Costume Party Help

[Guest Bauer]

What is a "Saturday Night Live Sprocket"?

The Sprockets was a mock television show on the improvisational SNL. Some say that it was a take on THE GROMMETS, another fictional werkgroup.

 

In it, comedian Mike Meyers, played a disaffected West German (Berliner) named "Dieter" (the Di, some say, being a deep, deep reference to Princess Di) who was basically bored, and disaffected. In other words a West German expressionist and minimalist.

 

"Dieter's" formula was to interview celebrities in whom he was demonstrably barely interested and then veer the subject to that of his monkey: "liebe mein affe-monkey!" ("love my monkey!") or ... the more sexually suggestive "touch my monkey". It would be clear that the show was coming to a close when the character Dieter would utter, "your story has become tiresome". At which point the conversation would turn to "now is ze time on Sprockets vhen ve dance!", which they would. Techno.

 

But not the Chicago or Seattle school of Techno, but very much the Berlin one.

 

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2011-07-31_1798112330485748/tv/snl/myers_anticipation.wav

[Guest Bauer]

These days Craig Ferguson continues the fine tradition but without a monkey. He has a robot skeleton instead.

 

German techno being a bit robotic at the best of times.

 

I believe the skeleton's name is Geoff Peterson.

[Poolboy21409]

This doesn't fit your need, but one of the funniest costumes I ever say was a couple dressed up as hemorrhoids and a tube of Preparation H. He was the hemorrhoids and she was the Prep H. Hysterical

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

This doesn't fit your need, but one of the funniest costumes I ever say was a couple dressed up as hemorrhoids and a tube of Preparation H. He was the hemorrhoids and she was the Prep H. Hysterical

 

Poolboy - one of my employees suggested a similar outfit she saw win 'best 80s costume' at a party she attended last year. The winner wrapped himself in a sheet, wore a white, knit ski hat (one with the ball of yarn on the end), and became the 'toxic shock syndrome tampon.'

[+ friendofsheila]

The Sprockets was a mock television show on the improvisational SNL. Some say that it was a take on THE GROMMETS, another fictional werkgroup.

 

In it, comedian Mike Meyers, played a disaffected West German (Berliner) named "Dieter" (the Di, some say, being a deep, deep reference to Princess Di) who was basically bored, and disaffected. In other words a West German expressionist and minimalist.

 

"Dieter's" formula was to interview celebrities in whom he was demonstrably barely interested and then veer the subject to that of his monkey: "liebe mein affe-monkey!" ("love my monkey!") or ... the more sexually suggestive "touch my monkey". It would be clear that the show was coming to a close when the character Dieter would utter, "your story has become tiresome". At which point the conversation would turn to "now is ze time on Sprockets vhen ve dance!", which they would. Techno.

 

But not the Chicago or Seattle school of Techno, but very much the Berlin one.

 

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2011-07-31_1798112330485748/tv/snl/myers_anticipation.wav

 

Thank you, Bauer. A very thorough answer!

[+ Gar1eth]

This was in the 60's but it could fit the 80's too because of the movies--my parents went to a Halloween party when I was about 6. Dad was dressed up in a Superman costume and my mother was in a big cardboard box painted as a telephone booth.

 

Gman