A common misconception about American comedians Tim And Eric is that they’re ‘anti-comedy’.
It’s a label that’s stuck since their inception; videos filled with awkwardness, squelching sound effects, and odd phrases have made mainstream audiences feel alienated, sometimes to the point of anger.
It’s also why, in a video introduction, the pair announced to a sold-out crowd at Brisbane’s The Tivoli (16 Jan) they’ve abandoned their old ways for mainstream comedy because “it’s better to make everyone feel good than make some people laugh”. Thankfully, their embrace of what Eric Wareheim called “mongrel comedy” is short-lived, and the laughs that filled the venue showed they're very far from ‘anti-comedy’.
Through their various weirdly funny Adult Swim shows, Tim And Eric have mastered applying their schtick to screens, so the prospect of seeing how they perform in a live setting intrigued. Videos feature throughout; interludes of advertisements prove fun, but they’re best used when enhancing their wild live sketches.
As Tim And Eric run amok on stage, images both hilarious and disturbing flashed across the screen. As the pair whip each other on stage, an accompanying image illustrates a penis exploding, while an amateur play sponsored by a private health insurance company (and good argument for Medicare) visualises a colonoscopy. The screen proved essential to helping fans recite the duo’s new songs, including the insanely catchy ‘Everybody Loves Dogs’ and Eric’s spice rap, the latter especially for directing fans to scream “PUMP-KUM!”
Of all their insane sketches, the most memorable is the revival of Tim Heidecker’s Tim’s Kitchen Tips. When the pair called for volunteers to help improve their frozen beef lasagne, fans rushed to the stage in the hopes of being picked. Their giddy enthusiasm was met with mock ridicule by Tim And Eric, providing more laughs but failing to dull the smiles of those on stage, even when covered in a mess of tomato sauce, various spices, and mustard ejaculate.
Fans rapturously received Tim And Eric, following every command from whispering compliments into their seats to applauding in the uneasy way the duo demanded. Fans were rewarded with a special screening of ‘Beef House’ – Tim And Eric’s new show, which is a diarrhoea-soaked homage to '90s sitcoms. It’s not mongrel comedy, but Tim And Eric make full rooms laugh and feel good.
