(Madman)

13 episodes circa 1999-2002 from one of Cartoon Network /Adult Swim’s more out-there creations

The nerds among us have been thoroughly enjoying the Cartoon Network / Adult Swim’s penchant for subverting old Hanna-Barbera cartoons and reimagining them as surreal, bizarre animated shows a la Sealab 2021 and Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law. But the forefather of these post-modern parodies is Space Ghost Coast To Coast, which started in 1994 by taking old HB character Space Ghost and having him conduct a chat show from his outer-space studio. These 13 episodes date from the years 1999 to 2002 and, as is the tradition for the program, portray Space Ghost conducting interviews with actual celebrities (they appear on a screen which descends in front of Space Ghost). These include the likes of Steven Wright, The Captain and Tennille, Thom Yorke, Bjork, Conan O’Brien and others. Unlike the rapid-fire craziness of Harvey Birdman, there’s a more dreamlike, stoned pace to Space Ghost, as his interviews are frequently interrupted by cosmically materialising bears or intergalactic slime. There’s also his own “Paul Schaffer” in the form of stick insect nemesis Zorak while the red-helmeted Moltar is his producer in the show. The episodes here are even more odd than usual, as by this period, SGC2C’s writers had subverted even the show’s own premise, so the tangents it goes on are many and varied. However, there’s a buncha laughs to be had especially if you’re a bit of a cartoon nerd. There’s also some decent features including commentaries, promos, table reads, raw interview footage and a coupla easter eggs too.

****

MATT THROWER

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