Cuz we are the Aqua Teens

Ty Burr doesn't like the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. Neither does Tom Menino. Of the title (Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters) Burr says, "like everything else here, the title doesn't quite scan and that's what's funny, dude" (emphasis his). This is a common argument against the show's humor, that it's random for the sake of being random.

Funny thing. Burr's sarcastic comment is dead on. But not as sarcasm. Randomness has always been funny. Things that don't quite scan or compute are what makes us laugh. And that trait is hardly unique to Generation X or the Echo Boomers (or whatever we're calling them these days).

To wit, the first lines from the first skit from the first season of Saturday Night Live:

Professor: Let us begin. Repeat after me.
Professor: I would like.....
European Immigrant: [ in thick accent ] I would like....
Professor: ....to feed your fingertips....
European Immigrant: [ in thick accent] ....to feed yur fingerteeps....
Professor: ...to the wolverines.
European Immigrant: [ in thick accent ] ....to de wolver-eenes.

Feed your fingertips to the wolverines? This goes back at least as far as I Love Lucy. Vitameatavegamin? Does that compute?

Think of the "Dalia Lama" speech in Caddyshack. Think Airplane ("There's a sale at Penney's!"). Kentucky Fried Movie ("Big Jim Slade"). Anchorman ("I love lamp"). The Party. Steve Martin's old stand-up routines. Getting small? A novelty arrow through his head? Dude. How random.