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March 28, 2024, 01:08:10 PM

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How To With John Wilson

Started by Ja'moke, October 24, 2020, 10:05:14 PM

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C_Larence

As everyone is just talking about where they watched it I'm going to come back and stink up the place again with my bad opinions.

I really disliked episode 5. The formula of the show became very apparent during it and the episode didn't go off in any worthwhile unexpected directions, which is the only thing that's saved other episodes for me. When I say "the formula" I mean how so much of the show is just like (as a hypothetical example) footage of a dog vomiting while John Wilson says "m-maybe having to pay a bill makes you...makes you feel as sick as a dog". That kind of thing is the weakest aspect of the show in my opinion, and episode 5 was full of it.


Hat FM

guessing this series won't be on Now tv either.  bit annoying.


First episode back was great. Simultaneously relieved and disappointed that we didn't get to hear more from
Spoiler alert
the dummy pimp.
[close]

Also nice to see Conner O'Malley continue to grow his alt-comedy empire, as he is now credited as a co-writer on this show as well.

McChesney Duntz

AND The Orchid Thief author Susan Orlean too!

Solid Jim

Quote from: convulsivespace on November 28, 2021, 05:28:48 AMAlso nice to see Conner O'Malley continue to grow his alt-comedy empire, as he is now credited as a co-writer on this show as well.

Aptly enough, there was what felt like a moment of synergy with a recent Joe Pera Talks With You episode ("all ventriloquists are overtly Republican".)

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Hat FM on November 24, 2020, 01:26:12 PMone boring thing i think when i watch this is how does he get permission from all of the people he films to show them in the footage? are the laws different in america about this sort of thing or something?

I'm watching the first season and I wondered this too. I imagine the people who are properly "featured" would sign releases, and he's able to tell them it's for HBO (you see "HBO" listed on that memory woman's interview schedule). The Mandela Effect conference would've had a sign on the door letting people know they were being filmed for TV. I think most of the stuff in the street is probably fair game, and HBO could easily defend/pay off anyone who did decide to kick up a fuss.

Noodle Lizard

I absolutely love the show, by the way. It really does feel like Nathan Fielder's comedy style, so I wonder how involved he was in the actual putting together of it. An absolutely worthy replacement/progression from Nathan For You.

EDIT: Just saw that Conner O'Malley was brought on as a writer for the second season, so it's not surprising you can feel a bit of the Joe Pera spirit in there as well.

EDIT 2: Hang on, Susan Orlean is a writer for the second season too?! That's very unusual.

Vitalstatistix

Nice to have this back in my life. I'm glad there's still a space for delicate, gentle and lovingly observed documentary comedy.

So many great visual gags here I'll have to watch it again.

Spoilers for Episode 1:

Spoiler alert
I especially liked the house exteriors for emotions. The couple showing him around the fancy house I found creepier than the ventriloquist, which is saying something.
[close]

Noodle Lizard

The second one is really odd. The
Spoiler alert
Bang guy - I'm not sure quite what to make of all that.
[close]

Glad it's back!

Josef K

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on November 30, 2021, 07:52:35 PMI'm watching the first season and I wondered this too. I imagine the people who are properly "featured" would sign releases, and he's able to tell them it's for HBO (you see "HBO" listed on that memory woman's interview schedule). The Mandela Effect conference would've had a sign on the door letting people know they were being filmed for TV. I think most of the stuff in the street is probably fair game, and HBO could easily defend/pay off anyone who did decide to kick up a fuss.

He said this about it in an interview:

QuoteBasically every single person with a speaking role has a release. Sometimes I make that really annoying for my production team, because I'll be bumbling around, Mr. Magoo style, on non-official shoot days. I'll just drum up a conversation with someone and get this really great moment, and then my producers have to track them down and visit them in person and get them to sign a release

Ja'moke

The second episode was great. The best ones are where his adventures veer off into weird corners of society.

Loved the latest episode (on parking in NYC), possibly one of my favorites yet. Nothing crazy like last week, but I'm partial to the episodes that function as small slice-of-life documentaries.

RDRR

The ending of the latest episode felt like something straight out of Nathan For You. Found that a bit over the top in this case compared with, say, the ending of the Mandela Effect episode which I thought was a really beautiful payoff.

The trophy hunter was really repugnant, was vainly hoping he would be abruptly dismissed in the same way racist ventriloquist was.

Love this show. Amazed I don't find it more irritating, but can't really fault people who do.

Small Man Big Horse

I forgot all about this until yesterday but have watched the first three episodes and think it's even better than the great first season. I even felt slightly emotional when his landlady left in the first one, the bizarre link with the sex cult in the second really surprised, while I was strangely fascinated by the madness of parking in New York, and the whole thing where when the street cleaners come they wait to dive back to their place. Each episode has been really quite different, and increasingly unpredictable, which is an aspect I love an awful lot.

Small Man Big Horse

I'm still catching up with this and have only just seen the fifth episode, but once again it was enormously entertaining, and I was fascinating to see that he'd appeared on both Judge Judy and Hot Bench when younger, and I thought the segment on the Avatar fans was really sweet natured and affecting too.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Small Man Big Horse on January 04, 2022, 08:38:07 PMI'm still catching up with this and have only just seen the fifth episode, but once again it was enormously entertaining, and I was fascinating to see that he'd appeared on both Judge Judy and Hot Bench when younger, and I thought the segment on the Avatar fans was really sweet natured and affecting too.

Yeah, I really love how the show is drip-feeding all these bizarre things about his past (the connection with the NXIVM cult via a college a cappella group was frankly jaw-dropping) in a way which feels completely natural and in service of whatever thread each episode is running with. It's a truly fascinating piece of work, I love it so much.

P.S. SMBH, you've changed your avatar! I'm going to have to go and rewire my synapses now, thanks a lot.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on January 04, 2022, 08:43:07 PMYeah, I really love how the show is drip-feeding all these bizarre things about his past (the connection with the NXIVM cult via a college a cappella group was frankly jaw-dropping) in a way which feels completely natural and in service of whatever thread each episode is running with. It's a truly fascinating piece of work, I love it so much.

It's the only thing on tv right now that I'm trying to get my friends to watch as I love it so much as well, it hits the spot in the way only a few shows (Nathan For You, Review) have in recent years, but those I know seem reluctant to give it a shot and I'm not sure why.

QuoteP.S. SMBH, you've changed your avatar! I'm going to have to go and rewire my synapses now, thanks a lot.

I know, but I'd had Hank for about 15 years now and fancied a change. I might change it back if enough people are annoyed though!


Moribunderast

Caught up with the second season now. Still absolutely wonderful television. I don't know if anything in s2 reached the giddy heights of certain moments from the first season (possibly because the format and structure isn't as surprising the second go-round) but it's consistently funny and fascinating to watch. There were several moments that made me do a weird gasp-laugh that only really happens when I'm watching this, Nathan For You or PFFR stuff so he's clearly working on a level I adore.

Echoing others that the drip-feed of bizarre shit from his past is very fun and, again, fascinating. He's like a friend who has an infinite wealth of odd stories from their life before you met which make you exclaim "Who ARE you?"

I'd love to know if there were/are any legal threats after that Bang segment. He let the earlier mention of NXVIM to some heavy lifting with that bit, haha.

The bit where he where he was stepping around the cushions to get to the toilet was the only bit that made me laugh out loud, I think, but it was all just so charming and nice that I smiling my way through most of it.

Aye, I agree, series 2 doesn't quite get as high as the first, but that's to be expected. I hope he does another one!

So you don't have to worry about release forms in New York? This "one party consent" thing, can John just, say, film himself for a minute and be like "well, I totally consent to this", then turn the camera around and he's golden?

So nice having something that feels so free and natural, just capturing moments of everyday life. It's really a great show.

ramsobot

He goes into the releases a bit in this Vulture interview:

"When you film strangers, do you have to get permission to use footage of them in the show?

Yeah, that seems to be a common question about the show. Basically every single person with a speaking role has a release. Sometimes I make that really annoying for my production team, because I'll be bumbling around, Mr. Magoo style, on non-official shoot days. I'll just drum up a conversation with someone and get this really great moment, and then my producers have to track them down and visit them in person and get them to sign a release."

Interesting, thank for that, ramsobot!

That bit about the Avatar group meeting up and talking about how it saved their life nearly made me cry

I'll never swirly a little nerd again