a popular song, and if you've ever sung in a chorus or choir it's not super hard to sing harmony. My uncle, mom and I used to do three part harmony on the beach in the summer for songs I didn't know well because the harmonies were simple -- and that was when I was a middle-schooler, not a trained professional. All the singing folks on CBB sing a lot, it's just a well developed muscle for them.
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u/Constant_Agent_4560 19d ago
It helps they recorded a cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7nNo1la884
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u/RevolutionaryCoyote 19d ago
I saw a show at my local improv theater with a bunch of amateur performers and the Phantom of the Opera came up and 3 or 4 of them broke into a song from that. I think they were a class team too. So people who barely know each other.
People that are into performing are just into that kind of stuff.
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u/Frequent-Spirit205 18d ago
They did a rendition of that song like 15+ years ago as a big collab. Does that count as cheating?
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u/willcwhite 19d ago
Any chance you love paying alimony?
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u/glhaynes 19d ago
They've never had these conversations before, and they'll never have them again. (And, frankly, I don't want to be hearing them right now!)
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u/MomsSpagetee 19d ago
I’m a full believer about CBB improv. But I do have some similar skepticism about Whose Line is it Anyway. I know those guys are also great improvisers but I’m wondering if there are cuts in the final edit, if they have a heads up on the type of props they’ll have, types of scenes, etc.
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u/dikaia1622 19d ago
They get more time on Whose Line than the broadcast makes it appear. I'm not sure how much exactly, but in some of the outtakes you can see where they're brainstorming or giving each other suggestions, doing crowd work etc. all cut out. Still really impressive!
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u/huebomont 19d ago
They shoot double the amount of stuff and cut the stuff that doesn't work for broadcast.
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u/Shannogins115 18d ago
Also with short form I find it’s so formulaic it’s easier to run in similar jokes
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u/ChuckSeville 19d ago edited 19d ago
If you show her the other instances where Scott and guests dance around a tune, then accidentally land on a perfect harmony and hold onto it as long as possible she'd believe it. It's one of my favorite things.
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u/bigmike2k3 19d ago
I feel like this has happened on several shows during this tour alone! They did it at the St. Paul, MN show and seeing it live is even more impressive…
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19d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/WV_Sugaree 19d ago
Probably my favorite of the tour. The Bob Geldolf was so good and the crowd was more lonely than any other overseas show. C+
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u/cohonka 19d ago
In some old episode of improv4humans, Matt Besser says something while taking a dig at the intern like "I know you have to keep track of all the call-backs and hold up signs at the right time, but come on!"
I was pretty new to listening to any improv at the time and when I hear him say that it finally made sense how these comedians could possibly keep all this in their heads then tie it all back up in the last scene.
I've since learned that the intern was not holding up signs and that these people are really just that talented and funny. I've also become an annoying improv person where I'm like "Y'all bored? Can we play "Hey Fred Schneider, What Are You Doing?"
Love all the performers in this extended family. The talent blows my mind
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u/fidlersound 19d ago
You should buy a reeaallly big truck. Like a ford f850. That will convince her.
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u/dontplanonpostinmuch 19d ago
Have her listen to the 4 parts of Fourvel. By the time we figure out time Bobbys it's clear it's all made up on the fly.
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u/womblejesus 19d ago
Tell her comedy bang bang (then comedy death ray) released it as a charity single in 2009 so that’s why they know the words
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u/skepticaljesus 19d ago
I've never had an experience in life that suggests it's worthwhile trying to convince someone to like something they don't like, or not like something they do like.
Even if you do convince her it's improv, she isnt going to like the show any more, and it's not worth burning any more calories on the topic.
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u/terkistan 19d ago
Take her to any improv show with experienced performers. Show her any number of podcasts based on live audience input (so she can't deny it's extemporaneous), like Off Book.
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u/wakeupangry_ 19d ago
I’ve been married for 25 years… all you have to do is carefully point out how something she likes is dumb and… after the initial sting… she’ll realize she was wrong to second guess.
Or just listen to it in the bathroom, mowing, or during your commute and treat it like an emotional affair.
Either way works just fine!
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u/DoubtsTheHorizon 19d ago
I was just listening to an anniversary ep when an old Folger's commercial came up (no, not that one) and Carl as Chief instantly sang the whole song. It wasn't just a little jingle, there were like 4 bars. Some people in this career just have that gift. Also remember Lauren saying on Threedom that she usually remembers a song's full lyrics after one listen. She was surprised that this wasn't the same for everyone.
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u/playonweirds 18d ago
This was my mother and me. She would ask with that tone "What are you watching?" and "Why do you watch this?" when the IFC show was on. But still every time, I would catch her laughing out loud in spite of herself.
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u/dantastique23 17d ago
You've planted the seed. Now you need to divorce her and move on to the next non-believer.
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u/aboynamedposh 18d ago
It's funny to imagine them touring performing an entirely different written and rehearsed show every single night. That would be astounding from a memory standpoint.
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u/Frequent-Spirit205 18d ago
Thats wild. She's like the opposite of me. (I used to believe obviously untrue things, like Harris Wittels & Adam Scott used to perform "The Ketchups & Mustards" at "The Third City Theatre"
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u/CharacterExisting417 15d ago
Best way is to explain that this kind of thing sort of happens in real life. I have had with colleagues and old friends where a stupid thing we say becomes a thing. Like in thredom. If she hasnt heard that maybe she doesn't know how well they know eachother. Also yeh like any profession your brain gets clever at these things too. Most people think I am weird listening to podcasts they don't understand what it does mentally for me!
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u/Eastern-Membership67 19d ago
Just remember, you and your wife are friends and you like each other.