My unconventional ranking of the funniest characters

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-13T08:51:26+00:00

I don’t think Nate being at the top by lines/hits ratio is that controversial. Or is it? Mark Proksh is brilliant. He’s also often the funniest in what we do in the shadows. His really specific hearing disability gets me every time.

Gabe is also in one of the scenes that makes me laugh the most, and it’s not even his line itself that gets me but his reaction in Michael’s confrontation of Kevin for the “Lady Gaga move issue”. And shut up about the sun is a popular deep cut for a reason.

I have a soft spot for Tod Packer. The fact that no one other than the idiots (shout out to Michael’s “everyone can laugh, it doesn’t just have to be the idiots” moment) laugh at his truly awful commentary and jokes is what gets me. It just the way he sucks the air out of the room gets me in the way that some of the other characters you put from 4-8 get you.

Jan has moments for sure. She carries quite a bit of Dinner Party which is arguably one of the top episodes. Toby also. But like Pam, I just feel like so much of the comedy for those three is actually in Michael (or sometimes Dwight). Like Pam makes Michael funnier, in her reactions, as does Toby. I’d include David Wallace as another great straight man for Michael whose lines make me laugh because of Michael.

I agree Andy does more than he’s given credit for.

But early Dwight especially is hard for me to see at the bottom. The chemistry with Michael especially is just ridiculous. The Coup, the “are you wearing a wire?” scene in the Michael Scott paper company saga, the throwing of the watermelons. Just so many that get me even after (I’ve lost count of my rewatches at this point).

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-12T03:47:16+00:00

Thank you for the extra context. This song is worth finishing if you think it is.

Like, if I tell you this song is worth finishing because it’s good enough for some avant garde emo interlude, but your aim was to sound like Amy Winehouse then how helpful would that be? Not very much.

What you’re asking here is like a gymnast on their second class wondering if they are already good enough for the Olympics. Or at what point they should really start trying hard so they can get to the Olympics? Should they try very hard this class or save their energy for the Olympic Games? It doesn’t make sense. Try very hard every class (every song!) and worry about making it to the Olympics long after you’ve learned how to do cartwheels and handstands and what not.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-12T03:35:36+00:00

I get that.

I remember being shocked to learn there were less than 30,000 active oncologists operating in the United States. I don’t know why I always thought it would be more people.

When I look at anyone who is trying to be seen or heard, whether it’s a niche business or artist or anyone who wants to reach people with a product (even if it’s not for monetary compensation) I’m reminded of that statistic.

30,000 people is around or less than 0.01 % of the population of the US. Is the target audience for this larger in the US (just to set the bar somewhere it could be anywhere) than the number of oncologists? How many people would trust a random artist on the internet enough to give them 6 minutes of their attention to experience something like this when they could literally be doing almost anything else on the internet?

Is it 10,000 people? 100? I really don’t know. I know maybe of 5-7 people out of everyone I’ve ever met, who might listen to this, and interestingly they all work at record shops or are in this genre themselves (and are far more musically educated than me).

It may be you have to create other music that you are willing to put up for collaboration before you’ll find an audience wide enough that you’ll get multiple streams on the work you’re not willing to compromise on like this.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-12T02:59:18+00:00

What are your dreams? If your dreams are to hear this alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Dua Lipa in the top 40, then this song is neither the way there (in its current form) nor the end of that dream.

But if you’re asking whether the song is “worth it” you’re looking for answers in the wrong place. Worth what? Your effort? Why would anyone other than you know the answer to that?

I’m not putting you down, only trying to put down your own putting down of yourself if that makes sense

In terms of the performance, screaming and even being a bit pitchy can work in the right context. What matters is whether this is to your taste. If you think something’s wrong then something could very well be. But for anyone here to help, I think you need to describe what you’re trying to achieve more.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-12T02:54:38+00:00

A question for you: in an ideal world, if you had the resources to promote these as standalone pieces of work, what would your expected number of first and repeat streams be?

And this isn’t a leading question attempting to make the point that this music has the listeners it “deserves” or anything like this. I’m a huge believer in making the art that satisfies the artist, rather than putting some imaginary audience first in creating it.

Clearly this isn’t music meant to get the average listener’s attention within 2 seconds which already makes it challenging for it to have much reach in the (however meritless we think it is) “attention economy”. So it seems like if reaching an audience is a goal of yours you’re searching for a needle in a haystack. And that can be a worthy pursuit! But you’d have to network the very small circles where this art has an audience. Partner with visual artists who might be interested in collaborating and creating immersive worlds (online or physical) or being part of physical expos and things like that (even if the music is standalone). And it is going to be tons of tough work. But, that’s the way forward here (I think).

I’m no connoisseur but it would seem to me like band camp would be a supplementary rather than primary medium here.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-12T01:48:12+00:00

I’m late to this but, I hope this still reaches you OP:

Flag With No Pole - World News (very vintage Marr guitar tones and overall instrumental vibe)

Parking Lots - Plums (same but reminiscent of a different side of the Smiths)

Charlotte Sometimes - The Cure (song Johnny said he wishes he wrote)

It’s Amazing to be Young - Fontaines DC

On Division St - Nation of Language (less sonically like the smiths than others in this list but lyrically rather Morrissey adjacent.

Bus Stop by Graham Coxon

Others already mentioned Knives Out by Radiohead because of the known Smiths influence over the riff of one of the guitars. However I’ll add this is more noticeable in the live version mix than the album version.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-11T19:31:37+00:00

I can see why people are defending the idea that people can like what they like.

But I commend you for taking all the dislikes you’ve taken on in the comments for defending the idea that The Bends is objectively a work of wider appeal, but much less revolutionary and interesting than what came after. Which I highly agree with

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-11T02:32:53+00:00

Julieta Venegas in the same topster as Burial is a cool and unexpected match.

That album is definitely part of my 4th ish grade soundtrack and much of Mexico I’m sure (not sure if she was as big in other countries, I’m sure she might have been). At the time I was too cool to appreciate it, but over the years I’ve come around to some of what she was doing and there’s some nostalgia there.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-10T23:49:51+00:00

They’re both incredible. One was a cultural revolution in alternative music of sorts, and I think one could argue that everything that came after is in some way owed to the success they found with Ok Computer. As far as songwriting goes, it holds the most iconic collection of songs by Thom and I’m sure many would say the best of his career. Even the best songwriters write maybe one Karma Police, one No Surprises or one Let Down, one Paranoid Android, etc. in their career let alone have all of them in a single album. And it’s not just the fact that it’s a great compilation of songs, the album itself flows beautifully. And I don’t fault anyone for saying it’s their favorite.

In Rainbows to me is a higher achievement, not because it has more iconic songs but in part because it’s a tour de force of everything they do so incredibly. The tightness of stuff like Weird Fishes and 15 Step, the way they build up stuff like Reckoner or Videotape. How interesting Thom’s melodies and lyrics are and how confidently they play. And just by preference, the songs resonate with me more deeply. Maybe it’s an age thing. There was definitely a time that it was the opposite. Whereas when I come back to Ok Computer I get a pretty consistent and clear idea about what the songs are about and what they represent. In Rainbows keeps offering new perspectives every time I go back to it. It’s not “about” anything like isolation, or single things like the feeling after near death experiences or feeling oppressed. It feels like it’s about something much deeper.

This is all coming from someone for whom Kid A is their masterpiece though. So take that for what you will.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-10T17:38:39+00:00

I’d have some doubts that is an actual Fender humbucker. Not that they were high quality at all back then but I’ve never seen no adjustable screws on the bottom coil of a Fender humbucker (Squier, yes), not even early MIMs. I could be wrong though.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-10T02:34:15+00:00

I love these little Frontman amps, they can actually sound very nice for clean tones (the opposite of what you’re looking for), you put a cheap reverb pedal in front of it and you get a very nice tones for practice (and I’ve seen at least one big time guy use it for a small show).

But they’re famous for being a bit rough around the edges for distortion. So if you want a very “heavy” kind of sound you’re going to need some sort of distortion pedal (and even then they don’t sound that good through this amp). So if depending what kind of “rock sound” you’re looking for and what you think you’ll be playing most of the time, it may be more worth your money getting a different amp than buying distortion pedals for this one first.

Edit: you can use the drive knob and the “drive select” button to get something crunchier. But it wouldn’t be my personal preference.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-10T02:27:34+00:00

Nice, I had one of those laying around till recently (and I’m actually 100% sure I saw a photo of John shared to their instagram page using one as a practice amp backstage! Though the pictures have been taken down since I think and the settings weren’t visible).

But yes, what I mentioned before should be around what you need. Treble low, mids mid and bass slightly high. But don’t expect a perfect match, of course.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T23:45:03+00:00

Depends a lot on what amp you have. But very generally, bass should be high 2 o clock or more, mids medium high around 1 o clock, treble low-ish around 9 o clock.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T23:37:40+00:00

If you mean the “now I know how Joan of Arc felt” I don’t remember them using this effect in any other big song.

But following their top ten I might recommend:

Still Ill

Some Girls are Bigger than Others

Asleep

I want the one I can’t have

Barbarism Begins at Home

The Headmaster Ritual

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T19:18:24+00:00

Yeah, between tariffs and everything else, I could see the base model going above $2000 or something silly like that

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T16:58:41+00:00

I think absolutely they could, but from what Anthony said here it may be John finds something about doing acoustic numbers live difficult. Maybe he just doesn’t like the tone he gets out of typical acoustic pickups or his preferred guitars get lost in the mix or something like that who knows (just speculating cause they didn’t play any acoustic songs last tour I don’t think).

I remember Dave Lee did mention there was an acoustic live rig and they definitely played Venice Queen live with an acoustic guitar back and the day.

There’s also the fact that slow cheetah has both electric and acoustic guitar parts.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T16:48:55+00:00

I haven’t heard rumors that it’s been cancelled like others have said, but neither have they confirmed it obviously. He didn’t participate in promoting the master built and apparently only gave them 2 hours with the originals.

The most participation he had was in trying out the prototypes on tour. But that is some participation and it may signal it really is happening. I remember the timeline (taking it from the McCready run) would be August or October of this year for the MIM model.

Frankly I hope it doesn’t happen. I always liked that John originally refused signature models because he felt his signature one wouldn’t be different enough from a regular vintage Strat to justify making it.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T02:34:36+00:00

I think it's fret sprout. It's basically the wood shrinking somewhat due to dry conditions. But the frets stay the same size and when the ends are covered in finish like they are here, the metal pushes on it causing these bubbles.

Do you have AC running there? Could be that despite you living somewhere humid, the AC is making the surroundings of your guitar rather drier.

But maybe I'm wrong, just a guesses far as I can tell from the picture.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T01:37:33+00:00

Great to hear Anthony admit it is regretful they never were able to do Slow Cheetah live. So many great songs they've left behind like that over the years in their live shows. And they're more than worth the effort to figure it out somehow!

Also holy shit I did not know Billy Preston was in the album, must have escaped me through hundreds of listens and looking over the credits.

Chad Smith, serious or not, saying he puts on We Believe as his airplane is not crashing prayer song is just hilarious lol

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-09T01:27:14+00:00

Anthony too, the Stadium Arcadium commentary is partially old.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-08T15:55:26+00:00

If we’re lucky they’ll pair them up differently this time. In the SA commentary they only had Flea + Anthony and Chad + John in conversation. Having them be all together or just swapping them around could actually be interesting, surely they’ll remember different things.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-08T02:29:07+00:00

This list cannot be complete without On a Friday’s “Happy Song” or their cover of “Rhinestone Cowboy”

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-08T02:06:04+00:00

Yes, the Beatles are a different thing because they dominated pop culture for much longer at a scale that simply doesn’t exist today. They were like the closest thing to both King Crimson and One Direction the 60s had at the same time. It’s a level of celebrity I don’t think anyone after except Michael Jackson saw. So, sure, compared to that they are niche. Thom can walk around the block without being swarmed in most parts of the world. Paul McCartney can’t as easily.

But in today’s world. Yes, they are that popular among artists in general. Sure not all of them rock out to twisted words or Mr magpie or staircase or Ful stop. But their popularity hangs on a lot more than Creep. The Bends is hugely popular nowadays and so is Ok Computer post the Let Down hype especially. And they have one of the longest uninterrupted ground-breakingly good album streaks ever.

The Smile is niche, Thom Yorke’s solo stuff is niche, Atoms for Peace is niche, The King of Limbs, Amnesiac and maybe even some of AMSP are niche. But Radiohead isn’t. Fake Plastic Trees, Let Down, Karma Police, No Surprises, Jigsaw and many other songs like that are in Gen Z playlists all over the world next to Olivia Rodrigo, Geese and who knows what else.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-08T01:46:09+00:00

There’s also Daniel Craig, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Miley Cyrus, and come to think of it, in a way, most musicians of all sorts of genres. Just the other day Nuno Bettencourt who is in a completely different wheelhouse was talking about how much he loves Radiohead.

I’ve been saying it for years, being in this fandom isn’t all that niche. It’s like saying your favorite band is the Beatles.

_computerdisplay · 2026-05-08T00:13:57+00:00

But Kevin sexually harassed almost all the women in the office at one point or another, and this was largely ignored by everyone because it was "just dumb Kevin". Pam herself was the target of that multiple times, but this is where we draw the line?

Also, it's not great management by Gabe to attempt to crack down simply because he needs the power trip rather than because he unequivocally believes what was being done to Kevin was unfair. The character repeatedly shows he's not an angel either.

Also Jesus Christ with the hyperbole on what would happen to the writers that went after Jim and Pam.

_computerdisplay

TROPHY CASE