Hey, Do You Like Orchestral?
Oh, The Onion. Hooray, tiny sliver of classical awareness peeping through into mainstream humor.
What amuses me most about this bit is that it features the Boston Philharmonic, a part-year orchestra that I hadn't heard of till now. Maybe the writer was thinking "Boston Symphony" and just didn't know better, but I prefer to imagine that it's an intentional tribute to the surprising depth of high-quality orchestras you can find in our great nation.
Keep building on this, The Onion! America demands more jokes involving Morten Lauridsen.
Bonus link: one of my favorites, the bygone Onion bit about the Atony Awards. Still hilarious despite its sacrilegious mischaracterization of Olivier Messiaen's music.
What amuses me most about this bit is that it features the Boston Philharmonic, a part-year orchestra that I hadn't heard of till now. Maybe the writer was thinking "Boston Symphony" and just didn't know better, but I prefer to imagine that it's an intentional tribute to the surprising depth of high-quality orchestras you can find in our great nation.
Keep building on this, The Onion! America demands more jokes involving Morten Lauridsen.
Bonus link: one of my favorites, the bygone Onion bit about the Atony Awards. Still hilarious despite its sacrilegious mischaracterization of Olivier Messiaen's music.
3 Comments:
You beat me to the link. I assumed they Googled the wrong orchestra and didn't know any better. As with the Atony Awards, it's great to make classical music jokes, but let's show some rigor in our research, people. The Simpsons in a recent season had a gag in which Marge sends an entire concert hall audience running, along with most of the orchestra, when she announces that a modern piece will be played next -- which would be funny, except they describe the piece as "an atonal medley by Philip Glass", which is unconscionably inaccurate.
"Do you like orchestral" is a hilarious question somehow. When you think about it, though, handing out flyers outside a high-profile professional concert would probably be an okay enough way for a smaller ensemble to attract an audience.
Nope - actually its gotta be the Boston Philharmonic that they intended - because Jordan Hall was the correct venue for the Philharmonic (and would have been incorrect if they had meant the BSO).
I think they went with Philharmonic because its a funnier, punchier word then "symphony orchestra." (see also an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force in which Shake references the Boston Philharmonic).
I mean I think they Googled the wrong orchestra when they looked up the name of the hall. So half credit, I guess.
ATHF can say whatever they want; Shake's humor isn't rooted in him being a supposedly credible source.
It's funny with Boston Philharmonic too (as you both point out, maybe funnier). I just don't think they deliberately chose it over the more famous orchestra.
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