The State - Comedy For Gracious Living

I was going to name this post "AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT" but I was afraid too many people would assume there was a Monty Python connection here, so I'm going with the standard "Artist Name - Album Name" format. Suddenly I feel so industrious!

Come with me as I recall a time when MTV didn't completely suck. It was still on it's way to total suckdom, but at least the original programming was still interesting and Kennedy was hosting 120 Minutes. We had Beavis and Butthead, Liquid Television (which begat Aeon Flux!) and The State. There was some serious crap too (Dead At 21 or whatever that piece of shit was called) but the good stuff really made up for it, and for my brother and I, The State was some of the best stuff on television.

For those unfamiliar with the show, it featured a rather large cast and focused on obscure, abstract or eccentric humor much in the way Monty Python or Mr. Show did. The show aired for three seasons from 1993 to 1995 and featured memorable characters such as Doug ("I'm outta heeeeeeeeeere"), Louie ("I'm gonna dip my balls in it!"), Barry & Levon and Old Fashioned Guy. It's quite possible they might never have broken up if it weren't for a terrible deal they signed with CBS for a series of specials. Their sole CBS production was a Halloween special featuring new skits, lots of cameos and a musical performance by Sonic Youth. Needless to say, they're not on TV anymore.

Since the end of the group and show, many members have gone on to become quite successful including Michael Ian Black, best known for his participation in the I Love The 80's and other decade specials on VH1 as well as several sitcoms, and David Wain who directed Role Models and is involved in a multitude of projects, yet everyone in the cast is still working in the entertainment industry and stays in touch with each other regularly which has led to further collaborations on shows like Reno 911!, Stella and Viva Variety as well as films like Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models.

Despite their continued work with and without each other, there has been a continued want from both fans and the group themselves for a complete reunion and so, with much joy abounding from all directions, it was announced some time ago that they are indeed working on a new film which will reunite the entire cast. It's quite unclear as to when this will happen, but it's good news that they're at least working on it in one way or another. On top of this, it was finally confirmed that on July 14th of this year, the entire series will see release on DVD! So, I'm sure you can all read how ecstatic I am about all this! What isn't getting released though is what really surprised me.

A few years ago I read about a comedy album the group had produced for Warner Brothers records (God, there they are raring their heads again!) that was deemed unsuitable for release. Not much is known as to why it didn't see the light of day, but it's probably because none of the show's recurring characters are featured and several of the sketches are quite bizarre and vulgar. Of course, that's music to my ears and, upon finding that some pals from MySpleen were indeed hosting the full album, I hopped on that download like a person who jumps up quite vigorously for something they considerably want! And so, it is with great honor, that I present to you today, The State's great (okay, maybe it's not that great, but it is pretty funny) unreleased album! Spread the word and enjoy this collection of oddities or I shall be forced to purchase $240 worth of pudding and sweet talk it until it begs for my love!

Don't worry, I won't hold it against you if you don't get that last reference. Oh, and while we're at it, thanks to anothergirl over at MySpleen for posting this and you should go to The State's official site. Like now. Seriously.


The State - Comedy For Gracious Living
UPDATE: Sorry guys, it's gone since it's getting it's official release in a few days.

01 Barbershop Tourettes
02 Jailbreak
03 Skip This Track (They Were Drunk)
04 Illegal Rubbing
05 The Late Mr. & Mrs. Balloon
06 The Kendalpants Manor Affair - A Sherlock Holmes Mystery
07 Zucchini Bread
08 Laurie Anderson Song
09 The Koo Koo Koach In "Halftime Hilarity"
10 Glass Eyes
11 Disclaimer/Mice
12 Animal Sounds
13 Bald
14 Houston
15 Dr. Shrinkyballs
16 Kerri's One Second Noise
17 Goin' Off
18 These Are The Things We Love
19 Timmy The Tugboat
20 Steve
21 Which Would You Rather Do
22 Stadium Seats
23 News From Central Minnesota
24 Something Terrible's Happened/Outro

PS-Here is the Theme from the show.