I know this special seems to have a lot of bad reviews, but I actually kind of liked it! One of the big problems though is that he jumps around too much. He tells a joke and then quickly moves on to another one that has nothing to do with the previous one. There's no transitions. He definitely needs work on doing stand up comedy. But his impressions of all of the accents across the U.S was pretty cool, even if it had nothing to do with drumming. I'm not a drummer or even a musician but I was able to get most of the jokes. I feel like it was more entertaining than laugh out loud funny. The part where he went through the types of drumming from each decade was interesting. I don't think it's as bad as people are making it out to be, but that's just my opinion.
32 Reviews
Unique, Weird Side Project
wolcottalexander13 March 2022
Not your typical comedy special. I got the impression that this was a collection of drum related humor that he had come up with over the years that made him laugh but he couldn't use at the time because it was too esoteric. I don't know that to be true, it's just what it felt like. Kind of random and disjointed.
I am guessing Fred Armisen knew this would not be particularly popular but did it anyways as a passion project. I think the results were mixed. If you like Fred Armisen or the drums (preferably both) give it a shot.
I am guessing Fred Armisen knew this would not be particularly popular but did it anyways as a passion project. I think the results were mixed. If you like Fred Armisen or the drums (preferably both) give it a shot.
Random drummer 'stand-up'
maccas-5636725 January 2019
This reminded me of the drum clinics and workshops I attended as an excited little drummer kid in the 90s and early 2000s. Definitely a drummer's sense of humour throughout, though other musicians would probably be able to relate to some of it too.
It did get a bit too random at times. Fred Armisen was funniest and best when talking drums and music. But then all of a sudden he turns around and starts doing accent impressions and just really bizarre, not-so-funny standup away from his music theme. It seemed lost and was full of cringe.
Loved anytime a drumkit was playing, especially the 'drumkits through the ages' segment. Recommend for all drummers out there!
It did get a bit too random at times. Fred Armisen was funniest and best when talking drums and music. But then all of a sudden he turns around and starts doing accent impressions and just really bizarre, not-so-funny standup away from his music theme. It seemed lost and was full of cringe.
Loved anytime a drumkit was playing, especially the 'drumkits through the ages' segment. Recommend for all drummers out there!
Not for drummers either
accaulde9 February 2018
I'm a drummer and standup fan and this special let me down on both accounts. Topical drumming observations that often don't ring true, jazz bashing, pretty weak standup bits, and some drumming shoehorned in. Guy is a good enough drummer but this special just didn't really work.
Edit: Also, he has his 3 guest drummers all on drumsets at the end and you think they're going to do some cool soloing or trading fours or something but then they literally just play the same simple rock beat for like 3 minutes... It'd be like if you had 3 professional guitar players come out and play the "Smoke on the Water" riff over and over. What a waste!
Edit: Also, he has his 3 guest drummers all on drumsets at the end and you think they're going to do some cool soloing or trading fours or something but then they literally just play the same simple rock beat for like 3 minutes... It'd be like if you had 3 professional guitar players come out and play the "Smoke on the Water" riff over and over. What a waste!
Not sure if this was a parody of stand up
marcosalvaradoortiz7 February 2018
Fred starts off with a familiar tone that one would expect from him but continues on with lazy joke writing and overdone gags. Many of the "relatable" jokes for drummers seem to be just "You know when..." and "Don't you just hate it when (insert relatable thing for drummers)"
All in all one can see he is a talented comedian but his attempt at trying to be niche seem to have failed in my opinion.
Absolutely Amazing
willyangus19 October 2018
I am so surprised by the negative reviews. This was the best thing I've seen in a while. I could not stop laughing.
The One Act Play bit was a highlight for me. AND the ending was perfect. It's not supposed to be a drumming showcase; it's a comedy show.
The One Act Play bit was a highlight for me. AND the ending was perfect. It's not supposed to be a drumming showcase; it's a comedy show.
Unfunny and boring for non-drummers. Infuriating, offensive and embarrassing for drummers.
spencercmckee9 February 2018
This is the first time I've ever made a review on IMDB. I was so utterly shocked at how bad this special is that I felt the need to share with the world my repulsion.
Full disclosure: I only made it less than halfway through this special. I kept waiting for it to get good, or for there to be even a single funny joke. There wasn't. Nothing Fred Armisen says or does during this special is worth watching or listening to. The thing is, I know that Fred Armisen is a drummer, a perfectly fine drummer with a few decades of experience. Of course, he's a very well known comedian, with plenty of funny work under his belt. So this should be a no-brainer. Drum jokes? Sure! They should come naturally for Fred Armisen.
Except exactly none of this special feels natural for him. All of the drum-related jokes are remarkably low-brow surface-tier observations that could be made even by non-drummers, assuming they've spent more than 5 minutes talking to or listening to a drummer. Strangely, most of the jokes seem dismissive of aspects of drumming that are clearly taken seriously by most drummers. He compares selecting cymbals to "testing fine wine," making fun of drummers by saying that at the end of the day, they're all just cymbals. Being a drummer for as long as he has, I would expect him to recognize that there actually is an incredibly wide variety of sounds of cymbals, and that's one of the joys of the art of percussion. Early in the special, he says that he's critical of jazz music because he can't remember the melodies after the songs end. WTF??? Anybody who has spent any time seriously thinking about jazz would know that that is not the intended takeaway of a lot of jazz, and it's incredibly shallow of him to both have that opinion and think that an audience full of jazz drummers would find that funny.
He also fills this special with very mediocre and boring "impressions," which don't really add anything at all, and just seem to reinforce his inability to come up with anything witty or observant to joke about related to drumming.
This is a stunningly bad special. Do not watch it.
Full disclosure: I only made it less than halfway through this special. I kept waiting for it to get good, or for there to be even a single funny joke. There wasn't. Nothing Fred Armisen says or does during this special is worth watching or listening to. The thing is, I know that Fred Armisen is a drummer, a perfectly fine drummer with a few decades of experience. Of course, he's a very well known comedian, with plenty of funny work under his belt. So this should be a no-brainer. Drum jokes? Sure! They should come naturally for Fred Armisen.
Except exactly none of this special feels natural for him. All of the drum-related jokes are remarkably low-brow surface-tier observations that could be made even by non-drummers, assuming they've spent more than 5 minutes talking to or listening to a drummer. Strangely, most of the jokes seem dismissive of aspects of drumming that are clearly taken seriously by most drummers. He compares selecting cymbals to "testing fine wine," making fun of drummers by saying that at the end of the day, they're all just cymbals. Being a drummer for as long as he has, I would expect him to recognize that there actually is an incredibly wide variety of sounds of cymbals, and that's one of the joys of the art of percussion. Early in the special, he says that he's critical of jazz music because he can't remember the melodies after the songs end. WTF??? Anybody who has spent any time seriously thinking about jazz would know that that is not the intended takeaway of a lot of jazz, and it's incredibly shallow of him to both have that opinion and think that an audience full of jazz drummers would find that funny.
He also fills this special with very mediocre and boring "impressions," which don't really add anything at all, and just seem to reinforce his inability to come up with anything witty or observant to joke about related to drumming.
This is a stunningly bad special. Do not watch it.
Stop hating on my little Freddy!!!
natasharadanoff22 March 2018
I am not a drum player, I am only a huge Fred armisen fan, and I laughed my ass off at this. This a special for the Fred fan, it's quintessential Fred humor and and anyone who likes Portlandia and his bits on Seth Meyers should love this. I don't know why it has 500 bad reviews, I adored it.
This was pathetic
johnrodd-163228 February 2018
Fred Armisen is a funny guy. I'm not sure who found the patently unfunny lame a$$ Armisen impersonator to perform this show, but that person should be punished. I thought the show couldn't suck any harder after Tres Cool left the stage, but Fake Fred actually did the "drum soundcheck" bit that literally everyone who ever played a gig has parodied only 1,000 times. In case my comments haven't been sufficiently clearly expressed, this was one of the crappiest pieces of entertainment I have EVER consumed - and I once saw a Tom Green movie by mistake.
As a lover of comedy and a drummer this show had nothing to offer me. Almost all the "Harsh" reveiws are TOO kind.
cameramanohio13 February 2018
This review contains information contained within the show but I didn't list it as having "spoilers" as it is literally impossible to spoil this syphilitic turd any worse than it already is. I consider them "Valid warnings" instead.
Fred Armisen is to comedy and drumming what Harvey Weinstein is to beautiful hollywood starlets.
Having said that,.. Do not watch this for any of the drummers listed that are guests. They have micro bit parts and this show does not showcase them in anyway. They are literally exchangeable with ANY other drummers in the world and it would make no difference. They do not have any contribution to the show other than being seen and being a marketable name in the credits.
The "for Drummers" part is just a vehicle to allow him to work in some crappy (and I do mean CRAPPY) music related(ish) comedy into the show. I guess he thought it would seem funnier if presented to an audience that thought they were being catered to. (it wasn't)
It is worth noting though, that this show is just as ungood, unfunny, and uninteresting for non-drummers as it is for drummers.
I don't know if it's an insult to drummers to think this would pass as entertaining, or just a lack of ability on Armisen's part. I mean, really even at his best he's not a "Top rate" comedian, but this was poor beyond even the gracious allowance I was willing to give him for being a both mediocre drummer and lackluster comedian.
All the comedy seemed more like the "before" notes that a good comedian uses to write bits/jokes/gags with that they will eventually flush out, work with, rework and workshop, and eventually make ready for stage.
The "circus song joke" was an example of that (and really encapsulates the whole show perfectly) Rather than flushing out a good joke and Believe me trusty readers this joke WRITES ITSELF on many many levels,... he just phones in this half-ass Seinfeldesque "Hey did you ever notice when..." type crap.
His joke is (words to the effect of) "Hey that circus song, bet the guy who had the circus heard that and was like hey can I use it, and the guy who wrote it was like sure Ok go ahead, and now everyone comes up to him and is like Oh hey the circus song and that guy gets all mad like NO! it's not the circus song I know cause wrote it Grrrr..." AAAnnd end comedy....(or semblance thereof)
The song in question was written by a Czech composer called Julius Fucik (which most musicians and anyone who took band would recognize as he was a huge march composer and you'd go around band saying Fucik all the time) but right there,.. that name alone gives you a goldmine of comedy go to's, completely ignored.
Then the actual NAME of the song,.. it's called the "Entry of the Gladiators (Thunder and Blazes)" for crying out loud!!! Again it writes itself!! Add one and work THAT into the joke and it's about 200 times funnier than your original meh attempt, (cause y'know 200 times nothing..) plus the crowd learns something which is also fun! (Another hallmark of great vs meh comedy, which he must on some level realize as he takes a stab at it later and completely misses the mark again anyway)
I'm no comedian but it seems to me that setting up the plight of a guy named "Fucik", who writes a song called "ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS" that gets used as an intro for clowns and trained poodles is a million times funnier than "Oh I bet that guy was like grrrrrr when people say "Oh it's that circus song and it wasn't!!"
That theme of "missing the mark and rampant half-assery" continues through the show to a level that is as astounding and depressing as it is consistent and omnipresent.
Being in a band, and especially being the drummer has some seriously HILARIOUS observational opportunities, but he neglected them entirely.
The "for drummers" parts of the show where he plays the drums (mediocre I might add) is just playing snippets of drums from a major song from major drummers..like that IS something. He's like a crappy drum instructor who you pay for lessons and then instead of teaching, he just plays songs at you. For each snippet he just played and left, there were opportunities for great jokes about the style, the drummer, their styles, their bands,.. things that would have floored drummers and non-drummers alike,...again all 100% ignored.
"Drum kits through the ages" Again just circumnavigates all those GOLDEN opportunities for comedy. Which y'know what,.. I'd be 100% fine with if it was done in a really factual, interesting and entertaining manner,.. but back to the formula of mediocrity,.. he just gives a crappy "fringe summary" info. If you're already ignoring the comedy at this point, don't half-ass the historical info and entertainment value therein...
As the credits of the show indicate, somehow he got some notable drummers to be a part of this crapfest,... which has zero impact on anything other than those same credits.
Then he tells the audience (all people in bands) These are things that happen if you're in a band.... and dose those things... Note, these aren't *FUNNY* things, they're just things. So by his formula,.. here's a instant Fred Armisen comedy bit for dentists: "Have you ever noticed that suction makes a sucky noise but sometimes it also makes a............(wait for it)....... *whistling* noise!" *pause and nod for dramatic effect, pad that for a few minutes, then mime a dentist char, make a suction noise quietly for what is -obviously- too long, then suddenly make a loud whistling noise* "Thank you!! No, you're too kind you're a great audience! "
This whole show felt like someone came in and told Armisen: "Hey we need you to do a show, and we have 20 extra drum kits laying around for some reason, an audience that we've already paid to fill the seats. They've all signed an NDA saying they will never write a review or talk to another person about the show under penalty of death. It also isn't being recorded and everyone has been paid to applaud and laugh on queue." Then THAT knowledge alone was what drove the entire comedic process and putting the show together.
Fred just needs to have a youtube channel where he plays drums as it seems he REALLLLLLY needs people to know he can copy a bunch of signature (not even difficult, just "known") drum riffs and play them...(so much so he's willing to forego all comedy on his comedy special to get it out there I guess).
There was absolutely no reason for anyone (Drummer or otherwise) to watch this in lieu of anything else that doesn't involve Kanye West.
Ohhh,... In retrospect,.. it does say "Standup For Drummers", and not "Standup Comedy For Drummers" and he *was* standing up *for* a room full of *drummers*, so,.. 100% possible it was my mistake in making assumptions about there being implied comedic or entertainment value. For that reason I had to add five stars to my rating giving it a total of one star.
Or to put it another way,...
My girlfriend likes me to convey how horrible a show is based on how much money I would have to get paid to watch it again. You would have to pay me no less than $120 or the equivalent trade value in goods to get me to watch this show again willingly.
Fred Armisen is to comedy and drumming what Harvey Weinstein is to beautiful hollywood starlets.
Having said that,.. Do not watch this for any of the drummers listed that are guests. They have micro bit parts and this show does not showcase them in anyway. They are literally exchangeable with ANY other drummers in the world and it would make no difference. They do not have any contribution to the show other than being seen and being a marketable name in the credits.
The "for Drummers" part is just a vehicle to allow him to work in some crappy (and I do mean CRAPPY) music related(ish) comedy into the show. I guess he thought it would seem funnier if presented to an audience that thought they were being catered to. (it wasn't)
It is worth noting though, that this show is just as ungood, unfunny, and uninteresting for non-drummers as it is for drummers.
I don't know if it's an insult to drummers to think this would pass as entertaining, or just a lack of ability on Armisen's part. I mean, really even at his best he's not a "Top rate" comedian, but this was poor beyond even the gracious allowance I was willing to give him for being a both mediocre drummer and lackluster comedian.
All the comedy seemed more like the "before" notes that a good comedian uses to write bits/jokes/gags with that they will eventually flush out, work with, rework and workshop, and eventually make ready for stage.
The "circus song joke" was an example of that (and really encapsulates the whole show perfectly) Rather than flushing out a good joke and Believe me trusty readers this joke WRITES ITSELF on many many levels,... he just phones in this half-ass Seinfeldesque "Hey did you ever notice when..." type crap.
His joke is (words to the effect of) "Hey that circus song, bet the guy who had the circus heard that and was like hey can I use it, and the guy who wrote it was like sure Ok go ahead, and now everyone comes up to him and is like Oh hey the circus song and that guy gets all mad like NO! it's not the circus song I know cause wrote it Grrrr..." AAAnnd end comedy....(or semblance thereof)
The song in question was written by a Czech composer called Julius Fucik (which most musicians and anyone who took band would recognize as he was a huge march composer and you'd go around band saying Fucik all the time) but right there,.. that name alone gives you a goldmine of comedy go to's, completely ignored.
Then the actual NAME of the song,.. it's called the "Entry of the Gladiators (Thunder and Blazes)" for crying out loud!!! Again it writes itself!! Add one and work THAT into the joke and it's about 200 times funnier than your original meh attempt, (cause y'know 200 times nothing..) plus the crowd learns something which is also fun! (Another hallmark of great vs meh comedy, which he must on some level realize as he takes a stab at it later and completely misses the mark again anyway)
I'm no comedian but it seems to me that setting up the plight of a guy named "Fucik", who writes a song called "ENTRY OF THE GLADIATORS" that gets used as an intro for clowns and trained poodles is a million times funnier than "Oh I bet that guy was like grrrrrr when people say "Oh it's that circus song and it wasn't!!"
That theme of "missing the mark and rampant half-assery" continues through the show to a level that is as astounding and depressing as it is consistent and omnipresent.
Being in a band, and especially being the drummer has some seriously HILARIOUS observational opportunities, but he neglected them entirely.
The "for drummers" parts of the show where he plays the drums (mediocre I might add) is just playing snippets of drums from a major song from major drummers..like that IS something. He's like a crappy drum instructor who you pay for lessons and then instead of teaching, he just plays songs at you. For each snippet he just played and left, there were opportunities for great jokes about the style, the drummer, their styles, their bands,.. things that would have floored drummers and non-drummers alike,...again all 100% ignored.
"Drum kits through the ages" Again just circumnavigates all those GOLDEN opportunities for comedy. Which y'know what,.. I'd be 100% fine with if it was done in a really factual, interesting and entertaining manner,.. but back to the formula of mediocrity,.. he just gives a crappy "fringe summary" info. If you're already ignoring the comedy at this point, don't half-ass the historical info and entertainment value therein...
As the credits of the show indicate, somehow he got some notable drummers to be a part of this crapfest,... which has zero impact on anything other than those same credits.
Then he tells the audience (all people in bands) These are things that happen if you're in a band.... and dose those things... Note, these aren't *FUNNY* things, they're just things. So by his formula,.. here's a instant Fred Armisen comedy bit for dentists: "Have you ever noticed that suction makes a sucky noise but sometimes it also makes a............(wait for it)....... *whistling* noise!" *pause and nod for dramatic effect, pad that for a few minutes, then mime a dentist char, make a suction noise quietly for what is -obviously- too long, then suddenly make a loud whistling noise* "Thank you!! No, you're too kind you're a great audience! "
This whole show felt like someone came in and told Armisen: "Hey we need you to do a show, and we have 20 extra drum kits laying around for some reason, an audience that we've already paid to fill the seats. They've all signed an NDA saying they will never write a review or talk to another person about the show under penalty of death. It also isn't being recorded and everyone has been paid to applaud and laugh on queue." Then THAT knowledge alone was what drove the entire comedic process and putting the show together.
Fred just needs to have a youtube channel where he plays drums as it seems he REALLLLLLY needs people to know he can copy a bunch of signature (not even difficult, just "known") drum riffs and play them...(so much so he's willing to forego all comedy on his comedy special to get it out there I guess).
There was absolutely no reason for anyone (Drummer or otherwise) to watch this in lieu of anything else that doesn't involve Kanye West.
Ohhh,... In retrospect,.. it does say "Standup For Drummers", and not "Standup Comedy For Drummers" and he *was* standing up *for* a room full of *drummers*, so,.. 100% possible it was my mistake in making assumptions about there being implied comedic or entertainment value. For that reason I had to add five stars to my rating giving it a total of one star.
Or to put it another way,...
My girlfriend likes me to convey how horrible a show is based on how much money I would have to get paid to watch it again. You would have to pay me no less than $120 or the equivalent trade value in goods to get me to watch this show again willingly.
Expectation was too high for this... Buzz kill all the way through, especially with the guests
danjordan-7951015 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Thought this was gonna be a brilliant twist on comedy and a specially humoured piece for drummers, which don't get me wrong it was fun for drummers... for about 15 minutes in total... then it was all a bit mixed up really...
Going through decades of drumming with the drum-sets in the middle was a let down... although he outlined a cool concept, it was just a little dry for comedy. Tbh I thought he was going to invite audience members to play and do a little maestro bit.
Guests were a real buzzkill for me... all the guests came on and did some very damp jokes with FA but none of them were really that funny for punchline humour. He 'bigged' up Thomas Lang and gave him a good intro... and he didn't play drums until the end, WTF! They did some quirky story bit with a script and it was jut cringy really, he's a drummer, and he was announced as an amazing drummer. And only one drum beat was played by him. The three guests came back on stage and did a beat between the four of them all at the same pace. Great! A bit of drumming to end this horror-show! Wrong. Again. Well correct but man oh man did expectations (again) go too far. He shouted each name out and they played solo for about 5 seconds each, but there no fills or bits, just the same beat. I'm a drummer and for me I'd be bursting to do that if you were told to play the same beat over and over and not give those Toms a good seeing to!
Overall; A full viewing is not not recommended, for lovers of drums or comedy. Sorry.
Going through decades of drumming with the drum-sets in the middle was a let down... although he outlined a cool concept, it was just a little dry for comedy. Tbh I thought he was going to invite audience members to play and do a little maestro bit.
Guests were a real buzzkill for me... all the guests came on and did some very damp jokes with FA but none of them were really that funny for punchline humour. He 'bigged' up Thomas Lang and gave him a good intro... and he didn't play drums until the end, WTF! They did some quirky story bit with a script and it was jut cringy really, he's a drummer, and he was announced as an amazing drummer. And only one drum beat was played by him. The three guests came back on stage and did a beat between the four of them all at the same pace. Great! A bit of drumming to end this horror-show! Wrong. Again. Well correct but man oh man did expectations (again) go too far. He shouted each name out and they played solo for about 5 seconds each, but there no fills or bits, just the same beat. I'm a drummer and for me I'd be bursting to do that if you were told to play the same beat over and over and not give those Toms a good seeing to!
Overall; A full viewing is not not recommended, for lovers of drums or comedy. Sorry.
Classic Fred
ellieherring7 January 2019
How embarrassing...
fredericsiroul8 February 2018
A show about drummers, sounds great! Oh dear... After a few somewhat decent impersonations of famous drummers, he decided to imitate nearly every single American accent, following -yes- a map. I'm not english native, but I promise you, it was pittiful. He then loses himself in a serie of unconnected 'should be jokes' to end up shivering on the floor, impersonating a dying fox, through time-lapse. Although I admit the idea seems unconventionally interesting, it was unfortunately poorly executed. Yes, we didn't talk drums for the past 20 mins now, and I don't even seem to understand what we've been talking about.
There it goes, showing us the pier in the crowd full of drums from every decades... but playing 4 bars on every kit with an unconvincing storyline has certainly not quench our thirst.
Surprise, some famous guests! Perhaps it is not the end!?
But it is one thing to embarrasse yourself, quite another to take some of the best drummers in the world down with you.
Even as a drummer, you shouldn't bothered, quite sadly.
Great performance
valentyn199217 March 2021
I don't understand why people would hate on this so much. Really funny jokes, cool observations. It's not the kind of humour to make you cry from laughter, it's more an entertaining humour to put the smile on your face and make you go "heh, so true" to yourself. Not to be stereotypical, but it's not something I would typically hear from the American comedians. It has an occasional British humour vibe to it, which - true, not everyone gets.
Wow....
blacklabelkk21 June 2018
I was really excited when I found out about this.... a stand up show from a respectable comedian about drumming? This is going to be amazing.
I'm not even 15 minutes in.... He just called an accordion a xylophone and clearly doesn't know the difference between the two. Now he's saying the Zildjian headquarters is in Istanbul but I'm pretty sure it's near me and I'm definitely in the US.... Zildijan was founded in Istanbul but I don't believe they make cymbals there. This so far has been highly edited, as if the live bit didn't go as planned and it almost seems as if Fred is a bit nervous here and there. Makes me wonder if people were leaving or were just thoroughly unimpressed. Every few minutes it cuts to some random person in the crowd really enjoying themselves and it just seems a bit overracted and fake. Sometimes even awkwardly cutting away. Anywas, gonna watch the rest cause it's actually so bad it's entertaining.
I'm not even 15 minutes in.... He just called an accordion a xylophone and clearly doesn't know the difference between the two. Now he's saying the Zildjian headquarters is in Istanbul but I'm pretty sure it's near me and I'm definitely in the US.... Zildijan was founded in Istanbul but I don't believe they make cymbals there. This so far has been highly edited, as if the live bit didn't go as planned and it almost seems as if Fred is a bit nervous here and there. Makes me wonder if people were leaving or were just thoroughly unimpressed. Every few minutes it cuts to some random person in the crowd really enjoying themselves and it just seems a bit overracted and fake. Sometimes even awkwardly cutting away. Anywas, gonna watch the rest cause it's actually so bad it's entertaining.
OMG, that was sooo bad!
karelf-257-62213216 February 2018
I remember Fred from SNL. I like drums. I used to play drums. So when I saw this on Netflix, I was excited to have a great fun stuff combined with drums. Oh boy!
Not sure what this was supposed to mean, but the show is painfuly slow, Fred seems uneasy most of the time and the jokes? Why on Earth, just after a hardly acceptable funny intro, he starts to mimic literaly all accents across US? Where's the connection? Just a stuff to kill the time.
Then, we have the drums. Fred is OK on the instrument but plays quick snippets, but nevermind - he has guests. Cool - Tomas Lang, Tre. The joy is quickly over when you realize they're only playing sidekicks in a dialogues that do not even make any sense. And the ending bit, with everyone playing the same stuff? Come on, Fred!
After 30 minutes into the flick, I was in agony. It was so painful to watch, that I nearly gave up.
Bonus - there are only 2 funny bits - and those are the clips from visiting a drum/music store. When Vinnie Colaiuta showed up in the ending, I knew this was the only highlight for me.
Totally wasted opportunity. Pitty.
Not sure what this was supposed to mean, but the show is painfuly slow, Fred seems uneasy most of the time and the jokes? Why on Earth, just after a hardly acceptable funny intro, he starts to mimic literaly all accents across US? Where's the connection? Just a stuff to kill the time.
Then, we have the drums. Fred is OK on the instrument but plays quick snippets, but nevermind - he has guests. Cool - Tomas Lang, Tre. The joy is quickly over when you realize they're only playing sidekicks in a dialogues that do not even make any sense. And the ending bit, with everyone playing the same stuff? Come on, Fred!
After 30 minutes into the flick, I was in agony. It was so painful to watch, that I nearly gave up.
Bonus - there are only 2 funny bits - and those are the clips from visiting a drum/music store. When Vinnie Colaiuta showed up in the ending, I knew this was the only highlight for me.
Totally wasted opportunity. Pitty.
i want my 15 minutes back
cpuguru15 February 2018
For lovers of drums only
bettycjung7 February 2018
2/7/18. I didn't know what to expect from a Fred Armisen standup. Oh, yes, I do in a way. I have watched him for years on SNL. This was like watching him playing Garth (without Kristen Wiig's Kat). Basically, he was all over the place, with occasional funny bits. The only saving grace was when he talked about and played his drums. He is actually quite a good drummer. Nice he had other drummers do their thing, especially Shiela E. So, it's a toss-up. Watch it if you like his humor, or watch it if you like drums.
Gave it 10 minutes......
stevebesley-558217 February 2018
I too am not a drummer, but my brother played drums with me in a band back in the 60's so I thought I would check this out. I gave it 10 minutes waiting for it to get good, or at least funny, but no joy, so I gave up. If it does get good later in the hour do let us know.
Skip this one
petermichelini12 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Has the brilliant Fred Armisen ever done standup? Don't know. But this misses the mark by a long shot. His character comedy work is some of the best comedy ever. Rarely does a comic get me rolling laughing. But this... The material is weak, the delivery is weak and he took a bit of an elitist tone. Doesn't seem to be his thing but I like that he was trying something new (at least new for me).
The observational material about drummers and musicians is adolescent at best or something you might hear from your lame band mates.
I found it ironic that he said he didn't get jazz and then did a brilliant bit on regional accents while moving effortlessly across a map of the US, riffing on the subtle differences from area to area, and state to state - which was pure jazz.
I think he had fun doing it. If you're a big fan like I am, you're probably going to watch this anyway.
The observational material about drummers and musicians is adolescent at best or something you might hear from your lame band mates.
I found it ironic that he said he didn't get jazz and then did a brilliant bit on regional accents while moving effortlessly across a map of the US, riffing on the subtle differences from area to area, and state to state - which was pure jazz.
I think he had fun doing it. If you're a big fan like I am, you're probably going to watch this anyway.
I am CLEARLY not a drummer......
matthijsalexander7 February 2018
The title is spot on as far as I am concerned. I know about 4 drummers though, and I would not know they would enjoy this either.
Fred starts with some very dull stories, some very weak impression (which he stupidly announces) and continues on a path that I personally found somewhat boring. When he does the accents, you can see he has talent and wit. But even that wasn't funny. I switched Fred off after 10 minutes. With deep regret. I sincerely hope all the drummers in the world had a blast.
I know, especially with comedy beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and comedy can't really be reviewed ............but this makes me truly wonder: This is what comedy is now?
What's next? Comedy for Trombone players?
Fred starts with some very dull stories, some very weak impression (which he stupidly announces) and continues on a path that I personally found somewhat boring. When he does the accents, you can see he has talent and wit. But even that wasn't funny. I switched Fred off after 10 minutes. With deep regret. I sincerely hope all the drummers in the world had a blast.
I know, especially with comedy beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and comedy can't really be reviewed ............but this makes me truly wonder: This is what comedy is now?
What's next? Comedy for Trombone players?
I'm a drummer who loves Fred Armisen
mdsk-3179412 February 2018
But this fell truly flat. It was really awkward and just not funny. I don't have time to point out all the reasons it fell flat but I think the bottomline is Fred did this as a "creative" project and didn't really think it all through. He probably thought "I love drums, and comedy, so let me combine them". Yes, and I'm sure you had fun doing the show(?) but combining those talents in this way didn't pan out. Portlandia is gold. Keep your comedic and musical talents separate please. Hopefully this will be a learning experience.
Very boring
pheno5553 August 2018
I came here for a few quick laughs, and some jokes about drumming. Instead there is 20 minutes about the different dialects in America. The stand-up parts were not funny at all, and some of them were so bad I just wanted to turn it off. The only way I would recommend this, is if someone has seen everything on Netflix, except this, and refuses to re-watch Friends or something. I did not enjoy it at all.
Avoid at all costs
krazy_kh22 April 2019
What can I say about this that already hasn't been said so I will try and keep this short.
I love stand up comedy and drumming and if you love either of these things, you are better off avoiding this cringe worthy effort at stand-up. At times I felt sorry for FA, did he actually think his material was funny ?
There are so many better stand up comedy specials on Netflix right now. Go watch Hasan Minaj: Homecoming King if you are looking for a different kind of stand up comedy and yet which is hilarious and awesome and feel good at the same time....or go take a nap than watch FA make a fool of himself
I love stand up comedy and drumming and if you love either of these things, you are better off avoiding this cringe worthy effort at stand-up. At times I felt sorry for FA, did he actually think his material was funny ?
There are so many better stand up comedy specials on Netflix right now. Go watch Hasan Minaj: Homecoming King if you are looking for a different kind of stand up comedy and yet which is hilarious and awesome and feel good at the same time....or go take a nap than watch FA make a fool of himself
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