Fishing with John

No.

And nothing will ever be as funny as episode 4 of Fishing with John.

That ran only 6 episodes and was aired sporadically on cable.

Musician and actor John Lurie invites celebrity friends on exotic fishing excursions, to laughable results. His guests include Jim Jarmusch (who he takes out shark fishing off Montauk), Tom Waits (Jamaica), Matt Dillon (Costa Rica), Willem Dafoe (Maine ice fishing), and in the final two-parter, Dennis Hopper (Thailand). Each episode features overly dramatic narration by Robb Webb which is punctuated with non sequiturs and outright fabrications. This may be too dead pan and laid back for most viewers, but those on a certain wavelength will find it hilarious (as I did). It's one of the earliest DVD releases from Criterion.

After becoming a huge Fan of John's music I watched "Fishing with John", and became a huge fan of John as a actor, and person. This series will have you laughing out loud and quoting lines for days. The interactions between John and his guest is unlike any other film. It is pure joy that will make you want to grab a fishing pole, friend and a cammera and hit the water.

I have just discovered this 6 part series on Bravo in Canada and have made it part of my must-see tv schedule. From the doleful signature tune to the Armageddon '50s voice overs, this quirky travelogue is about the guy stuff between fish that mainstream fishing shows edit out. Now if I could just get the "Fishing With John" theme out of my head ...

John Lurie (musician) goes fishing with various celebrities in the early 90s. It is bizarre and dry humor. Think: The Gods Must Be Crazy meets a fishing show. The commentary on the DVD is very worth listening to if you enjoyed the episodes.

In one episode while they are fishing there are sounds of children playing in the background. In other episodes the narrating voice over tells the viewer RANDOM facts and observations (ie: someone is eating a sandwich and the narrator mentions he would like a bite)

Meta-humor, dry humor and bizarre humor at it's finest, I understand why Criterion picked this one up for release.