Meet the Feebles (Not Your Average, Ordinary People)
Gather round, loves. One of our favorite longtime readers, Renaissance man and gentleman pervert Jerem Morrow, is finally dipping his toes into our fetid staff jacuzzi with this fond review of one of the most depraved Australasian cult films east of Bad Boy Bubby. Lets give him a warm round of nervous laughter and stifled coughing, shall we? The subject matter calls for nothing less!
‘Decade or more ago, I frequented an antiquated video store. Kinda place that still had VHS tapes. Crappy paintings of giant monsters, gangsters and vixens adorned the walls. It was called Video Adventures. The proprietor, Brian, was a true film aficionado, someone you never got tired of listening to ramble. That wonderful place saved me from whatever blockbuster atrocities the theaters were pumping out at the time.
Still, I wanted more. Something beyond the Evil Deads, Rocky Horrors and Blade Runners. Love them though I did (and do), I needed more boundary-pushing. My friends and I began an experiment: Proprietor Brian compiled a list of his 100 Least Rented Movies, and we endeavored to watch each and every one. Now, in my twilight years, my brainmeats aren’t what they used to be, but something tells me we didn’t make it quite so far. Still, a few gems passed before our cinephile eyes.
Which leads me to a major factor of What Me Me Weird:
Pre-LoTR Peter Jackson at his most outrageous. It’d be the Braindead/Bad Taste creator channeling Weird TV, had WTV happened first. It’s manic. It’s horrid. It’s brilliant trash cinema. Sweet transvestites find a kindred spirit in this fox puppet crooning a song entitled “Sodomy”. (Five words. Giant. Golden. Glitter. Splooging. Penises.)
Before I saw Bakshi‘s film version of Crumb‘s Fritz the Cat, I was traumatized by walrus-on-literal-sex-kitten soft-core. How about a journalist fly on the wall, mouth full of shit and wee insect heart full o’ spite? Check. Bunnies doing what bunnies do best, but with terrible, terrible consequences? Check. Strung out frog/lizard thingies languishing in a P.O.W. camp? Check. Lovesick singing hedgehogs? Check. Cow-on-cockroach fetish video? Hoo boy, check. And that ain’t the half of it.
Yes, Jackson and crew made me spew “WTFOMGODZILLA” before most anyone else. Maybe Richard O’Brien popped my cherry, but Rocky felt like home, whereas Meet The Feebles was outright alien territory. I was utterly unprepared for the brainpan dervish that played out before me, wracking me with I’MNOTREADY joy.
I can say, with absolute certainty, that renting it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Back in the very early 90’s, a college buddy of mine scored a fuzzy VHS japanese-subtitled bootleg of FEEBLES… this was when _nobody_ had ever heard of the movie. After he blew my mind with it, he started taking it around to parties. Half of the people he showed it to had one reaction, the same as mine: “This is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life”. The other half were genuinely disturbed and upset by the film. Seeing cartoon animals engaged in sex, violence, and drug use touched deep and raw taboo buttons in the most unlikely people. The fact that the puppetry is actually done with great skill and the songs are infectously catchy just adds to the punch.
As far as I’m concerned, this remains one of the top ten cult/psychotronic/ weird/whatever films ever made. As much as I loved the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, I can’t help but think that this and FORGOTTEN SILVER are the “Real” Peter Jackson.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Otherwise known colloquially as Peter Jackson Fucking Hates The Muppets.
Back when I used to run a small cinema, our bi-annual Meet The Feebles night guaranteed we’d sell out to the most insane crowd of lasciviously dressed evil muppet aficionados the human mind could comprehend. People would dress as the characters, shout out lines, cringe en masse. It was amazing. And terrible. And zomg gross. A fitting tribute, I felt, to a film I’d seen in my childhood and never could quite forget.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:31 am
My boyfriend introduced me to the Feebles-and it’s one of the many reasons why I love him so.
I squealed with delight the first time I saw it. Bravo!
January 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
This for years was the “It’s like the muppets on acid” movie at local video stores. It was a bit of a rite of passage for the film junkie circles I floated around in…
It’s amazing how well loved it is even if it’s only known by cult cinema nuts and the fine readership of blogs like this. I hope one day to see a midnight screening at the Arclight in Hollywood…sober…well maybe not sober but at least drunk on the craziness of the film and its fans.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:09 am
@Rick: And was it too much to ask that at least one character in LotR spout “I kick ass for the LORD….SAURON!”?
@Fox: Now THAT’S a party!
@Tequila: Viewing it sober is no guarantee of safety, anyway! It’s a drop of acid, itself. Hehe.
January 17th, 2009 at 11:34 am
p.s. @ you CH overlords:
Was rushed in previous response. Just wanted to say thanks, for such a kind reception! I swear, everyone, I didn’t pay them to say those things.
January 17th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Damn. Even the f’in trailer gave me “IMSONOTREADY” moments… I’m going to have to find this. Thanks, Jerem!
Though as a journalist, I must state that not all of us are insects. Some of us have mouths of venom and reptile hearts filled with spite, thank you very much.
And welcome to the staff lagoon. We have punch.
January 17th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
These clips now share uncomfortably close quarters with Muppet Babies footage in the “childhood tv” file of my brain. Thanks, Jerem. Now I’m getting a mash-up of “Sodomy” and “It’s Not Easy Being Green” and believe me, Kermit does not think it’s easy taking it in the butt either.
January 17th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
D: I have the vhs! I’ll bring it up next visit. If you don’t have a vcr, I’ll bring that too! Oh, wait…y’know, I’m not sure I’ve noticed a tv in your joint either. Okay, so I’ll bring the entire entertainment center.
Und danke!
Cherry El…Wray: Kermit…doing the deed…back door style…I think you just paid me back. Let the satisfaction sink in. You harpy. Only one question remains: Fozzie, or Rolf?
January 17th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
January 17th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
@ Mer: Couldn’t let it rest, could you? You depraved souls, the whole lot. I never. So, I suppose we’ll be needing a soundtrack for Kermit’s Wild Ride?
January 17th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Yakety Sax, naturally.
January 17th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Oh god…I luff you.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:41 pm