Meet me at the Designated Spot

This, ladies and gents, is what it’s all about.

On July 7, 2016 history was made by Bill Hader, Fred Armisen, and Maya Rudolph. This legendary trio performed as the band “Test Pattern” for the finale of the second season of Documentary Now. And I got to see it happen! Twice!

The evening was packed with adrenaline fueled incidents right from the start. As I waited in line outside the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse with some funky fun gal pals of mine, Fred Armisen walked by us and said hello! I asked him how he was doing but he didn’t answer. Not one to give up on having a celeb encounter, I said bye to Fred and he waved at me. What a rush!

After that, our sweet friend Sarah, who worked on the set of the shoot all day as a props person (unsure of the proper terminology for her position but whatever she was doing was very official), let us cut the line and go into the theater through the back door. Very Important People alert!

I got to breathe the same air as Maya Rudolph!!!

The rest of the night was a total dream. John Mulaney hosted the show and cracked a few funnies for the crowd before the band came on. We all took in the scenery of the gorgeous theater and the outfits of our fellow audience members who were dressed in 80’s attire to match the show’s Talking Heads parody theme. And then we jammed. For at least two hours. The band played the whole set twice through (gotta get it right for the camera) so that meant that we got to listen to Fred Armisen perform a terribly hilarious blues number that included a bowler hat, megaphone, and a ribbon dance twice. It was awful in the best way possible.

Whoever came up with the idea for Documentary Now is a genius because mockumentary is the greatest genre to ever be created. Without mockumentary we wouldn’t have nation treasures like The Office, Parks and Recreation, or any of Christopher Guest’s movies. My middle school experience would be very different without the soundtrack of A Mighty Wind.

If you haven’t seen A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, or For Your Consideration, do it! And then celebrate the fact that Christopher Guest and his possy has a new mockumentary coming out this year on Netflix!!!

My dream is to write comedies that are strong enough for humor beasts like Fred, Bill, and Maya to perform in. By reading a ton of comedic books and scripts at FilmNation, I am quickly what good comedic writing looks like and, more importantly, what not to write if you’re trying to make someone laugh. You may not have hired me to work at Broadway Video this summer, Lorne Michaels, but I am coming for you soon. (Not a threat, I promise, please hire me, I love you).

I’ll leave you with this. And, yes, Blue Jean Committee did make an appearance to perform this iconic song.