Television

Nirvana the Band the Front Five

BY Sam SutherlandPublished Jun 22, 2008

Matt Johnson probably isn't telling me the truth. "I'm blind. I go in to the Rivoli and I order a drink, I get up, knock over a table, books go everywhere, I run out into the street and get nailed by a moving car.” The scenario Johnson (who definitely isn't blind) is describing comes from a forthcoming episode of Nirvana the Band the Show, an online series in the aggressively awkward tradition of Clark and Michael, but way, way more Canadian. Filmed verite-style in and around Johnson’s Queen West apartment, the show follows Nirvana the Band, comprised of Johnson and pianist Jay McCarol, in their quest to get a gig at Toronto institution the Rivoli. And that's it.

"You could never put our show on TV. I mean, it’s a show based on copyright infringement," says Johnson. Showcasing a blatantly offensive style of purely Canadian comedy that mixes Tom Green’s stunts with Kenny vs. Spenny’s smarts, Johnson and McCarol still haven’t exactly gone out of their way to keep from being punted offline.

"We were shooting a scene outside the Rivoli in the morning when they were closed, because we had to shoot on location and we didn’t want them to know,” Johnson says. "We were shooting a break-in scene, and some guy who was, like, a temp cook or something, showed up in the morning with no idea how to get inside. So he sees us trying to get in and assumes we’re all on the same team, and the three of us spend 15 minutes breaking into the Rivoli. I’m terrified of when they find out we’re doing this.” With growing blog buzz and some seriously insane shit coming up, best to check it out while you can at www.nirvanathebandtheshow.com.

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