Corky and the Juice Pigs

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Corky and the Juice Pigs
Origin Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s) Comedy
Folk
Years active 1987-1998 (?)
Website Web site

Corky and the Juice Pigs were a Canadian comedy musical group made up of Phil Nichol, Greg Neale, and Seán Cullen. Their output consisted mainly of original comedic songs, largely satirical and often parodying various musical styles.

Contents

[edit] History

Corky and the Juice Pigs got their start doing a comedy radio show on the University of Windsor's CJAM campus station. Under the leadership of Joe Costa, the group (Joe, Sean, and Phil) hosted a show called "Last Laughs on Us" (which aired on CJAM between 1984 and 1985). They referred to themselves as "The Little Bits of Gravel". Phil performed under the name Jimmy McWhistle. Sean honed his improvisational story telling (featured on such songs as "Truckers") skills doing a regular feature called "Epic of the Wedgies". The Wedgies were amorphous little creatures created by a group of capricious gods to be alternatively rewarded and tormented by their creators.

After their stint on college radio, Joe, Sean, and Phil entered a comedy competition hosted by Eugene Levy that was touring Canadian university campuses in the late '80s. They joined the contest under the moniker Corky and the Juice Pigs. Sean claims he wanted to use the Corky and the Juicy Pigs name for a jug band project he was kicking around. Corky and the Juice Pigs did not win but were runners up. Joe Costa left the group early into their career to pursue a teaching occupation, and was replaced by Sean and Phil's University of Windsor drama school mate Greg Neale. One of their early national Canadian TV appearances was on the MuchMusic program Much West in the late 1980s, during which they performed a parody of Kabuki theatre.

[edit] Biography

Skilled improvisers, they are best known in the United States for their performances on MADtv, including their most famous song "Eskimo", more commonly known as "Gay Eskimo", where the lyrics discussed the problems facing the sole homosexual in an isolated environment. The group also parodied specific performers, often by performing their own songs in the style of others (famously their MADtv performance of "Eskimo" ended with versions of the chorus in the styles of The Proclaimers, Bob Dylan, Ric Ocasek from the Cars, Oasis, Van Morrison, and Portishead in some live versions).

Other songs dealt variously with the troubles to be faced with a possessed pair of pants ("Curly's Pants"), dating the Devil's daughter ("666-6666") and using your grandma as a skateboard ("Skateboard"). Even being the child of a moderately successful Bearded Lady and impressively unsuccessful Bearded Man were addressed, in the song "Circus Freaks". There was little considered too odd to become subject matter.

The group also toured internationally, netting a Perrier Award nomination at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1993. They also attracted a small fan base in Australia thanks to performances at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival towards the end of their career.

The group disbanded in the late 1990s after a career spanning over 11 years.

[edit] Members

[edit] Albums

  • 1993 Corky and the Juice Pigs
  1. Ben
  2. Pandas
  3. Basketball
  4. Gameshow 1
  5. 666-6666
  6. PSA 1
  7. Doubt
  8. Skateboard
  9. Eskimo
  10. Todd
  11. Concierge
  12. PSA 2
  13. Psycho
  14. Buddhists
  15. Gameshow 2
  16. Truckers
  17. Rok Stedy
  18. Candy
  19. Love Affair
  20. PSA 3
  21. Miners
  22. When the Moon
  23. Captain Greg
  24. Suzanne
  25. Gameshow 3
  26. Americans


  • 1994 Pants
  1. Pants
  2. Circus Freaks
  3. Rabies
  4. Janitor
  5. Enviro Girl
  6. Dolphin Boy
  7. Diet Riot
  8. Curly's Pants
  9. The Church
  10. Christmas Dreams
  11. Picnic Party
  12. French Cowboys
  13. BVG
  14. Hot Squat Hombre
  15. REMember

[edit] Filmography

The Juice Pigs filmed a music video for "REMember", parodying REM's "Losing My Religion" video in 1994.

[edit] External links