IFC's hip and preposterously funny show "The Whitest Kids U’ Know", aka "WKUK", is back again.
The series opens to the lilting strains of an innocuous “doot-ti-di-doo, doot ti-di doo” soundtrack, an homage of sorts to the after-school specials in the innocent days of yore.
This season the "Kids" goof on bromances with Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin, infomericals and cheesy Bible salesmen who double as actors in their videos, Wild West balloon fights, hopeless segment producers in local access cable shows, Bill Bellamy, Pina Coladas, tall people and gargantuan penises and vaginas. Oh, and Timmy declares, "I don't wanna be a bottom anymore..."
WKUK
You'll just have to see for yourself.
The ensemble works and is punctuated by Trevor Moore's elastic persona and voice. In one sketch, after pinning his eyes shut to look ugly and piss off his mother, Moore plays a blasé doorman at a punk club promising a real gross-out extravaganza - "Hey...those better not be ones" the self-blinded punk says to those kicking in for admittance.
“The Whitest Kids have attracted a cult following of young male viewers, and is the perfect series to kick off the IFC AUTOMAT, our Tuesday night programming block packed with uncut, uncensored testosterone-infused programming,” said Jennifer Caserta, EVP and general manager of IFC.
The five young comics dive head first into the scatological abyss. No scared cows as every pop cultural oddity is fair game for lampooning.
Legend has it the five “kids” came from all over the US to New York City – they met up and realized they had simpatico tastes in comedy. The Whitest Kids initially were a school-sponsored sketch comedy performance troupe at New York’s School of Visual Arts.
WKUK pushes the material in the third season and bust out great new songs and segments guaranteed to make your mom just hate it, intensely. They have won awards at festivals and development deals at networks like Fuse and now IFC, using the Internet and YouTube to build their steady fanbase.
The series premiered January 27, at 10 pm on IFC in ten all-new scripted episodes.
Trevor Moore and actress Allyn Rachel at the IFC 2008 Spirit Awards afterparty Photo by April MacIntyre ©M&C
The new season will live in the IFC AUTOMAT, a Tuesday night programming destination packed with uncut, uncensored programming including network premieres, originals, shorts, web shows, anime and more.
For founding members Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, and Zach Cregger, and their partners Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter, the future also holds feature film careers.
Star and lead writer for the IFC hit series, The Whitest Kids U'Know, Trevor Moore previously cut his teeth on public access television (a la Garth and Wayne) in The Trevor Moore Show and Uncle Morty's Dub Shack.
Moore went to Manhattan's School of Visual Arts and met up with other WKUK members, and formed their nascent troupe that went from local NYC gigs to a breakout comedy arts festival performance that netted them their first big break with FUSE network.
Their earliest viral videos became instant web sensations – among YouTube’s top-ranked (over 5 million views for Slow Jerkin’ so far!), a CollegeHumor fave, a festival pick (winner of the 2006 Aspen Comedy Festival Best Sketch Comedy Troupe
Monsters and Critics caught up with Trevor Moore of WKUK the other day.
This season shows a wide range of characters for you. You goof on Chaplin, and I wondered if any of the old great comedians or actors were influences on you (especially the tall guy pina Colada segment, you have a touch of WC Fields.)
Trevor Moore: In film school I really got into old the old Harold Lloyd movies. Those were amazing! And as a kid I had some of WC Field's old radio shows on tape.
But the idea for 'tall people sketch' really was based on the Lil' Rascals. I think Sam and I were just talking about how funny it would be if adults tried to solve problems the way the 'Our Gang' kids did. And then we thought it would be extra funny looking to have the two of us on each other's shoulders since we're both well over 6 feet tall.
Favorite WKUK song to date?
Trevor Moore: It changes. Right now, I'm into "God Says" song because that's the newest. But I think "Totally Gay for America" might be my favorite. I really enjoy writing the songs, so I like them all for different reasons. "Aren't You Lucky" would be up there, even though it's not super funny - I just like what it's about.
In your troupe-who is most comfortable in drag?
Trevor Moore: I think everyone is pretty comfortable in drag at this point. That was an unexpected side-effect of doing this show. Darren has certainly been in drag the most out of everyone.
He just makes a better girl than the rest of us. If we need someone to play a girl and not look ridiculous - 9 out of 10 times the part's going to Darren.
Timmy Williams at the IFC 2008 Spirit Awards afterparty Photo by April MacIntyre ©M&C
It seems like Timmy's game for anything thrown at him, what is your favorite Timmy moment in the new season?
Trevor Moore: Timmy's got some really good ones this season. I really like him in the "Genie" sketch and in our "Fight Club" sketch.
Timmy playing the Tyler Durden character really made me crack up a lot on set. We do a sketch called "Hot Dog Timmy" where I'm a doctor and Timmy's just sitting in my office, shirtless, talking about how many hot dogs he eats a day. It's a pretty simple sketch but Timmy's performance makes it funny. It's really, really pathetic in a great way.
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