© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Crosscurrents

Talking condo ponies and parody with Kasper Hauser's Rob Baedeker

When you’re up in an airplane, shopping can be difficult. Unless, of course, you reach into the pocket of the seat in front of you and find a SkyMallcatalogue. That’s the airline magazine that offers products like a special vacuum for your dog’s droppings or a human slingshot, right at the moment when you might be bored enough to buy them.

San Francisco comedy troupe Kasper Hauser couldn’t help but notice the absurdity of SkyMall’s offerings. So in 2006, they made their own parody version of the catalogue, called SkyMaul: Happy Crap You Can Buy From The Plane. And they’ve just recently released a second edition, SkyMaul 2: Where America Buys His Stuff. Kasper Hauser’s Rob Baedeker joined KALW’s Audrey Dilling in our studio to talk about condo ponies and parody.

ROB BEADEKER: One of the functions of parody is a heightened sense of reality. So when you sense the absurdity in a work of parody, you look at the real world in a different way and you see things that are off or true or wrong about the real world. It’s that disconnect that I think is exciting. 

Click the audio player above to listen to the complete interview.

For more books from Kasper Hauser and to find out how to get a copy of Sky Maul 2, visit their website.

Crosscurrents