Ever since the creation of the internet in the 90’s (thanks, Al Gore!), humankind has developed an insatiable addiction to all of the glorious (and not-so-glorious) gems it has to offer. From blogging to youtube, it’s pretty safe to say you won’t run out of content in a single lifetime. Maybe in 27 lifetimes, but until you find a way to make that happen…..I lost where I was going with this. Point is, there’s a lot of shit out there. There’s also a lot of shit out there. So much in fact, that it’s often hard to differentiate the good from the bad (Racket Magazine = really, really good…for the record). And that’s why we’re here to set the record straight. I’ve simplified it for you with the following chart:
That being said, let’s move on to one of my personal favorite things from the internet: Secret FunTime.com. Humor, particularly of the creative and/or ridiculous/zany variety is one of my favorite things in life (and it wouldn’t be a “life” if it wasn’t wasted for hours at a time in front of a computer, accomplishing next to nothing outside of a ‘rofl’ or ‘lol’), and SFT! has just that, in spades. I recently had a conversation with Barry McLaughlin; one of the co-creators/creative directors/stars of this daily internet variety show, and it went something like this:
Racket Kim: For our readers who live under a rock, tell me a little bit about
manifest destinyfest/Barry Holiday and how the whole thing came to be. Where did you expect to go with it when you started, and do you think you’ve achieved your expectations?
Barry: I actually started out in a comedy band called The BicyclingMariachis, and we would play at the Whisky-a-GoGo and places likethat…but with ridiculous songs about leprechauns and socks and the theory of flight. Then one day we had a gig at some place in Santa Monica, and the two other guys couldn’t make it last-minute, so I just made up the character of Barry Holiday, got my friend Darren from Phantom Planet to play guitar as “The Pickle Thief,” and did about an hour or so of improv songs. It went surprisingly well. Probably because the audience was comprised of about 15 of my closest friends. About halfway through the show, however, people started acting all strange…and I later found out it was because they saw on a tv that Bush had just won the election over Gore. That was my first solo show. As for the other questions…I still have a long way to go with my goals, but just being able to make comedy as my career is a landmark for me. I’m pretty damn happy these days.
Racket Kim: Tell me a bit about the comedy band, maybe some of your songs/antics…whatever.
Barry: Well we started it in my first year of college, it was my friend Andy and my friend Jason – Andy played guitar, Jason played keyboard and I ….sorta played drums and played an Arrowhead waterbottle. My friend Adam from Maroon5 played with us sometimes as well. As far as songs go, we had ‘Hotpants Harry’, which was kinda folkish. There was ‘Theory of Flight’ …I’m trying to think of some others. A lot of the time we’d just go up there and put songs together, which worked about 15% of the time. We liked to have a big finale, throwing things out at the audience and stuff.
Racket Kim: Oh yeah, what kind of things?
Barry: Well, there was this one song where we’d periodically throw out those playpen balls, and then every fourth time or whatever we’d throw out hot dogs or bologna…
Racket Kim: Seriously? [laughs] That’s hilarious!
Barry: Yeah, yeah.
Racket Kim: Did you ever – did the venue or anyone ever get pissed off, like did you get into any trouble for throwing bologna all over their place?
Barry: No, actually – We played mostly at the Whisky-a-GoGo and they were pretty easygoing. I don’t really remember ever getting into any…well there was – for the song ‘Theory of Flight’, right at the end, we threw out like a hundred paper airplanes and I don’t think they liked that very much, but we didn’t really get into any trouble. 
Racket Kim: Have you had much previous experience in improv? Did you ever go to school for what you’re doing?
Barry: No, actually I had taken some classes like…after the fact, but I realized that they were kinda pointless and expensive. I’ve learned a lot more from just doing it and going out there and just….looking like an asshole.
Racket Kim: Why did you pick the internet as a means of expanding your idea…or…thing? Why not just get yourself on tv and make some big cash (clearly it’s not that simple, I know, but really, why)?
Barry: As hard as I work creatively, I’m a complete idiot at self-promotion. Also, most people really never knew what to do with me. Short form content wasn’t very appealing to business-types until this whole youtube boom recently. I’ve been doing this since 2001, and only now has it become a somewhat viable form of entertainment. And maybe my stuff was too weird for conventional tv? I have no idea. Now people are getting tv deals because they videoblog themselves eating cereal every morning and call it “Breakfast with Whats-His-Face.” Ooh, I actually kind of like that idea.
Racket Kim: Secretfuntime has some pretty impressive guest hosts, most notably Eric Szmanda; how do you guys get them involved in the show?
Barry: For Eric, he’s actually a co-founder…but other guests are eitherfriends of ours, or people who saw our site and then wanted to be involved. So far we’ve had Jeremy Sisto, Sam Page, Gene Hong, Kelvin Yu, Ned Brower from Rooney… and then we’ve got a handful of really fun people lined up for the coming weeks, including Emilie de Ravin and the guys from Maroon5.
Racket Kim: How did you get to be involved with SFT?
Barry: I answered an ad on Craigslist a year ago, met with Eric Szmanda and Tyler Malin, we hit it off, and now I’m a cofounder of the site. And I got a free massage out of the deal.
Racket Kim: What exactly did the ad say they were looking for, and what did you respond with?
Barry: I believe it said ‘Free Massage in Exchange for Comedy’…actually I don’t really remember, I think it was something along the lines of ‘Seeking Comedy Writer’ or something like that.
Racket Kim: Is there any kind of profit in SFT! for anyone involved?
Barry: Not yet. We’re working on it, though. If there are any investors out there who want to love us long time, give us a call. Or just turn off the lights in your bathroom, light a candle, look into the mirror and say my name 12 times. In five minutes I will appear behind you, covered in blood and holding a butcher knife. Then we can talk business.
Racket Kim: Who pays for the web hosting and who actually builds the site? I imagine a site like that takes a lot of work…
Barry: I think Tyler and Eric mainly handle the site, the videos are hosted on Revver, and the site itself is designed by a-it’s called Coolbirth. Tyler worked with them to make the site. As far as cost I think hosting the site is only about $15/month.
Racket Kim: Exactly how much influence do you have as far as the general look/feel/outcome of the show? Do you have much say in the creative process at all?
Barry: I’m the creative director for the site, as well as the writer/director/editor for all of our original videos. Tyler and Eric are the producers; very helpful and on top of things. I’ve also been working with a lot of really amazing and creative friends, including my buddy John Alford, who has become my creative partner. It’s nice being able to switch back and forth with the directing duties, although John does try and sneak a “squirting blood shot” into almost everything.
Racket Kim: What pop culture fad or pop culture icon do you wish you could kill with your bare hands?
Barry: Laundry.
Racket Kim: When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
Barry: “Am I framed well? Is there enough head room? Seriously, Janet, just give the camera to Keith, let him take it. You’re gonna mess it up! I’m serious! Yes, I know it’s your birthday. Just give the camera to Keith already! You know what? Fuck this. I’m outta here. Happy birthday.”
Racket Kim: If con is the opposite of pro, what’s the opposite of progress?
Barry: Progresso soup. Chunky.
Racket Kim: Disappointing…
Barry: What?! I know, the correct answer is ‘Congress’, but you know what? I’m very disappointed in this question. I don’t like being forced into answers! [the sound of something being thrown can be heard, followed by faint sounds of sobbing…]
Racket Kim: If someone rapes a prostitute should they be charged for shoplifting too?
Barry: I think I saw this on my SAT’s a few years back. I don’t remember the answer.
Racket Kim: If you had to choose, which would you prefer to be beaten with: a toaster in a pillowcase, or a sock full of pennies? (or you could turn that around and say which you’d select as a weapon of choice)
Barry: Sock full of pennies is fat and I hate it. Toaster in a pillowcase is dangerous if plugged in and I hate it.
Racket Kim: Again, disappointing. Ok. Think about it – assuming the toaster is not plugged in, imagine the awesome sound it would make as you swung it violently at someone’s skull…
Barry: Fine, hit a sock full of pennies with a toaster in a pillowcase.
Racket Kim: Haha, okay much better, thank you.
Racket Kim: By the way, my friends and I were discussing this and it lead to vulgar and hilarious things (as everything always does), so ….if you were to have a perfume/cologne named after you, what would it be called?
Barry: “Smell My Soul”
Racket Kim: And a word association for good measure:
pencil – Outerspace Pumpkin Police
drop – Gimme a slice o’ that Ass, girl!
president – Hey, who cut the presidential cheese?
yid – Yid 2: The return of Yid.
lackluster – The Battleship Mandy Patinkin
quantum physics – Bum Bum Bongos
mozart – Hey Mozart, nice outfit! Mozart: Stop that. Me: Shut up and play me something classic. Mozart: I ain’t gonna play shit for you. Me: Your music sucks, dude. Mozart: Whatever.
clip – Clap. clip, clap. clip, clap. Hey, who let a horse in my pajamas?
green – No comment.
love – glove. All the ladies be like what-what? when I bust out the Love Glove. holla.
sand – Oppression